Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings. For today’s post, I have decided to do a list of some of my favorite Faery Stories to Study in Spring! I have chosen five stories, three about Faery Queens and two fairytales, all of which I love to read for Spring. Without further ado, let’s look at the list!
HOW CULWCH WON OLWEN from The Mabinogion
~I have been writing quite a bit about Olwen lately, and I definitely think that this particular story is one that is great to study in Spring. Olwen is a Faery Queen who enters her tale as a very literal Flower Maiden (and becomes a Flower Bride when she marries Culwch). White Flowers blossom in her footprints! This nature of newly bloomed flowers definitely gives off Springtime energy, making this a great tale to study now!
THE FOURTH BRANCH OF THE MABINOGI aka Math, Son of Mathonwy from The Mabinogion
~Of course, I had to include this branch, as it includes the story of Blodeuwedd! Like Olwen, she is a very literal example of a Flower Bride. However, she is even more literally connected to Flowers, as she was the Maiden made of Flowers! Given how deeply tied Blodeuwedd is to Flowers and Spring, and her nature as a Goddess of Seasonal Sovereignty, her tale is an obvious one to study in the Springtime.
THE KNIGHT OF THE CART by Chretien de Troyes
~This is the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, as written by Chretien de Troyes. Technically, you can read and research any story of Guinevere for the Spring, as she is so connected with Beltane, as even in the most Christianized Arthurian tales, she is always ‘going a-Maying’ at Beltane! I simply chose this as a great foundational story featuring Guinevere and Lancelot and their romance. Obviously, I could not do a list of Springtime Faery stories to study and not include Guinevere, the important Faery Queen that she is!
SLEEPING BEAUTY by The Brothers Grimm (or by Charles Perrault)
~Honestly, you can read and research any version of this tale for the Spring, given how much plant life is included in the story, with thorn bushes and roses abounding. I would say studying the oldest version (The Sun, the Moon, and Talia) is best near Samhain (given the darkness of the story), but all the others are quite beautifully whimsical. Deep diving into this Faery-filled tale of a sleeping curse and an enchanted castle is a lovely way to spend Spring days!
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST by Madame de Beaumont
~Finally, I had to add in a great romantic fairytale. Again, this story includes a rose as an iconic symbol, which is part of why I think it is great for Spring, but also the idea of new love blossoming in Springtime serves as a great link! You can study any version of this tale, but I listed one of the best-known shorter versions of the story.
~I hope you have enjoyed this short look at five Faery stories to study this Spring. What other Faery stories can you think of that are great to study this time of year? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is A Fairy Tale by Arthur Wardle. I found the image on https://theodoragossessays.com/the-fairytale-heroines-journey/.
LINK TO AVALONIAN ROSE FAERY MYSTERIES PATREON: patreon.com/AvalonianRoseFaeryMysteries