Chapter Text
- More modern adaptations of old fairy folklore, especially in YA Fantasy, include the Autumn and Spring Courts (or day and night, etc.). So it was a natural change to make the season titles the four Hogwarts houses instead.
Explaining the Four Courts:
Seelie Lion Court (Seelie faes’ capital location under the current king’s reign): Gryffindor
-References:
- Giant Squid and the Black Lake belong to this court.
- Hogwarts is still the name of the castle the royal court is centered at.
- Honeydukes: A farm where sweet treats are made, the workers being giant honeybees.
Unseelie Serpent Court (Unseelie faes’ capital location under the current king and queen’s reign): Slytherin
-References:
- Liquid fire drink (chapter 2) in reference to the Goblet of Fire.
- The ridiculous myth that Draco has a war cart pulled by peakcocks (chapter 2) was inspired by the goddess Freya and her cat-drawn chariot, mixed in with peacocks at Malfoy Manor.
- While the capital lands of the court are named Durmstrang in reference to the magical school from the original canon, the royal palace of the court is called the Manor in reference to Malfoy Manor.
Seelie Badger Court: Hufflepuff
-References: Badger firewhiskey, in reference to firewhiskey (obviously).
Unseelie Raven Court: Ravenclaw (location of the Unseelie Institute of Knowledge
-References: To be updated
- Amortentia: Instead of a potion, I am using it as a kind of pollen Flower Faeries can produce. I’ve always thought that love potions in canon should be illegal, after all look at how Voldemort was created through the use of them, so I wanted to depict the effects of Amortentia as negative. Sorry, Hermy.
- Changeling: A fae baby/child that is swapped with a human baby/child to be raised by the human parents. (There are a couple of different reasons why fae would do this, and what they want with a human babe to begin with—all pretty much nefarious.) Changelings are usually depicted as feral things that can only be sent back to their fae parents if you hurt them to the point that they scream in agony so loud their mother will come to retrieve them. This is rarely used in modern stories, and I am simply using the term here to describe a fae baby living in the human realm.
- Circe: I genuinely don't remember if Circe is ever mentioned in canon or just fanfiction. But she is a huge mythological figure in greek lore. A minor goddess of magic. Also used in Homer's The Odyssey. She is a BAMF who would turn those who slighted her into animals. Many stories use her as the queen of fairies. The Fairy islands in the Zelda games are inspired by Circe and her island Aeaea.
- Forbidden Forest: I have included this forest in particular as a kind of living border between all of the courts.
- High Fae: The more powerful, older bloodlines within the fae hierarchy. In this fic, I have the Sacred Twenty-Eight bloodlines be the High Fae. 14 families are Seelie, and 14 are Unseelie.
- Luna moth: Completely made up for reasons you can probably guess just from the name and Harry's slip up, but I won't say directly for spoilers.
- Mates: There are many examples of the ‘mate’ trope throughout mythology and folklore. One of my favorites is the Greek myth that humans were originally created with four arms and four legs, and two faces. Zeus, being the jerk he is, split humans in two. But sometimes, the two parts of the same whole find their way back to one another. This is the main inspiration for this fic’s ‘mates’ plotline.
- Naga: Half-human/half-serpent creatures mostly mentioned in Hindu mythology. The Naga is the inspiration behind Nagini's name, and since I did not include Voldemort directly in this fic, I mentioned Harry defeating the old Unseelie king, a Naga, in reference to his defeat of Voldemort in canon.
- Names: Having someone know your true name gives you dominion over them, which is why GIVING a name is different than TELLING a name. It’s just another tricky thing supernatural creatures have been doing in stories for ages.
- Nymph: Originated in Greek mythology. There are many varieties of Nymphs, but they all pretty much relate to earthly elements, such as oceans, rivers, trees, etc. Usually always female, but more modern interpretations have played with genderbending the classic mythological deities.
- Dryad: Tree Nymph.
- Naiad: Water Nymph, particularly streams or rivers.
- Occamy: Serpents that can grow or shrink to fit any space, first seen in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
- Red String of Fate: Chinese mythology. A string that is attached to the finger of two individuals destined to be together. I reference this when Draco and Hermione feel as if something is tugging them closer to one another. Instead of a metaphorical string leading them by the finger, I simply mention a tugging sensation on their bodies, which is referencing the sensation Portkeys give their users.
- Seelie Court: The Seelie were considered to be the 'light' fae/faeries (or fairy/fairies). Sometimes called the Summer Court, these faeries were happier to interact with humans, but could also be petty and vicious if provoked or slighted. You may have heard of King Oberon and Queen Titania in Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night's Dream. Think flowers, sunlight, tinkling bells, and spring showers.
- Sirens: Water fae/mythological creatures originating in Greece, whose singing lured sailors to their deaths by drowning them. The most famous recounting of sirens would probably be in Homer's The Odyssey.
- Sprite: Entity or fairy-like creature common in European folklore. If you have read The Tempest by Shakespeare, Ariel is a Sprite. Or perhaps you’ve read Artemis Fowl? Some stories equate them to earthly elements, like Nymphs, but with a more magical, ethereal origin. Sometimes small, sometimes willowy and thin. It is mostly used as a blanket term for fairy-like characters in European stories. This is a very watered-down explanation of Sprites, however.
- Unseelie Court: The opposite pole of the two reigning courts within old fairy lore. The Unseelie, or Winter Court, were the more violent, quick-tempered, dark fae that viewed humans as playthings or their next meals. The Unseelie and Seelie court are always opposed to one another. Queen Mab is a well-known Unseelie. Think ice, shadow, thunderstorms, dripping blood.
- Wild Hunt: My absolute favorite myth ever. A theme within folklore throughout the world, it's a hunting party of supernatural riders led by a singular figure in the pursuit of someone or something. Odin is the most known leader of the Wild Hunt, but any major figure can lead one if it fits the story. There have been Welsh, even biblical references to such a hunt. It's awesome. When it comes to the Wild Hunt and fae, they are usually hunting humans.
- Will-o'-the-wisp: Small sprites in the form of balls of light that would lead travelers to marshes and swamps, and ultimately their demise. This myth came about thanks to a chemical phenomenon that caused balls of gas expelled in marshes to glow.