Tag Archives: fairy tales

Arguing With Yeats

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I was working on an essay about a character from Irish/Scottish/Manx myth, the “Leanan-sidhe,” translated as “Fairy Mistress,” “Fairy Lover,” and sometimes “Fairy Wife.” It wasn’t just academic to me because I’ve written stories from both sides of the issue, which was: “Did she really exist (in folklore) or did William Butler Yeats” make her up? I think I know the correct answer now, though research is ongoing. Regardless, I thought the script would make a decent YouTube video, so that’s where I went with it.

Here’s the opening.

“There’s a line between folklore and simply making things up. William Butler Yates likely crossed it.”

For anyone interested the title is, as above, “The Deadliest Muse,” the link is here.

The Issue of Trust

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Carol’s in the living room watching an episode of the ABC series “Once Upon a Time” as I write this. For those who haven’t seen it, it’s the story of characters from mostly European fairy-tales who were cursed by an Evil Queen so that they have to live out their lives in the modern world, losing all their “happily ever afters” and their memories of who they are.

As premises go, it’s not bad. There are interesting characters, the acting isn’t bad, and I like the fairy-tale background stories that are usually shown as flashbacks in each episode. For a fantasist and someone just interested in modern interpretations of fairy and folk tales, there’s a lot to like there, and it occurs to me that I should like the series quite a bit. I should, but I don’t. That’s why I’m sitting here writing this rather than watching the latest episode. And, after some weeks, I think I finally realize why. Continue reading →