The Dark Fae

Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame!

— William Butler Yeats

Editorials

Guest Editor: E. S Hudson “The Magic Cancer Taught Me”

The jackal showed up again almost as soon as I fell back asleep, and I had a few more nights of this dream image. Every time, all the jackal did was look at me. It was as if I were lying on a table, with the jackal looking over me. On the day of the colonoscopy, I wasn’t surprised when the gastroenterologist said she took a sample of something unusual for analysis …

Papers

Hans Christian Andersen And His Characters’ Inherent Passivity

Prya Sindar, MBA

Nineteenth century Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, constantly discussed the theme of “inherent rejection” in his stories. The Steadfast Tin Soldier reflects this theme perfectly, as does The Little Mermaid. Both of the title characters yearn for someone from a distance, but they cannot act before tragedy separates them from true love.

The Magical Process of Creation

Valentina Osinki, Singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist.

When we sit down to create, we do it because we have a deep need, an innate drive, indeed; a spiritual call from our most essential self to express our viewpoint.

Dark Faeries in Pre-Raphaelite Art: Exploring Symbolism and Mythology

By Helena Domenic, M.A., M. F. A., Associate Professor of Drawing, Kutztown University of PA.

Clearly, the folklore and stories told about dark faeries from many different cultures play out the notion of the Victorian Age’s concerns regarding humans and the ambiguity and duality of nature. Additionally, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the resurgence of interest in the supernatural, the occult, and the metaphysical present opportunities for luscious narrative imagery. The Pre-Raphaelites would have been especially drawn to stories of seduction, temptation, and danger.

The Resurrection of Inanna: A PLAY IN THREE ACTs

By Deb Dale Jones, Sharon G. Mijares, & Cass Dalglish

Our project began with Sharon Mijares’ question, “How was Inanna transformed by her descent to the Netherworld?” The story of Inanna’s journey comes from the land we now call Iraq, near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Inanna was one of the gods in the ancient Sumerian pantheon—a very adventurous god. And her stories are particularly compelling for contemporary women.

Adultery and Vengeance in Marie de France’s Yonec

Yvonne Owens, MA Research Fellow at the University College of London, and Professor of Art History and Critical Studies.

There are many familiar fairytale resonances and motifs in the lai of Yonec. There is the Rapunzel-like internment of the heroine where she is jealously guarded in a tower, and the sleeping knights in the other-worldly palace inside the hollow hills …

Suicide, Art, and Personal Myths

Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.

One of my long-standing concerns involves the ways in which people can recover when close friends or family members take their own life. Sometimes they turn to creativity, as it allows them to work through their feelings and express them in artistic formats.

Artist’s Profiles

Interview: Inna Vjuzhanina

By Sharon Mijares, Ph.D, California Institute for Human Science

Interview: “Practical Fantasists”

By Lezlie Kinyon, Ph.D., Editor, Coreopsis Journal

Words of Wisdom

About the Cover Art

By Inna Vjuzhanina

There’s something fascinating about a graceful feminine character controlling a massively destructive force.

Reviews

Music Review: The Labyrinth

By Margaret Davis

Books

Fanaticism and Its Discontented Disruptions a review of Catherine Nixey’s The Darkening Age: the Christian Destruction of the Classical World.

By E.S. Hudson

The Darkening Age makes for grim reading. It can be difficult to take in the levels of violence that accompanied the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity, just as it is mind-numbing to contemplate any systemic political, communal, or genocidal oppression.

Stitch your Magic

Review of Simple Robes for Crafty Witches by Dana Corby

By E.S. Hudson