“Hazel Hazel, blue of eye, kissed the boys and made them cry”
(Decided I wanted to have a Faerie Summer --I know its still Spring shuuush-- so for part of that I’ve been reading some new fairy books and this was the first one on my list and I quite liked it 👌)
the way the catalyst (or at least an important piece in getting the plot to start and continue) for the plots in all the Faerie books is a Faerie falling/being in love
Roiben being in love with Kaye is why she didn't die at the Tithe, why she was able to bring down the Court of Flowers, it's why he trusted and listened to her advice even when he had no real reason to trust her
Kaye being in love with Roiben is why she wants to help him so much, why she declares herself to him and solves his impossible quest, and why she brings down the Court of Flowers to save him
Ravus being in love with Val is the only reason she gets help with her addiction and is kept safe from other Fae
Jack being in love with Hazel is the whole reason she goes to the moonlight revel and gets enough info to save Fairfield
Severin being in love with Ben is the whole reason Ben and Hazel have any interactions with him and get his help to fight the Alderking
Madoc being in love with Eva is the reason he asks her to come back years and years later and kills her when she refuses, the reason why he took Jude and Taryn to Elfhame
Cardan being in love with Jude is vitally important, most of his decisions are made because he loves her and trusts her
Vivi being in love with Heather is the reason she learns to respect and understand humans more than her sisters ever did, the reason she's willing to start all the way over with Heather just to be with her
Oak being in love with Wren is the reason he continues to trust and help her when she literally tries to kill him and locks him, why he risks his sister's trust and the High Court never letting him return to help her
Wren being in love with Oak is the reason she tried so hard to help him, the reason she makes such confusing decisions, she's confused, she loves him so much but she's supposed to let him die
there are tons of Fae scattered throughout the books who are trapped in servitude or prison because they had to save their lover, at any cost
(ofc familial and platonic love also matter and affect the Fae but in an entirely different way)
and the way this all connects back to that line in either Valiant or Ironside saying that Faerie do everything with their whole self, love and hatred, they can love and hate for centuries, promises will never be forgotten and heartbreak hurts deeply
a Faerie loves so deeply in this incredibly genuine way and when a Faerie is in love it thoroughly influences their actions
they tell the truth even in ways they may be unaware of (or deeply ashamed of)
(also also also the way most of these pairings are Fae being in love with mortals is soooo meaningful because like despite many of these characters hatred or distaste for mortals and the Fae's general dislike of mortals they can't help when they fall in love with one as naturally as if they were any other Faerie)
I realised today that I physically CAN'T shut up about how great of an author Holly Black is when it came to reference to folklore. I mean she basically build her carrier over her fairies knowledge. So anyway, here's some info about her character names because names are so important in the Fae world.
Let's start with Jude. The lies queen, the oath traitor, the one who
gets to turn a geis at her advantage, the mind trickster, the betrayer. According to multiple etymology work, "Jude" is a alterative form for Judah and therefore Judas, the bretrayer of Jesus. In old hebrew, Jude also mean " to praise". I mean, we are all accusating Cardan of being a simp, but maybe this little fairy-boy was just doing what the name was saying.
Speaking of our silly fae king, Cardan name was formed around the word "cairn", in old english. What is a cairn ? Nothing less that some rock pile that, in some stories, where supposed to gard the sleep of old fae king that where once trapped underground because they were too dangerous (or, dare I say, wicked ?). But it doesn't stop here, since "cardan" manage to became a surname for a stubborn person, and guess where the name "Cardan" first appeared ? Cheshire (wanna guess who he relate the most to when he read Alice in Wonderland ?)
Nicasia turn. One of the oldest and most powerful ocean spirit in the celtic folklore is called Old Nick, and I think there is some reference here made by Holly Black.
