Rose of a Raven & Thorn of a Maiden

Afterword

This story was in assignment in my Folklore class, and part of the assignment was to explain what stories I derived my story from, so here it is. I hope you enjoyed the story, and thank you if you decide to read how this story came to be :3c.

In writing my story, I used a main plot structure used in one of the folklore stories. This structure was from Vasilisa the beautiful. Baba Yaga made the young girl do impossible tasks, so she'll get the chance to eat her. In my version, she's not a cannibal, just a neural aligned character who may or may not help you. The main character is not like Vasilisa, as she is not a nice person, but still, she went on to the tasks that seemed difficult for her. I liked the idea that my version of Baba Yaga, she knew to specify that the Raven isn't allowed help, so that what happened in the original story won't happen again. Freya had to work through the impossible to get what she needed. I see a lot of stories with older women characters, not just Baba Yaga. The older woman from The Huntress, and the woman from the Stone Coat Woman were a few that came to mind.

The Raven isn't meant to help her, but he's helping her in a way that isn't obvious, which is supporting her as she goes through the trials. His kindness helps her, so that she's not as frosty, so she can take the trials with a better attitude. I included him, because I enjoyed how in The Halfway People, the two people stood close to one another. It was a one-sided love, but the kindness meant a lot to the man with a wing as an arm, so I reversed the relationship. The Raven is kind while the main character is not.

Another element I included was The Snow Queen. I didn't make it completely obvious, but Freya didn't act like the nicest person in the world to her family, the Raven, or the old woman. As the trials went on and she interacted with Oliver more often, her ice heart began to thaw. Freya didn't act grumpy with everything going on and went along with the trials. As this happened, it became easier and easier to do these trials. Another aspect of the Snow Queen I included was the flowers and plants acted more personified, but in my version, they didn't talk. I wanted them to turn away from Freya to avoid her cold hands, because she had a cold heart. The flowers and other flora didn't want to be frozen, but once her heart thawed, they were more willing to help her.

I mentioned a lot of roses and thorns, as the symbolism was interesting when I looked into it. In Maranda Wabiks article, "Usage of Roses in Fairytales", she talked about the symbolism of these roses. The rose were delicacy, so I thought that the Raven was teaching Freya how to be delicate while the thorns represented Freya as she was a thorny woman before she entered the forest, and strong considering her survival knowledge (I also looked up how to find water in the forest), but just as reason didn't help Kai in The Snow Queen, her knowledge couldn't be the only thing that helped her. It was only when she let her guard down with Oliver that she was able to get through the forest easier.

I also wanted to add symbolism from Irlaland. I used a blog called ConnollyCove under the article name "The Symbols of Ireland and Their Significance" in the Irish Culture Explained to find some to put in this story. The trials included these symbols: the harp, the Green Man, and the offering to the Green Man. The harp was featured in coins, and worship of the gods, but I also saw it as an instrument for expression which required to be in tune with feelings, which Freya had trouble with. Once she managed that, it became easier for her to talk to Oliver after that. He represents resurrection and thought it would be the perfect thing for Freya to give in offering, too. The offering can be given with milk, but it could be given with wine as well, but thinking about having Freya play the harp to some goats to calm them enough to get the milk felt more like a trial.

I used a lot of inspiration to create a story to have someone learn to be a bit kinder, and to show how even when someone can't help, support helps a whole lot, too.