Elements of Domythicity - Mystery

This morning I was, as I have been often lately, thinking back to a little over a week ago when I was still in the magical world known as Faeriecon.  In several instances when I have been asked by strangers to describe the event, I have explained how the Marriott building itself is such a wonderful element in the celebration.  The Hunt Valley Inn is a fascinatingly labyrinthian hotel building, with half levels, twisting corridors, and random doors leading out to courtyards and small outdoor spaces.  In front of the building is a beautiful oak tree the Green Men at the event hold dear and make a part of their ceremonies.  But it is this maze-like quality of the hotel that gives it a large part of its charm...it is so easy to lose one's way, to go down the wrong path, and yet somehow it's also so easy to find one's way back to where you meant to go.

Thinking about this aspect of the hotel and how it enhances the whole experience of enchantment at Faeriecon, I realized that if put into a single word describing a necessary (or at least quite helpful) aspect of Domythicity, the word would be Mystery.

Like the words "Romance" or "Beauty," the word "Mystery" has lost much of its dimensionality and multi-faceted quality in modern society.  We think of Romance as love between two individuals rather than a whole concept of living with the intention of beauty.  We think of Beauty as a pleasing physical appearance of an individual rather than an energy inherent in something that makes one's soul sing.  And we think of Mystery as a genre of fiction starring Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot instead of the enticement of living in a state of the unknown. 

I thought about a few of the decorating styles and common features I appreciate in a home and consider Domythic.  And I realized that my love for curated spaces full of antiques and family heirlooms, slightly cluttered but in an intentional and thought-out way, in part stems from the fact that those spaces contain Mystery.  When you walk into a room, are there elements in the room that make you want to look closer?  Are there objects that you want to ask the home owner about?  (What is this?  What is the story behind it?)  Are there objects half hidden under others, tucked behind, peeking out at you and inviting you to ask about their tales? 

Of course some homes have blatant mystery involved in their very features: old houses with tiny doors or back stairs that are hardly ever used anymore.  New build homes in which the owners requested secret passages be built into the specifications.  But, like the best aspects of Domythic decorating, this is an open and broad concept that just about anyone can interpret in a way that can fit their living situation and space. 

One wonderful way to incorporate mystery into decorating is through a Cabinet of Curiosities.

I actually plan to do an entire blog post on Cabinets of Curiosities.  They intrigue and fascinate me, and I love how they pack so much imaginative eye-candy into a small space.  So I'm including only a couple of examples here, but they're good ones:

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This last example is an especially special one.  That's Ignatz Froud on the second shelf up, far left.  This is a Toby and Sarah Froud-ian Cabinet of Curiosities, and therefore a perfect example of Domythic specimens.

The delightful Marita Tathariel recently posted in the Domythic Bliss Facebook group (come join us!) a mysterious addition to her bedroom: battery operated candles attached to fishing line hovering from the ceiling.  It works quite well, I think!

This dining room space in a Carmel cottage I featured before is another great example of Mystery in spaces.  Every time I look at this picture I want to zoom in on all the details, and I wonder "what is that little miniature house on the table?  What are all the plates and cups stacked in the corner in preparation for?

Much of the Mystery in a home comes from its imperfections: the haphazard tossing of one object behind another, the chip on the rim of a teacup displayed prominently. 

One of my personal Domythic heroes is jewelry artist Jen Parrish.  Her home is an incredible living and breathing space full of fascinating objects and enchanting displays.  The sorceress Circe would have a field day looking around at all the magical items in her home.  This photo below is a perfect example to me of creating Mystery in a space.  Where did she get the mirror with the Green Man on the bottom, and what could it be used for if the sorceress lived here?  What stories could all of those books tell?  What is in the bottle?  What artworks are hidden behind the lamp and the box? 

Here's another example of a spot in her home.  (And her adorable cat Galatea not entirely enjoying her music)  Jen isn't afraid to tuck art into unexpected places, or to half hide objects or use fabrics in ways that are unexpected.  The result is full of Mystery, and definitely full of wonder.

Mystery can mean hiding a secret area behind drapes or curtains, creating a little hidden getaway in a larger room.

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Or sometimes it can mean hiding something in places most people won't see.  For example, Terri Windling drew one of her signature Rabbit Girls on the wall of Bumble Hill when it was being worked on, fully knowing that the fey creature would be painted over.  She would, however, still exist behind the paint, watching over the home.  Terri also will cover walls and furniture in hand-written favorite quotes, sometimes tucking them underneath framed artworks hanging on the walls.  Mystery in a home can still influence the environment even when no one knows it is there but you.

