#magical legend of the leprechauns

[twistedtummies2]

Top 7 Leprechauns Onscreen

St. Patrick’s Day is one of the odder holidays on the calendar. Ostensibly, it is a celebration of Ireland itself; a tribute to its culture, history, and folklore alike. However, at least outside of Ireland - such as in the United States, where the filthy American swine writing this happens to come from - it seems to be treated more as just a day of partying. It’s an excuse to booze up, eat merrily, and wear lots and lots of green. That’s not bad in and of itself, but it emblematic of how commercialized things can get, I suppose; I have no idea how the date is celebrated in other places around the world, including Ireland, mind you.

Again, filthy American swine, that’s me. 😛

Nothing speaks to all this better than the treatment of arguably Ireland’s most famous figure of folklore and legend: the leprechaun. Leprechauns have become mascots for Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day as a whole; a lot of people probably don’t even recognize or know the actual legends behind these little fairy shoemakers and their crocks of gold. However, they have become just as popular and recognizable as other holiday icons, such as Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. They are the fanciful embodiment of Ireland, in popular culture, and for better or worse, they are as popular as they are whimsical. Ever since I was a child, I was fascinated by stories about leprechauns; something about these little spritely creatures in their green coats, cobbling shoes and playing tricks, guarding heaps of treasure, just stuck in my imagination in a lot of ways. Part of this may be that I am actually a large part Irish myself, and I’ve looked into the legends and songs about these fair folk with great interest. Of course, with this fascination comes exposure to another medium: the screen. Leprechauns have appeared numerous times in films and on television, and it’s easy to say that these treatments have done just as much for their reputation and popularity as anything else. I thought it would be fun, this St. Patrick’s Day, to cover some of my favorite interpretations of these strange creatures from movies and TV. I’ve decided to make this a brief Top 7, partially because it’s hard to sort things out after that number…but also because, hey, if we’re celebrating and chatting about “the luck of the Irish,” might as well use the “lucky number seven” as our guideline, eh? So, without further ado…here are My Top 7 Screen Portrayals of Leprechauns!

7. The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold.

We’re starting off this countdown with a weird one, folks. If you haven’t heard of this somewhat obscure holiday feature, I wouldn’t blame you. This half-hour special was the creation of Rankin/Bass; a company most well-known for their various Christmas cartoons, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Year Without a Santa Claus. “The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold” was one of their final holiday creations, released in 1981…and you can tell they were REALLY struggling to come up with new ideas for such things. The special is a bizarre hybrid of Christmas cartoon and St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Starring Art Carney as Blarney Kilakilarney (yes, really), the story focuses on the troubles a family of leprechauns face when a wicked banshee, known as Old Mag the Hag, tries to steal all their gold. Mag, you see, needs to have gold in her hands by Christmas morning, or else she will be destroyed, transformed into nothing but a puddle of tears. Mag is imprisoned in a magic pine tree for her evil ways, but a hundred years later, a young cabin boy named Dinty Doyle (played by Broadway-bred actor Ken Jennings) digs up the tree. Mag escapes, summoning a storm and leaving Dinty shipwrecked on the island where all the leprechauns live, and now he and the Little People must try to cooperate to defeat Mag and return home. The special isn’t that great, to be honest; it’s got lots of problems, and it’s obviously quite peculiar. However, I have a soft spot for it: I watch it almost every year. Something about it is fun and comforting, even if it isn’t necessarily the best of Rankin/Bass’ work, and it’s always stuck with me. It’s just my kind of weird and silly; if you think it sounds interesting, consider looking it up and giving it a watch yourself.

6. Finian’s Rainbow.

This colorful 1968 feature - based on the play of the same name - is an early success of legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. It’s weird to think that only a few years after this movie was released he would go on to debut “The Godfather,” really. The film stars Fred Astaire as con-artist Finian McLonergan: an Irish immigrant to America, who plans to try and make his way in the world via a crock of gold he stole from a leprechaun. The leprechaun, Og - played by Tommy Steele - is slowly turning human, for the longer a leprechaun goes without their gold, the less of a leprechaun they really are. Finian buries the treasure near Fort Knox, of all places, where a series of magical misadventures take place, involving a racist Senator, quarreling farmers, and several musical numbers. The movie is mostly fun, somewhat farcical, and highly satirical…but there is one stumbling block I have to point out: the aforementioned racist Senator gets punished for his wicked ways at one point by being turned into an African American himself. No, the Senator is not played by an African American actor, so…yeah…you can probably guess the awkwardness that arises as a result of that. It’s an unfortunate element in an otherwise great picture, and the main reason I don’t feel I can rank this in the top five. If you think you’d have difficulty watching this movie due to that issue, I wouldn’t blame you…but if there’s one thing this film teaches, it’s the importance of an open mind and an understanding of how times change. That, and that leprechauns are just as nimble on the dance floor when they’re human height as they are when tiny.

