The Art of Raven's Shire A gallery of art inspired by the stories of Raven's Shire
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Raven's Shire Fairies Tales
The Old Männlein (Rumpelstiltskin) and the Knight
The
ancient fairy sat beside the road and felt the wind brushing through
his leafy hair as he kissed the moonlight causing her to give a shy
giggle which made him smile. “Its going to be a while isn’t it?”
Rumpelstiltskin asked the wind, which blew in affirmation. So he sat on
an old rock which bent and softened itself for him providing an
unnatural cushion. Rumpelstiltskin knew that three young men would soon
be passing his way, one after the other, and while he’d already
determined that it was the third and youngest of them which deserved to
rule Whispershire he still felt he should give the others a chance to
prove him wrong. He whistled cheerfully as he looked out over what
remained of the wild rye meadow. Perhaps he’d let the trees grow too
far he mused as a deer and her fawn were forced to stand so close to
the forests that they would have had no warning had wolves been on the
prowl. He closed his eyes and began to envision how the forest would
look if he allowed the grass to push the trees back just a little more.
He was contemplating all the ways he could change the forest when the
oldest of the young men started to walk past. “Hello,” the ancient
fairy greeted the young man who simply nodded an affirmation in return.
“Where are you off to this late at night?” Rumpelstiltskin inquired. “I’m
going to seek my fortune,” the young man told the old fairy who nodded
as if it were an interesting discovery though he’d already foreseen
that. “Perhaps I could give you a little advice?” The Rumpelstiltskin asked. “No,
thank you,” the young man told the old fairy. “I think I’ll do well
enough on my own.” And although he was polite Rumpelstiltskin could
hear his mental scoff at the very idea that what appeared to be an old
man might be able to help him. The second young man to pass didn’t
even make the pretence of being polite as he brushed the
Rumpelstiltskin off. Then at long last the third young man came by. “Hello,” Rumpelstiltskin greeted him. “Hello,”
the young man smiled back, his boyish grin making him look even younger
than he was. It was a grin that had caused people to mistake him for a
fool, but the fairy could see beyond such outward appearances. “I’m new
to this area,” the young man told the old fairy carefully. “Yet I’m
passing through to seek my fortune. Perhaps you could help me?” The
old man smiled as he peered into the young man’s soul and saw up close
the goodness that was there. It was just as he’d suspected, the
youngest was the best choice to rule the humans of Whispershire. “There
is a Lord,” the fairy told the young man, “who lives down the road to
the right. A lord who is being plagued by a violent and terrible
unicorn and so has promised his daughter’s hand in marriage and the
shire to anyone who can capture it.” “That is indeed a very interesting story,” the young man agreed. “However, I don’t think I could capture a unicorn.” “Perhaps you could share with me some of your bread?” the Rumpelstiltskin asked. “Yes
of course, I should have offered sooner,” the young man agreed as he
pulled the hard peasants bread from his bag and broke off a piece for
the old fairy. “There is a young girl who is true of mind that lives
by hiding in people’s barns to keep from being exploited wrongly,” the
fairy told him. “If you go to the third barn down the road to the right
you’ll find her. She is so pure and in such need that the unicorn will
come and be tamed by her. Promise her that if she helps you you’ll make
her one of your knights and you’ll have the unicorn and a smart advisor
for yourself when you become the Lord of these lands.” “Thank you,” the young man said graciously with a short bow before he continued on his way. The
old fairy smiled as he hopped down from the rock. He’d finally figured
out just exactly how to arrange the trees and in a hundred years it
would be a beautiful sight to behold.
| Rumpelstiltskin and the Knight
Rumpelstiltskin and the Fox
Little Red Riding Hood
Discription of the Whispering Forest
The Forgotten and the Future Wicked Step Mother
The Hawthorn Tree Teaches a Girl
Rumpelstiltskin
The Girl Has a Child With the Tree
Fairies Bosom
Wood Wife and the Baker
Forest Kings
Bunnik
Forest King Spreads Illness
Forest King Goes Hunting
Saga of a Nix
The Sealkie
An Old Child |