Folklore Used in Ancient Magus' Bride

A lot of elements from Ancient Magus' Bride can be connected to celtic and other mythology. And so we wanted to discuss how Ancient Magus' Bride uses mythology to populate its world with magic.

Sleigh Beggy

Not always spelled like this, Sleigh Beggys are actually a type of Fae in the mythology of the Isle of Man. However, in Ancient Magus' Bride, Chise, who is considered the rare Sleigh Beggy, is a human, or at least a subtype of human, who can use magic and attracts various supernatural creatures. Her body is not really made for the amount of magic that passes through it, though; in the first season, it is clearly stated that she has a maximum of three years to live because of that strain. It is obvious that in this case, Ancient Magus' Bride just uses a term from mythology and turns it into something new.

Church Grim

Just like any mage, and especially as a Sleigh Beggy, Chise needs a familiar, who will help her with magic and end up tied to her with its life. While most people imagine cats when they think about familiars, Chise gets herself a dog, or, rather, a Church Grim. It is a special spirit in English and Scandinavian folklore that generally exists to protect a churchyard. It is always looking out for sacrilege, and it is absolutely capable of dealing out punishment.

In this case, Ancient Magus' Bride takes an existing myth and uses it in general strokes, without paying much attention to how many times Grim calls out before attacking, for example. Chise also names the Grim she got; she calls him Ruth, which might be a reference to an old English root that preserved itself in the word ruthless. The name Ruth is probably meant to imply the Grim's benevolent nature.

Fae King and Queen

The world of Ancient Magus' Bride has a lot of different Faes, and that includes the King and Queen of those. The king, Oberon, and queen, Titania, are best known from A Midsummer Night's Dream, but their names appeared earlier (for example, Titania's name comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses). In A Midsummer Night's Dream, the relationship of the King and Queen is similar to that in the Ancient Magus' Bride; they seem to have disagreements, but in the end, they love each other.

They offer a little comedic relief in Ancient Magus' Bride, but Oberon also helps Chise with magic, and the King and Queen invite Chise and Elias to visit. The latter is not that nice of them because remaining in the Faerie land for too long is dangerous as the time passes differently in the two worlds. And also there is a possibility that eating something while guesting with the Fae King and Queen might prevent you from leaving, ever. Fae are strange creatures in Celtic mythology.

Spriggan

A creature from Cornish mythology, Spriggan is an old man, who is often rather ugly and guards treasure. They are supposed to have immense strength since they are ghosts of giants. In Ancient Magus' Bride, there is a Spriggan, who is quite cute, although he is grim enough not to appreciate a compliment. He accompanies the Fae Queen on her trip to Chise, and he also cares about Silky living in the house of Chise and Elias, who he helped to transform. He is grim and serious, but he seems to be a power for good.

Brownies and Other Creatures

There are a lot of all kinds of Fae and spirit creatures in the world of Ancient Magus' Bride. Some just exist in the world, some are within the Fairie kingdom, and some are brownies, who according to Scottish mythology live with humans and provide small help with household chores. This is an umbrella term; it includes, for example, Silkies, who wear gray silk and help with household chores, and Hobs, who are hearth spirits. Some of them help with farm chores, and most are bound to a house rather than a family.

In Ancient Magus' Bride, there is one Slikie, although she is called Silky, and she does not wear gray; she prefers pink. She also used to be a Banshee, which is another type of Fae, one that heralds death. She was transformed into a Brownie with the help of Spriggan.

Chise also meets leannán sídhe, which is a creature from Irish folklore that drinks the blood of a man in exchange for inspiration. There might be male leannán sídhe as well, but Chise meets only a female one, even though she does not really help the man she seems to like.

Summary

In summary, Ancient Magus' Bride pulls quite a lot from various mythologies, and it is a lot of fun to see what was preserved and what was changed. There are some elements that are lifted straight from the myths, while others are altered, and some Shakespeare writing is also thrown in. It is very interesting to watch the world of Ancient Magus' Bride grow from these seeds of mythos.