Dagonet the Fool is an eccentric warrior of King Arthur. Depending on the source, he is depicted as either an incompetent coward, a dangerous madman, or King Arthur's official jester - who was knighted for his courage, and who plays tricks on the king's enemies.
Next to prophecy, Merlin's defining magic was shapeshifting. According to legend, he could transform himself into virtually anyone - young or old, man or woman. It was often hard to know if you were dealing with the person you thought or Merlin in disguise.
Alan Lee
Despite being one of King Arthur's greatest knights in legend, Sir Tristan was also a trickster and master of disguise. He adopted numerous personas (travelling minstrel, swineherd, jester...) in order to meet with his lover Queen Iseult without her husband knowing. A. L. Grace
In Welsh legends, the warrior Iddawc was so eager to witness war and slaughter that when delivering messages between King Arthur and Mordred, he made them as insulting as possible. This destroyed any chance for peace, and thus Arthur and Mordred killed each other. Gino D’Achille
"He exits, pursued by a bear."
- William Shakespeare, "The Winter's Tale" (Act 3, Scene 3)
Morgan le Fay "espied [her husband] King Uriens lying in his bed sleeping. Then she called unto her a maiden of her counsel, and said, 'Go fetch me my lord’s sword, for I saw never better time to slay him than now.'"
- Thomas Malory, "Le Morte d'Arthur" Iren Horrors
"Here at least we shall be free; the Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence.
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."
- John Milton, "Paradise Lost" Gustave Doré
In Welsh folklore, the Witches of Caer Lloyw are "maiden hags" skilled in both witchcraft and warfare. They teach combat skills to the Arthurian knight Peredur (the Welsh version of Sir Percival). However, when he discovers that the witches had tormented his relatives, Peredur takes revenge. Jérôme Lereculey
"I see Queen Mab hath been with you....
She gallops night by night
Through lovers' brains, and then they dream of love;
O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on court'sies straight,
O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on fees."
- William Shakespeare, "Romeo and Juliet" Warwick Goble
The werewolves of Ossory (a medieval Irish kingdom) are referenced in many Irish, English, and Norse texts. Their sins caused God to transform them into wolves. However, they were still Christian; a priest was once brought to perform last rites for a dying female werewolf.
"They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again,
Her friends were all gone.
They took her lightly back,
Between the night and morrow,
They thought that she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag-leaves,
Watching till she wake."
- William Allingham, "The Fairies" Florence Mary Anderson
"In our country," said Alice, still panting a little, "you'd generally get to somewhere else - if you ran very fast for a long time, as we’ve been doing."
"A slow sort of country!" said the Queen. "Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!"
- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass" John Tenniel
Listen to the bees hum! 
Delighted to share that my book has reprinted & the 2nd edition is out there!
The bees seem curious in any case, which makes me happy 
Publisher: @theobrienpress.bsky.social
Illustrator: Jane Carkill
#bookchatweekly #nature #folkyfriday #speirgorm #booksky
"I see somebody now!" she exclaimed at last. "But he’s coming very slowly - and what curious attitudes he goes into!" ...
"Not at all," said the King. "He’s an Anglo-Saxon messenger - and those are Anglo-Saxon attitudes. He only does them when he’s happy. His name is Haigha." (He pronounced it so as to rhyme with "mayor.")
- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass" John Tenniel
"Uncle Remus might well have heard of him, for some of El-Ahrairah’s adventures are those of Brer Rabbit. For that matter, Odysseus himself might have borrowed a trick or two from the rabbit hero, for he is very old and was never at a loss for a trick to deceive his enemies."
― Richard Adams, "Watership Down"
"The Vampyre" (1819) by John William Polidori is the progenitor of the romantic vampire archetype in horror literature. Unlike many other vampires, Lord Ruthven can be killed by conventional weapons. However, if moonlight falls on his corpse, Ruthven comes back to life.