All good stories contain an aspect of Mystery, whether it be a major plot twist revealed at the end, or the simple mystery inherent in following a tale from beginning to end.  Our lives are a labyrinth in which we constantly move forward, sometimes by twisting around back the way we came, but always circling to the center.  Shouldn't we also surround ourselves with this Mystery in our daily living spaces as well, a reminder of our path?

Camelot's Great Hall and Great Sets

Camelot the television series was a short-lived program that ran for only a season.  Sadly I personally think that part of the reason for its demise was the miscasting of the lead role of Arthur.  Several of the roles were extremely well cast (Eva Green, Joseph Fiennes, Claire Forlani) and the actor who played Arthur just couldn't keep up.  But I digress.  One thing the show did get right was the set and costumes.  Eva Green delighted in drool-worthy ensembles.

But the star of the show, at least to me, was Camelot...all of it, but specifically the Great Hall.

In this version of the story, Camelot was not built, but re-built from old ruins.  Therefore when Merlin first takes Arthur to his castle, it is wild and abandoned and overrun with nature.

Sounds pretty Domythic already, right?

(all images are much larger if clicked)

It's only a model.  (I had to say it)

The castle ruins with trees growing through the floor.  Yes please.

A hole in the Great Hall roof.  I don't think they ever quite show that this was repaired, but one would assume so.

Wild nature everywhere.

Arthur's followers come to swear alliegance.

What a gorgeous (and entirely CGI) view.

The upstairs halls overlooking the Great Hall are hard to navigate from vines and leaves.

What I absolutely love about this show, however, is that they don't completely strip away nature once the castle becomes a real thriving community.  It still is present in the vine-covered walls and occasional tree growing inside.  It is simply restrained a little to make room for the people also living within the walls.

The same hall later on in the series.

Looking down from the upper gallery.

The motivation of a wedding inspires Igraine to decorate the Great Hall

Trestle tables are put up and groaning with fresh flowers and food.

The centerpiece is this organic garland and dried floral arrangement.

Each of the doorways are strewn with flower garland.

This really makes me want to make tons of garland this Christmas.

Banners are hung from the greenery on the walls.

Do you think they would notice if I stole the chairs?  The garland?  The walls?  Okay everything?

The private spaces in the castle become much more stunning as well.  Igraine's chambers are incredible.

Merlin's rooms are perfectly befitting a studious wizard.

And Guinevere and Lancelot's room is light, airy, and lovely.

Morgaine has her own castle, with much more jewel-toned and sumptuous decoration, but despite my love of deep colors, I still prefer the organic Camelot.

My Mythic Heart

Left to right... author Tiffany Trent. Author Claire Suzanne Elizabeth Cooney. Musician and performer SJ Tucker. Author Annette Curtis Klause. Author, artist, editor Terri Windling-Gayton. Author Delia Sherman (kneeling) Author Ellen Kushner. Me! Magic maker and craftsperson David Shane Odom (kneeling). Artist Kinuko Craft. Magic maker and craftsperson Leah Odom

Once upon a time, I fell in love with the Mythic Arts.

Ours was a relationship that built up over time.  We started out as friends.  I knew I had a fondness for fairy tales from childhood, and flirted with modern interpretations in my teen years in the form of Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow's Snow White, Blood Red anthology series.  I listened without end to the music of Loreena McKennitt, and pored over the images of the Pre-Raphaelites.  In my college years, I discovered through the suggestions of a friend the works of Charles de Lint and Steeleye Span, and I felt my passions deepen.  When the internet was still young, I discovered the Endicott Journal of Mythic Arts.  I wrote college papers defending the eponymous lady of "La Belle Dame Sans Merci."  And then I realized that all of these disparate elements I so adored had a common thread and a common community.  I discovered that I was not alone in my love for the enchantment and imagination that flowed through all of these media.  By the time I returned to college in 2005 to finish school, I was prepared with an answer to the question "what do you want to be when you grow up?"  My answer, whether the querent understood it or not, was "Terri Windling."

Yep, her!

The vague properties of my quest were clear to me.  I knew what the prize was for which I yearned.  I just didn't know how to start the path to get there.  And so the dream stayed a dream, a vague resolution of "someday."

Until one day I joined Facebook and started getting to know the people who so inspired my entire world view as people instead of icons.  And one day I posted on Facebook how much I wished someone would make a book about decorating one's house and surrounding oneself with objects that are infused with fairy tale, myth, and story.  And the response was: then do it.

Theodora Goss wrote me and encouraged me to start this blog.  Bryony Whistlecraft suggested the word Domythic to describe the style.  And so I started this blog as a companion and sister site to my already existing blog about Pre-Raphaelites, The Beautiful Necessity.

Once upon a time, I discovered that the point isn't to wait until the right weapon to fulfill your quest falls into your hands.  The point is to use the tools you have now.  Dorothy just had to wish and click her heels and she returned home: she had the magic shoes the whole time.  September used her mother's wrench to save Fairyland instead of a sword.  The point is not to wait.  The point is to just begin.

