The Scottish Fairy Tale That Inspired ACOTAR
And more folklore-inspired romantasy reads for your TBR!
A Court of Splintered Harmony is out and it feels like everyone and their dad is talking about romantasy again - books whose passionate relationships have just as much plot-driving potential as dragons, monsters and misty mountains. Even Oxford professor and Tolkein expert Stuart Lee has weighed in on the hype around the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series. It really feels like the genre has shaken off those fad allegations once and for all. How did we get here?
What's With the ACOTAR Hype?
Not to bring it all back to Covid... but also when the pandemic hit we were cut off from our communities and the natural world. Imagined realms provided safe and expansive places to spend the time. Is it any wonder that a genre set in a fantastical otherworld and full of ahem intense interpersonal connection took off? The effect was particularly strong among a young generation of readers with a lot of time on their hands looking to branch out from The Hunger Games and Harry Potter into something more mature and complex - and something that formed the basis of many emerging online communities.
Now, in an age of AI, fantastical realms between book pages provide a different kind of escape into a wild, prelapsarian landscape (even one inhabited by horny, bloodthirsty fairies). And to be honest, the "fairy porn" fad has been going for EVER. Everyone from Shakespeare to Christina Rossetti and even our very own Rabbie Burns has dabbled in the imagined magical past/ parallel world + horny formula. Even before we wrote them down, fairy stories formed a staple of the folklore storytelling traditions across the globe. Maybe the real question is why this genre fell OUT of fashion for so long?
Like those classic predecessors, many modern romantasy novels draw on that rich seem of oral tradition and history, while taking the story in new and unexpectedly spicy directions! I've had a little dig into the folklore behind Sarah J. Maas's series, as well as other authors upping the romance in traditional fairy stories....
Prythian - A Wilder Britain?
ACOTAR is set in a fictional realm called Prythian. Keen-eyed readers will spot that she looks a bit like a very real island...
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The more powerful kingdoms are located at the top of the map in what is in real life the rugged Scottish Highlands, and the island to the West, Hybern, sounds rather like the ancient word for Ireland, Hybernia. Like Ireland, Hybern's landscapes and cliffs are stunning, and the weather leaves much to be desired. Politically, it has been the south of the United Kingdom that has been where most power lies for many centuries, and it was mainland Britain who extended colonial control over Ireland; here, Hybern wants to conquer the South. Even "the wall" that separates the fairy and human realms is somewhat reminiscent of the roman walls that divided the "civilized" part of Britain from its wild, Celtic North.
These very different geopolitical moves underscore the fantasy element of ACOTAR, while making it feel oddly familiar. This is what home would be, if home leaned into its strange, dark, wild side. This concept is another absolute classic - ever since Geoffrey of Monmouth picked up his fantasy history quill in the 12th century and launched King Arthur into supernatural stardom, we've loved a fantastical take on home.
However, this approach isn't without criticism. Some local authors object to the use of Welsh, Irish and Scottish language in ways that exoticize rather than show respect for those whose folklore they borrow.
ACOTAR and Scottish Fairy Tales
In Folklore, the fairy and human realms are separate - except when they aren't. Liminal spaces, like twilight, the full moon, or a baby's first breath, blur the boundary between the realms. Take changelings; human children swapped at birth by the fair folk, who would leave a strange creature in their place.
Similarly, power is tightly geographically governed; think faerie circles broken at your peril, and the power of solid, true everyday language and items like salt, iron and True Names that can cut through the illusory magic fairies are so known for. But language is its own magic, and that wit-based battle of riddles becomes an arena for human and fairy powers to go head to head. ACOTAR also loves a wee riddle (no spoilers!) - but there's one Scottish story it draws on more than any other.
The Ballad of Tam Lin
A 16th century ballad originating in the Scottish borders tells the tale of young Janet, who plucks a double rose while walking in her father's estate. The rose transforms into a young man who asks Janet why she has taken what is his.
The man's name is Tam Lin, and he has been enslaved by the Queen of the Fair Folk after he fell from his horse while riding through her territory. For seven long years, she has kept him as her paramour and knight. Despite the danger, Janet and Tam Lin grow closer, and Janet falls pregnant with his child, binding her even closer to him.
