[Author's Notes] Triskele
Oh, wow. I did it. Coolcoolcool! No one is more proud of me than me. This was definitely a to-the-last-minute project for me. Life has been Really Super Sucky since late June/early July; I'll spare you the sob story, but I had this to keep working on and keep me focused on something productive! Thank you for this opportunity, wow.
Basically, I just really hope you enjoy this story! I tried to make it as interesting and as cool as I could, but I guess we'll see how well I did, huh? There were a ton of characters I wanted in here but unfortunately, I couldn't find a spot for them. (In case you were wondering, I really wanted to include Garth, Charlie, and Gabriel, but Inias and Samandriel, too, ahhhh.)
First of all, my thanks to the following:
My artist, goldenthyme! She is my pinch-hitter artist who deserves all of my thanks for picking up my story! Super sweet, on-the-ball, kept me updated--best. Best, best, best. She chose amazing scenes to illustrate, and did an equally-amazing job! My first artist was attacked by Life and Busy Things, so it's 100% understandable she had to drop it. (Hope things are going good for you!)
Thanks also to thegabbittycave/azotus as my alpha/beta. Making sure things weren't too wonky, bless her. Made sure to keep me in line, give her opinions, give suggestions on cards' interpretations; seriously, she is the best, and was there next to me the whole time. (In line with thegabbittycave, shoutouts to the rest of my Ohana! They're super awesome, constantly encouraging me and making me laugh, and cheering me up when I need it! The best Ohana a girl could ask for!)
My mom deserves thanks, too - the loudest of Huzzahs - for-well, starting to go over this. Though she was busy and tired, she pointed out things that I think really helped me improve the story, and gave me tips on what to do so that I could fix a few things later on in the story. (Yeah, I'm just as weirded out as you.) Also for letting me hole myself up to write. But ugh, thank you, Mom! You're the best, I love you.
More thanks to my girlfriend gunboots/legit for putting up with my whining, letting me forego beta'ing her fics so I could work on this, cheerleading me, and putting up with my calling her at the most ungodly of hours just to say hi when I could before I crashed to sleep.
Huge shoutouts to my little brother for letting me ignore him (I swear I will play ALL the Mario with him), and to my little sister for not laughing at my Life Choices or telling me I suck.
On that note, some huge 'NO THANK YOU's to any wi-fi I encountered for distracting me, and no thanks to myself for letting me get distracted.
Credits go to:
• Aeclectic Tarot. My own interpretations of the cards are shoddy at best, and there are so many different interpretations of the cards. With that, there are also meanings that are hidden; this site and its forums helped immensely.
• Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. I ended up consulting this book more than you think; I didn't use that much information from it in the end, but it helped me calm myself down.
• The Celtic Tarot. This is my deck! It's great, and I love it. I included links to the pictures below! (There's a page for this deck at Aeclectic, as well.)
• Life in Elizabethan England - A Compendium of Common Knowledge. QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST USEFUL SOURCE WHILE WRITING THIS. It has just about everything on Elizabethan life, and if it doesn't? Well, probably no one knows exactly how it went down. (Or you just need a different book.)
• Correct Forms of Address. Seriously the second-most useful page I had. This is the most comprehensive collection of address information. I need to write the one who compiled it a letter of thanks, I'm not even kidding.
But for some actual story notes:
Triskele: The title of the story. Also spelled Triskelle and 500,000 other ways, depending. In general, it's a three-legged spiral, each of the spirals representing something different, and it can be anything. Birth, Life, Death; Derek from Teen Wolf says that to him it means Alpha, Beta, Omega. Literally can mean anything. Dean, Sam, Cas; Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner-not kidding.
Tuatha De Danann: According to Irish mythology, they were a group of people who came to settle in Ireland, and ruled it after battling with Fir Bolg. They we held in high esteem by the people they had conquered, but after war with the Melesians, they were forced underground to bear the fairy people of Ireland. There's tons of different lore out there-this is just one of the quick-and-dirties.
Brighid's Cross: A four-spiked wheel. It's not mentioned by name in the story, but mentioned nonetheless.
Cailleach and Brigit: Cailleach (both a proper noun and name) is often depicted as an old hag, and is responsible for bringing the winter. She's also called Beira. Depending on Irish or Scottish Gaelic, there are two pronunciations of Cailleach, which Dean has issues with in the story. Brigit is responsible for the summer, and her name can be spelled a lot of ways (like the above Brighid). She's also a goddess of healing, home, etc.
The Tarot: Okay, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the Tarot is, but the meanings of the cards are a tad different. There are 22 cards in just the Major Arcana, so I'm not going to outline them here. So, you can go over to Aeclectic, or just go to Google. Huzzah, Google.
