Realms of Power: Faerie Chapter Seven: Telling Faerie Stories

This page is part of the Realms of Power: Faerie Open Content

Faerie stories are rarely about faeries, and many do not even contain faeries. They are about people who go to unknown places, what they find there, and how they are transformed. This chapter offers advice to the storyguide who wishes to incorporate faerie stories into his saga, but retain the distinctive flavor of those stories so as to distinguish them from the legendary tales of heroes and wonder tales of saints. It is principally about stories with faerie tale elements, not necessarily stories for faerie characters.

Revel in Anachronism & Appropriation

When telling faerie stories, most troupes should be less historically accurate than usual. Ars Magica games are usually set in the 13th century. But in the real 13th century, many of the faerie stories dearest to the hearts of players do not exist. The written versions of faerie stories that most players are familiar with are the result of nationalistic, literary movements that flowered in the middle and upper classes of Europe after the game period. The label “fairy tales” does not appear in the real 13th-century Europe, and the words “elf” and “faerie” are yet to be written in English. Storyguides should use the best faerie tales, from any culture or historical period, as inspiration for their stories.

Faerie places touch, but do not much alter, Mythic Europe. That allows troupes to use faerie places as venues for stories that would damage the verisimilitude of the game world. For example, if the storyguide has a plot that requires the characters to travel by flying ship, but doesn’t want a flying ship to make travel in Mythic European stories too easy, then the story could be set in a faerie place. Medieval storytellers often used the same device; they would set historical figures in the modern day, or give people powers that they could only use while they were in other lands. Faerie stories are an excuse to avoid, or temporarily suspend, whatever limitations of historical accuracy each troupe has decided for itself.

Anachronism

Many medieval stories contain prominent historical figures, and yet have these characters using contemporary technology and language. Faerie is filled with historical stories. Some magi believe these stories are not mere fantasies conquered to catch the attention of magi: they are recitations of events long ago, and may contain information that is useful to modern people seeking ancient sites and lost lore. Stories being reenacted by faeries claiming to be the pagan dead are particularly likely to contain motifs that reflect historical fact.

Settings include the conquests of Julius Caesar, the empire of Alexander, the fall of Troy, the ancient Nile, the court of Arthur, the palace of Charlemagne, the founding myths of each of the tribes of Europe, pivotal battles, and significant assassinations.

Stories of what lies beyond Europe are also popular, and faeries hear and reproduce them. Magi have found many faerie courts that claim to be the kingdom of Prester John, or the land of the Silk People. It is not clear which elements of these courts are drawn from the expectations of the observers, and which are observations made by faeries who have traveled to distant places through Arcadia and returned. Many magi feel that these courts could be used to travel to the places they portray, but no-one has reported using a Faerie Court as a dependable transit point.

With the agreement of the rest of the troupe, faeries can have roles that are suited to these fantastic pasts, distorted presents, or speculative futures.

Appropriation

Appropriation is the theft of stories. Faerie is a setting that allows troupes to borrow stories from other media, or from the supplements of other game systems, and include them in a saga. By setting them in faerie, appropriated materials are separated from the saga’s setting. This makes them particularly useful for games where only part of the troupe arrives for the session, and the storyguide wants to fill in a session from pregenerated materials rather than proceed with the saga’s arc. Faerie is also a suitable setting for encounters with the many interesting creatures developed for other game systems that do not fit comfortably within Mythic Europe. Troupes that want their saga to cross over into the settings created by authors of popular fiction can also deem those worlds to be in Faerie, where they are accessible, but still distinct from Mythic Europe.

Be Topical

Medieval storytellers would use topical material to comment on the political situation of their day, hidden beneath a layer of stock characters and set in a distant land. Storyguides should steal ideas and characters from modern literature. Similarly, storyguides who take inspiration from modern social and political controversies are following an ancient tradition of folk storytelling.

Use Other Stories

Search the books in this book’s bibliography for stories the troupe has not heard, because they are an endless well of Ars Magica adventures. Stories from the Middle East and Asia are particularly useful, because they are at once both strange and recognizable. These tales provide the surprise necessary for a successful story, while retaining many of the rhythms and structures with which players are familiar. Storyguides wanting original stories, but preferring not to have to change motifs to suit the European setting, might find collections of Italian fairy tales particularly useful. They have many of the features of the better-known French, German, and Danish tales, but their details differ enough to surprise players.

