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Author
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Comment
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intrikate88
Registered User
(6/21/06 1:19 pm)
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Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
I'm writing a novel and when the main character discovers the rather abused body of her mother, she must immediately realize that fairies were responsible for the murder. Can anybody think of any little folktales where someone was beaten to death by the Good Neighbors? I need Miss Protagonist to have a nifty flashback where she remembers a story from a folklore class.
A lot of my research has come out of Thomas Keightley's [i]The World Guide to Gnomes, Fairies, Elves and Other Little People[/i] which is a great resource, but rather lacks a dark side and to read it you might assume that the worst otherworldly sorts do is pinch milkmaids and drown lustful sailors. So, not too helpful here.
Thanks!
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Writerpatrick
Registered User
(6/21/06 5:29 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
It wouldn't be the good ones. There are two types of fairies, the good and the bad (or by Scottish lore, two Courts). It would be the bad fairies (the Unseelie Court) who would have done the harm. Redcaps (basically a type of goblin) are the most vicious.
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AliceCEB
Registered User
(6/21/06 6:38 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
I don't know if this will work for you, but since this is your novel, why not invent a folklore story of your own?
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intrikate88
Registered User
(6/21/06 9:12 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
Well, I sorta want to make sure it lines up with regular fairy folklore, so it's more believable. I always love reading a novel and then looking up some of the stuff it said that I didn't kInkGypsyxcessive research, then contemplating a bit of head-bashing involving my keyboard, then going on writing after a highlighted thing that says "(find story of violent fairies)"
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Helen J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(6/22/06 1:36 am)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
Well, while I can't think of a specific *story* off the top of my head, I can think of a number of violent fairy tale *figures* who might fulfill the purpose that you're looking for. Redcaps, possibly? Some hint that an act was committed by a specific sub-grouping of the fee might serve the purpose that you're looking for here as well as or better than a link to a particular tale-type.
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InkGypsy
Registered User
(6/22/06 12:29 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
Raymond E. Feist uses the fairy folklore with a scary twist very
well in Faerie
Tale.
Puck becomes downright scary with the evil streak he has.
A different way of thinking about faeries/fairies and their folklore having a darker aspect is to consider the concept of power. Essentially power is power - neutral but can be used for good or bad. For example the ability to become invisible allows a character with a good heart to do many good works and change lives for the better. That same ability can be used for great evil should that character's heart become bitter or dark. In general folklore a lot of fairies tend to walk the line and be known more for their mischief than doing great good or doing great bad.
One approach you could try is to think of a fairy ability or gift they might bestow, that appeals to you, and twist it to the dark side - to the point of seeing a sick/twisted version of a fairy gift that has ended a human life (as per your story you described). I can't think of anything like you're wanting off the top of my head but things like being lost in Faery and losing time, losing memory (and perhaps their minds to eventual insanity and the desperate actions that result), being marked in some way, bad luck, etc
Don't forget things like the bogeyman (the fairy equivalent) and
nightstalkers. One novel I read recently used the legend of the
sandman, stating that the origin of the sandman was that he would
come to take the eyes of children that weren't yet sleeping and
that this was diluted to a more friendly story when he was banished
to a prison by his appalled kin. For anyone interested the book
is: The
Myth Hunters:(Book 1 of the Veil) by Christopher Golden.
There's tons of material to go crazy with - have fun and happy writing!
(I have no doubt it'll be even more fun than research when you find
your hook). Good luck!
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Ellemar
Unregistered User
(6/22/06 1:18 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
As someone else already said, you should look up the Unseelie Court, where the darker faeries are from. I cant imagine any from the Seelie Court doing anything like that.
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AnamithimPhaerie
Registered User
(6/22/06 5:51 pm)
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Re: Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
ok i just finished reading the blue girl, which is awesome, but anyway, you got the anamithim. DEADLY EVIL! they eat the souls of ghosts and the humans with myths under their skin. and who walk at the edges of this world. if you need more info, e-mail me
guinevere
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Helen J Pilinovsky
Registered User
(6/23/06 9:47 am)
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Re: Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
Hm - using the anamithim might be considered plagarism/a copyright violation, as they're unique to de Lint. Just something to keep in mind ....
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intrikate88
Registered User
(6/23/06 10:59 am)
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Thanks
Yes, I was pretty sure the anamithim were purely de Lint's.
Thanks to everyone! You've all come up with such good ideas and been excellent help. I've really learned a lot.
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LadyErmine
Unregistered User
(6/23/06 4:03 pm)
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Nasty Fairies
There is a Scottish folktale about four young men who spend a night in a shieling while out hunting - one rashly wishes that they had some young women there so they could dance, upon which four beautiful green-clad women come into the shieling. Three couples dance, while the fourth man accompanies them with mouth-music. When he sees drops of blood flying from his friends he runs for it and takes refuge among the horses, while the fourth young lady prowls round trying to tempt him out (the horses could have been shod, and perhaps the iron kept her away). She vanishes with the dawn and he goes back to the hut to find his comrades dead - either drained of blood or actually ripped to pieces.
Nasty enough?
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(6/24/06 6:22 pm)
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Re: Nasty Fairies
A few resources to help you...
Diane Purkiss, TROUBLESOME
THINGS
Katherine Briggs, THE
FAIRIES IN TRADITION AND LITERATURE
Simpson & Roud: OXFORD
DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH FOLKLORE
Also, you may find much to inspire in the collection EMERALD
MAGIC, edited by Andrew M. Greeley (lots of nasty Irish fairies)
Pookas are none-too-nice, come to think of it. Peter S. Beagle's
TAMSIN
has some wonderful fairy characters from all over the niceness spectrum.
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dlee10
Registered User
(6/24/06 6:54 pm)
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Re: Nasty Fairies
The Wild Hunt where the hunters pursue their victim through the sky for eternity may work for you.
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intrikate88
Registered User
(6/24/06 8:52 pm)
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Wild Hunt
I've been researching the Wild Hunt a bit lately... I definitely want to include that in my novel.
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AnamithimPhaerie
Registered User
(6/26/06 9:36 am)
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Re: anamithim
uh yeah about that plagerism thing...i thought all u needed was a reference, and then you could make up your own evil thing. like the girl is having a flashback of reading the blue girl, and she thinks the forces she's dealing with might be like that
sorry for any trouble
guinevere
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JenB
Registered User
(6/27/06 2:32 pm)
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Re: Mayhem, Violence, and Scary Fairy Tales
As previous people mentioned, some of the more violent fairies are
from Ireland. One tale in particular (the name of which eludes me)
from "Irish
Fairy Tales" by (I believe) Sinead de Valera, tells of
a girl, Nala, who walked into a fairy ring, displeasing the fairies.
Subsequently, whenever she lay down to rest in a bed, nettles would
magically appear and stick her until she bled. They would disappear
after she left the bed. You could try something like that. Nettles
aren't exactly lethal, but maybe the victim was allergic to them,
was a hemiophiliac, or something like that. Once I find the fairy
tale book, I'll try to get more precise bibliographical information.
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