MIB3: Dean references Men in Black 3. Without spoiling anything, there's a character who is able to see every possible future, dependent on the smallest details. Poor guy is a paranoid mess, constantly worrying that people won't make the right decisions or choices. :c
A (Super) Brief History:
As I'm sure you've noticed, this story takes place in England in 1586. The nitty-gritty is explained in the story, but hey. So in 1586, Queen Elizabeth I was ruling England. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and cousin to Mary Stuart. At this point in the story, Mary has abdicated the Scottish throne to her son (James I of Scotland), and is carted from castle-to-castle in England as a prisoner. Mary has always thought that she was the rightful queen of England due to the complications of religion and the circumstances of Elizabeth's birth. Mary was Catholic, Elizabeth was Protestant, and so religion was always at the forefront of political issues, especially between them. In 1586, Mary was caught by Francis Walsingham (a man set on protecting Elizabeth, no matter how far he had to go) sending letters to-and-from a young man Anthony Babington, contemplating killing Elizabeth, and how the plan was going to be carried out. There's controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the letters, and what parts of the letters were forged, but que sera sera-Babington was captured and executed on 20 September. Mary was executed the following February. The entire plot is called the Babington Plot.
Interesting facts about archery! King Henry VIII (Elizabeth's father) had made it a law that any man 24 or older had to be able to hit a target from 200+ yards away (220 yds, I think?). In 1515, Henry also amended an old law from 1363 that said that the father of a son between 7 and 17 years old had to buy the son a bow, at least 2 arrows, and teach him to shoot or pay the fines. Technically, that law is still in effect; it hasn't been repealed. Another quirk about Henry and archery, he set up clubs all around England, and on Christmas, he banned all sports but archery; during archery events, if an arrow hit anybody? The archer who hit the victim was given The King's Pardon. (PLEASE NOTE: I remember stumbling across these facts, and can't find their sources. I know I'm not making them up, but I may have remembered them incorrectly.)
Misc: £2 Elizabethan ≈ $800 US present! // To go anywhere in England, you needed to apply for a travelling license. Anywhere too far beyond your home. // In Greek mythology, Pan is the goat-like god. On the Tarot, The Devil is represented by Pan. In Christian mythology, Alastair is the goat-like demon, also the interrogator of Hell. // Potatoes were taken back to Spain from the New World around 1570, but it wasn't until 1600 that it actually spread through Europe. Slow, because potatoes were thought poisonous (it's a member of the nightshade family, and its leaves are poisonous), and was used as food for the lower classes and hospital patients. It didn't actually take a strong hold until around 1780, when Ireland realized 'WHOA. WE CAN LITERALLY LIVE OFF OF POTATOES,' so. Yeah. Sorry Dean. No potatoes for you.
Fashion: You can get a look at the outfits I really wanted Dean, Sam, and Cas to wear here. Hats were seriously a big deal, too. // Before Elizabeth, Tudor fashion exemplified the natural shape of the body. But when Elizabeth came to reign, fashion insisted on more geometric shapes. (Elizabethan fashion also saw the fallout of the codpiece, which is why they're not really mentioned in the story, h-hahaa.) So yes-many noblemen actually did wear corsets to minimize the circumference of their waists! // Colors were also a very big deal. Due to the costs of dyes and how much money it took to import the ingredients needed, colors were restricted to class and titles-even to which articles of clothes! But … even so, there were a ton of exceptions, so it's nearly impossible to get it straight. (Though violet/purple were considered very royal.)
Elizabethan Homes: I took a ton of liberties with this. I would have kept it as close as I could, but I wasn't happy with the fact that basically all of the men would sleep in one room, and all of the women in another. (With some exceptions, I suppose.) So I took liberty with bedroom arrangements.
Gypsies: Gypsies, while they've never truly been a very welcome addition to the community, had a decently large concentration in York during Elizabeth's reign. There was a lot of prejudiced legislation against them, and York was an unpleasant sight closer to the end of Elizabeth's rule. (Meanwhile, Dean alludes to My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding (rip-off of the UK equivalent). Ah, well, not the best example of Gypsy life and culture, but still an amusing show; I think Dean would find himself watching it.)
Star Chamber: Quick and dirty: A corrupt collection of nobles that would do what they wanted. Obviously, I took some liberties.
Jacques Chirac: Dean calls himself this. Jacques Chirac was the president of France from 1995 to 2007. That has no real meaning for the story. Just what Dean calls himself, and because it's a French name, it freaks Sam out. (French and English relations have never been the best, but they were downright brutal 500 years ago.)
Dean's Trial: Much of the formal speech during Dean's trial came from a real trial held in 1601! I tweaked a few things so it would fit the story, so … I hope it's not too bad!! (You can read the transcript of the trial here!)
