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The video to the left is of the opening scene in Disney’s Mary Poppins. There are a number of elements in this clip that support the theory of Mary Poppins as The Triple Goddess. Right off the top, the audience sees the weather vain change from West to East – showing a fairly abrupt change in wind direction. Following this, we see a long line of nannies waiting for interviews at the Banks household, when suddenly, the wind becomes very strong… strong enough to blow the nannies away! This displays a strong connection between Mary Poppins and nature – almost as if she has some control over the wind and its strength. Once the nannies have been blown away (literally), enter Mary Poppins: floating down ever so gracefully on her umbrella. When the Banks children see this, Michael’s first reaction is: “perhaps it’s a witch,” to which Jane
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Mary’s connection to nature continues to be seen in the video to the right. In the song “Jolly Holiday” we see animals singing and dancing when Mary comes around. Further on in the clip, we see the tortoises coming to the rescue, helping Mary and Bert cross the pond on their backs. This further implies her strong bond with nature and all of its beings, a predominant feature of The Triple Goddess. It has been suggested by some scholars that Mary Poppins is “The Mother Earth Incarnate,” one of the many names of The Triple Goddess, along with “Mistress of the Animals” (5, 13). In this clip, magic also plays a predominant role, starting right off by jumping into the chalk drawing. As the song plays on, more and more magical things take place, such as Bert flapping and flying on spot, Mary gracefully flying about and
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In “A Spoonful of Sugar” – the video clip to the left – we see more evidence support the theory of Mary Poppins as The Triple Goddess. The audience sees Mary trying to show the Banks children that cleaning up after yourself doesn’t have to be boring, you only have to make a song out of it – supporting the Mother aspect of Mary Poppins. As the song progresses, the robin outside the window flies onto Mary’s outstretch finger and joins in tweeting the song, allowing Mary to stroke its breast and remains on Mary’s finger until she reaches out the window to set it free. This continues to show the relationship Mary has with nature and its creatures. Similar to “Jolly Holiday,” as Mary’s song continues on, magic begins to appear. With just the snap of a finger, the room begins to clean itself – clothes fold and fly into the dresser drawers, beds make themselves,
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Let’s continue to explore this notion that Mary Poppins sings her spells. The clip on the right is of the final song in Mary Poppins – “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.” This song is sung by the Banks family, they head out to the park and fly a kite. No magic occurs. Mary Poppins plays no role in this song, and it is one of the only songs throughout the movie that have no magic in the scene. Another example would be “Sister Suffragette.” This song is sung by Mrs. Banks and the housekeepers, with no influence of Mary Poppins, and no magic occurs. The magic induced by Mary Poppins continues to support Mary’s role as The Triple Goddess. (4)
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Like the books, Mary Poppins in Disney’s portrayal embodies the Mother aspect of The Triple Goddess. In Disney’s Mary Poppins, Mary arrives to the Banks household, which is in total disarray: the arrogant patriarchal figure, the aloof suffragette matriarch and the two “monster” children who have already been through six nannies. Enter Mary Poppins floating down by umbrella and she begins to rearrange the Banks family into order once again. Mary Poppins is a feminist without being an overly feminine figure herself (6). While having no children of her own, Mary “adopts” the Banks’ children and with the help of a bit of magic, her wit and no sexuality at all, Mary Poppins becomes the moral guide for patriarch George Banks and reunites the Banks into a functioning family unit (6).
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