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Luty remains a prisoner of the sea: he sails on and on until his boat, unprotected now, is dashed to pieces; the sea is once more an alien place, harsh and unforgiving. As he drowns he hears the seamerrow’s harp, but listens in vain for her sweet voice.

Note from Marthuba, The Faerietale Woman:

The character of Luty was inspired by the Lutey of 'WaterSpirits' (Time Life Books); however, similarity stops at their names - and their love of a sea enchantress. Eloise, for her tragic devotion and sweetness, owes more to ‘The Little Mermaid’ of Hans Christian Anderson.

Another inspiration for this tale is Oscar Wilde's fairy tale ‘The Fisherman And His Soul.’

To quote from 'A History of Irish Fairies' by Carolyn White: ‘On the sea she is as wild as she is lovely, but on land she becomes shy and submissive ... she never quite adjusts to land-living.' If one is not careful, a merrow-wife will become homesick and return to her ‘eternal, reckless splendour.’ Would that have been true of Eloise?

The tale of Luty and Eloise, along with other stories by The Faerietale Woman, reached an early form of a book last century with a beautiful mermaid alphabet designed by Dominique Falla. A little tweaking might lift it into our century, if whimsy be wild.

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credits

from The Faerietale Woman by Fionvarra 1990. Free, released October 1, 2021
Composition, Instrumentation & Production: Andrew Persi of Fionvarra, circa 1989-1990
Illustration: detail of the Mermaid Man by Edmund Dulac

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Louisa John-Krol Australia

Louisa is an Australian singer, composer, writer & faery storyteller who has released many albums of ethereal music on indie labels, primarily in France. She's completing a fantasy series, The Elderbrook Chronicles, with a soundtrack.

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