One of my favourite fairytales is the story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ recounted by Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, with two variations in the tale published in the 1812 and 1857 versions to accomodate a wider selection of similar folktales. From the fairytale and folklore indexes developed by Professor Ashlimanm , the ATU system identified at… Continue reading Reimagining Hansel and Gretel Fairytale
While it’s Women in Horror Month, I’ve been researching gothic and dark folklore themes. Here’s a few of the diverse research topics I encountered including the history of witchcraft and an Icelandic folklore sure to make your skin crawl. Witchcraft: the Devil’s Influence Accusations of witchcraft have a long history. The era of associated with… Continue reading Horror, History & Folklore
The past several weeks, I have been exploring many different aspects of European folklore, particularly involving the Fae. Below is a series of some of my research favourites, fae beings and associated folklore. Seelie and Unseelie Fae In Scotland, the Fae are often divided into the Seelie and Unseelie courts, or the Light and Dark… Continue reading European Folklore
My research has been delving into the folklore of mortal dealings with the Fae. References to the performance of tasks, is common in folklore, see the Thompson Motif Index for an example of “Tests” present in folklore. In modern fantasy an traditional fairytales, three (also a commonly tool for repetition in fairytales) tasks or quests… Continue reading Impossible Tasks & the Fae
In Icelandic tradition, the Yule lads are thirteen trolls who arrive, one one each of the 13 days before Christmas then depart in the order they arrived, on the subsequent days following Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, the troll witch Gryla, leaves the mountains to enter the city, seeking any children who had been ill-behaved… Continue reading Iceland’s Yule Trolls
Another of my recent work-in-progress short fiction pieces, has been a dark fiction story inspired by wendigo psychosis an unusual form of ‘cultural psychosis’ specific to First Nations peoples of Canadian-North American Great Lakes regions where belief in a supernatural being, the wendigo, provides a unique cultural framework for a psychosis. This psychosis has specific… Continue reading The Wendigo & Dark Fiction
I’ve become fascinated by the Gaslamp fantasy subgenre lately and decided to explore it a little further in another short fiction piece, this time set in an alternate Victorian-era Dublin. The Victorian era saw the expansion of the British Empire into more countries and with it, an expansion of the arts and sciences. Coinciding with… Continue reading Magicians, Curses and Egyptology
A re-posting of a very thorough essay from folklorist Terri Windling on global phenomenon of the Trickster in mythology and folklore... https://www.terriwindling.com/folklore/tricksters.html
A re-posting of a 2013 article from the Tor/Forge blog... https://www.torforgeblog.com/2013/03/04/what-is-gaslamp-fantasy/
I have been writing a new short fiction work inspired by the liminal folklore in some Inuit cultures. The liminal folklore I was interested to explore are closely linked to the harsh environment of northern Canada, from the permafrost and sea ice, where the risks from exposure and isolation are very real. The First Nations… Continue reading Liminal world of Inuit folklore
Leanbh Pearson 
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