If there's anything I missed, and I'm sure I did, I'm super sorry! If you have any questions, just email me (binnin.b@gmail.com)!
Basically, I just really hope you enjoy this story! I tried to make it as interesting and as cool as I could, but I guess we'll see how well I did, huh? There were a ton of characters I wanted in here but unfortunately, I couldn't find a spot for them. (In case you were wondering, I really wanted to include Garth, Charlie, and Gabriel, but Inias and Samandriel, too, ahhhh.)
First of all, my thanks to the following:
My artist, goldenthyme! She is my pinch-hitter artist who deserves all of my thanks for picking up my story! Super sweet, on-the-ball, kept me updated--best. Best, best, best. She chose amazing scenes to illustrate, and did an equally-amazing job! My first artist was attacked by Life and Busy Things, so it's 100% understandable she had to drop it. (Hope things are going good for you!)
Thanks also to thegabbittycave/azotus as my alpha/beta. Making sure things weren't too wonky, bless her. Made sure to keep me in line, give her opinions, give suggestions on cards' interpretations; seriously, she is the best, and was there next to me the whole time. (In line with thegabbittycave, shoutouts to the rest of my Ohana! They're super awesome, constantly encouraging me and making me laugh, and cheering me up when I need it! The best Ohana a girl could ask for!)
My mom deserves thanks, too - the loudest of Huzzahs - for-well, starting to go over this. Though she was busy and tired, she pointed out things that I think really helped me improve the story, and gave me tips on what to do so that I could fix a few things later on in the story. (Yeah, I'm just as weirded out as you.) Also for letting me hole myself up to write. But ugh, thank you, Mom! You're the best, I love you.
More thanks to my girlfriend gunboots/legit for putting up with my whining, letting me forego beta'ing her fics so I could work on this, cheerleading me, and putting up with my calling her at the most ungodly of hours just to say hi when I could before I crashed to sleep.
Huge shoutouts to my little brother for letting me ignore him (I swear I will play ALL the Mario with him), and to my little sister for not laughing at my Life Choices or telling me I suck.
On that note, some huge 'NO THANK YOU's to any wi-fi I encountered for distracting me, and no thanks to myself for letting me get distracted.
Credits go to:
• Aeclectic Tarot. My own interpretations of the cards are shoddy at best, and there are so many different interpretations of the cards. With that, there are also meanings that are hidden; this site and its forums helped immensely.
• Mary Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. I ended up consulting this book more than you think; I didn't use that much information from it in the end, but it helped me calm myself down.
• The Celtic Tarot. This is my deck! It's great, and I love it. I included links to the pictures below! (There's a page for this deck at Aeclectic, as well.)
• Life in Elizabethan England - A Compendium of Common Knowledge. QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST USEFUL SOURCE WHILE WRITING THIS. It has just about everything on Elizabethan life, and if it doesn't? Well, probably no one knows exactly how it went down. (Or you just need a different book.)
• Correct Forms of Address. Seriously the second-most useful page I had. This is the most comprehensive collection of address information. I need to write the one who compiled it a letter of thanks, I'm not even kidding.
But for some actual story notes:
Triskele: The title of the story. Also spelled Triskelle and 500,000 other ways, depending. In general, it's a three-legged spiral, each of the spirals representing something different, and it can be anything. Birth, Life, Death; Derek from Teen Wolf says that to him it means Alpha, Beta, Omega. Literally can mean anything. Dean, Sam, Cas; Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner-not kidding.
Tuatha De Danann: According to Irish mythology, they were a group of people who came to settle in Ireland, and ruled it after battling with Fir Bolg. They we held in high esteem by the people they had conquered, but after war with the Melesians, they were forced underground to bear the fairy people of Ireland. There's tons of different lore out there-this is just one of the quick-and-dirties.
Brighid's Cross: A four-spiked wheel. It's not mentioned by name in the story, but mentioned nonetheless.
Cailleach and Brigit: Cailleach (both a proper noun and name) is often depicted as an old hag, and is responsible for bringing the winter. She's also called Beira. Depending on Irish or Scottish Gaelic, there are two pronunciations of Cailleach, which Dean has issues with in the story. Brigit is responsible for the summer, and her name can be spelled a lot of ways (like the above Brighid). She's also a goddess of healing, home, etc.
The Tarot: Okay, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what the Tarot is, but the meanings of the cards are a tad different. There are 22 cards in just the Major Arcana, so I'm not going to outline them here. So, you can go over to Aeclectic, or just go to Google. Huzzah, Google.
