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The Legends and Myths Behind The Ancient Magus' Bride


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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:14 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
In part that's simply because time moves differently there – something covered in the late Medieval Scottish tale of Thomas the Rhymer, who thinks he's only spending three years in fairy land but each fairy year is the equivalent of seven in the real world. Many Irish and Scottish myths also discuss the fact that if you consume food while in the fairies' realm you'll never be able to leave, which ties in with the Greco-Roman myth of Persephone.

It's fascinating just how many cultures have stories of time-skipping like this, from Rip Van Winkle to the Greek Epimenides, and the Japanese Urashima Tarou. Likewise the Japanese creation lore regarding Izanagi and his wife Izanami, who ate the food of the underworld after her death and so could not return to the living world.
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Yuvelir



Joined: 06 Jan 2015
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:32 pm Reply with quote
An intch remains unscratched. All the while through the segments about the cats living in Ulthar I was expecting a nod to The Cats of Ulthar.
Sure it isn't about magic or Gaelic myths but it's so easy to just mention and forget...
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CrownKlown



Joined: 05 May 2011
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:19 am Reply with quote
Id take it most anime/gaming fans probably first heard of Cait Sith when a little game called Final Fantasy VII came out back in the 90s. And the concept was used in anime many many times before SAO online, thats a shoddy example to use.
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trilaan



Joined: 17 Jan 2009
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 2:19 am Reply with quote
There's a video game I recommend, Folklore(AKA FolksSoul, 2007). It was a PS3 exclusive game wherein you play Ellen, a young woman who must travel through several faery realms to discover the secrets of the little town of Doolin(particularly regarding her assumed dead mother) on the coast of Ireland and Keats, a reporter for an occult magazine. Faery creatures are everywhere in the game and you can capture and summon them.

I also particularly remember several episodes of Disney's amazing Gargoyles animated series from the mid-1990s which focused on subjects found in The Ancient Magus' Bride.
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Princess_Irene
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Joined: 16 Dec 2008
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 6:39 am Reply with quote
I love the game "Folklore!" My sister and I weren't sure anyone besides us had played it. Laughing I've been playing a silly RPG called "Sproggiwood" that very loosely uses Northern European mythology, but it's nothing like "Folklore," unfortunately. Still fun, though.


@CrownKlown
Fair point. My thought in using SAO wasn't so much to negate earlier examples but to not lose younger readers and readers who aren't gamers. But yes, there are worthier examples.

@Yuvelir
Somehow I missed reading that story. I'll rectify the error immediately - cats AND Lovecraft? How did I miss that?!
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Alan45
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 7:12 am Reply with quote
Cait Sith also makes multiple appearances in the Aria manga and anime.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 2:10 pm Reply with quote
CrownKlown wrote:
Id take it most anime/gaming fans probably first heard of Cait Sith when a little game called Final Fantasy VII came out back in the 90s. And the concept was used in anime many many times before SAO online, thats a shoddy example to use.


Actually, Cait Sith appeared as early as FFIV, but the name was translated to Panther in the SNES release. It also appeared in V as an enemy again, and also in VI, as one of the four Espers you acquire in order to start learning magic.
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Weazul-chan



Joined: 10 May 2005
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Location: Michigan
PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 7:21 pm Reply with quote
Ruth's more in line with English black dog myths than the cu sidhe or cwn annwn. Cu sidhe are usually said to be green or white and cwn annwn are often said to be white as well with red ears (always red ears). There may be a bit of overlap between those and black dog myths, but there's a distinction as well. Cu sidhe are almost always death omens and cwn annwn are associated with the wild hunt and death in general, but there's a subset of black dogs associated with being benevolent and protective, the church grim being one of the best known examples of that lot.
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EmperorBrandon
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Joined: 04 Oct 2002
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 12:33 am Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:
Actually, Cait Sith appeared as early as FFIV, but the name was translated to Panther in the SNES release. It also appeared in V as an enemy again, and also in VI, as one of the four Espers you acquire in order to start learning magic.

His name was originally different in the English language version of FFVI too, as "Stray".
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Kadmos1



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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:30 am Reply with quote
I know that Ruth is based based off of the British Black Dog/variants. However, if he was a real dog, do you think he would be an Irish Wolfhound or Scottish Deer Hound? A comment was made about him being either (appearance wise) on his Ancient Magus Wiki page.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:43 am Reply with quote
EmperorBrandon wrote:
His name was originally different in the English language version of FFVI too, as "Stray".


Correct.
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trilaan



Joined: 17 Jan 2009
Posts: 1053
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 3:44 am Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
I love the game "Folklore!" My sister and I weren't sure anyone besides us had played it.


I am happy to learn that I am not alone either. Smile
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Princess_Irene
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 6:48 am Reply with quote
Kadmos1 wrote:
... if he was a real dog, do you think he would be an Irish Wolfhound or Scottish Deer Hound? A comment was made about him being either (appearance wise) on his Ancient Magus Wiki page.


I'd got with Scottish Deer Hound, myself. The shape of his torso seems more in line with them. Both gorgeous dogs, though - I love hounds. (And big dogs.)
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writerpatrick



Joined: 29 Mar 2006
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 2:19 pm Reply with quote
The King of the Cats is one of the best known Irish folk stories. It goes back hundreds of years.

There's also actual cases of dogs who sit by their master's grave. The most famous is Greyfriar's Bobby which is well known around England.
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unready



Joined: 07 Jun 2009
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Location: Illinois, USA
PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:28 pm Reply with quote
Cartaphilus, supposedly a servant of Pontius Pilate, abused Jesus on the way to the crucifixion. Jesus told Cartaphilus he had to wait for him to return. Since Jesus died at the crucifixion, his "return" would be the second coming. That's how Cartaphilus was cursed with immortality.

In some versions of the story, Cartaphilus was eventually baptized as Joseph and lived a pious life thereafter until a normal death.

In other versions of the story, he was not baptized, but became the "wandering Jew" Ahasuerus, of whom there were supposed sightings as late as the 1600s in Europe, kind of like an early Renaissance Elvis.
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