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 …
Celebrating the success of Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie, I’m sharing a couple of book club questions. Original book trailer: Audiobook book trailer: Book club questions Once… Tales, Myths and Legends of Faerie If you were a dragon, would you hoard books? Why/why not? What do you think of Beira? What do you …
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. …
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 …
Pixies are a fascinating breed of fae. There are so many folklore tales involving them and they find themselves in so many stories from around the world. I had so much fun reading through all the folklore manuscripts containing tales of pixies – but I had to whittle it down to stories particular to the …
I like to research the fae that feature in my favourite books because they somehow make their way into my writing, too. For this folklore post, I’m looking at the Wild Hunt. Folklore of The Wild Hunt The Science of Fairy Tales, An Enquiry into Fairy Mythology by Edwin Sidney Hartland [1891]: But the gods did …
