The King's Witch
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3. How do you think Edythe’s background as a Jew, and her desire to learn more about her heritage, affect the decisions she makes throughout the course of the novel?
4. On page 138, in regard to the Crusades, Rouquin states, “This isn’t about God, whatever Richard says. This is about power.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement, based on your own knowledge of the Crusades? Do you think other wars were fought for which the motivation may have been power instead of religion?
5. Edythe decides to go with Richard to Jaffa in order to possibly learn more about her Jewish heritage, as well as to care for the injured soldiers. How does her journey compare to other religious pilgrimages?
6. King Richard is believed by many historians to have been a homosexual. Do you think Richard’s relationship with Edythe is influenced by the fact that he’s a man not attracted to women, leaving him free to treat her as an equal ?
7. Edythe is referred to as a witch by Richard’s men at various points throughout the course of the novel. Do you think that they truly believe that she is capable of witchcraft? In what ways do their reactions to her abilities to heal act as a precursor to later instances in history when people were persecuted as witches?
8. Throughout the course of the novel, the Templars also play a significant role in trying to shape the outcome of the attack on Jerusalem and the installation of a new king. Why do you think Edythe seems to have an easier time standing up to them than Johanna does?
9. Toward the beginning of the novel, Edythe meets an old beggar whose words haunt her throughout the novel. In what ways does the novel suggest that in war, no one wins?
10. Why do you think Edythe chooses to go to Jerusalem and live the rest of her life as a Jewish woman, an arguably harder life than she would have had if she returned with Johanna to Eleanor’s court?
Titles by Cecelia Holland
THE SECRET ELEANOR
THE KING’S WITCH