Dissecting Stories

Faeries are very diverse, which helps to hide the fact that they play few roles in stories. The following lists include characters from popular, modern fairy tales, to demonstrate each role. Faeries often:

Create the Problem That Forces the Player Characters To Act ...

• The Witch in Rapunzel steals a child from a family with a magical pact that involves eating fairy food, and keeps her in a tower. Rapunzel develops magical powers, including tears that can permanently heal injuries and hair that grows at an alarming rate. She is likely a potent source of Corpus or Creo vis.
• The insulted faerie in Sleeping Beauty curses her to prick her finger, suffering a wound, and then dying. This is commuted to just sending her entire community into a regio to sleep for a hundred years.
• The magician in The Glass Coffin enchants the lands, turns the princes into animals, and seals the princess in a glass coffin when she refuses to marry him.
• The dwarf in Snow White, Rose Red curses a prince to take bear shape by stealing his money.
• Eris, in The Illiad, pitches the entire world into war, because she thinks it amusing.

Are Servants of Player Characters ...

• The djinni from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp grants wishes.
• Dick Whittington’s Cat and Puss in Boots both help their masters become undeservedly rich.
• Snow White’s dwarfs make things for her.
• Any brownie or house goblin does chores.
• Dwarfs act as squires to great warriors in Arthurian tales.

Grant a Useful Item, Or Can Teach a Useful Skill, After the Characters Are Tested ...

• Cinderella’s helper (whether a godmother, ghost of her mother, or magical birds) provides her with, at least, one dress and set of shoes.
• The elves in the Shoemaker and the Elves make shoes.
• Dwarfs make the weapons of deserving heroes and gods in Norse mythology.
• A Lady of the Lake is the guardian of Excalibur and gives it to Arthur, while another guards three magic shields, which she gives to Lancelot.

Allow the Characters To Travel To Complete the Story ...

• Djinni from Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp allow him to fly through the world.
• Cinderella’s helper (godmother, ghost of her mother, or magical birds) provides her with a coach.
• The stag in The Glass Coffin carries the tailor to where he can break the curse.
• The valkyries in Norse myth carry the dead to their conclusion.
• Some pixies create dust that allows others to fly.

Embody a Threat That Must Be Overcome ...

• Many faeries want to eat the heroes, like the giant in Jack the Giant Killer, the witch in Hansel and Gretel, the troll in the Three Billy Goats Gruff, the wolf in Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs, or just about any other story.
• Others want to capture the heroes. The Snow Queen steals Kay, and imprisons him. Calypso, in The Odyssey, wants to keep Odysseus from ever becoming famous or going home.

Are the Thing That Must Be Aided ...

• Any number of cursed princes, like the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, the frog in Frog Prince, the prince in The Hut in the Forest, and the bear in Snow White and Rose Red.
• Any number of princesses that must be saved from monsters or evil knights. • The animals in The Hut in the Forest.
• The lion with the thorn in his paw in Aesop’s Fables.

Are the Givers of Final Rewards ...

• The welcome fairies in Sleeping Beauty.
• Any marriageable prince, or king with a daughter.
• Any faerie that rewards the good daughter and punishes the evil one.
• The cailleach that grants sovereignty of Ireland after testing the courage of a man.

Play Several of These Roles At Various Parts of the Story ...

• Rumplestiltzkin provides service, and the chance to marry a prince, but becomes a threat.
• The Beast from Beauty and the Beast is initially a threat, then needs to be helped, and gives rewards.
• The Frog Prince serves the princess (by getting back her lost ball), then becomes a moral test, needs to be helped, and grants rewards.

Are the Heroes of Stories (Though This Is More Uncommon) ...

• The Little Mermaid deliberately reverses traditional stories, with the mermaid losing her voice, then her life, in love for a mortal.
• The Bremen Town Musicians.
• The Gingerbread Man.

Plundering stories by dissecting the roles of the faeries, however, misses much of their pilferable magic. Faerie tales are awash with small details that seem perfect when read, and can be reused in stories. When Charles Perrault changed Cinderella’s slippers to glass, to represent the lightness of her step and the supernatural expensiveness of her shoes, he created a resonant image. Collections of fairy tales are filled with similarly perfect moments, items, and plot twists, all ready for a storyteller to take up and use.

