One of my favourite faeries to use in my writing – sometimes just popping up in a story without forethought! – is the will-o’-the-wisp. Folklore Most faeries with fiery appearances and a tendency to lead night-time travellers astray are categorised as “will-o’-the-wisp”, which is why there are so many differing names for something that seems …
Last week we looked at what I write: Dark Fantasy. This week we’re looking at what features in my writing. Once upon a time I wrote about what folklore is and why folklore is important. I wrote about how we embrace it in our Disney movies and young adult novels – disguised as fairy tales. …
Honestly, I have no idea what the difference between a raven and a crow is. To me, they are beautiful black birds. According to the Collins English dictionary: crow n 1 any large gregarious songbird of the genus Corvus, esp C. corone (the carrion crow) of Europe and Asia: family Corvidae. Other species are the …
The image of the winged horse has been iconic in fiction of all kinds since forever. Some have mixed it with the image of the unicorn (see more below). Some have turned the winged horse into a subspecies of mythical creature. But the original winged horse, feathers and all, comes from Greek Mythology. (We’ll look …
I decided to do a bit of research on Japanese folklore creatures (yokai). My favourite among these, and regularly confused with each other, is Yuki Onna and Tsurara Onna. Tsurara Onna is the Icicle Woman and Yuki Onna is the Snow Woman. Enjoy! Folklore about Yuki Onna and Tsurara Onna KWAIDAN: Stories and Studies of …
There are many ways to answer this question and to look at this topic. I’m going to take a go at it from a writer’s perspective. According to the Collins English Dictionary:Folklore n 1 the unwritten literature of a people as expressed in folk tales, proverbs, riddles, songs, etc. 2 the body of stories and …
Everyone always talks about having a muse to help them with their artistic endeavours. Yeah, some muses are a little trickier with what they want out of the deal than others. Today we’re looking at the Leannan Sìth. Leannan Sìth in Folklore Survivals in Belief Among the Celts by George Henderson [1911] The forester was …
I’m enchanted by the old lore of the world – especially the Celtic goddesses. The Cailleach is one of the most fascinating, powerful and terrifying of the Celtic goddesses. It is said that she is ancient. The Cailleach in Folklore Carmina Gadelica Hymns and Incantations Ortha Nan Gaidheal Volume II by Alexander Carmichael [1900] Cailleach, …
Folklore Many have tried to reach Faerie, as shown in W.B. Yeats’ Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry. HY-BRASAIL–THE ISLE OF THE BLEST On the ocean that hollows the rocks where ye dwell,A shadowy land has appeared, as they tell;Men thought it a region of sunshine and rest,And they called it Hy-Brasail, the isle of …
The Faery Queen has always been this powerful, otherworldly beauty cloaked in mystery and whispers. Not a lot can be found in folklore about her, but what is obvious is that she goes by many names and can be found across the globe. The Faery Queen in Folklore The Forest in Folklore and Mythology by …
