Fairy (Faery) Lore

by Sibelle Stone

My new Mystic Moon series features four sisters who are Elemental Witches. In building my world I used Restoration England as the setting, but I decided that if witches were being tortured, prosecuted and executed,  I’d give some the women a fighting chance. The story question is: what if a woman is accused of using witchcraft, and she actually has magical abilities?

I gave each sister a specific elemental spirit connected with their magic. Each witch controls, well actually works with an element, air (the wind), fire, water and earth. The spirits connected to each element are very specific - Air -sylphs, Fire - salamander, Water -undines and Earth -gnomes.

I based the elemental beings on fairies (faeries) -- supernatural spirits who are thought to exist in a realm between heaven and earth. There are fairy legends throughout the world. They are said to be of various sizes, sometimes described as tiny, butterfly like creatures, but there are stories of human size fairies too. All of the legends assign magical powers to these creatures.

 

Because I wanted my story to begin in the British Isles, I researched various magical belief systems. Celtic supernatural legends, stories and folktales appealed to me the most. This narrowed down my choices for fairy characteristics. I decided my fairies would be nature spirits, that they would work with my witches in order to gain something for themselves. They love to bargain, but eventually as a Glyndwr witch comes into her power, (because it made sense to me that if you possessed these powers, you wouldn’t’ t know how to use them all at once) the elemental works with her to increase their own magical abilities. It’s a symbiotic relationship, with each party getting something from the arrangement.

Because fairies can be good or bad, (or in-between) and ugly or beautiful -- I ascribed the various characteristics based on the type of element the witch controlled. Catlin, the heroine of the first book in the series ,Whistle Down the Wind,  is an air mage, so she can control the wind and storms. I perceive her elemental creatures, sylphs, to be tiny winged creatures, they appear to humans as silver motes floating in the air. In the blink of a human eye, they can disappear. Catlin can hear them speak, but should they ever decide they no longer wish to work with her, they can drive her mad with their voices.

 

Because there are so many legends about fairies seducing human women, I decided that my sylphs would be seductive, sensuous creatures. In one of the earlier chapters of the book, they urge the heroine to kiss the hero. Fortunately for them, it doesn’t take a lot of encouragement to get the couple to share their first kiss.

I look forward to writing the next book about Catlin’s eldest sister, Aelwyd, who is a fire adept. She has extensive magical powers, and her tiny elemental creatures are usually referred to as salamanders. I decided that I preferred the name, fire dragon. While Aelwyd tries to be composed, controlled and self-possessed, her elemental beings can influence her to be as fiery, emotional and passionate as they are.

If you truly love learning about faerie lore, I encourage you to visit http://faerieworlds.com/

The Court of King Charles II

Sibelle Stone

When King Charles I was disposed, and then executed in 1649, his son, Charles Stuart II, was forced into exile. He traveled to France and the court of his cousin, Louis XIV to Germany and the Spanish Netherlands. He lived an impoverished life of wandering as the King without a country.

After Oliver Cromwell’s death, the Protectorate, the government controlling England, was weak and dissolving. The restoration of the monarchy was achieved without war in May 1660, as Charles II returned to London to march triumphantly back into the streets as crowds cheered him.

Charles II was a popular king, as he reopened the theatres, hosted an opulent (and many said lurid and hedonistic court), enjoyed good food, fine wine, gambling and beautiful women. He was tall, dark-haired and was said to possess charisma Also, he was the King of England.

Although he married Catherine of Braganza of Portugal in 1662, despite several miscarriages, they never had any children together. Charles II did sire fourteen illegitimate children, but at his death, his brother James was his designated heir.

Among the many loves of Charles II,one of  his longest relationships was with Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine and later Duchess of Cleveland. The ferocious and demanding Duchess  had a fiery temper, and she was never faithful to her lover. She conceived three children while at court at Whitehall, but there is some question as to the paternity. She was exiled to Paris in 1677.


Perhaps one of the most beloved of King Charles II’s many loves was the actress Nell Gwynne. She grew up in an impoverished state, was an orange girl, (selling oranges at the Duke’s House theatre when they met in 1668). Nell was loyal to her lover, gave birth to two illegitimate sons and created a salon for him in the homes he gave her. She often used her influence in the cause of others, and petitioned him to fund the Royal Hospital for injured soldiers.

On his deathbed in 1685,King Charles II begged his brother and successor, James  “Do not let poor Nelly starve.” James generously paid Nell's debts and gave her an allowance, but it was not for long. Nell at the age of 37 in 1687, just two years after her beloved King.

Like a fairy tale maiden rising from the ashes to the castle, Nell Gwynne became something of a legend, as a good-natured charmer, and an ordinary girl from the slums who ended up not with the Prince, but with the King.

In my recent release, "Whistle Down the Wind" the setting is 1664 England, but not the court of King Charles II, although references are made to it. The heroine’s older sister, Aelwyd, has visited court, and the hero, Sir Griffin Reynolds is a member of the King’s Coldstream Guards. While he’s been at court, he’s on a secret mission to scout out a Puritan plot in the colony of Jamestown to once again dispose the King of England.

Like the court of King Charles, the story is filled with action, adventure and sensuality

Research Trips!

I love to travel, and part of the fun for me is visiting libraries, old historic homes and sites, and museums. I always research museums before I leave, even looking at exhibits on-line, signing up for special tours and timing the visit.

One of my favorite museums ever was in Bath, England. When my friend Saralynn, (Sheryl) Hoyt offered me a free companion fare to Europe, I promised to take her to Bath. I confess, she's a bigger Jane Austen fan than I am. I've seen the movies and read "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" -- but otherwise, the books don't do it for me.