5. Wearing of the Grin.

This classic Looney Tunes cartoon is another favorite of mine around St. Patrick’s Day, and - being only about seven-and-a-half minutes in length - it’s an easy viewing for anybody. This short stars Porky Pig, who ends up lost in the middle of Ireland during a thunderstorm. The porcine traveler decides to take shelter inside an old castle, ignoring warning signs to “Beware of the Leprechauns!” This decision quickly comes back to bite Porky in his curly tail, when he ends up being victimized by a pair of leprechauns - O’Pat and O’Mike - who, believing he’s after their pot of gold, force Porky to wear The Green Shoes. This doesn’t seem so bad at first, but it turns out the shoes are alive, and as long as Porky wears them, he’ll be forced to dance an Irish jig non-stop. Porky manages to escape the fiendish footwear, but the shoes themselves give chase, determined to continue the punishment. It’s a typically silly, slapstick bit of goofiness, but there’s also a sense of atmosphere and danger to it you wouldn’t expect, and the visuals get more and more absurd the longer the short goes on, making it quite a feast for the eyes. It’s a hilarious and creative piece of Chuck-Jones-born buffoonery; exactly what a Looney Tunes fan would want for St. Patty’s.

4. Luck of the Irish (2001).

I actually am aware of two films with this title. The first was a 1948 feature, which - by all accounts - has nothing to do with the one we’re talking about here. I sadly have not seen that movie yet (although I would very much like to), so if you’re familiar with it, let me know what you think. For now, let’s focus on our actual topic: this 2001 TV film was made for the Disney Channel. As most people may tell you, Disney Channel movies tend to be hit or miss; some of them are actually quite a good time, considering the low budgets many of them have to work with, while others are…frankly rather painful to sit through. This one, I feel, is in the former category, and it’s actually developed a bit of a cult following for good reason. The story focuses on a young lad named Kyle Johnson, who seems to always have good fortune thanks to a lucky gold coin he wears around his neck. When the coin is stolen, however, not only does Kyle find bad luck following him wherever he goes, but he starts to undergo some strange physical transformations: he starts to grow shorter, his hair turns red, his ears become pointed, etc. It’s ultimately revealed that Kyle is actually half-leprechaun, and the one who stole the coin is a wicked fairy-man by the name of Seamus McTiernen (played by, of all people, Timothy Omundsen). Seamus is trying to steal all the leprechauns’ gold from around the world to become King of the Leprechauns; it’s now up to Kyle to stop him…via a basketball game. OF COURSE! A CLASSIC MANEUVER! PATTON HIMSELF NE’ER HAD BETTER STRATEGY! (pauses) Yeah, like I said, this film is wacky. But it’s a good kind of wacky; if it sounds up your alley, give it a look-see.

3. The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns.

While not received well at the time of its release, this 1999 TV miniseries has since gained a cult following and much more acclaim. Personally, I love it. The story is essentially an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” but with an Irish flair. The tale begins when an American entrepreneur, Jack Woods, goes to Ireland for a vacation in the countryside. He soon finds out that his holiday home is frequently visited by the Little People. It turns out the leprechauns are engaged in a feud with the fairies (or the pixies, rather, since leprechauns typically are a sort of fairy). This becomes a problem when the fairy princess, Jessica, falls in love with a young leprechaun named Mickey. Chaos ensues as a result of the tryst between these star-crossed lovers, causing the feud to escalate into an all-out war. At the same time, Jack has to deal with some troublesome affairs of the heart all his own, as he becomes infatuated with a lady named Kathleen. Eventually, the two love stories collide, only heightening the stakes. The miniseries combines many elements of Irish folklore and myth together in its runtime, and treats these elements faithfully while at the same time making various changes to the concepts for its own purposes. It also features a great cast, including some rather surprising performers, such as Whoopi Goldberg. While not as well-known as some of the other items on this list, it’s well-worth checking out.

2. Lucky Charms.

Well, you can’t talk about leprechauns without bringing up this classic cereal and its mascot, can you? I remember loving Lucky Charms as a kid…which is funny because, the last time I tasted it as an adult, the flavor…ah…left much to be desired, to put it in the least offensive terms. Looking back, I think the primary reason I loved this cereal so much came from the TV commercials, starring Lucky the Leprechaun. The advertisements for this children’s breakfast staple have a long and interesting history behind them on their own terms, but the basic formula has always remained the same: Lucky is an eccentric little leprechaun, whose greatest treasure is not a crock of gold, but instead a bowl full of Lucky Charms. In the universe of the commercials, the marshmallows in the cereal actually give him different magical abilities he can use to his advantage, as he tricks and escapes his ever-persistent pursuers, who yearn to steal his delicious(?) frosted oats. Unlike many leprechauns in fables and folklore, Lucky - while occasionally and suitably mischievous - isn’t a malicious character in any way; if anything, he’s just trying to escape from those darn kids that never leave him alone! He’s friendly, playful, and sometimes can even be a hero…as far as the thirty-second-to-a-minute-long commercials he’s in will allow, anyway. It’s no surprise this cereal was and remains so popular; the idea of the great chase is an indelible concept, the magic and whimsy of the visuals and storytelling always allow for creative fun, and the charm of a leprechaun character was certainly a lucky break for advertisers. (pauses) Yeah, that was a bit forced, I’m sorry. Bottom line, it’s telling that, even to this day, if you say “leprechaun,” more people will say something about Lucky Charms than arguably anything else.