Taryn. Oh dear, do I have a lot to say about Taryn name. On the matter, she is probably the most gifted. Taryn name came from a variant of Thualta, the name of the godlike people that once rulled of Ireland before leaving to the undying island. Taryn represent the embodiment of the travel from mortal land to Elfame itself. But she also wear the same name as Tara, an old Irish fairy queen, wich name blend the meaning of "hills" and "star", showing the great extent of her power. Taryn is also a name given to the river that tend to overflow often. So, just like for her name, there is much more in Taryn that what we see at first.
Vivi complete name is Vivian and I think it speak for itself. Vivian is one of the many names of the Lady of the Lake, gardian of Excalibur. Her name in particular make me feel a little bittersweat. It bear the love of her step-dad for weapon, but also, it's maybe the first name her parent assimilated to fairies, and they may have chosen it quickly since they were still recovering with all the fae-related trauma. On the other hand, Vivian is also know to have managed to trap Merlin into a rock, so they were maybe wishing for her to be capable of overpowering any fae that could have wanted bother her.
Oak means oak (breathtaking I know), and oak trees are often associated with royalty in Celtic traditions. In France, it's said the king saint Louis was use to take court under a oak trees, and oak seed are often use to keep Fae treasures safe in fairytales
Hazel share some trees linked symbolism. It's known to be a symbols of righteousness and loyalty ( quite fitting for a knight if you want my opinion)
Jack sometimes means " to take the place", and, I mean, he is a changeling after all, but jack is also a name often give' to scarecrow, a parody of human beings
Benjamin's name means "second born" . Wtf, are you thinking if you have read the Darkest Part of the Forest. Isn't Benjamin the oldest sibling? Well yes, but he is the one the fairies like the most. The one who get the gift, the one who gets the story, the one deserving of a fairytale. And in all fairytales, it's the youngest son who is the hero, and who live the story. It's the benjamin brother who gets the magical gifts from the fairy lover who's head over heels for him. Ben might be the first born but by fairytale's logic, he is a Benjamin.
I haven't read the Oak saga yet so you'll have to tell me if it fits, but Suren's seem to means "the heroic one, the strong one"in Armenian, while her second name Wren, is the one of a small bird symbolising determination, enthusiasm and happiness
Some bonus for the Spiderwick Chronicles saga, because YES, I still believe they are part of this universe even if I know they legally can't.
Mallory etymology is from the french "malheureuse", wich means "unhappy", "unlucky", but something about the name of the others characters make me think it was choosen as a reference to Thomas Mallory, academically known as the first person to mention king Arthur in a written document (actually is more complicated but the meaning is still here)
Helen can be a reference as Helen of Troy, a female character who is often perceived as irritating and uninteresting until you start to rethink the story from her point of you, just like Jared have to learn that his mom is not trying to work against him, she is just a single mom trying her best.
I believe there must be some cultural references with Simon names, but I did not find it. All I've got is that his name means"to hear and to listen" such is kinda fitting,not gonna lie, my boy is trying to hold this family together by will alone so he have to play mediator all the time. (And of course It was saint Peter first name, like @amr102 say, everybody in this family is a reference)
I think Arthur Spiderwick name is a obvious reference to king Arthur since they bear (ehee, bear,king Arthur, you have it ?) the same narrative purpose of being the focus point of action without doing anything. (Update, @amr102 also reminded me that Tony Diterlizzi, the other author of the chronicles was massively influenced by Arthur Rackam style for his illustration, so, yeah, there is a reference for both of the authors)
For Lucinda, her name etymology come from lux, the light. But in a lot of gaelic tales, such as Cuchlein and Olwein, characters associated with light tends to turn crazy and / or see what the rest of the world cannot
And finally, Jared, my favourite one yet since the theory that he was named after Jareth the Goblin King from Labyrinth 1986 will never leave my brain.
(I've took photos of all annotations inside and put them into a Google Drive folder to link below. When clicking on the link, Drive will require me to approve your access - as soon as I see the email, I'll approve!)
Jude, after learning about Hazel Evans and the role she played in overthrowing The Alderking : wait, is that the actual reason you didn't want me to become a knight ?
