Sow the Wind

Fanfiction
Title:	Sow the Wind
Author(s):	Anne Elizabeth Zeek
Date(s):	1981
Length:
Genre:	het
Fandom:	Star Wars
External Links:
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Sow the Wind is a Star Wars story by Anne Elizabeth Zeek.

It was published in Warped Space #46 in September 1981 where it had art by Connie Faddis.

This story won a Fan Q.

Sample Art

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  Connie Faddis

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  Connie Faddis

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  Connie Faddis

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  Connie Faddis

Reactions and Reviews

A notable thing about 'Sow the Wind' was that it was a Star Wars story, about Luke's birth. 'Media' fans would often argue to [ST] fans who concentrated on one genre that readers ought to appreciate any story about any genre as long as it was well-written. 'Sow the Wind' was undoubtedly well-written. On the other hand, the unavoidable fact is that for every well-written story, there are a dozen poorly written ones. If one is not a fan of the genre, one does not want to read a dozen badly-written stories in order to find the well-written one. Also, sometimes even the well-written stories of one's preferred genre seem boring.

'Sow the Wind' is an an excellent story supported by a truly outstanding art portfolio. Those people who saw the stunning original paintings at MediaWest Con can only regret that black-and-white reproduction, as good as it is, can only give a hint of their quality. Anne Zeek is one of the few fan authors who does more than pay lip service to the frequently-cited mythological patterns of Star Wars, and 'Sow the Wind' explores the archetypical [sic] figures of Father, Son, Mother, and Child through permutations drawn from Arthurian legend, a variety of Greek mythical parallels, and the pre-Classical and medieval conflicts of mother-goddess and sky-father. The elegant writing style compliments the intellectual fireworks of this remarkable piece to create a story which will undoubtedly became famous in fandom.

"Sow the Wind" — right on, Anne Elizabeth Zeek! This is one Darth-Vader-Is-Luke's-Father story that makes sense. The brooding atmosphere is enhanced by Connie Faddis's illos—and the stuff about the Old Goddess fits right in, even in that galaxy far, far away.

I've just finished reading WS 46 and the one story that stands out miles above the rest is Anne Elizabeth Zeek's "Sow the Wind." I have never read a more convincing, plausible or well-written story on the question of Luke's parentage, I loved her format, the way she compared Darth to the Author of Terran legend creating a sympathy and understanding of Vader's position in the reader. Connie Faddis's artwork is not to be passed over lightly either. Her work is exquisite and perfectly suited to the story. My only regret is that Ms. Faddis's pieces could not have been reproduced in color. There were very few of us who actually saw the pictures on display at MediaWest*Con and it is unfortunate that most people could not view them in their original splendor. While I say this, I also realize there is nothing you can do about it.

I was thoroughly delighted with the repro you got on the "Sow the Mind" artwork, bless your 'zine budget and your excellent printer. I learned something out of this: some colors, like red, are solid black when screened for B&W printing. Didn't make a whole lot of difference, though, except for the lava spouting from the volcano in young Darth's illo. Oh well, I'm not complaining; as I said, now I know.

"Sow the Wind" by Anne Elizabeth Zeek was a fascinating story of how Darth Vader became Luke's father; and I completely enjoyed reading it. Very nice job of writing. The illos by Connie Faddis were unusual and lovely. The only thing that bothered me just a little were the eyes. In all the illos the eyes seemed to be closed whether they were or not. But that's a minor thing; the artwork was beautiful.

Although I disagree with the events in Anne Elizabeth Zeek's "Sow the Wind," I do think that the story itself was well-written. Perhaps this is because she did not deal with the usual SW characters, which tend to be her weakness. I was impressed with her style in this particular piece and feel that the accompanying illos by Connie Faddis were excellent and added to the story.