1. Darby O’Gill and the Little People.

I have a theory that every person, particularly Disney fans, has that one live-action Disney movie that they love which most other people seem to forget about. For me, that movie is “Darby O’Gill and the Little People.” The film focuses on the many misadventures of an old Irish storyteller, the titular Darby O’Gill. The grand old timer is a sort of “frienemy” to the King of the Leprechauns himself, Brian Connors. When Darby is in danger of losing his job, King Brian decides to help…by kidnapping Darby and forcing him to stay forever in his underground palace. (It’s the thought that counts, I guess.) Darby soon turns the tables on the King, though, and instead ends up kidnapping HIM, and refuses to let him go back to his kingdom until Brian grants him three wishes. (Keep your Aladdin jokes to yourself, please.) Top it off with Darby’s daughter falling in love with a young farmhand (played by Sean Connery, of all people), hijinks with the town bully, and the creepy appearances of a mysterious Banshee, and it’s wily shenanigans all around. The film is totally over-the-top, and absolutely plays up to Irish stereotypes more than anything else, but that’s honestly part of the fun: it’s got a campy sense of humor about itself, but it also has a lot of real magic, heart, and even a sense of prevailing danger. It feels like an old Irish fairy legend brought to life, which is fitting since the Disney team actually took inspiration from a bunch of old Irish fairy legends in crafting the script. There’s even an episode of the old Disneyland TV show, which acts as a sort of “mockumentary,” showing Walt meeting Darby and the Little People and learning all the folklore about Brian and his fellow imps. (That’s pretty cool, too, by the way; check it out if you can find it.) The film is probably most well-known for its special effects, most of which are still REALLY impressive, even to this day; heck, even if you know how they were done, you still find it hard to see through them or believe they could work the way they do in the final product. If you haven’t seen this film, I do highly recommend it…BUT, a word of caution: do NOT watch the version on Disney+. For some baffling reason, the Disney+ version redubs some of the actors and has a few minor edits, which really don’t do the movie any favors. If you want to watch this film, buy the DVD, or see if you can find a better copy elsewhere online. You won’t regret it; I certainly never have. I watch this film (and the Disneyland episode accompanying it) every St. Patrick’s Day, and that’s a tradition I never plan to cease. When I think of leprechauns, Irish myths, and all the trappings that come with those things, this film is the first thing that comes to mind. For these reasons above all else, King Brian and his friends in this movie take top marks on this list.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

The Wee Men/Leprechaun’s Gold. (Two cartoons by Noveltoon that are based on classic leprechaun myths.)

Rupert and the Leprechauns. (An episode of the UK animated series “Rupert;” quite cute.)

Jack the Giant Killer. (This movie features a leprechaun called “Imp” as a major character. You can thank Rifftrax for my knowledge of this one. XD )

Leprechaun (1993). (I actually am not a big fan of this movie, or the series it spawned, but it felt physically wrong not to acknowledge Warwick Davis here.)

[memorycardviii]

gifs set.  fairies, sea, ocean. ( cr MEMORY CARD VIII ). Si ce film vous évoque quelque chose, vous êtes des kids des 90s comme moi (magic film du dimanche sur M6 de noël, on se sait).

[a-secret-land]

The fairy ball | The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)

[every-character-ever-poll]

MICKEY MULDOON - The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

PROPAGANDA:

A Leprechaun who fell in love faerie princess (very Romeo and Juliet).

[bobmckenzie]

random unhinged thought of the day: Bob would make a really cute elf. not like a Santa elf and not a high-fantasy elf but just like. a cute little elf you'd see in the forest. I'm normal btw

[roseunspindle]

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

[best-fantasy-mythical-creature]

[ferulacommunis]

shout out to secret of roan inish. movie of all TIME like masterful cultural text and also FUN !!! even for small children

[thehollar-witch]

It’s the first day of spring & this is your sign to go watch this absolute masterpiece of early 2000’s television. I would rent this from our local video store growing up & it’s become a sort of St Patrick’s / Spring Equinox tradition of mine. It’s a mini series in 2 parts so it’s not that long.

Yes, it’s the 90’s caricature idea of Irish people, think Luck of the Irish and etc but it has such great stage production and is a cute retelling of Romeo & Juliet with Whoopi Goldberg as the Grand Banshee serving the role of the Prince.

[ridokaasp]

After watching "The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns" I got a lot of new screenshots and ideas ;)

The quality of the screenshot is bad, but there is no other :D

[bunny-dr34ms]

the love fate demands of us - prologue

- mystical!txt x angel!reader

summary. flora was the land of magic, where fantasy thrived. now, in the hands of humans, it has become a land where the enchanted had to hide in shadows in order to survive. you, neither human or angel, an abomination to both, knows better than anyone how cruel this world can be. fate has failed you time and time again but when she leads you deeper into flora, you'll find that your hardships are shared by others. will you and your new companions be able to restore what has been oppressed in flora? more importantly, will you be able to find the love fate demands of?

cw/ tw; f!reader, fae!yeonjun, vampire!soobin, werewolf!beomgyu, wizard!taehyun, elf!kai, fantasy au, royalty au

features; txt, names of other idols that i decide as i go

wc; 1.8k

Prologue: Flora: The land of magic

Flora, the land of magic and all things fantastical. There was truly nothing like it. From the mystical forests to the flourishing river channels, from the tiniest twinkling pixies to magnificent beasts, Flora was a land of legends. Creatures of all and every kind roamed freely, building little communities and towns of their own. Whole civilizations existed but no matter how they continued to advance, the peace was never disturbed, they were all Florians after all, united under their nation. Truly, there was nowhere else promising more beauty and adventure.

