As long as you’re not driving your car on a zigzag road on a misty morning, mist can be beautiful, mysterious and sometimes even magical. There’s always this sense that something otherworldly might be hidden behind that cloudy veil. The idea that mist is something more than just tiny droplets of water that are suspended …
Continue reading Magical veils of mist and smoke in folklore
How to Create a Fictional Elf Readers Will Love Since the publication of J. R. R. Tolkien’s adventures in Middle Earth, Lewis Carroll’s plunge into Wonderland, and C. S. Lewis’ step into Narnia, fantasy has become one of the most popular genres in literature. Bookworms and geeks alike cherish their next escape to a magical …
A Dreadful Fairy Book I started reading this book on a Tuesday evening. In the first chapter we meet our heroine Shade. She is devastated after her house burns down and all of her precious books are lost in the fire. I immediately put the book down. This wasn't the kind of book that I …
Continue reading Book review: A Dreadful Fairy Book by Jon Etter
Souvenir shops in the Belgian Ardennes are filled with statues, mugs, trinkets and clocks depicting fairies, elves, gnomes and other folkloric creatures that were once believed to live in the forest. If you have a drink on a terrace it won't take you long to notice that most Belgian beers have a story behind them …
When I was twelve I was halfway through my first novel. It was a story about witches and the struggles of secondary school (my biggest concern back then). It didn't take me long to realise that it wasn't any good. I came up with some sort of ritual and ceremoniously drowned these pages in the …
Continue reading Why I write in English instead of my native language
If there's one story that moves me deeply it's 'The Seven Raves. This tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm and it deserves its own adaptation for the big screen. The fairy tales that Disney have adapted often have ballrooms, princesses marrying princes and fairies in common. Therefore it would be refreshing to see a …
Continue reading The Seven Ravens: a fairy tale that should be a Disney film
If you're anything like me the thought of participating in a volleyball game makes you run to the bathroom and feign a terrible stomach ache. As we all know, sporting is healthy, so I do hope that you're not anything like me. The only sport that has ever fascinated me is quidditch and the fact …
Continue reading Three legendary creatures who will beat you at sports (and ironing)
Most people have heard of Swan Maidens. These mythological creatures can change their appearance from swan into woman. The tales in which they feature often tell about a young man who steals the swan maiden's most precious possession: her magical feathery robe which allows her to transform into a swan when she wants to. When …
What image crosses your mind when you think of Beauty and the Beast? I see a beautiful princess wearing a glittering yellow gown and a boar-like creature with tusks dancing in a splendid ballroom. It's a fairy tale that is close to my heart. Besides being one of my favourite Disney films, Belle's love for …
I was a late developer. Slow to walk, dragging one leg after the other in a sporadic crawl, I found other ways to move around. My voice took a while too; in class I was quiet, introspective, studious. So it remained, year after torturous school year: the frog dancing in my throat as I raised my tremulous hand to speak, the ragged crimson flush which crept across my cheeks, my chin, my chest the moment anyone looked in my direction.
At fifteen, I experienced an awakening. I’m not sure which came first, the confidence or the sideways glances, but it was if I had woken up and burst from the chrysalis which hampered me all these years. I perfected my lolloping swagger, honed my sneer to perfection, slashed and dyed my mousey brown locks into a honey tinted bob and dared anyone to mention it with a withering stare. I…
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Signe Maene 