Margie Lawson
Make your writing soar
In England, before the Norman Conquest of 1066, fairies were called elves. Fairy is a word borrowed from French. Walt Disney would have you believe that fairies are sweet little creatures with wings and wands, helpful entities like Tinkerbell and the Tooth Fairy.
Walt was wrong.
In many lands people believe it's not wise to go about your business in a manner which offends them--they are touchy. Dead scary in fact. J.K. Rowling introduced her readers to bogles, ashwinders, chimaeras, and, of course, elves. Tricky folk.
So why believe in fairies?
Some say the idea of fairies was just too useful to be abandoned. Some say they're still around because they are the old gods of the Celts. They can do what they want. But what changes they have undergone! Lugh, the powerful sky god good at doing many things, has become the luprachan (leprechaun), the little fairy good at making shoes. Mind you he is still devious--he guards a pot of gold, you know.
Fionn MacCumhaill is a giant in fairy tales, responsible for creating the Giant's Causeway in the north of Ireland and Fingal's Cave in Scotland. And did you know that Highlanders don't believe that ghosts, the spirits of the dead, inhabit the houses (and castles) of the living? Nope. Their homes are 'haunted' by other equally benign or frightening beings. You will have information about kelpies, selkies, the washer woman of the ford and many other supernatural entities.
The course includes simple research projects to generate story ideas. Discussion and questions are encouraged, but lurkers also welcome.
A comprehensive bibliography and webology
1. Creatures of the Air
2. House & Farm
3. Water
4. Hill & Forest
5. Tribes & Totemic Animals
Sheila Currie lives in a world of thousands of books, fiction and non-fiction. Visiting friends worry about avalanches.
She was born on the east coast of Canada where there are many other people whose families came from Scotland and Ireland. Her love of those countries led her to study in Nova Scotia, Canada and then in Scotland where she obtained an M.A. in Scottish History and Celtic Studies from the University of Glasgow. She was fortunate enough to have a summer job selling Gaelic books door-to-door in the West Highlands and Islands. She went from one cup of tea to the next–a wonderful opportunity to talk to local people and hear their stories.
She has taught history and Gaelic at university and for Hearts Through History Romance Writers. At long last she has published The Banshee of Castle Muirn, the first book of a trilogy–set in magic and historical Scotland.
I love Sheila's classes. She provides an abundance of information on the topics as well as links for more research to go as deep as you need. If you want to write anything about fairy like creatures or want to know about any of the topics listed in the lessons, take this class!
© 2023 Margie Lawson, all rights reserved.