Mistakes To Avoid Several traditional ways of telling faerie stories do not work well in roleplaying games. In brief these are: Catalog of the Fantastic Some authors of faerie stories merely describe a cavalcade of marvelous things. Faerie is a good place to develop emotionally resonant settings, but unless the setting bears some relationship to the plot, and the plot is driven by the desires of the player characters, catalogs of the fantastic reduce the player characters to an audience. Cuteness Diminutive faeries with lisps and names that sound like the simple sounds that babies make are an Edwardian reaction to the harshness of the Victorian world. They fail, in a roleplaying sense, because the plots of roleplaying games are about conflict, and baby faeries do not fit that milieu, except as victims. Genuineness Authors who write about fairy tales can become very strident about which version of a story precedes the others, and about the division between genuine folk tales and literary retellings. Storyguides should not be too concerned about telling the “genuine” version of a faerie tale. Two stories that share the same motifs are not the same story: color, atmosphere, and detail matter and need to be tailored to the players. For game purposes, the versions of Red Riding Hood where she is saved by a woodcutter, eaten by the wolf, and seduces the wolf are all good material. Which version of a story is the best depends on the troupe, and the saga. It Was All a Dream Faerie stories are often allegorical, which makes them dream-like. It can be tempting for the story to have been a dream. This cheapens the accomplishments of the player characters, unless the dream has ongoing consequences in the saga. Faerie stories should be meaningful.

Story Flow

Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end; or, as Aristotle put it, a thesis, an antithesis, and a synthesis. The thesis is the initial position of the characters in the story, supported by appropriate premises which are generally acceptable to the listeners. In terms of a story, the thesis is represented by the hook and the trigger. The next stage of the story is to present the antithesis of the heroes — a sudden change in their circumstances that tests their character and presents the thesis in the best light. In story terms, the antithesis provides the setting of the story and the twist. The final task of the storyteller is to reconcile the thesis and antithesis into the synthesis, presenting the story as a coherent whole. This results in both resolution and consequences.

A good tip when planning a story is to give each of the three basic stages of the plot a theme. Typically, these themes are emotions or personality traits, but they could be other symbols such as signs of the zodiac, planetary symbolism, moral fables, or any other system of archetypal themes. These are just simple drivers to the imagination, assisting the conception of the plot as a whole. For truly complex stories, the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis could be entire plots in their own right, perhaps each one deriving from one of the Thirty Six Dramatic Situations (see insert). However, this level of complexity is a daunting task and should be reserved for pivotal stories in the saga.

Example (based on emotions): The thesis is symbolized by Loyalty — a character hears that a faerie ally is in trouble, and pledges her support. The antithesis is Revenge — the faerie is not in trouble; he has faked his situation to avenge a former slight against the character. The synthesis is Courage — the character must weather the storm of the faerie’s wrath to reveal that he has been misled by an evil-doer.

Example (based on planetary symbolism): The thesis is Mercury — a message is received by a character from an old friend. The antithesis is Mars — old rivalries have lead to open conflict, and the friend hopes that the characters can provide a level head. The synthesis is Venus — getting the opposing parties to remember their love for each other will resolve the story. Alternatively, the synthesis could be Saturn (only death of one of the parties will resolve the situation); or Jupiter (the characters must appeal to authority figures to achieve resolution).

Having decided on the overall themes of the thesis, antithesis, and synthesis, the next stage is to flesh out the six components of the story.

The Hook

The hook is the device that drags the characters into the action. Hooks often present themselves as being connected to a Story or Personality Flaw of a key character — a widow appeals to the charity of a Compassionate character, a Mentor asks that a character performs a small task for him, etc. However, not all stories derive from the characters themselves; they may result from prior escapades or the Flaws of storyguide characters who interfere with the players.

The Trigger

The trigger is the precipitating event of the plot. It may rely on the actions of the characters — for example, if the hook presents itself once the characters have acquired the Token of the Star — or it may be external to them entirely — the hook presents itself in the Spring of 1223.