And then the humans arrived.

Nothing could've prepared Flora for humans. No seer, omen, or prophecy could've prepared Flora for the shattering ruination that would come with humans. Albeit there was no early premonition that they were even coming at all but a place like Flora would've welcomed them anyway.

Welcome she did.

When the first group passed through the fog, they spent weeks wandering and building camps in the forests, dryads and nymphs passing word that something new has entered Flora. A new kind of people for the first time in almost 1000 years, the most recent being the first group of leprechauns that came along(they were quickly found out to just be odd fairies) The humans wandered and wandered, lost in Flora’s great forests until one day they stumbled upon a little town of dwarves. The dwarf king of that town graciously let them in, already catching wind of the new friends that have been lost for weeks. Dwarves were stubborn, prideful people who really only acknowledged other by their work but humans were equally crafty with their shiny metal armors. Just like that, the dwarves and the humans became good friends and even better partners.

Now, if it wasn't for greed.

If it wasn't for the human's greed for more--more power, more riches, more land. If it wasn't for the thirst that they had to conquer, maybe...no, Flora definitely wouldn't be what it is today.

In just a month's time, hundreds, thousands of humans started entering the forest. All of them flooding Flora's forests from all sides, clambering up into the mountains, into plains, anywhere that had land for them to take. Still, without question where all of them came from, Flora took them in with open arms. The interactions the dwarves had made the other groups believe that humans were similar to the already residing citizens of Flora. Kind, generous, humans were just another race of goodhearted people joining Flora, right?

Oh, how wrong they were.

The first 5 years of humans just inhabiting Flora were the most destructive years that this land has ever faced. Not even the Great Forest War could compared to the monstrous crimes committed by the humans. Forests were torn down and burned within just weeks. There were houses being built everywhere the eye could see in almost every meadow. Mountains were chipped away until wide paths ran up and down the sides from bottom to top. All water sources became awfully contaminated or redirected into their new little residential areas. The entire landscape of Flora changed in those 5 years.

That was just the landscape; the creatures of Flora suffered far, far worse.

The population of the forest animals cut down by half, unicorns, jackalope, and even dragons alike. Humans had no sympathy for those who couldn't talk to them it seemed. The elves were wearing of these newcomers but reluctantly allowed them in their kingdoms after hearing praises from the dwarves. What a mistake that proved to be because soon the humans began to chase them out of their very homes. Elves were always more closed off in all aspects of their cultures. History books of elven society hardly had any of their spells, traditions, or magic. Humans didn't like that and took it all by brute force instead, fire seeming to be their favorite to burn down whole communities. After the elves, news began to spread about these humans once again. This time about how they were tyrannical, heartless monsters that killed with no remorse.

From nymphs to mermaids, centaurs to witches, fairies to vampires, they were all slaughtered at the hand of insatiable humans. After all, Florians didn't know what to do at the face of cold massacres. They've been living in tranquility for eons and eons. The Great Race War was recorded in history to be at the very start of time, when Flora just a clearing of trees. Just the sight of humans with weapons in their hands were enough to send all life forms running and hiding. In the last 3 years, the entire population of Flora, apart from the dwarves, was once again halved.

Then came the Human Flora War.

After 5 years of taking the cruelty of humans, all the fantastical beings decided enough was enough. They were done with letting the humans take what they want. Another 5 years were spent planning, preparing, training for this battle. Florians knew that humans were a tough opponent, having seen their brutality first hand. And prepared they were. It was thousands upon thousands of mystical beings that had magic and power coursing through their veins, victory was essentially guaranteed. On the battlefield, it was clear who was going to win, the humans with their flimsy iron tools stood no chance against the mages. Fire no longer scared the water nymphs, werewolves and vampires haunted their bases at night, picking them off like flies. Yes, victory was in sight.

The humans were enraged, they've never lost so pitifully before it seems. So they had to play their dirty tricks once more. They turned to the only race that they treated as equals: the dwarves. It was already bad enough that some dwarf towns didn't participate because they believed that humans weren't all bad. The humans made a deal to the dwarves. They promised that in return for the dwarves to join their side, they would provide them all with riches for the rest of their lives. Dwarves were never wealthy, not like vampires or elves, so this prospect made them eager. They were convinced when the humans apparently brought a ship that was filled to the brim with golds and gems that the dwarves have never seen before. The humans somehow constantly replenished their man power and with the betrayal of the dwarves, which were at full force, already having years and years of weaponry stored up and being spared the humans' wrath, Flora ended up losing.