But, a deal is a deal. I bought the train tickets and said there was only one rule. I wanted to visit the Fashion Museum.

Now, you have to understand that Sheryl is not only my best friend, but she's my critique partner. So, she took the "architectural" tour of London and Paris, and I took the "fashion" tour. She loves historic sites just as much as I do, but the photos of the trip prove our diverse interests. Hers are of buildings and mine are of shoes and dresses.

I think that's what makes us such good critique partners. My weakness tends to be her strength. She loves introspection, my fingers fly through pages of dialogue and description. She understands emotion and I have to be reminded, "what is she/he feeling?"

But the important thing about our friendship is how we understand each other. When I beg to take a photo of boots on the Champs Elysee, she just laughs and helps me convince the saleswoman I'm not totally crazy. When she says we're going to the Tower of London for the "Ceremony of the Keys", I say "that sounds awesome!"

And we both agree that seeing "A Christmas Carol" in London just 12 days before Christmas is something we'll never forget.

Museums, houses, libraries and good friends. All the main ingredients for an incredible research trip.


Sibelle Stone (Deborah Schneider) is the author of historical romance and paranormal romance books.

Witches!

In my book, Whistle Down the Wind, the story begins when the heroine, Catlin, is accused by the local witch hunter of practicing witchcraft. In the year 1664, this was a real possibility. And even though Catlin does have magical powers, it wasn't necessary to be able to harness the wind or command fire like the Glyndwr sisters of my series to be charged with witchcraft.

The following evidence would be enough to bring a woman to court on a charge of practicing witchcraft.

• Having a notorious reputation as a witch
• Cursing someone who later experiences some kind of misfortune
• Witnesses observing malice on the part of the accused witch, followed by misfortune on the part of the victim
• Being related by blood or friendship to a proven witch
• The victim recovering after the accused witch is scratched or her property burned
• Failure of the accused witch to sink when immersed in water, (this is called "swimming" the witch). Death proves the accused witch is innocent
• A confession of practicing witchcraft
• Deathbed accusation by the victim naming the witch as the cause of illness
• An un-natural mark on the body, (Devil's Mark), caused by demons or a familiar
• Two witnesses who claim to have seen the accused witch make a pact with Satan or entertain her familiars
• Being an "outsider" such as a widow, mid-wife, "cunning woman" or bearing some type of disfigurement or birth mark

In order to prove the accused guilty, mostly women -- although some men were also tried for practicing witchcraft, torture was used to elicit confessions. Although English law technically forbade the use of torture in witch trials, many means were employed to gain a confession.

The accused were beaten, starved, held in cells with no comforts, deprived of sleep and walked around until their feet blistered. Thumb screws were used to crush bones in hands along with leg screws. "Pricking" was used when a witch had a suspected "Devil's Mark" that consisted of a pointed dagger pushed into the mark because it was believed a witch couldn't feel pain on that spot.

"Strappado" was a particularly heinous torture, when the hands were bound then attached to a rope strung over a pulley that was affixed to the ceiling. The accused witch was hoisted up, then dropped suddenly. This often resulted in broken bones.

An investigation of witchcraft was generally a death sentence, so it will come as no surprise that my character, Catlin, is willing to bargain with the hero to escape from the gaol, (jail). What happens next?

I guess you'll have to read the book to find out! 

 

The Lost Colony

In a former life, I was a Social Studies teacher. Not a past life, just quite a few years ago -- right after I graduated from college. My favorite subject to teach was American History, and one of my favorite eras was the colonial time, from the settlement of this country until the American Revolution.

The first permanent European settlement was in St. Augustine, Florida (the state now, simply a colony of Spain then), founded in 1565. You might jump ahead to the story of the Puritans touching their toes on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts but you'd be missing a major historical event.

The first English settlement was at Roanoke in what is now North Carolina, 37 years before the Pilgrims landed in 1585. You might recall something you've heard or read about this colony, now referred to as the "lost colony of Roanoke". Settling a colony was hard work, and many of the first colonists to arrive from England were more interested in searching for adventure or wealth than trying to farm the land. There weren't enough trades people or farmers in this first venture to the New World. Food was scarce and relations with the native people tenuous.


Just when things were bleakest, Sir Francis Drake appeared and took some of the settlers back to England. But not all of them. 90 men, 17 women and 9 children remained behind.

(Images from Jamestown Virginia)









And when the ships returned from England with more supplies and settlers, there was no sign of the people they left behind. Just one word carved into a post: "Croatan".


Writers have been exploring this strange occurrence for many years, and there are many theories about what happened to the colonists. I have my own ideas, and I'll get to play with this in one of my upcoming books about the Glyndwr sisters, elemental witches who are escaping from England to the New World.


Whistle Down the Wind by Sibelle Stone

Escaping from the persecution of the European witch hunts, a powerful witch with the ability to control the wind joins forces with a handsome Cavalier on a mission to save the King of England and the colony of Virginia while a dangerous stranger hunts them both. Book One: Mystic Moon Series.

Author Bio

Sibelle Stone is the pseudonym for award winning historical romance author Deborah Schneider. Sibelle writes sexy steampunk and paranormal stories, filled with magic, mad scientists, dirigibles, automatons, and creatures that would scare the panties off Deborah. In her spare time Sibelle enjoys dressing up in Victorian ensembles, modding play guns into something that looks a bit more sinister and wearing hats.