The Setting

The setting of a plot is a description of the location in which most of the action takes place. The setting is usually determined by the hook, which allows intriguers to exert control over the situation by deciding on the battleground. If the characters need to travel to the setting, then this travel should not be belabored unduly, or else the momentum of the trigger will be lost.

The Twist

The twist is an element that is particularly important in intrigue stories. Its most common manifestation is that things are not what they first seemed. This might be because of willful deception by the hook, or it might be because the setting is more complex than either the hook or the characters realized at first.

The Resolution

The resolution is the most important part of the synthesis; how the situation could be brought to a conclusion. It is often best to describe a number of end-states that might result from the actions of the characters, rather than relying on railroading the players down a specific course of action towards a pre-determined conclusion.

The Consequences

The consequences of the story are those things that result from the actions of the characters. Defeating an enemy is a resolution, but the political ramifications of that defeat constitute the consequences of the story. If left alive, the foe might redouble his efforts against the players; however, his death may bring legal or punitive consequences from other sections of society. Finally, don’t forget the rewards; quite apart from the prize that the characters thought that they were pursuing, there is always the potential to acquire new friends, information that might serve as hooks to further stories; and, in game terms, experience points, confidence points, and changes in Personality Traits and Reputations.

Dramatic Elements

As well as the overall theme of a story (discussed in Story Flow, earlier), the story’s structure can be broken down into dramatic elements. Some tellers of folktales believe that all tales have the same basic structure of elements. A story following the structure sometimes skips or repeats individual steps, but follows the general pattern. Most structural descriptions do not suit Ars Magica sagas because they assume that character begins as a normal person, and ends as a king. This provides little flexibility for characters to be used in many stories.

A simplified version of the most popular structural description is:

• Each story begins where the last one finished, perhaps after a period of time has passed.
• Villainy is perpetrated, or the lack of some necessary thing becomes apparent.
• The player characters become aware of the need to act.
• They travel, and are tested by events.
• The characters resolve the minor challenges that stand between them and the main challenge.
• In doing so, they earn magical aid.
• The characters travel to where the villain is located.
• They fight the villain, who is defeated.
• The villainy, or lack, is remedied
• The characters head home, but have adventures on the way.
• The characters are rewarded.

Stories of this type — indeed, any stories — can be divided into constituent dramatic elements that consist of the major characters in a story (the actors, cast, or dramatis personae) and the things that those characters do (the parts, acts, and scenes of the play). Some general principles are discussed in this section, and methods of generating and interpreting dramatic elements can be found in Chapter 2: The Faerie Realm.

Dramatis Personae

Within fairy tales, myths, and moral stories, there are a number of characters who play specific roles. These elements of the story need not be human-shaped, or even alive, and any one character can combine more than one of these roles.

The Hero

The hero is the one who sets off on adventure. The hero might be a seeker-hero (looking for a prize) or a victim-hero (forced into adventure by the actions of the villain). In many stories in the Faerie Realm, the characters collectively take on the role of the hero, although this is not always the case.

Examples: Odysseus (in The Odyssey); Samson (in the Book of Judges); Es-Sindibad (“Sinbad”).

The Villain

The villain opposes the hero several times during the story, cumulating with a fight or other form of struggle, and/or a pursuit. There is often more than one villain in a long story — one who tricks the hero, one who sets tasks for the hero, one who fights the hero, one who pursues the hero, and so forth.

Examples: Thrym (in the Theft of Thor’s Hammer); Hera (in the Sorrows and Labors of Heracles); Kostchei the Undying (in Maria Morevna).

The Donor

The donor grants the hero a magical gift or power that is vital to the execution of his task. However, the donor may not necessarily be kindly disposed towards the hero or acting out of altruism; the hero often has to force the donor to provide the magical aid by completing a task or defeating him in combat.

Examples: Fafnir (in the Saga of the Nibelungs); Ceridwen (in the story of Gwion Bach, the witch whose cauldron gives him magical powers)

The Helper

The helper assists the hero; unlike the donor, the helper is always well inclined towards the hero, and his motives are pure. The help provided is always timely and perfectly suited to the story. The helper assists the hero in traveling between locations, reverses his ill fortune, rescues him from pursuit, or assists him in his difficult tasks.

