Mooretoons

After a passenger cruise journey through the subterranean politics of the Underworld, we now enter Fetch’s home territory, the Celtic Otherworld, where most of this story will take place. If you’re wondering what was with all that Underworld business, don’t worry — it’ll become relevant later.

About the realms of the Otherworld mentioned by Fetch:

Mag Mell is part of Irish mythology, a place where heroes of exceptional bravery go to after they die, sort of like the Greek Elysium or the Norse Valhalla. But it is not merely a land of the brave dead, but also a paradise for deities, too.

Annwyn (one of many spellings) is the Welsh version of the Otherworld. Eternal youth, lots of food and drink, a bit like the Garden of Eden, it became a vision of Heaven in the mythology of British Christians. Like Mag Mell, it might be located on a group of islands or under the sea. 

Tír na nÓg has both Irish and Scottish roots. It means “Land of the Youth” and like Mag Mell and Annwyn has paradisiacal attributes. The Tuatha Dé Danann, the gods of pre-Christian Ireland live there.

All of this will become relevant as the story progresses, but for now the main focus will be the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Mostly Scottish in origin, they are classifications of Otherworld faerie and gods that have connotations of good and evil, depending on who is looking. Again, more later, but much sooner.

I swear this won’t always have footnotes. We’re still setting the table, as they say, and I thought it might help the reader early on. But I promise we’re not heading into David Foster Wallace territory with footnotes that take up half a book.

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