Legends of Caratacos
In which I look at the legacy of the ancient British resistance leader in later folklore, romance, and drama. Content note: child...
Hail Éarendel!
In which I examine the connections of one of Tolkien's most famous characters to Shakespeare, Norse myth, and a local legend from...
Old Tales Retold: Here Be Dragons
The second volume of Old Tales Retold is out! As with Sprites and Goblins, I didn't feel the book itself was the place for notes on the...
Cymbeline and Snow White
Content note: murder; attempted murder (including familial and spousal); violent jealousy; rape. NB: This post has been edited since it...
Old Tales Retold: Sprites and Goblins
I've finally published the first volume of Old Tales Retold. (Volume II, Here Be Dragons, should follow in 2017.) It didn't seem the...
Orcs before Tolkien
A look at the early literary history of orcs. Content note: racism. Image: engraving of Orcus from Orlando Furioso. The orc – generally a...
Did tenth century Scotland have a Black King?
In a few esoteric corners of the Internet, one will come across the assertion that Kenneth III, King of Scots from 997 to 1005, was of...
