#the folk of the air

[artemis1bitches]

Like he was like:

"Oh wait you are kidnapping me, yay!"

He was so head over heels i love my glorious alcoholic russian furry twink of a king

How Cardan's kidnapping actually went like:

Jude: come with me

Cardan: okay 😀

[grendel-menz]

i just want to know the eva madoc justin drama. is that so wrong.

[thejudeduarte]

Cardan hiding away when he was younger, telling himself that the reason he's not being found is just because he's such a good hider when in reality it's because no one truly loves and cares for him. Him also getting lost during the coronation as his family didn't care that he wasn't on the dias.

But then there's Jude who finds him almost instantly without having any idea on where he could be, once out of pure luck OH MY GOD they're made for each other.

[sealinredshoes]

let's talk about names in The Folk of The Air

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.

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.

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.

[six-of-hoesss]

I love how people talk about Cardan on this website because on tiktok everyone’s like “controlling dom king 😏” and here we’re like, yes that is my favourite alcoholic Russian furry twink 🥰🥰🥰

[thejudeduarte]

@viivdle

Hear me out, Jameson Hawthorne actually parallels Cardan Greenbriar SO much and-

[deathsweetblossoms]

Cardan, Locke, Nicasia, and Valerian by Frostbite Studios (from the Folk of the Air by Holly Black)

[avendell]

Jude and Cardan 🥀

[florsdelluna]

Golden hour ✨🧡🍂🧚 #jurdan

[rosiethorns88]

Dropping a very special Sketch-a-wish, voted on by my lovely Patreon members for August! The winning request was to illustrate an off-page scene from The Folk of the Air series, when Cardan was writing his letters to Jude. I countered that Cardan went through the five stages of grief writing those letters, and each deserved it's own illustration. (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance) You'll also notice some familiar outfits throughout! Have a great weekend. :)

[roslynn777]

cardan and jude ♔

idk if i like this but whatever

this will also be available to buy on my inprnt so stay tuned 🫶🏻

(based on dolce&gabbana 2006 fall/winter collection cover by Steven Meisel)

characters by Holly Black

[xcruelprincessx]

I feel like the fandom really mischaracterizes Cardan sometimes, and it’s honestly frustrating. People love to paint him as weak, dumb, or completely reliant on Jude, and it’s just… not true.

First of all, Cardan isn’t weak. The man survived an absolutely hellish upbringing—abuse from his family, neglect, and being treated like he was nothing—and still came out on top. He may not be a sword-swinging warrior like Jude, but he’s got his own kind of strength. He’s clever, manipulative when he needs to be, and knows how to play the long game. Jude might be the strategist, but Cardan is the one who can pull people to his side with words alone.

And let’s talk about this ridiculous idea that “Cardan probably wouldn’t be able to pick up Jude.” I saw someone saying that under a fanart of Cardan carrying Jude. Like, have you read the books? He’s described as tall, lean, and fit. Just because he’s not a muscle-bound tank doesn’t mean he’s not strong. The man is Faerie, which means his physical abilities are likely leagues above a mortal anyway. Not to mention, we’ve seen him hold his own in fights when it comes down to it (he killed half an army)

Here are some paragraphs where he does in fact pick up Jude.

What bothers me the most is how some people ignore the layers to his character. He’s not dumb or helpless—he’s strategic and emotionally intelligent in ways that complement Jude’s tactical mind. He might not plan ambushes or train for battle, but he reads people better than almost anyone.

Honestly, the whole “Cardan is weak and silly” take feels like such a disservice to his character. He’s a survivor and a very complex character, a king who learned to wield his power in his own way, and yes, I fully believe he could (and would) sweep Jude off her feet—literally and metaphorically.

[grendel-menz]

come be just a wild rabid animal with me random girl let's eat your mom

[baaozher]

omg tumblr im so sorry i forgot i had this app again... anyways more jurdan 🙂‍↕️

[queenofheartsdeservedbetter]

"How do you read so many books??" I am simply trying to avoid reality, what are you doing