“Father,” she replied, “I have learnt of their short-sightedness—and yet I saw some invention and ingenuity in the world they are creating for themselves. Please, Father, I must return again.”
So the Raven King devoured his daughter and went to the crossroads where the worlds meet. There on the third path was waiting a sturdy Shire horse, and he visited himself upon it. So his daughter was born once more into the world, this time as a horse.
Her life as a horse was long and hard, carrying luggage and heavy travellers over great distances.
When she returned to the land of Faery, her father asked, “Tell me, what have you learned of the heart of man?”
“Father, I have learned of their selfishness, yet the songs and stories they tell each other on their long journeys fill my heart with hope. Let me return once more?”
“This must be your final birth, daughter, for when you have at last returned again to the land of Faery, the paths of the crossroads may not be walked again into the land of mortals…”
And so the Raven King devoured his daughter for a final time and went to the crossroads where the worlds meet. There on the fourth path was a beautiful yet wretched woman who seemed to have been waiting there for days. The Raven King looked into her mind and took the form of the one for whom she was waiting, and so it was that the Raven king’s daughter came into the world of man as a woman at last.
After a childhood full of discovery and tragedy, her heart was worn and heavy, and yet at last she met one who seemed happy to carry its weight for her. He was simple and true, and she knew she had found what she had been looking for.
He even went with her as far as the crossroads, but she did not pass into the land of Faery, for her heart now belonged to a mortal man. He, in turn, had given his heart to her, and she was able to see at last the truth that lay within. She left her farewells at the crossroads and remained for the rest of her mortal life in the world of man, where she married and had many children. Her children grew in their turn and had children of their own, and so on it went…
So that is why the Raven King will not go to war with the world of man, for his daughter and her children, his descendants, live here still. In each of their hearts there lies a seed of Faery that is still seeking for the truth of men’s hearts, will ever seek out the best in those they meet, and will ever sing their song to the green wood and the hollow hills…
Emily Carding, 2010
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Acknowledgments
The first share must always go to them, the spirits of rock, tree, and river, who inspired many of the exercises and musings of this book. Unending thanks also to my husband, Jules (aka Bear), for amazing support, and daughter, Willow, for putting up with my grumpy author persona.
Huge thanks to Barbara Moore for suggesting me for this project, and to Elysia Gallo for her hard work and patience with constant questions.
Thanks to Sorita D’Este for always being so supportive of my work and for so many distracting late-night Skype chats! Big thanks to David Rankine for all the yummy grimoire info and various intriguing leads.
Thanks to R. J. Stewart, John and Caitlín Matthews, the Silver Elves, T. Thorn Coyle, Brian and Wendy Froud, Ari Berk, Elizabeth-Jane Baldry, Charles de Lint, S. J. Tucker, Karen Kay, Felicity Fyr Le Fay, the Dolmen, Linda Ravenscroft, Karen Mahoney, Cliff Seruntine, Lisa Allen, Marc Potts, and Kelly Martinez for taking the time to answer my questions, and to everyone who posed for photos. A big shout-out to Studio Lotus for the great elemental photo shoot done in a day! Thank you also to all the wonderful artists who contributed artwork. I must particularly mention Tamara Newman for creating the Faery Craft septagram whilst recovering from an operation.
Thanks must also go, of course, to the publisher for making this book possible, and to you for reading it now. Faery blessings to you all!
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aery Craft: Weaving Connections with the Enchanted Realm
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