The next 10 years was spent by the humans raising their own cities and kingdoms. In the utmost center of Flora was the main kingdom called Roseria, where the Esor Forest, the largest forest in Flora, originally was. Now there were only a few acres of it left surrounding the kingdom. There were neighboring kingdoms too. Magnia towards the mountains and Asteria near the oceans. Here and there were little human towns with some being mixed in with dwarves. At this point of time, the human population alone was enough to equal almost all the magical beings and creatures.

Flora, ever wondrous and ever adapting, was still able to heal after all it went through.

All the flora and fauna found its way to thrive again, growing back lush and healthy. The were only two major changes. One of them was the new hierarchy in place, where humans stood at the very top. Every one, every thing else had to obey, otherwise they'd face severe punishments. Ears would be clipped, wings were cut, anything that set one apart from humans would be eliminated with so much as a word out of line.

The second change, was a decree made by humans, banning all magic.

Humans were not as intelligent as they say they are. Trying to make home in a land of magic just to ban it, which is impossible by the way, was like stepping outside and banning the sun from ever shining because it was too hot. They always hated magic anyway, hated how those who could wield it made them so much more powerful and just better in every way. Magical beings are naturally more beautiful, more alluring. Humans couldn't accept that with their own greed to be the best. Really, they were just scared of how strong and otherworldly magic was. Still, even with this nonsense ban, creatures of their own environments worked hard to nurture Flora, allowing it to continue prospering under human rule.

So that's where Flora is as of now. Still the land of magic and all things fantastical despite the green-hearted humans' intervention. In spite of this, odd and new definition of peace, there is always something new and unheard of that could happen here. The Kingdom of Esor, ruled by the Hwang Dynasty's 3rd generation, is about to recieve their first princess. This princess is going to be the result of not only infidelity, but also a child of a human and an angel. Interracial families were inevitable, no amount of hate or disgust for the other race could've prevented love from getting in the mix. Not every human was evil and not every mystical Florian held grudges against them. Though the marriage between them was made legal, they were still shunned by society, from both sides. Forgiveness was hard to earn and forgetting was essentially impossible with all the recorded history of the crimes committed by humans. How terribly unfortunate.

Anyways, back to our princess.

She will be the first hybrid royal to ever exist. In a year, we will get to see how she fares in this magical world. In a year she will be born to the royal family and in a year, after 200 years of peace with the humans, Flora's tranquility shall be once more disrupted.

Simultaneously, deep in the forest, a brutal path of betrayal awaits 5 individuals. A misunderstood vampire who wanted nothing more than to protect his own. An exploited fae who longed to experience what love was for himself. A forsaken werewolf who was sacrificed by his own blood. An incriminated wizard who dreamt of helping those in need with his talent. A ridiculed elf who wanted to use his powers for good.

Fate was unkind to you and them, forcing all of you to fend for yourselves in a fight where the world has turned their backs on you. Will the red string weaving through your heart help you find your soulmates? When push comes to pull, will they stand next to you? Come, as Flora awaits its saviors, the suppressed magic straining against its chains, let us discover what fate has in store for us.

Let us face together, the love fate demands of us.

author note: posting after who knows how long.. i really enjoy the concept of world building as hard as it is so i decided to give it a shot! i haven't had a chance to proof read this yet so please forgive whatever blemishes there are, i'll fix it as soon as i can! should i make a masterlist for this, i've never made one before but im willing to try >< chapter 1 is already in the making but i wanted to post this to see how we feel about it. i can't wait to release the next chapter !!!! let me know what you think !! all reposts, likes, and shares are appreciated! my inbox is open!

[memorycardviii]

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999) ( cr MEMORY CARD VIII ).

(voilà maintenant je veux un forum dans ces vibes svp ffdklfd)

[a-secret-land]

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)

[thecreaturecodex]

May I ask what reference materials you have at your disposal?

This list includes only books about monsters that I own and have used for the Codex at some point. It does not include books I've gotten from libraries (I have access to an excellent university library and one of the best public library systems in the country), nor does it include RPG books or books about science and nature. We'd be here all day, and this list already took like 90 minutes to collate.

