Excellent, and in addition, please allow me to get iconographic here:

the women at the crucifixion, liturgically and in Christian art, are associated with empathy for Christ’s suffering. Like. That’s what women do, in that scene: they weep. In medieval drama and meditative texts, audiences get to enter into the pain of the scene through the women: the grief the women feel, and the pain Christ feels through the women’s grief at his pain. It’s traditionally through the voices of women, too, that anger and confusion at god’s choices are voiced.

Here’s Hans Memeling’s Crucifixion tryptich:

That’s Mary Mother of Christ in the black - conventions vary as to whether she’s in black or royal blue, but you can tell it’s her because she’s swooning into John the Baptist’s arms. Kneeling is Mary Magdalene (you can tell because her hair is uncovered, and it’s red - MM’s hair is often red or red-gold)



Now, this is late medieval. Further into the renaissance the veils the women are wearing in these scenes get less structured. Here’s Sofinisba Anguissola’s Pieta:

Mary’s wearing a wimple under her veil here, but the overall flowing effect is not dissimilar to what Crowley has going on.



But the Virgin is hardly the main iconographic reference that’s coming to my mind here. Red-haired Crowley, with a blue-black veil loosely slung?

Here’s Lucrina and/or Domenico Fetti’s Repentant Magdalen:

I’m sure I’ve seen similar Madalenes with brighter red hair, but I can’t find one right now. Nevertheless. If this resemblance wasn’t deliberate I will eat my hat.



Conclusions:

1. Crowley as a woman at the Crucifixion is extremely resonant and liturgically apt, because what Crowley is doing is a. experiencing empathy for pain and b. questioning and evoking doubt, both of which are roles largely assigned to women in post-patristic Christian tradition (yes, Peter and Thomas doubt. Jesus himself has that ‘take this cup’ moment. But medieval and renaissance Christianity loved to explore the contradictions of anger, empathy and faithful acceptance through both the archetypal holy woman, the Virgin Mary, and the archetypal redeemed sinner, Mary Magdalen). Gaiman has compared Crowley’s questions to the strong Jewish tradition of questioning and arguing with God - although Christian tradition has generally allowed less space for that, if there is going to be space for a Jewish-like Questioner of God in this scene, it’s always in the mouths of the women.



2. Crowley’s specific colouration, the long red curls, the fact the veil is slipping off? Mary Magdalen all the way. Is that meant to position him as redeemable, or as inherently a temptress? Both? Neither?



3. In the tradition of depictions of the Crucifixion, Christian and vaugely-Christian-aware audiences since… uh… at least the twelfth century have been primed to identify with the women (you still see it in contemporary evangelical worship and the like). Positioning Crowley as a woman in that image is apt to the text: that scene is meant to align you with Crowley, with Crowley’s empathy and questioning.

Thank you, thank you, I got three degrees and this is what I do with them, I’ll be here all week, etc.