"Sow the Wind" as good but I think definitely an alternate universe story. I don't think the patriarchal/matriarchal religions are locked in conflict in the SW or TESB universe — and I can't see Obi-Wan as the Emperor's younger brother. I can't see the SW/TESB Emperor as part of a reigning line — I got the strong impression that he was someone who seized power by force and then gave himself the Imperial title. He'd be more like a 20th Century dictator than a reigning monarch in the old sense. The previous government was democratic or semi-democratic rather like the German republic with Hitler taking over. And I don't see Darth as being a rather weak character tempted into impregnating his young stepmother and then trying desperately to cover up. When that fellow "went wrong," I'd say he had a good idea of what he was doing, and why — and it would be for power, not passion! But Anne Elizabeth Zeek's story was so involving and full of so many good ideas that I could accept it as a separate universe in its own right. The witch/feminist heroine was a fascinating character and my sympathies were with her — "evil depends on what your own loyalties are." Connie Faddis's artwork was so good that it was its own justification. Truly beautiful portraits of these tragic beings.

"Sow the Wind" was a novel idea, new, and an excellent story for the most part, but somehow lost something, somewhere. It didn't quite gel with TESB. However, most well-written, artwork more than commendable, even if Obi-Wan did appear more like Prince Faisal from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA.

Upon finally reading the Fan Q winning SW story I’m more than ever convinced of Anne Zeek's consummate writing craft but less convinced that this story or its illos, also superb, were the best SW written last year. The characters portrayed in "Sow the Wind" are compelling and expertly crafted, but somehow, to me, are more reminiscent of a romantic historical novel than the heroic epic/saga format of SW. Morisande is unquestionably intriguing, but I prefer to stick with Lucas' explanation of the Emperor as the evil force responsible for Darth's corruption, even though Anne's explanation of Vader's relationship to Luke works in this context. Connie's illos are exquisite, even more so in color as seen at MediaWest*Con. The ornate mystical, vaguely Celtish designs on all the clothing seems a bit "busy" for the SW universes also, which so far has even dressed its Princess rather plainly even for a victory celebration. I guess what amazed me most was the likenesses of the characters: how Connie ever got those baby faces to actually look like Luke is a good trick!

Anne Elizabeth Zeek's "Sow the Wind is a standout, not only for this issue but of all the fiction of hers I've read. It's well-written and has some very interesting ideas, such as why the Emperor didn't know who Luke was, why the resemblance between the Emperor and Ben, and why Ben would have lied (personally I think Vader lied, but Zeek makes a good case for this line). And the hints at the nature of the Force, especially the Dark Side, are intriguing. Are there any more stories written or planned around this portion of the SW universe?

I was also pleased to see that Anne Elizabeth took nonjudgmental perspective on the witchcraft/Earth Goddess issue. In the pre-Christian forms, the Earth Mother religion(s) tended to be gentle, nature worship ... as lovely and harmless as, say, the Japanese Shinto animist "religion," which most Japanese still profess to some degree, whether Buddist or Christian as well. The nature religions had little to do with so-called Satanism until Christianity came along, but as any serious reader into women's history knows, there were at least three hundred thousand witches executed by the Catholic (and later other Christian) Church between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, with some scholars putting the number as high as perhaps six million. That's as bad as Hitler's Holocaust. I wonder how many of those executed "witches" were gentle nature worshippers and herbalists, rather than baby-sacrificing Satanists. Gives one pause.

Anyway, Anne Elizabeth's theme that it is the use one makes of the Force, rather than whether it is the so-called Light Side (presumably the patriarchal, more "rational" male force) or the Dark Side (presumably the matriarchal, fecund and less "rational"—that is, intuitive—female side)—that is good or evil, is an interesting variation on interpretations of this energy "that surrounds and binds us." Most religions that do not have their basis In the patriarchal Judeo-Christian tradition (e.g., Christianity, Judaism, and to a great extent, Islam) don't really raise an issue of "evil," per se, at least not so that it's considered intrinsic to the cosmos; rather, there's yin and yang, or Krishna and Kali ... different faces of the same Entity, force, what have you. Ann E's story challenges what Lucas has done with the Force, so far, in his films: if he's taking a genuinely Eastern approach, as he’s been accused of, then he's going to have to do an about-face on his condemnation of the Dark Side. More likely, he's trying to pull off a tricky amalgamation of the Best of the East and the Best of the West. Oh well ... I've always thought all religions have a piece of the rock, so this ought to be interesting. But I'm pleased that STW offered this different perspective. It's so refreshing to read a mind-provoking SW fan story. Except for the ThousandWorld series, I've come across very little in the fandom that's tickled the old neurons. Other parts of the anatomy, maybe, but ...