Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) was a German composer with a fascination for fantasy and folklore. Weber was part of the early Romantic age, an age defined for its appreciation of ... Continue reading →
There are many reasons why you would expect depictions of the green fairy to be popular among the steampunk crowd. For one, the Victorian era, from which steampunk takes a lot ... Continue reading →
OFFENSES: Tricks, pranks, foolishness DESCRIPTION: Small, ugly, sometimes be-winged and horned ALIAS: None PROVENANCE: German folklore An imp is a small and feeble creature found in German folklore, whose temperament falls ... Continue reading →
A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world, what difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset. ~ Oscar Wilde on the Green Fairy ... Continue reading →
Ariel’s song, with its dreamy allusions to water, flight, music, and affection, was taken as an open invitation to artists to depict this magical scene visually, especially among the pre-Raphaelites. Come ... Continue reading →
A lot of Changeling lore focuses on the perspective of the parent: the frightening, unspeakable thought that the child they’re caring for may not be their own, and the strange, complicated ... Continue reading →
The Glastonbury Tor conspicuously rises from the middle of the wide and flat Somerset Levels in Somerset, England. The Tor (a Celtic word meaning ‘hill’) has been surrounded by myth and ... Continue reading →
The King and Queen of Fairyland in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Oberon and Titania are two of the most prominent fairies in literary history. In Shakespeare’s play, the two fairies have ... Continue reading →
“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” A prankster’s boast for sure, but in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it’s much more. When Fred and George ... Continue reading →
The Spiderwick Chronicles (Nickelodeon Movies/Paramount Pictures 2008) tells the story of Jared, Simon, and Mallory after Jared finds his great-great-uncle’s journal, which details the hidden world of the Fantastic. The Spiderwick ... Continue reading →