im going on the record to state that stories which position seelie-unseelie/summer-winter/etc court dynamics as inherently oppositional forces of good and evil are all written by COWARDS
face it!! you want to confine the fae to your narrow human narratives of heroes and villains to make yourself feel more secure in the face of the unknowable! its an understandable impulse but its a tired portrayal and one that doesnt do neither the writer or reader any favors!!!!
coming back to this because im in that kinda mood
summer courts being always bright and lively and symbolized by happy sunny shiny flowery things only and winter courts being dark and attached to symbols of evil/death is so so Weak
winter is a season of cold and dark but it can also be associated with the clean beauty of fresh snow, the brightness of a full winter moon on a cloudless night, preservation, sleep/restfulness, peaceful quiet, winter festivities and the coziness of coming in from the cold
summer is a light and warmth but there’s also summer storms, heatwaves/wildfires/drought as symbols of ferocity and mercilessness, the eeriness of heat mirages, abundance of insects, the sun as not only a symbol of warmth and nourishment but one of harsh unrelenting conditions
a well-made court dichotomy should allow both sides to have “good” and “bad” traits by human standards (and tbh im more in favor of both courts being equally sinister to human perception because thats how i see fae in general) and opposition between the two should never stem from the idea that one side is just “Evil”
also like can’t we just be done with light = good and dark = bad imagery in fantasy. like come on.
And don’t just flip them! Summer is ‘pretty but eeeevil’ with winter as ‘ugly but goood’ is Also Bad!
All Fae Are Unknowably Sinister And Occasionally Surprisingly Benevolent 2018
please be respectful of cultural boundaries when working with mermaids from various cultures and traditions, and be mindful not to intrude.
🌊 Rusalkas – slavic in origin, disturbed spirits of the “unclean dead”, ghosts of women who died violent deaths, with a penchant for drowning young men. they live only in rivers and lakes, and are known to have green hair like aquatic plants, only appearing in the night.
🌊 Melusina – a mermaid that walks among humans, but returns to their two-tailed form during baths and when they bathe their children. often a water spirit of a nearby lake or river. french origin.
🌊 Siren – greek mythology. servants and companions of persephone, whom searched for her when she was abducted. they are known to sometimes have the body of a bird, and for their song, which lured sailors to their doom. cannibalism implied folklore. have the power of prophecy.
🌊 Merrow – irish mermaid. known to have green hair and webbed fingers. particular noted love of music and their red cap, which when stolen, they will live with the thief until they find it, and then return to the water, leaving even a whole family behind.
🌊 Ben-varrey – from the isle of man, known to bless those that are kind to them with prosperity, gifts, and even the location of treasure.
🌊 Aicaya –
Caribbean mermaid, humans who become mermaids when they are shunned from their community and go to live in the sea.
🌊 Amabie – japanese merpeople, with birdlike torsos and three legs and scales. they are gifted with prophecy, usually foretelling abundant harvests or epidemics
🌊 Ningyo – “human faced fish” known to have golden scales, that brings bad weather and misfortune when caught, but when their flesh is eaten the consumer is granted youth and beauty, even agelessness.
🌊 Finman / Finwife – magical shapeshifters that disguise themselves as sea creatures or plants to lure humans, unlike most mermaids they kidnap people from the shores to be their spouses or servants. they have a greed for jewelry and coins, particularly silver, and prefer humans over other finfolk.
🌊 Sirena Chilota – considered the more friendly mermaids, caring for all fish life and rescuing drowned sailors to restore life to them. known for their human-like beauty and youth, according to legend they are the child of a human and a “king of seas”, tears are a powerful substance. from chilote mythology.
🌊 Cecealia – sometimes known as “sea witches”, they are half human and half octopus. origins in native american and japanese mythology.
🌊 Sirena / Siyokoy – the philippine version of mermaid and merman respectively. also called “magindara”, they are known to protect the waters from raiders, and protect the boy moon from sea monsters. Siyokoys can sometimes have legs however, covered with scales and webbed feet
🌊 Sea Mither – scottish/orcadian mythology, a spirit that personifies the sea during spring and summer, battles along scottish isles using storms to bring the summer about. a mother figure to all aquatic life.
🌊 Ceasg – a fresh-water mermaid, specifically half-salmon, said to grant three wishes if captured. sometimes called maighdean na tuinne (maid of the wave) or maighdean mhara (maid of the sea). scottish.
🌊 Selkie – though somewhat different from the typical mermaid, as they are not cold-blooded, have the body of a seal in the water and are human on land. in legends their skins are often stolen and they are kept by fishermen as spouses, or become lovers to fishermen’s wives who shed tears into the sea.
Candlelight-magick 