The Assassin in Folklore | The Faeries and Folklore Podcast

ByRonel Janse van Vuuren
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Episode 23: Power Players of Faerie: The Assassin

The folklore of the Assassin in a nutshell, how I reimagined it for my writing, and this faery translated into Afrikaans.

Written and narrated by Ronel Janse van Vuuren.

Copyright 2021 Ronel Janse van Vuuren — All rights reserved.

Learn more about the Assassin here.

Get the transcript here.

Music: Secrets by David Fesliyan (FesliyanStudios.com) and Dramatic Heartbeat by FesliyanStudios.com

Transcript

You’re listening to the Faeries and Folklore podcast by Ronel.

I’m dark fantasy author Ronel Janse van Vuuren. With nearly a decade of digging around in dusty folklore books, researching creatures of imagination that ignited my curiosity, I’m here to share the folklore in a nutshell and how I reimagined it for my writing in an origin of the fae.

This is the Faeries and Folklore podcast.

Hi, I’m your host Ronel Janse van Vuuren. You can just call me Ronel. In today’s episode, we’re continuing our exploration of the fae realm.

We’re continuing our exploration of the power players of Faerie.

Today’s faery: the Assassin

Folklore in a Nutshell by Ronel

There are various notable warriors in folklore, some more powerful than others.

Beawulf, master tactician with unprecedented strength, killed a rampaging monster and its monster mother without much effort, killed a couple of sea serpents while out swimming, and got rid of a dragon terrorising his people. He was a wise king, brought peace, and took out monsters without weapons if the need arose.

Cú Chulainn’s mere presence on the battlefield was enough to make his enemies tremble – so much so that when he died during battle, he tied himself to a rock with his own intestines to keep upright so he would seem alive. Strength, cunning, agility, loyalty, battle rage to rival the Hulk, a spear that can kill anyone and an awesome sword – this guy had it all.

Berserkers worshipped Odin, were unruly warriors who attached themselves to royalty as bodyguards, were savage in battle, and were a contributing factor to the myth of werewolves thanks to their penchant for wearing wolf skins in battle.

Samurai, the warrior nobility, began as imperial guards and continued to be part of the ruling class. They had to keep the peace between the clans and were the only ones who had the right to carry a katana – though this alienated them from other classes. The samurai had an unwritten, unspoken code of honour, discipline and morality. They could fight with spears, bows and arrows, and, of course, the katana.

The Assassins lived in the mountains of Persia. Through covert murder of leaders they considered enemies of their state, they kept peace in their region. These warriors were skilled in espionage, hand-to-hand combat as well as assassination. Their preferred method of killing was by dagger, not arrows or poison. The modern term “assassination” comes from the tactics used by the Assassins.

Many others exist, but to talk about them all would be longer than could fit into a nutshell.

Origin of the Fae: The Ultimate Warrior – Cian, the Assassin

No-one knows where he came from. Everyone knows that he isn’t born from either Court. He is as powerful as the Dark King, the Faery Queen, and the King of the Dead. He walks unhindered between Realms. He is a powerful warrior. He silences those who oppose the monarchs. He prefers spending time in the Seelie Court. He is feared by everyone.

He lives by his own code of honour: when fae are in trouble, he does what is necessary to save them. And when Faerie is in trouble, he does what he thinks is right to keep her safe.

As a little bonus, let’s look at the translation of Warriorinto Afrikaans: Kryger. Assassin = Assassyn

I hope that you’ve enjoyed this episode of the faeries and folklore podcast and that you’ve learned something new about faeries.

Remember that you can get a transcript of this episode in the description. If you’re new to the podcast, why not go and grab your free copy of Unseen, the second book in the Faery Tales series, on my website ronelthemythmaker.com? Loads of folklore, magic and danger await! Take care!

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