Examples: Hermes who shows Odysseus the moly plant; the Grey Wolf (in Prince Ivan)

The Princess

The Princess is either the object of the hero’s quest or a prize acquired along the way. The role of Princess can be filled by any person or object, not just a young female royal.

Examples: The magical apple that cures the illness of hero’s grandmother.

The Task-setter

The Task-Setter poses challenges for the hero to pass, and should he succeed, he will win the princess. The task-setter is distinct from the donor (whose tasks result in a magical gift or helper) and the villain (whose tasks are to oppose the hero, not keep the prize from him). Examples: The Sphinx faced by Oedipus; a king who demands the hero proves himself before winning his daughter’s hand; the dragon who guards the Golden Fleece.

The False Hero

The false hero is an infrequent role occurring in a story. The false hero tries to claim credit for the hero’s actions, and nearly claims the prize sought by him. However, the false hero’s deception is always uncovered in the nick of time. Sometimes the false hero and the villain are the same character. Examples: A cowardly knight who finds a dead dragon and claims to have killed it.

The Thirty Six Dramatic Situations There are a number of modern manuals on literary style that offer advice to aspiring authors, and a storyguide would do well to dip into such sources when planning a faerie story. One of the most useful is Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti, which propounds that there are thirty six primal emotions that drive all dramatic plots in literature. Too many plots in roleplaying games devolve to one of two situations — in Polti’s scheme, numbers 9 (A Daring Enterprise) and 12 (Obtaining). By identifying new plots, excellent inspiration for faerie stories can be gained, particularly if the listed dynamic elements are interpreted metaphorically rather than literally. Adultery is about betrayal of a sacred oath, which encompasses more than just the wedding vows; “Kinsmen,” who feature in many of these situations, can be fellow members of one’s House, or the Order; and a “Conflict with a God” can represent any man’s battle against an undefeatable concept such as Love or Truth. In this type of story, the characters usually play the active role, leaving the faeries to fill in the remaining dynamic elements. But the faeries could take all roles, and the characters find themselves thrust into the middle. In the Revolt situation, for example, the characters could be contracted by the Tyrant to quell the rebellion, or instead assist the Conspirator/s to free the oppressed. Dramatic Situation Dynamic Elements 1. Supplication Persecutor, Supplicant, Power in Authority 2. Deliverance Victim, Threatener, Rescuer 3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance Avenger, Criminal 4. Vengeance Taken for Kindred Upon Kindred Avenging Kinsman, Guilty Kinsman, Remembrance of the Victim, Relative of Both 5. Pursuit Punishment, Fugitive 6. Disaster Vanquished Power, Victorious Enemy or Messenger 7. Falling Prey to Cruelty or Misfortune Victim, Master, or Misfortune 8. Revolt Tyrant, Conspirator 9. Daring Enterprise Bold Leader, Object of Quest, Adversary 10. Abduction Abductor, Abducted, Guardian 11. The Enigma Interrogator, Seeker, Problem 12. Obtaining Object Sought, and either Solicitor and Adversary or Arbitrator and Opposing Parties 13. Enmity of Kinsmen Malevolent Kinsman, Hated or Equally Malevolent Kinsman 14. Rivalry of Kinsmen Preferred Kinsman, Rejected Kinsman, Object of Rivalry 15. Murderous Adultery Two Adulterers, Betrayed Spouse 16. Madness Madman, Victim 17. Fatal Imprudence Careless Fool, Victim, or Object Lost 18. Involuntary Crimes of Love Lover, Beloved, Revealer 19. Slaying of a Kinsman Unrecognized Slayer, Unrecognized Victim 20. Self-Sacrificing for an Ideal Hero, Ideal, Creditor, or Person/Thing Sacrificed 21. Self-Sacrifice for Kindred Hero, Kinsman, Creditor, or Person/Thing Sacrificed 22. All Sacrificed for a Passion Lover, Object of Fatal Passion, Person or Thing Sacrificed 23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones Hero, Beloved Victim, Necessity for Sacrifice 24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior Superior Rival, Inferior Rival, Object of Rivalry 25. Adultery Two Adulterers, Deceived Spouse 26. Crimes of Love Lover, Beloved 27. Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One Discovery, Guilty One 28. Obstacles to Love Two Lovers, Obstacle 29. An Enemy Loved Beloved Enemy, Lover, Hater 30. Ambition Ambitious Person, Thing Coveted, Adversary 31. Conflict with a God Mortal, Immortal 32. Mistaken Jealousy Jealous One, Object of Jealousy, Supposed Accomplice, Cause of Mistake 33. Erroneous Judgment Mistaken One, Victim of Mistake, Cause of Mistake, Guilty Person 34. Remorse Culprit, Victim or Sin, Interrogator 35. Recovery of a Lost One Seeker, One Found 36. Loss of Loved Ones Kinsman Lost, Kinsman Spectator, Executioner