MIB3: Dean references Men in Black 3. Without spoiling anything, there's a character who is able to see every possible future, dependent on the smallest details. Poor guy is a paranoid mess, constantly worrying that people won't make the right decisions or choices. :c
A (Super) Brief History:
As I'm sure you've noticed, this story takes place in England in 1586. The nitty-gritty is explained in the story, but hey. So in 1586, Queen Elizabeth I was ruling England. She was the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and cousin to Mary Stuart. At this point in the story, Mary has abdicated the Scottish throne to her son (James I of Scotland), and is carted from castle-to-castle in England as a prisoner. Mary has always thought that she was the rightful queen of England due to the complications of religion and the circumstances of Elizabeth's birth. Mary was Catholic, Elizabeth was Protestant, and so religion was always at the forefront of political issues, especially between them. In 1586, Mary was caught by Francis Walsingham (a man set on protecting Elizabeth, no matter how far he had to go) sending letters to-and-from a young man Anthony Babington, contemplating killing Elizabeth, and how the plan was going to be carried out. There's controversy surrounding the legitimacy of the letters, and what parts of the letters were forged, but que sera sera-Babington was captured and executed on 20 September. Mary was executed the following February. The entire plot is called the Babington Plot.
Interesting facts about archery! King Henry VIII (Elizabeth's father) had made it a law that any man 24 or older had to be able to hit a target from 200+ yards away (220 yds, I think?). In 1515, Henry also amended an old law from 1363 that said that the father of a son between 7 and 17 years old had to buy the son a bow, at least 2 arrows, and teach him to shoot or pay the fines. Technically, that law is still in effect; it hasn't been repealed. Another quirk about Henry and archery, he set up clubs all around England, and on Christmas, he banned all sports but archery; during archery events, if an arrow hit anybody? The archer who hit the victim was given The King's Pardon. (PLEASE NOTE: I remember stumbling across these facts, and can't find their sources. I know I'm not making them up, but I may have remembered them incorrectly.)
Misc: £2 Elizabethan ≈ $800 US present! // To go anywhere in England, you needed to apply for a travelling license. Anywhere too far beyond your home. // In Greek mythology, Pan is the goat-like god. On the Tarot, The Devil is represented by Pan. In Christian mythology, Alastair is the goat-like demon, also the interrogator of Hell. // Potatoes were taken back to Spain from the New World around 1570, but it wasn't until 1600 that it actually spread through Europe. Slow, because potatoes were thought poisonous (it's a member of the nightshade family, and its leaves are poisonous), and was used as food for the lower classes and hospital patients. It didn't actually take a strong hold until around 1780, when Ireland realized 'WHOA. WE CAN LITERALLY LIVE OFF OF POTATOES,' so. Yeah. Sorry Dean. No potatoes for you.
Fashion: You can get a look at the outfits I really wanted Dean, Sam, and Cas to wear here. Hats were seriously a big deal, too. // Before Elizabeth, Tudor fashion exemplified the natural shape of the body. But when Elizabeth came to reign, fashion insisted on more geometric shapes. (Elizabethan fashion also saw the fallout of the codpiece, which is why they're not really mentioned in the story, h-hahaa.) So yes-many noblemen actually did wear corsets to minimize the circumference of their waists! // Colors were also a very big deal. Due to the costs of dyes and how much money it took to import the ingredients needed, colors were restricted to class and titles-even to which articles of clothes! But … even so, there were a ton of exceptions, so it's nearly impossible to get it straight. (Though violet/purple were considered very royal.)
Elizabethan Homes: I took a ton of liberties with this. I would have kept it as close as I could, but I wasn't happy with the fact that basically all of the men would sleep in one room, and all of the women in another. (With some exceptions, I suppose.) So I took liberty with bedroom arrangements.
Gypsies: Gypsies, while they've never truly been a very welcome addition to the community, had a decently large concentration in York during Elizabeth's reign. There was a lot of prejudiced legislation against them, and York was an unpleasant sight closer to the end of Elizabeth's rule. (Meanwhile, Dean alludes to My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding (rip-off of the UK equivalent). Ah, well, not the best example of Gypsy life and culture, but still an amusing show; I think Dean would find himself watching it.)
Star Chamber: Quick and dirty: A corrupt collection of nobles that would do what they wanted. Obviously, I took some liberties.
Jacques Chirac: Dean calls himself this. Jacques Chirac was the president of France from 1995 to 2007. That has no real meaning for the story. Just what Dean calls himself, and because it's a French name, it freaks Sam out. (French and English relations have never been the best, but they were downright brutal 500 years ago.)
Dean's Trial: Much of the formal speech during Dean's trial came from a real trial held in 1601! I tweaked a few things so it would fit the story, so … I hope it's not too bad!! (You can read the transcript of the trial here!)
If there's anything I missed, and I'm sure I did, I'm super sorry! If you have any questions, just email me (binnin.b@gmail.com)!