A Field Guide to the Little People—Arrowsmiths and Moore Barlowe’s Guide to Extraterrestrials; Barlowe’s Guide to Fantasy—Barlowe The Dictionary of Demons—Belanger Monsters in Print—Benedict Ghosts Monsters and Demons of India—Bhairav and Khonna The Mwindo Epic—Biebuyck and Mateene, ed. The Beast of Boggy Creek; Momo—Blackburn Bigfoot: Life and Times of a Legend—Buhs The Hidden—Christopher and Austin The Unexplained!—Clark Ghostland; The Unidentified—Dickey Prehistoric Monster Mash; Dinosaur Memories II—Debus After Man; The New Dinosaurs; Man After Man—Dixon Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology—Eberhart Welsh Monsters and Mythical Beasts—Ellis The Book of Yokai; Pandemonium and Parade—Foster Encounters With Flying Humanoids—Gerhard The Leprechaun’s Kingdom—Haining Meeting With Monsters—Hlioberg and Aegisson Dragons—Hogarth and Cleary Monster Atlas Volume 1—Hyland and Kay The Field Guide to Extraterrestrials—Hyughe Bestiarium Greenlandica—Kreutzmann Evil in Our Midst—Jones The Natural History of Unicorns—Lavers Legends of the Fire Spirits—Lebling Travels to the Otherworld and Fantastic Realms—Lecouteaux and Lecouteaux Cowboys and Saurians 1 and 2—Lemay Medieval Monsters—Lindquist and Mittman The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures—Matthews and Matthews The Night Parade of 100 Demons; The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits; The Book of the Hakutaku; The Fox’s Wedding—Meyer Hunting Monsters—Naish Cryptozoologicon Volume 1—Naish, Koseman and Conway Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology—Newton The United States of Cryptids—Ocker Chasing American Monsters—Ofutt Iberian Monsters—Prado The Creatures of Philippine Mythology—Ramos A Wizard’s Bestiary—Ravenheart Giants, Monsters and Dragons; Spirits, Faeries, Leprechauns and Goblins—Rose The Encyclopedia of Monsters—Rovin Bad UFOs—Schaeffer JaPandemonium Illustrated—Sekien, translated by Yoda and Alt Dragons: A Natural History; A Manifestation of Monsters; The Beasts that Hide from Man; Flying Toads and Snakes with Wings; Extraordinary Animals Revisited; Mirabilis; A Menagerie of Marvels; The UneXplained—Shuker Dangerous Spirits—Smallman Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginies—Smith Monsters of the Gevaudan—Smith A Chinese Bestiary—Strassberg Mummies Cannibals and Vampires—Sugg The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters—Weinstock, ed. Mythical Creatures of the USA and Canada—Wyman The World of Kong—Weta Workshop Mystery Animals of China—Xu

Appearing on this list does not necessarily constitute a recommendation. Carol Rose's books, for example, has a lot of gaps and are responsible for a number of myths and misconceptions that have circulated around the internet. And A Wizard's Bestiary by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart is more worthwhile as a curiosity than as reference material.

There are a lot of internet sources, of course, but I'm linking my top choices. If you're not already aware of A Book of Creatures and Yokai.com, you need to be.

[every-character-ever-poll]

WEEK SEVEN LINEUP

Soooo. I've been gone a while. What was supposed to be Week Six became more like "Two Months" Six. My bad. I can't promise that random breaks won't happen, but I'll do my level best to not let them become longer than a week if they do (knock on wood - the last time I said "I'll try not to take anymore random breaks" i dipped for a month).

Anyways, here's a very delayed Week Seven! Thank you to everyone who stuck around while I vanished.

Darkiplier - Markiplier

The Puzzler - Generation Loss

The Extinguisher - Jerma's 2022 Holiday Awards Show Extravaganza

The Giant Rat - Rat Movie: Mystery of the Mayan Treasure

Candace Flynn - Phineas and Ferb

Venus aka Kanamori - Heaven's Design Team

Han Ying - Word of Honor

Michealangelo - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Carrie White - Carrie (all media)

Steve the Trooper - Chuggaconroy’s Pikmin videos

The Thunderhead - Arc of a Scythe

Haruki Nakayama - Given

A - Tomorrow Will Be Dying

Doris Frances Barbara - Blood & Syrup: A Vampire the Masquerade Podcast

Juliet Capulet - & Juliet

May - & Juliet

Castiel Supernatural - Supernatural

Derek Hale - Teen Wolf

Lúthien Tinúviel - The Silmarillion

Potamos - Wedding Peach

Jiang Cheng - The Untamed

Poe Dameron - Star Wars

Asterion - Baldur's Gate 3

Dalian - Dantalian no Shoka

Shulk - Xenoblade Chronicles

Solid Snake - Metal Gear Solid

Zanza - Xenoblade Chronicles

Kuu - Haibane Renmei

Cole MacGrath - Infamous

Captain Olimar - Pikmin

Raku-chan - Nyan Neko Sugar Girls

Annie Wintersummer - Unprepared Casters

Yona - Akatsuki no Yona

Shane Schofield (Scarecrow) - Scarecrow and Jack West Junior

The Medic - Team Fortress 2

Sailor Jupiter - Sailor Moon

Orbulon - WarioWare

Mike - WarioWare

Cure Honey - Happiness Charge Precure

Crazy Barks - Drawn to Life

Ninjini - Skylanders

Cure La Mer - Tropical Rouge Precure

End (Endymion) - Beyond the End

Kansuke Yamato - Detective Conan

Mr. Crow, AKA Aldous Vanderboom - Rusty Lake/Cube Escape

Vega - Street Fighter

Izumi Miyamura - Horimiya

Aldark - Drawn to Life

M. Bison - Street Fighter

Aoi Inuyama - Yuru Camp

Klara - Pokemon

Virginia Lewis - The 10th Kingdom

Muriel - Good Omens

Nene Kusanagi - Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage/Project Sekai