Acts

The dramatis personae of a fairy tale interact with one another in a series of linked scenes or Acts. Some archetypal acts are detailed in this section, but few stories have a large number of these elements; most combine only two or three. The acts below have been written in a general sense, because the traditional roles vary dramatically according to the nature of the roles. For example, the final act of Reconciliation can be a wedding (if the Princess is a literal princess) or a return to the comfort of home (if the Princess is a magical cure).

The acts presented below are in the order in which they are normally encountered in a fairy story. Notably, the main struggle with the villain is not necessarily the final act, but is often followed by an escape, ordeal, and/ or acquiring the final prize. Most fairy tales start with a preparatory stage where the hero is introduced; in stories where the characters take the hero’s role, this is not necessary.

Interdiction

Often the precipitating act of the story, the hero is issued a command by some authority figure, such as a king or parent. This command or interdiction is then intentionally or accidentally violated by the hero. It is because of this broken interdiction that the hero sets off on an adventure. Typical interdictions include:

• “Do not leave the castle walls.”
• “Do not steal from the dragon’s wealth.”
• “Do not speak to Baba Yaga.”
• “Look after your little sister.”

It is often the villain who manipulates the hero into breaking the interdiction by presenting a situation where he is sorely tempted, by greed or by conscience. Alternatively, the villain breaks the interdiction himself, by stealing away the hero’s little sister, or hiding the dragon’s gold in the hero’s pockets.

Reconnaissance

The villain makes his first appearance in the story. He desires information about the hero who will oppose him, so gathers information about him. This act often takes place before the villain has revealed his maleficent nature, and the hero himself might naively offer the sought-after information. A quickwitted hero has the opportunity to learn about the villain as well.

Trickery

The villain deceives his intended victim in order to take possession of him or of his belongings. In fairy tales, such trickery is almost always fallen for. The villain may employ a number of means to gain control of the hero — persuasion, magic, or force. But there need not be any active trickery on behalf of the villain; for example, the hero may fall asleep and thereby put himself into the hands of the villain.

Villainy

This is where the action usually starts, with the villain causing direct harm or injury to someone close to the hero, or perhaps even the hero himself. The villain thus reveals himself to be such, and the hero pursues him for the rest of the story. Example forms of villainy are:

• Abduction of a person;
• Seizure or theft of a significant object;
• Pillaging or spoilage of food or craft;
• Infliction of disease or bodily injury, or murder;
• Seduction of a loved one;
• Substitution of a child or bride;
• Inciting others to crime;
• Expulsion or infliction of hardship;
• Imprisonment;
• Nocturnal tormenting;
• Declarations of war.

If the villain of the story is absent or a faceless force of nature, then villainy can take the form of a lack or insufficiency. The theft of a magic horse and the lack of a magic horse fulfill the same role in the story — the hero lacks a magic steed when he needs one.

Receipt

The hero gains the use of a magical agent or token from a donor. Note that a donor need not be willing or benevolent; a hag tricked out of her magic horse is an example of an unwilling donor. The initial encounter with the donor can take place in a number of ways:

• The donor sets tests or obstacles before the hero;
• The donor greets and interrogates the hero;
• A dying (or deceased) donor requests a service;
• A prisoner begs for his freedom;
• The donor makes a request of the hero;
• The donor tries to kill the hero;
• The donor offers an exchange or deal.

Once the hero has passed the test, made the deal, performed the service, or whatever the story demands, he acquires the token. This may be as simple as the donor handing him an object or animal, but this is not the only option. If the token is a magical power, then the hero is shown how to use it, or the token is eaten or drunk to gain the power. The token may be pointed out to the hero, or seized from the donor as part of the test.

