You guys remember, “I have seen the acorn before the oak”, right? When Madoc came to visit Eva in the prologue of The Cruel Prince?
Apparently one method of tricking a changeling child into revealing their identity is to pretend to cook a meal for many people in an eggshell. The changeling, upon seeing this, will, in astonishment, say
Acorn before oak I knew,
An egg before a hen,
But I never heard of an eggshell brew
A dinner for harvest men.
or something along those lines, thus implicating him.
This is from a Celtic fairytale titled Brewery of Eggshells and is from Thomas Crofton Croker’s first volume of Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland which was published in 1825.
I think Holly Black might have seen this Facebook post because it has the EXACT same words in it and was posted in 2012. 6 years before the publication of The Cruel Prince.
Thoughts?
P.S. I don’t think anyone else has interpreted the quote in this way but @rhysiedarling has written a particularly interesting piece where she refers to it as an example of foreshadowing.
OW, I love this quote
he burned with hatred. [...] Hate that was so bright and hot that it was the first thing that truly warmed him. Hate that felt so good that he welcomed being consumed by it.
Not a heart of stone, but a heart of fire.
—Cardan Greenbriar, from How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
сьогодні в мене настрій намалюю кардана, бо я кілька днів тому почала читати the wicked king
What horny are you?
Do you think about her so often, it's disgusting? Or hate every inch of him but still wanna blow him? Or See her in a dress that clung to her body like a second skin and wonder 'why did the universe hate you'? Or hate him because you hate what the sight of him does to you? Or was there a wildness in you, of hope and terror, when he said his mother cannot see you?
the bear / james baldwin / barry jenkins / sam sifton / joan tierney / ella risbridger / joyce carol oates / cesar chavez / ruby tandoh / aimee nezhukumatathil / jenny slate / sue zhao / ron padgett / christopher citro / crystal wilkinson / joy harjo
you see, you must bite your gods. don't get yourself a god you can't bite. maybe some that you shouldn't, yes, but otherwise you ought to have gods you can bite. and bite.
and then you must know what you're biting them for and what you expect.
some gods you bite and they'll bite you back, which is good. some gods you bite and it'll sharpen your teeth, and that is good as well. some gods you bite and you'll devour them instead and that is good, as well, again.
some gods you bite and it's a reward, and some you'll bite as penance, some as communion, some as sex, some as simple curiosity. some you bite and they break your teeth or tame you, and you must ask yourself whether this is what you desire.
but you must bite your gods.
The are the same picture, oww
Okay, was anybody gonna tell me that The Cruel Prince Collector's Edition finally has photos? Or was I just supposed to find that out for myself while disassociating in the middle of my work day?
And YES I do believe that is Jude in the bloody coronation dress Cardan sent her that you are viewing on the end pages right there. :)
nothing brings me more joy than repeatedly doing a bit that my mother dislikes
Вау, яка прегарна Джуд!
"Be welcome on the Isle of Insmire. Seelie and Unseelie, Wild Folk and Shy Folk, I am glad to have you march under my banner, glad of your loyalty, grateful for your honor. To you, I offer honey wine and the hospitality of my table. But to traitors and oath breakers, I offer my queen's hospitality instead. The hospitality of knives."
"Вітаю на острові Інсмайр. Благі та неблагі, Дикий народе й Несміливий Народе, я радий, що ви йдете під моїм знаменом, радий вашій відданості, вдячний за вашу честь. Вам я пропоную медове вино й гостинність свого столу. А зрадникам і кривоприсяжникам натомість пропоную гостинність своєї королеви. Гостинність ножів."