Showing posts with label The Moorchild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Moorchild. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Time in the Faery Realm and Ours

"Time runs differently in the mound." -The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw

In an ancient Irish tale in the Fenian Cycle, Oisin traveled across the sea to Tir Na nOg (The Land of Eternal Youth). He lived there for a time then asked to go home to Ireland to see his father. His lover was loathe to let him go, yet she let him go bidding him stay on the horse. Once back in Ireland, he found that his father, Fin Mac Cool, and the Feanna were gone and it was years later. Then, in aiding some men move a boulder he fell off the horse onto the ground and was instantly transformed into an old man.

In The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw, published in 1998, a similar circumstance is reported, or more like, she wisely drew upon the lore of yore. A fisherman named Fergus entered the Mound (the home of the Folk, as they are called in the book, basically mischievous little people in keeping with fairytales found in  The Book of Fairies and Elves, by Olcott). When Fergil was later sent forth from the mound he transformed into an old man and found that years had elapsed, "five-and-fifty years older" (The Moorchild).


Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Honey and oats

So, today's subject will be much shorter and less heady than my last post. Just some observations from The Moorchild and The Spiderwick Chronicles.  In the former, the main character is a girl, named Saaski, who is half human and half "folk" as they say in the book (the folk are basically faerys or faery-like little people).  She displays many characteristics of the folk in the book that fit with those from The Spiderwick Chronicles. Saaski and the folk are burned by the touch of iron. Similarily all the creatures of the faery realm (minus dwarves) in The Spiderwick Chronicles hate iron. Saaski loves honey as does the brownie Thimbletack in the Spiderwick movie. In the book, Thimbletack is the typical oatmeal eating brownie and honey is not mentionned.  Salt stings Saaski, the folk , and the goblins in the Spiderwick movie.
The Moorchild  was written by Eloise McGraw. The Spiderwick Chronicles are by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black.