From Our Readers: What Do You Imagine When You Hear the Words “Autumn Queen”?

Feature Image:
Photography by Marketa Novak
Model: Nela Boudová

I imagine a mature woman with long, flowing hair with some noticeable strands of gray. She’s bedecked in a many-layered gown of autumn colors and wears a crown of leaves, some fully turned, some still showing bits of green. At her feet a bountiful harvest shares space with a bevy of woodland animals, the hibernators looking just a little sleepy. In her lap she holds a jolly jack-o’-lantern from which a spiral of pumpkin-scented smoke curls. When she’s being more casual she exchanges the jack-o’-lantern for a large, steaming mug of pumpkin-spice latte.
—Megan Mays

To me, an autumn queen would be someone who embodies all the fruitfulness of the season, the abundance of the harvest, and the bright raiment adorned by the deciduous trees. She would understand the cycles of the seasons, embrace change, and not fear death, for she’d know that the ephemeral nature of life is what gives it such value. An autumn queen is whom I wish to channel as I reach and surpass my middle years, reminding me not to fear getting older but to embrace every season of my life.
—Kimberly Bea

I see a mountain path covered in fallen aspen leaves, a foot deep in yellows and golds, crunchy with that fresh deep mountain scent only aspens have. A bright yellow canopy of leaves casts shadows and creates a mysterious otherworldly glow as crows gather high in the trees and boulders. The cooler winds usher others into houses but calls to the woman who walks in the mountains on autumn nights.
—Candice Rose

A woman at ease and contemplative. The time for rushing is over; now it’s time for rest. She slowly meanders through the forest, singing the trees to sleep.
—@_elle_on_earth

I think of the crisp leaves crunching under our feet as we make our way through a leaf-strewn path. The birdsong high in the branches and the scurrying of the squirrels with acorns in their cheeks. The smell in the air of damp leaves and smoke from the fire. We’re dressed in our autumnal skirts, knit sweaters, and wellie boots, plodding along. We’ve donned our homemade brown wicker crowns adorned with the last orange, yellow, and red marigolds, and our noses tickle in their scent. Our excitement builds the closer we get to our bonfire and picnic, where we’ll make merry with friends and strangers alike.
—Deb R.

Everything about my queen is hues of autumn foliage and fall fruits: golds and tawnies, wheat and dark ale, ochre, umber, maple red or violet-black, grapes, orange pumpkins, and ghost-pale gourds, dried vines, and the deep evergreens that will scent the air and crackle in fires through the cold months ahead. She tints herself as she wishes moment to moment, from her crown of fallen leaves and rose hips to her dappled eyes to her warm gowns of velvet and rustling silk taffeta. She’s bejeweled with glossy berries and shining nutshells. Her scepter is a fallen branch.
—@saralindacloud

“Autumn queen” reminds me of dark fairy tales, powerful elven queens, and Mother Nature’s magical side—giving so many gifts of beauty yet revealing the allure of darkness at the same time!
—@jewelrynomen

I picture an auburn-haired enchantress draped in fallen leaves yet in reality a woman surrounded by her harvest— home-canned goods, squashes, dried food, pies, and the food storage she’s prepared for the winter months.
—@faerienicole

Golds, reds, and oranges. Harvest crown, flower embroidery on her dress. A woven basket with bread, scones, and cake.
—@adifferentmojo

Okay: It’s 2012. Ingrid Michaelson’s “Just the Way I Am” is playing on the radio. Crocheted slouchy beanies are in everyone’s closet, and twee is the fashion moment. I’m outside in the crisp fall air, leaves falling around me and littering the streets in hues of gold, pumpkin orange, and faded chocolate. I have colored tights on under my shorts and a Peter Pan–collared shirt. Life is perfect through my thick-framed plastic glasses that I took the lenses out of.
—@jonnyblacktypes

I think of all of us in this household—my daughter-in-law and me and, we suspect, soon her older daughter, who is a hedge witch in training for sure—who look forward to autumn all year long and then celebrate and revel in it commensurately!
—Jennifer Elizabeth Brunton

I imagine long skirts dragging along the crispy leaves in the forest. An autumn queen would surely be out enjoying the trails!
—Nicole Platania

Leafy crown. Tea party under the trees. Dancing fairies in autumn colors!
—@candy_morningstar