A couple weeks ago I told you about some of my favorite creatures of faerie that I’ve learned about while researching and writing the Raven Court Series. Now I have another confession…
I twisted some of the lore to fit Aria’s and Amberle’s stories. Meaning… some of the details in the realm of Faerie–both the Raven Court series and Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns–are fictional. Or even more fictional than the lore. Like… I made then up. *gasp!*
Some of the reasons I did this is because the real legends can be very gruesome and terrifying. Since my novels and stories are on the lighter side, I wanted to tone this down. Another reason I took some artistic liberties is because I couldn’t find the exact details or information while researching what I needed for certain scenes, so I added my own or changed a few things.
Here are some of the ways I’ve fictionalized certain fae creatures.
Cabyll-ushtey - To create my cabyll-ushteys, I also took from legends of kelpies which are horse-like or pony-like, luring men to jump on their backs then jumping into a body of water to devour them.
The cabyll-ushteys in Aria and Amberle’s world have two different forms. On land, they look like typical horses–although they are some sea-like color of green, or gray, or blue. In the water, their snouts become hook-like, their manes lengthen and look like seaweed and their teeth sharpen because they are carnivores. When a rider hops on their back, they stick like glue to it (I found this detail in my research, but I can’t remember which water horse-like creature it was) and if they aren’t tamed they will drag them down to the depths and eat them.
Cait sith - In my Raven Court world, they are large, intelligent cats with a bit of magic. They haven’t played a huge role yet, but they are being featured more prominently in Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns.
Will-o’-the-wisp - will-o’-the-wisp or wisps are found all throughout my fae stories. But they are semi-intelligent creatures who flit around creating ambience light for revels (while also enjoying themselves) and on sconces of palaces (as directed by palace staff/royalty). They are a bluish or green color, and their counterparts, the light wisps are made up and are colored more warmly in yellows, oranges and pinks.
In Courting Fae Thieves and Crowns, a light wisp is also a companion creature.
Morrigu - If you’ve read Exiling a Fae Queen, you know that Iris is a morrigu. She can shift into a raven and back again. There are also a group of morrigu in the main Raven Court series who create some havoc. They are more or less just raven shifters.
The creatures of the Raven Court world don’t end with these four. Here is a list of more creatures that can be found in the realm of Faerie
Sylph - air spirit
Cu sith - canine version of cait sith
Foul fiend flibbertigibbet
Div - demons of Persian mythology
Phouka - trickster shapeshifter