Michiko Malandro - Michiko to Hatchin

Suzuki Shinya - 10 Dance

Miles Maitland - Bright Young Things

Diavolo - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

Burly, Blabberwort, and Bluebell - The 10th Kingdom

Natsume Takashi - Natsume's Book of Friends

Faust - Guilty Gear

Sugiki Shinya - 10 Dance

Cure Finale - Delicious Party Precure

Igarashi Vice - Kamen Rider Revice

Mitsumi Iwakura - Skip and Loafer

The Corinthian - The Sandman

Shizuku Hinomori - Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage/Project Sekai

Mickey Muldoon - The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns

Natsuki Shinomiya - Uta no Prince Sama

Sasha Braus - Attack on Titan

Virtue Courtenlock - Krillverse

Goop Lyn - veryextraincorrectfegbaquotes.tumblr.com

Jean-Francois - Bunny Maloney

Tome Kurata - Mob Psycho 100

Seras Victoria - Hellsing

Pang Pawaret - The gifted

Viren - The Dragon Prince

Brawne Lamia - Hyperion

Dai Lee - Let Dai

Haruka Kiritani - Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage/Project Sekai

Minori Hanasato - Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage/Project Sekai

Cube - Gather Ye Power

C-53 - Mission to Zyxx

Cynte - Endoparasitic

Ged/Sparrowhawk - Earthsea

Sniff - The Moomins

Soren Baltimore - Camp Here & There

Mellow - Endacopia

Eunhyung Song - Let Dai

Rufus - Deponia

Sheik - The Legend of Zelda

Lee Ping - Detentionaire

Kasane Fuchi - Kasane

Shigure Sohma - Fruits Basket

Aymeric de Borel - Final Fantasy XIV

Meta Knight - Kirby

Luka Couffaine - Miraculous Ladybug

Satō - Ajin: Demi-Human

Mudkip - Pokemon

Death of the Endless - The Sandman

[theaddictedwatcher]

Hello everyone!

Today I am delighted to present you the series you were able to choose thanks to the survey done on my Instagram (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) last Saturday and that is ... Oh no, I'm not going to tell you just like that! It's a series created by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy (yes, that's a lot of people!) in 2008 for the BBC. Need more clues? It's a medieval fantasy series that revisits a great myth. Do you have it yet? Yes, of course, I'm going to tell you about the Merlin series!

To begin with, I'll give you a short synopsis: In medieval times, in the Kingdom of Albion, King Uther Pendragon has banned the practice of magic. Merlin, a young magician sent to the castle to be educated by Gaius, must hide his extraordinary powers in this age of terror against magicians and sorcerers. Propelled as Arthur's valet -the son of the monarch Uther Pendragon and future sovereign- following a fortuitous combination of circumstances, Merlin has sworn to protect his lord Arthur at the request of Kilgharrah -the dragon secretly imprisoned beneath the castle of the monarch Uther Pendragon. And a short technical presentation : Created by : Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy. Music by : Rob Lane, Rohan Stevenson, James Gosling and Michal Pavlicek. Main cast: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, Katie McGrath, Richard Wilson, Anthony Stewart Head, John Hurt.

Merlin is a freely-adaptated story of the Arthurian legend that largely rewrites its roots. Over the course of 5 seasons and its 65 episodes, the creators and screenwriters have attempted to modernise the themes of the original legend, including the following examples from the first episode:

Uther Pendragon -played by Anthony Stewart Head- governs the kingdom of Camelot which, in the legend, does not exist under his reign.

Merlin -played by Colin Morgan- and Arthur -played by Bradley James- are approximately the same age, which is not the case in the Arthurian legend.

Morgana -played by Katie McGrath- is the ward of King Uther and Arthur's adopted sister.

Guinevere -played by Angel Coulby- is the mixed-race daughter of a black smith and works in the castle as Morgana's lady-in-waiting instead of being the daughter of the King of Carmelides -a clan federated by Arthur- in the legend.

And there are other alterations that I'll leave you to discover as the series progresses (although I'll talk about some of them below but I'll warn you when I will)!

I realise that, for people familiar with the legend, this can be very confusing and even unpleasant. But, if you manage to put aside your pre-watching knowledge of the subject and give the series a chance, I think you might just enjoy it all the same.

The main cast of the series - although different from what you might expect - has been meticulously chosen. The characters may differ in character from those in the legend, but there's no denying the acting ability of the cast. Some of them were well known before the series, such as Anthony Stewart Head -notably known for his roles in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, in the film The Iron Lady alongside Meryl Streep and more recently in the TV show Bridgerton -, John Hurt -notably known for his role in the Harry Potter saga, in the film V for Vendetta and more recently in the Doctor Who series- and Katie McGrath -notably known for the King Arthur: The Legend of Excalibur movie, the Tudors series and, more recently, the Supergirl series which I'll talk about in a later article. However, the revelations that turned out to be Bradley James and Colin Morgan are not to be outdone either. As for the guest actors and actresses, many of them are well known to the British public, and some even to international audiences. Indeed, actors such as Asa Butterfield (Sex Education), Tom Hopper (Umbrella Academy), Tom Ellis (Lucifer) and Warwick Davis (Harry Potter, Willow, Leprechaun, Star Wars) have enjoyed successful careers since Merlin went on air (and some even before that) and are recognized as major talents internationally. Whether they are recurring, main or guest actors, the unity formed by their complicity both on and off stage helps to make this cast a family with its affections, tensions, passions and losses. The relationship between Merlin and Arthur, despite their complicated beginnings and the fact that their social positions put them on different levels of equality, is a brotherly one. Merlin, on his mission to protect the future King Arthur, will do everything in his power to learn how to live at court and make himself useful to Arthur, who, for his part, will come to recognise Merlin's usefulness at his side and will develop a great affection for him, albeit tinged with teasing. Even during their quarrels, the bond that unites them always leads them back to each other, and to me, this is a fine illustration of a brotherly friendship. The bond between Merlin and Gaius is also important and touching, because, in the series, Merlin was raised by a single mother and Gaius acts as a father figure to him. Indeed, Gaius protects and educates him as best he can. In the end, a real bond and understanding develops between the old man and his apprentice, and I think it's important to show that a parental figure is not necessarily linked to a blood relative.

