Here's a link to a post about 'Naming and Identity in Myths, Legends, Fairy Tales & Fantasy' - it starts with Adam and Eve and goes on to examine Earthsea, the summoning of fairies in Tudor times, fairytales, Irish legends and more. Naming is important... steelthistles.blogspot.com/2023/04/nami...
Thrilled to have contributed to this lovely book, 'Brian Froud's Green Women', along with many distinguished writers, some of whom are friends. It'll be published 6th October this year, and fans of Brian Froud will love it - as will anyone who loves fantasy. More at Brian's website: bit.ly/4cOoxUT
On a dismal February day what could be better than a fairy tale? Here is a Breton story, with a hapless hero and a determined heroine bent on rescuing her sweetheart from - The Groac'h of the Isle of Lok! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/03/fair...
The Government is planning to send King Charles to the US to celebrate with Trump. Giving him a royal visit right now sends a terrible message that his behaviour is acceptable. We can stop this if enough of us speak up. Will you add your name to the petition? you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ca...
yes indeed!
Thankyou!
Another post from the archives which I look in detail at the Grimms' fairy tale 'Maid Maleen' and investigate its emotional depth as a story that delves unusually deeply for fairy tales into the trauma caused by abandonment and suffering. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2019/06/maid...
'The elders told how in the ‘white night’ of the Arctic summer a rope would be stretched between two trees to signify a gateway to the sky, and as the sun rose the gateway would be filled with aromatic smoke from two bonfires...' steelthistles.blogspot.com/2020/12/flyi...
A wintry Russian fairy-tale of an ill-used maiden, her cruel stepmother and step-sisters, and the spirit of winter himself - Father Frost!
steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/12/fath...
A gorgeous paperback edition of the superb FROM SPARE OOM TO WAR DROBE: TRAVELS IN NARNIA WITH MY NINE YEAR-OLD SELF by kathlangrish.bsky.social
‘The best book ever about why we love Narnia!’ Francis Spufford.
Available now: www.hernebooks.com/product-page...
#Narnia #CSLewis
Thankyou, Theodora!
Close-up of the cover:
Lovely on a very wet morning to receive copies of the paperback of my book about the Narnia stories - 'From Spare Oom to War Drobe' published by Herne Books and available from UK bookstores and Amazon. As you can see, I'm very happy.
I love this wonderful, teasing and spooky summer tale! It's the work of the Norwegian writer Jonas Lie, who was a contemporary of Henrik Ibsen, and it tells the tale of a drummer boy who climbs up into the Blue Mountains and meets some troll girls... steelthistles.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-...
From the archives, a post about the Wild Hunt and the Fairy Rade. And when did ordinary people stop being afraid of the fairies? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/03/from...
We want the media and politicians to recognise that there is a large number of women who are supportive of the trans+ community. We call on them to report truthfully about the sources of violence against women and to address the systems that perpetuate harm. notinourname.org.uk/petition/not...
I just wish to add that the 'adult content' is Botticelli's beautiful painting, The Birth of Venus!
A post for lovers of C.S. Lewis's adult novels as well as of the Narnia series - an investigation of how his characterisation of women evolved over the years. steelthistles.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-...
Thankyou - it's a great cover and some interesting writers!
I have some good news; there's an essay of mine (called 'The Door in the Mound' in this book: 'Writing the Magic: Essays on Crafting Fantasy Fiction' published 18th of this month by Dead Ink. Contributors include Juliet E McKenna, Francesco Dimitri, Hannah Kaner & many others. I love the cover!
A golden apple tree full of peacocks picking at the fruit, and underneath the tree a princess and a prince. By Arthur Rackham
The Silver Apples of the Moon, The Golden Apples of the Sun
Why are apples so evocative? Why was the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil assumed to be an apple? Why did golden apples of immortality grow in the Garden of the Hesperides...?
steelthistles.blogspot.com/2025/09/the-...
Is a young girl still sleeping in a sunken ship under the sea? steelthistles.blogspot.com/2021/11/folk...
A guest post by Garth Nix who very kindly wrote me this piece for my blog quite a few years ago - entitled 'Where The Monsters Lurk' and exploring his remarkable world - the Old Kingdom! steelthistles.blogspot.com/2018/10/wher...
Thankyou so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
A lovely guest post by science-fiction writer Gwyneth Jones, who also writes for children as Ann Halam, on 'The Princess as Role Model'. Her book for children, 'Snakehead', is a wonderful reimagining of the Perseus and Andromeda legend!
steelthistles.blogspot.com/2025/07/the-...
