Episode
Three Ravens Bestiary #26: Fairies
- Podcast
- The Three Ravens Podcast
- Published
- Jul 12, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4927
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.threeravenspodcast.com/
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Summary
For the final episode in our 26 part A-Z of mythical creatures we're slipping into some liminal spaces to talk about Fairies! Starting with the question of what even is "a fairy" and how did that word come to be? Should we think of them as handsome and seductive, like in the Romantasy genre, or as nature spirits that need feeding with human blood, via your sourdough starter? Do we still identify with the pagan idea of fairies shaping human destiny as they fancy, or the post-Reformation concept of the fairy as a form of beautiful ghost seeking to lead us to damnation? For most people today they're icons of cuteness and childish whimsy, but why did the Victorians shrink them down and give them wings? Also, why does nobody explain the rules of Fairyland in any Fairy Tales, and what makes marriage so important in so many tales about these poor, fallen, yet somehow powerful creatures? With examples from Ancient Rome to Medieval chronicles, Witch Trial transcripts to the case of the Cottingley Fairies, join us to explore how 'The Fairy' ultimately reflects the shape of human consciousness era-to-era. So feed your green child her broad beans, don't get off your horse until your fairy dog does, and toss your wishes into the river, as it's a topic befitting the end of this series - massive, but also tiny, and constantly transforming to mirror the strange shape of life in the real world... We also hope you increasingly pleased by our new Bestiary episode art, as drawn by our good friend Tom Peteuil of Creature Castle - check out brand new Fairy merch here and visit the Creature Castle shop for prints and other wonderful things here . Speak to you again on Thursday for this week's Lang Fairy Tale triple bill all before Saturday's Local Legends interview with author and Fairy Whis…