However, there was one aspect of the actors' performance that I didn't like, but I think that has more to do with the artistic direction than the acting ability of the actors: I'm talking about the fight choreography. I'm aware that sword fighting or even hand-to-hand combat isn't easy, but that's precisely where I think they should have been better choreographed to make the various battles that take place throughout the series more believable. Indeed, when we talk about the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, these epic stories are often punctuated by numerous battles. It was only natural, then, that when I watched the series I expected big, strong, rhythmic and carefully choreographed battles. Unfortunately, in my opinion, most of the fights, especially the sword fights, failed to live up to these expectations…

I'd also like to say a few words about the different filming locations. Pierrefonds Castle in the Oise region in France, near Compiègne, was one of the locations used for the Camelot Castle set. This 14th-century fortress is open to visitors and many of the sets for the series can be seen there.

The series was also filmed at Goodrich Castle in Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, on Penshurst Place in Kent in England and in Wales. The fact that the majority of the sets are real means that the use of special effects - especially green screens - has limited, as the series ages, the diminution the quality of the images.

Speaking of the quality of the images, I'd like to talk very briefly about the special effects used on the series. As a fantasy series, Merlin necessarily uses special effects to symbolise the magic and mythical creatures that inhabit the kingdom of Albion. The computer-generated images were produced by the British team The Mill, whose credits include the special effects for Gladiator and Doctor Who. However, the quality of the effects varies depending on what is being represented. As long as the effects remain minimalist, such as smoke or a change in the colour of a character's eyes, they have aged well and remain effective in their own right. But as soon as they are more important, such as a fall caused by magic, a physical transformation or the animation of a dragon (this is not a spoiler, the word dragon appears literally in the name Pendragon), the effects have generally aged rather badly, look a little crude and, let's be honest, quite ugly…

On the other hand, one of the aspects of the series that I liked the most was the work that went into the characters' costumes. From what I've been able to see and learn in the course of my research, the costumes chosen for the characters by the series' costume designer, Charlotte Morris, are fairly faithful to the armour and court dress worn in the period that the series aims to reflect. One detail, however, bothers me personally in this temporal cohesion, and that's the cut of Merlin's brown jacket. I find that this jacket, which appears to be made of nubuck, seems too modern, too recent to blend in with the atmosphere that was intended to be created.

Let's take a look at the changes that have been made to the Arthurian legend! BEWARE OF SPOILERS IN THIS PARAGRAPH! In the series, Merlin -who in the legend is a druid and in the series a magician- is Arthur's valet, to whom he hides his magical powers while using them to save his master without his knowledge. He is the son of a single-mother and farmer called Hunith and his father is unknown. It was Hunith who sent Merlin to her friend Gaius, a physician in Camelot's court and a former magician. In the legend, Merlin's parentage differs radically from one version to another. Speaking of the origins of the legend, an anecdotal but noteworthy fact is that even Geoffrey of Monmouth appears in the series as a court genealogist. The real Geoffrey of Monmouth (1095-1155) did exist, and he is known to have been the first to write a very extensive version of the Arthurian legend that served as a model for all later Arthurian stories. Finally, in the most remarkable changes, Morgana, who is Arthur's adulterous sister and Morgause's consanguineous sister in the legend, is in the series Morgause's adulterous younger sister and Arthur's consanguineous older sister. END OF SPOIL. All these changes have enabled Merlin's authors to modernise the various themes and make the series more accessible to a wider audience. They also took this opportunity to slip in a few nods to the British literature to which the Arthurian legend belongs.

Finally, as usual, I'd like to end with the series' soundtrack. It was created by Rob Lane, Rohan Stevenson, James Gosling and Michal Pavlicek and for me it's one of the series soundtracks that best fits the genre of this one. Unfortunately, the link I've provided is missing a lot of tracks, but there are enough for you to get a good idea.

That's it for this article on the BBC series Merlin (2008). I hope that if you were reluctant to watch it, I've been able to help you in your choice. And for those of you who have seen it, let me know what you think and whether you agree with me.

Don’t forget to keep an eye every Saturday on my Instagram account (@theaddictedwatcherreviews) if you want to be able to choose the subject of the next article!

Until our next adventures, I wish you a great weekend and a wonderful week ahead,

Eli.