Author Interview: E V Wallace

What effect has folklore had on the way you see the world?

It reminds me that the landscape has a memory, a life and story of its own right that soaks right through to the bedrock of wherever you happen to be.

What stories help you understand your surroundings and inform the way you interact with the world?

They’re quite gruesome, but I’ve always liked the tales of the red caps that haunt the ruins of old castles around the Scottish borders, soaking their caps in the blood of unwary souls that wander into their territories. Leaving aside the echo of the physical dangers that the border landscape presents to those who wander across it without due care, these stories also act as a reminder of the bloody history of the region and a warning to be mindful of those who died in the endless wars and raids when traversing the beautiful landscape.

What political messages from folklore resonate with you?

Those that tell us to be mindful. So many people who end badly in folk stories are those who travel through spaces or situations carelessly, not bothering to notice enough about their surroundings or the people they meet to spot warning signs before it is too late. The need to pay attention and care about the world and people around you, rather than only thinking about your own goals and desires.

Do you see folklore as resistance, and if so, to what?

I’d say to the idea that cruelty and injustice can be perpetrated without consequences so long as the perpetrators are powerful enough to get away with or hide it. The idea that the land or the creatures in it remember and hold the powerful to account is a powerful message of resistance.

What role do folklore and speculative fiction play in our modern world?

It reminds us that we as a society are a part of the world around us and part of its history. Folklore is a great way to push back against this, to tell stories that remind people in the internet age, where two days of travel could potentially see you travelling right around the globe that they ignore the ground beneath their feet at their peril.

Which folkloric character or creature do you hate/ want to punch in the face?

Generally the fairy/ sidhe royalty of whatever stripe.

Do you think of folklore as a thing of fear and warning or of mysticism and magic? Or both?

I’d have to go with both.

What do you hope the readers get from your piece?

That historical scars don’t fade without effort put in to make them right and that if that effort isn’t put in, then sooner or later a price will be exacted.

What are the themes you are exploring?

Memory, human dignity, connection and the cost of disdaining it.

What aspect of the modern world is your piece commenting/reflecting on?

The idea that the technological facade that we surround ourselves with somehow insulates us from the reality of the affects our actions have on others, or that it makes our actions and instincts any different from those that have gone before.

What folklore traditions do you take inspiration from?

The basic, almost childlike ones - the creatures in the woods, Jenny Greenteeth, Red caps even selkies - creatures and characters that are tied to specific places or aspects of the natural world.

Tell us a little bit about yourself as an artist/writer:

I came to writing rather late in life, after having aspirations to get on with it for some time previously. Every since I was a child history and folklore have fascinated me, all the more because I grew up around the neolithic landscape of Wiltshire surrounded by grave mounds and stone circles. As a result ancient times and seemingly unfathomable mysteries about it, along with an awful lot of folklore and story were part of my imaginative landscape growing up and were a natural thing for me to explore when I turned to writing.

If you were a cryptid or folkloric creature, which one would you be and why?

I’m not sure if it counts but I’d be one of the gargoyles on the old churches - seeing everything, protecting everything but never really being noticed after the initial shock of my appearance has worn off.

You’re a forest-dwelling hag and you find an intruder in your garden. What symbolic plant, animal, or object are you turning them into and why?

A thorn bush - to keep others from repeating their offence whilst giving them plenty of time to understand the garden they felt entitled to desecrate.

There’s a mysterious figure that lives near your village. Would you heed the warnings of the elders or venture into the unknown? And what everyday object are you taking with you for protection?

I must admit I would venture in to explore further, I’d take silver

Read E V’s story in our second issue, available via our website www.folkloricmag.com