But Halloween draws closer, when the fair folk must pay the tithe of a single, mortal soul to hell. Tam Lin fears it is his soul that the Queen will choose. To save her lover and the father of her unborn child, Janet must pull Tam Lin from his horse as the Faerie troop passes by. She must not let go of her catch, no matter what happens.
The fair folk transform Tam Lin into all manner of terrifying beasts to force Janet to give up. At first, Tam Lin is a snake, coiling around her neck and flicking its tongue against her face. Then, Tam Lin becomes a slippery eel, writhing out of Janet's grip. When he becomes a glowing iron bar, Janet can feel her skin blister and scorch, but still she will not let him go. Finally, Tam Lin becomes a burning coal; Janet throws him into a well, and he emerges naked from the water, finally free.
The Faerie Queen is incensed, and regrets not tarnishing Tam Lin's eyes or heart so that Janet's prize would be worthless. However, she accepts defeat, and Janet and Tam Lin live happily ever after.
This fabulous tale of feminine courage, tenacity and desire forms the springboard for ACOTAR's story of supernatural power and very human interpersonal relationships. In her first book, Tamlin is not a human but a powerful Fae High Lord, and it is he who kidnaps Feyre, a human huntress. However, when both Tamlin and Feyre are captured by an evil queen, Feyre's cunning and courage will be needed to set them free.
3 More Folklore-Inspired Romantasy Books
If you love the mythical, fairy-inspired romantasy like ACOTAR, here some of my (underrated) favorites!
A Feather So Black - The Fair Folk Trilogy by Lyra Selene
The setting for Lyla Selene's wonderful book is Tír na nÓg, the Irish Otherworld of eternal youth, beauty and joy, ruled by the Sea King. Like in Tam Lin, her plot utilizes permeable barriers between fairy and human realms during the full moon.
A Feather so Black is a retelling of the classic black swan story, where a princess is cursed to live as a human during the day and a swan at night until the curse is broken by true love's kiss. Selene's novel retells this classic story but adds a twist; the black swan and the white swan are changelings, swapped at birth. Fia is a half-human changeling, trained as a spy by the human High Queen. Her true daughter, Eala, has been taken to Tír na nÓg where she lives as a swan for 28 days each month.
When a forgotten gate to that fae realm is uncovered, Fia and Eala's betrothed, Prince Rogan, must rescue Eala from Irian, her fairy captor. But Fia has her own feelings too - first for Rogan, and now for Irian...
A Fate Inked in Blood - Saga of the Unfated Series by Danielle Jensen
Danielle L. Jensen's romantasy trilogy is based on Norse mythology. In her world, the blood of Norse Gods can furnish humans with supernatural powers; whether that is Freya's abusive husband using the blood of X to control the fish, or Freya's own blood, which contains the blood of Hlin, goddess of protection and refuge, which marks her as a shield-maiden with protective powers to unite the entire Kingdom under the person who controls her.
When her abusive husband makes a deal with their fanatical ruler, Freya is forced to participate in a deadly duel during which she must use her power. The ruler binds her with a blood oath, and forces her to undergo training with his son, Bjorn. Freya finds herself falling for him...
Shadow of the fox by Julia Kagawa
Julia Kagawa's Shadow of the Fox trilogy features yōkai - spirits, monsters and demons that embody natural phenomena, animistic bliefs, and emotions. They are tied to Shintoism and Animism - the idea that spirits inhabit nature and are responsible for everyday mysteries. One subtype of yōkai are kitsune - shape-shifting foxes who looove causing mischief!
In shadow of the fox, there is a magical scroll that grants the bearer a wish from a Sea Dragon. After the death of her adoptive family, Yumeko flees her home with part of that scroll. Kage Tatsumi, a Samuri warrior, is her best hope of surviving. There's only one problem; he wants that scroll, too. Yumeko's deception coincides with blossoming feelings for Kage.
Final Thoughts...
I hope I've convinced you that romantasy is a lot more than just "fairy porn", or fantasy for girls - it is a rich seem of brilliantly imaginative books where relationships are given centre stage. If you love Lord of the Rings, or a bit of myth (Percy Jackson fans, I'm looking at you!), I really would encourage you to dip your toe into the romantasy world - you won't regret it!
Drop your recommendations, thoughts, criticisms, to do lists etc. in the comments, and I wish you many many happy reading hours!
Love,
Eve x
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ACOTAR fairy tale
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