Another source of variation is the nature of the token. For it to appear in the story, it must have some relevance to a later act — random treasure is a concept alien to the fairy tale. The successful completion of the story by the hero is always dependent on the token, regardless of whether the hero realizes its significance. Example tokens are:

• A magical steed that can fly;
• The ability to transform into an animal;
• An ointment that allows one to see the invisible;
• The assistance of three magical animals;
• A ship that folds up like a napkin;
• The secret of how to kill the giant.

Transference

The hero is transported, delivered, or led to the whereabouts of the object of his quest. A remarkable number of fairy stories involve traveling over vast distances, often in a blink of the eye, effected by some magical token possessed or won by the hero.

Struggle

Separate to the fight with a hostile donor (see Receipt), this act is a direct conflict between the hero and the villain. The prize is not some magical agent to help him in his quest, but the very object of his quest. It is not uncommon for the hero to receive a wound or other mark during the struggle, or obtain an identifying object from his enemy. This element is important if there is a false hero in the story (see above). Of course, the struggle usually ends in victory for the hero. And by virtue of that defeat, the initial misfortune that sent him on the quest in the first place is liquidated.

Pursuit

The journey home is not always a simple one for the hero; sometimes he is pursued. The villain, if not killed during the struggle with the hero, is usually the pursuer. However, it might be some guardian or compatriot of the villain who takes the role of pursuer. The hero who is pursued never simply outruns his pursuer; rather, he is rescued from pursuit by employing the magical agent received from the donor, by the helper, or by the object of his quest.

Ordeal

One of the favorite elements of the fairy tale is the requirement that the hero perform some difficult task. The setter of the ordeal is not always the villain, though. For example, a hero might have to prove his worth to a king to obtain permission to marry his daughter. Some typical examples:

• Riddle setting or guessing;
• Choice (the hero must select his prize from among twelve identical objects);
• Ordeal by food and drink (the hero must consume a vast amount of food or drink);
• Hide and seek (the hero must hide himself from the task-setter);
• Test of strength, adroitness, or fortitude;
• Supply or manufacture (the hero must make a complex object in a single night, or obtain a mythical prize).

Imposture

The hero is sometimes not recognized for his deeds. Instead, a false hero (who may also be the villain) claims credit for the ordeals passed by the hero. However, in the predestined manner of the fairy tale, the hero always has some means to positively identify himself as the hero, and expose the false hero to receive the punishment he deserves. This identifying token may be the wound he suffered in his struggle against the villain, a token he took from the villain, or a token he received from his princess.

Reconciliation

The final act of the fairy tale is the hero finally acquiring the object he has sought after. A common resolution is a wedding followed by an ascension to the throne, but equally it could be the return home to his sick grandmother to give her the healing potion he has sought.

Appendix Bibliography

Anderson, Graham. Fairytale in the Ancient World. Routledge: New York, 2000.

Bishop, Morris (Ed). A Medieval Storybook. Cornell University Press: Ithaca, 1970.

Briggs, Katharine. A Dictionary of Fairies. Penguin: London, 1977.

Briggs, Katharine. Abbey Lubbers, Banshees & Boggarts: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Fairies. Pantheon Books: New York: 1979.

Gerritsen, Willem and van Melle, Anthony (Eds). A Dictionary of Medieval Heroes. Boydell Press: Woodbridge, 1998.

Palsson, Hermann and Edwards, Paul (Tr). Seven Viking Romances. Penguin: London, 1985.

Polti, Georges. Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations. Lucille Ray trans. James Knapp Reeve: Franklin, Ohio, 1921.

Propp, Vladimir. The Morphology of the Folktale. University of Texas Press: Austin, 1968.

Purkiss, Diane. Troublesome Things: A History of Fairies and Fairy Stories. Penguin: London, 2000.

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Attribution Based on the material for Ars Magica, ©1993-2024, licensed by Trident, Inc. d/b/a Atlas Games®, under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license 4.0 ("CC-BY-SA 4.0"). Ars Magica Open License Logo ©2024 Trident, Inc. The Ars Magica Open License Logo, Ars Magica, and Mythic Europe are trademarks of Trident, Inc., and are used with permission. Order of Hermes, Tremere, Doissetep, and Grimgroth are trademarks of Paradox Interactive AB and are used with permission.