Spenser's Faerie Queen, although rooted firmly in the Christian
             religion, nevertheless contains frequent positive references (both explicit
             and implicit) to the pagan Goddess religions that Christianity worked so
             hard to replace in the British Isles. This assertion is supported not only
             by the actual imagery, metaphor, and other poetic devices contained within
             the six books, but also by Spenser's brilliant conception of time as
             something nonlinear; a dimension in which past and present mingle to create
             an imagined reality that, Spenser hints, might not be too far different
             from the "historical" realities presented as fact. As Brill notes, the
             words of the poem exist on a temporal continuum in which archaic and
             current meanings are applicable simultaneously" (9).
             Therefore, if time exists in this simultaneous, rather than linear,
             fashion in The Faerie Queen, then the pre-Christian religions of the
             British Isles, with their beliefs in Goddesses, fairies, magic, and other
             pagan elements, should co-exist along with Christian references to God,
             Satan, and other Christian elements. This paper will show that this is
             indeed the case with a close reading of Stanza 46 of Canto IX, Book One.
             First, however, it is necessary to give a very brief synopsis of the
             events that have transpired to this point. Redcrosse Knight has come
             through a series of terrible ordeals on his quest to free Una's parents
             from the prison of the evil dragon. (Una is the woman he loves.) Along the
             way, both she and he have come to death's door many times. What is striking
             about each of their rescues, however, is that although for the most part
             the savior comes in godly form (as in the Lion who protected Una until he
             himself was killed in for his efforts), the presence of Una -- who, at one
             point, is taken for a goddess by a group of "nature dwellers" (i.e.
             pagans) as she makes her way back to the Redcro...