FAIRYTALE

eros & psyche 💙🩷

elain archeron: psychē - soul

"In a distant kingdom, a mortal princess named Psyche was born with such surpassing beauty that people began neglecting the temples of Venus in her honor. Enraged by this rival, the goddess Venus sent her son Eros (Cupid) to punish the girl by causing her to fall in love with a base and wretched creature. However, upon seeing Psyche, Eros accidentally pricked himself with his own arrow and instantly fell in love with her."

azriel shadowsinger: eros - desirous love

"Disobeying his mother, Eros secretly arranged for Psyche to be taken by the wind god Zephyr to a magnificent, hidden palace. There, he visited her each night in darkness, warning her never to attempt to see his face. Though Psyche was content, her jealous sisters incited doubt, claiming her lover must be a monster. One night, Psyche lit a lamp to gaze upon him and discovered not a beast but the god of love himself. A drop of hot oil from her lamp woke Eros, who, feeling betrayed, fled immediately."

"Overcome with grief, Psyche wandered the earth in search of her lost lover. Eventually, she reached Venus herself and begged for aid. Venus, still furious, subjected Psyche to four near-impossible tasks: separating grains, collecting golden fleece, drawing water from a sacred spring, and retrieving a portion of Proserpina’s beauty from the underworld. With divine and natural assistance, Psyche completed each task. However, on her final journey, she opened the box out of vanity and fell into a death-like sleep."

As I was going through some passages in the book, I came across the above quote about Lucien’s thoughts towards Elain, his mate… And I couldn’t help but notice some parallels to Azriel’s thoughts towards Elain in his bonus chapter. Maybe it’s nothing… Or maybe it adds onto the second mate theory…

Touch her

He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her. Letting his scarred fingerstouch her immaculate skin. Letting them brush the side of her throat, savoring the velvet-soft texture. Elain shivered, and he took a damn long time fastening the clasp.

Smell her

Her arousal drifted up to him, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweet scent. He’d beg on his knees for a chance to taste it.

Taste her

In Celtic mythology, Nuala is the name of a fairy queen who embodies grace and enchantment. This association with the fairy queen adds an ethereal quality to the name. It evokes a sense of magic and wonder, reflecting the belief in ancient folklore and the enduring ties between the natural and supernatural realms.

The etymology of Nuala can be traced back to the Old Irish name “Fionnghuala,” which combines “fionn,” meaning “fair” or “white,” and “guala,” meaning “shoulder.”

In modern Irish storytelling, Nuala means “born of the sea”.

Cerridwen is a Welsh feminine name with roots in Celtic mythology. Its origins can be traced back to the Welsh words “cerridd” meaning “cauldron” and “gwen” meaning “white” or “fair.” Together, these words form the meaning “white cauldron” or “fair cauldron.”

The name Cerridwen is closely associated with the eponymous figure from Welsh mythology. Cerridwen was a renowned enchantress and a symbol of the Mother Goddess in ancient Celtic culture. She was revered for her wisdom, magic, and her ability to transform herself and others. The legend of Cerridwen is recorded in the Mabinogion, a collection of medieval Welsh tales from the 12th and 13th centuries.

"Wraiths are nothing but shadow and mist." A Court of Wings and Ruin

Elain Archeron - an ethereal moodboard

"𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻–𝗘𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗼𝗼. 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝘀𝗵𝗲’𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘇𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁." 

𝗜 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁–𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

༻𖤓༺

⁣⁣⁣⤞ art by guine_evere

⤞ commissioned by me

One of my favorite recurring moments in the ACOTAR series is how tuned Feyre is into Elain and Azriel. Whether it’s painting a scene of them in her mind or recognizing how well they complement each other, she continously wonders about them, and I can't help but do the same.  

In Silver Flames we have Nesta catching onto how Azriel is feeling towards Elain. Yet another sister connects the two...perhaps leading us to do the same.

It all begs the question that fascinates me most: Do we follow an arguably unwelcome expectant fate, or do we dare defy it? 

༻𖤓༺

Instagram | Twitter | @elriel-month 

ACOSF, Bonus Chapter

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So… they do have a spark? 🥴