I've just posted a new story at my "Tales of the Midnight Isles" blog, where I'm trying to develop my own myth/legend universe inspired by British history and Tolkien and what-have-you. The story is called The Heartless Witch, and that title is a literal reference (read the story and you'll see what I mean - it's also kind of inspired by a couple of Neil Gaiman stories).
I'm kind of bothered that, when I had finished and I looked back at the storyline, I thought "Hang on, this might actually be just a new version of the 'scorned woman' misogynist trope in horror". I'm rather pleased with the story despite that concern, and I liked the idea of having there be a stay-at-home husband while the woman goes off doing the fighting! But if the literal descriptions were taken as an allegory for the emotional heart then it might well be considered problematic (I did consider reversing the genders from the original conception but in the end decided that it could still be just as misogynist if it was a Heartless Wizard instead). I'm comfortable with the story as it is, but felt I should at least acknowledge that these concerns might exist! I actually had as the starting point the scene in Linna's garden and then spun the rest of the story to make sense of it.
Incidentally, I think Linna is childless because she used magic to keep herself that way, at least until she had honoured her vow to the High Coven.
I suppose I should note that witchcraft in this story has nothing to do with Wicca or paganism in the real world - the Midnight Isles story universe has its own explanation of magic and so on.
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