Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings.   Today’s post is about how the Dark Dimension of The Vampire Diaries book series is a Faeryland!   I have written about the difference between the television series and the books before, and I have ranked the books as well.   So, this post is going to be analyzing a very specific aspect of the sixth and seventh The Vampire Diaries novels, The Return: Shadow Souls and The Return: Midnight.   The Dark Dimension first appeared in the sixth book as the place where Stefan was held captive, leading Elena and Damon to go on a rescue mission, with Matt in tow.   Later when Matt left, Meredith and Bonnie joined Elena and Damon as they found an entrance to the Dark Dimension.

At first glance, the set-up of the Dark Dimension could be seen to have a bit of a Hades energy.   This is especially true because the Greek Underworld was a place that was specifically a Realm of the Dead that all of the human souls went to when deceased, having different sections for different afterlife options.   The Dark Dimension is described as having a bloated red sun in the sky at all times, leaving the realm in a red dusk at all times.   There are also descriptions of different sections of the Dark Dimension, like with the Greek Underworld.   However, some aspects are clearly differing from the traditional Greek Underworld, most prominently, there is the fact that humans who are not dead are often in the Dark Dimension, which is not a common occurrence in the Greek Underworld.   

Now, a particular part of Damon bringing the girls into the Dark Dimension to rescue Stefan was that the three girls being human had to act as slaves to Damon.   While they were not truly enslaved, they had to pretend for their own protection because humans were viewed as slaves in the Dark Dimension, making it safer to be perceived as being owned by a powerful and old vampire like Damon!   The fact that the girls were able to remain in the Dark Dimension in the lap of luxury after Elena defied her role as a slave to save another slave woman only happened after Elena was punished publicly.   However they are still seen as slaves, and it is a challenge to find the key to Stefan’s cell.

The inclusion of vampires, humans, kitsune, and Guardians (which are Angelic beings) makes for an interesting realm that is not really a Realm of the Dead exactly, but something different entirely.    To me, it shows the Dark Dimension as a Faeryland.    There are several different races of beings living in this world in a very firm hierarchy, with a roughly Royal Court structure, which is how Faerie is traditionally described.   Obviously, the Dark Dimension is a spooky and twilight realm, a more Shadowy Faerie Realm.   Yet, the most important aspect that proves the nature of the Dark Dimension as a Realm of Faerie is the inclusion of Blodeuwedd in the sixth book!

Blodeuwedd appears as an essentially Dark and Evil Faery Queen in The Return: Shadow Souls.   She is hosting a party that the girls and Damon must attend to find the second half of the fox key to free Stefan.    Blodeuwedd attacked in her Owl form when she believed that Elena was stealing from her.   It is an interesting twist on Blodeuwedd’s dual nature here, she is a Flower Goddess until midnight and then she turns into her Owl form.    Of course, as a Priestess of Blodeuwedd, I know that the character in the book is not the actual Goddess, but a fictional interpretation of her.   I find fictional interpretations of Faery Queens and Goddesses to be an important way to get alternative perspectives on the figures themselves.   I also find it truly amazing that Blodeuwedd was chosen to play this villainous role, as she is not as well known in the mainstream as many Celtic Goddesses, meaning that her inclusion in the book can bring people interested in folklore to read into Welsh Celtic lore and read The Mabinogion.

Finally, to bring it full circle, Blodeuwedd is a Faery Queen and Welsh Celtic Goddess of Sovereignty, so the fact that she is a character in the book, solidifies that the Dark Dimension is, in fact, an Otherworldly Faeryland!   I hope you have enjoyed reading about my interpretation of the Dark Dimension from The Vampire Diaries novels.   Did you interpret this place as a Faeryland?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!       

Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services!    I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon!  Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/

Further Reading

• The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
• The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Midnight by L.J. Smith
• The Mabinogion translated by Sioned Davies
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• Bulfinch’s Mythology by Thomas Bulfinch