September, by Ana Juan, from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

This past weekend, I attended Faeriecon, and attended numerous incredibly inspiring panels on subjects related to living a (do)mythic life*.  In one panel, Delia Sherman told us, with a deep-felt sincerity in her voice, that the person who paints her home, who cooks her meal, who writes a story...all are equal partners in creativity in their own areas.  As long as we live with intention, with the desire for magic and wonder flowing through all we do, so many things become acts of art and creation.

Robert Gould, Terri Windling, Shane Odom, Delia Sherman, Ellen Kushner, and Eric Pope on the panel for "The Mythic Life."

Unfortunately, another thing that was discussed this weekend is how very difficult it is to be accepted anymore as part of the established large-press publishing field, or to make one's living off of one's art.  There are so many incredibly talented people out there struggling to make ends meet.  It seems entirely unjust that people capable of gifting such incredible beauty to the world should have to work so hard to keep food on the table.  And hearing about how difficult a world it is right now just cemented my desire to do everything I can to help.

Myself, Ellen Kushner, and Delia Sherman

You see, reader, I am still working on discovering my own voice, my own creative vision and style.  But that doesn't mean I can't contribute to the tapestry that is the Mythic Arts.  At this phase of my life I want, more than anything, to promote the works of those who have learned how to tell their own stories, through art, through writing, through song, and yes, through the way they decorate their homes.

I will be working on solidifying my goals toward this end.  For one thing, I will be joining Twitter and trying to establish a stronger presence on several social media sites.  But I am also in the beginning phases of working on possibly creating a new website: a hub from which I can share my blog posts here, on The Beautiful Necessity, reviews of new and old Mythic books, announcements of new and upcoming creations in the Mythic Arts...a central location for everything I love and that I hope you love too.  

And someday, maybe, I'll learn how to tell my own stories as well.



*I got a special tickle at a panel on Mythic Living to hear Terri Windling and Delia Sherman both use the term 'domythic.' 

Faeriecon and a Faerie Special Announcement

Well it's less than a week till Faeriecon, and I can't wait!  The guest list this year includes Terri Windling, Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman, Kinuko Craft and many more.  And I have exciting news...I am going to be a panelist on a couple of panels at the convention.  On Friday at 4:30, I'll be talking on a panel about Mermaids with Kim Cross of Faerie Magazine, Mythopoeic Fantasy Award-winning author Delia Sherman, Carolyn Turgeon who wrote Mermaid among other novels, and Mermaid Melissa.  Sunday I am set to be on a panel about Fae Fashion with Delia Sherman and other Faeriecon vendors at 1pm.  

I've only ever actually made it to two Faeriecons before now, but every year I'm away, I have a twinge of longing to be there.  Here's a little walk down memory lane.

My dear friend Lindsey Hooten and I dressed as Plague Faeries for the Bad Faeries Ball 2009

Magical twinkling lights at one of the balls, 2009

 

Toby Froud with the incomparable Ignatz trying on a mask from Mythical Masks from Misc. Oddments

RenaeTaylor's booth in Philadelphia the first year of the convention, 2007

The ever luminous Wendy Froud wearing a beautiful Parrish Relic, 2007

A sketch drawn for me in the front of my copy of Kinuko Craft's book, 2007.

So yes, Domythic Bliss and The Beautiful Necessity blogger Grace Nuth (me!) will be at Faeriecon this upcoming weekend, happy to chat and meet and reunite with kindred magical spirits. 

And also to make an announcement.

Kim Cross, editor of Faerie Magazine, contacted me a little while ago and asked if I would be interested in helping out with the magazine as a contributing editor.  I gave her an enthusiastic affirmative.  We are working on the last finishing touches to put together issue 24, and I'm very excited with the content and the enchantment therein.  

So if you see me at Faeriecon, say hi!  I may blush madly or stumble over my words (I tend to communicate way better online...hence why I am a blogger!) but I'll be thrilled you said hello!  Look for me in the following ensembles for

           Good Faeries Ball                          Bad Faeries Ball

 And stay tuned to the blog even if you can't make it to Faeriecon for my follow-up posts!  
 

Harry Potter Halloween Party to Rule Them All

This. Is. Amazing.  (and yes, I DID combine two genres in this post title.  Impressed?)

A Harry Potter - theme Halloween party that wins everything.  Sophisticated yet whimsical, creative to the n-th degree. 

Part 1

Part 2

The awesomeness started with the invitations.  The second line reads "The Apartment at the Top of the Stairs."  Brilliant.

Note the Lily and James Potter headstone at Godric's Hollow.
 

Ceiling candles!!