Otherworldly Goods — Page 16
And so finally we arrive at entrance of the Unseelie Courts. Looks fun, don’t it?
As with my treatment of Ancient Greek mythology, I will be taking some liberties with the myths and folklore of Ireland and Scotland. So don’t expect a strict adherence to received legend. Writers tend to draw loosely from the world bank of mythos, and from the research I have done this year it seems like they love to take what little they find among the Celts and go wild with it. Benign gods become malignant. Obscure faeries rise in stature, then turn evil. Yet writers always treat this material with respect, if not always reverence. I am known, as is Fetch, to be a bit more irreverent; however, I love this stuff — it is weird, funny, subversive, and full of imagination. I plan to be very respectful, even as I strive to veer away from traditional depictions and stereotypes of the genre.
In that spirit, one of my favorite resources has been Morgan Daimler’s Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk. Daimler writes from a pagan perspective, so she takes it as given that faeries do indeed walk among us when not in the Otherworld. I am not pagan, but I love and respect those who are; and scholars like Daimler are invaluable in researching this material. Whether you’re pagan or not, I recommend reading her book. It’s a fun and intelligent survey of the Otherworld, and goes a bit against imperialist tendencies, especially among Christian scholars, to portray all faeries as demonic unless they serve our anthropocentric ends.
Charon and Fetch pull up alongside a quay. View is from the shore. Fetch looks just above the viewer’s head.
CHARON: Well, here she is…
PANEL 2
The opposite view: Charon and Fetch look at the quay. Made of rotting wood planks, the quay supports an old weather-beaten building made of red brick. A grey, worn sign made of stone reads “Unseelie Station.” On the wall next to a ticket window are two signs welcoming visitors. One is large and somewhat legible to the viewer. The second is smaller and to the right of the larger one.
LARGE SIGN: SEELIE COURTS
“Call us the Good People - Or Else!”
[A map divided into unequal quadrants, one half darker than the other]
A path of weathered stone steps leading into a dense thick forest of trees with gnarled roots, thick trunks, winding branches. A few fairies peer out from the knots in the tree trunks and through the leaves and twists of branches. It’s a bit autumnal in spirit, leaves turning colors against grey and brown trees. Emphasis on decay.
PANEL 3
Fetch and Charon close-up
FETCH: Home sweet home.
CHARON: I’ll stick with Hades, thank you.
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