Jo-Anne Blanco7 days ago2 minThe Island of the CatIn The Voyage of Máel Dúin, a tale of an epic sea voyage written in Old Irish ca. 1000 A.D., the hero and his crew alight on an island...
Jo-Anne BlancoMay 112 minKing Arthur and the CatEvidence that cats were a source of fear as well as reverence to the Celts can be found in the Welsh legend of Cath Palug, a monstrous...
Jo-Anne BlancoMay 52 minMorgan le Fay and the CatCath Palug or Kapalu, the giant cat that began its legendary life in early Welsh texts, became, eventually, a friend and ally of Morgan...
Jo-Anne BlancoApr 212 minThe Fairy Cat - Cats in Celtic MythologyThe most infamous black cat of Celtic legend was the Cait-Sidhe (‘The Fairy Cat’ – ‘sidhe’, pronounced ‘Shee’, meaning ‘fairy’),...
Jo-Anne BlancoApr 61 minCats and WitchcraftCats were (and still are) seen as the most common familiar to witches, which older women practicing medicinal and healing crafts were...
Jo-Anne BlancoMar 302 minCats in Celtic and Arthurian LegendHow much do we adore our feline friends? I couldn’t be without our two beloved rescue cats who have been with us now for almost two and a...
Jo-Anne BlancoJan 122 minDefaming MorganWhy was it deemed necessary – and why is it still deemed necessary – to demote, defame and demonise the all-powerful, magic-wielding...
Jo-Anne BlancoJan 52 minMorgan as Queen of Avalon: Ruler in Her Own RightThe earliest portrayals of Morgan le Fay depict her as the ruler of a magical island, known as the Avalon, the Island of Apples. Here the...
Jo-Anne BlancoDec 26, 20212 minHappy Holidays!Traditionally, the Celts did not celebrate the winter or summer solstices. Their religion focused on the central days of each season,...
Jo-Anne BlancoDec 16, 20211 minMorgan le Fay as LeaderPowerful sorceress. Wicked witch. Benevolent enchantress. Evil crone. Immortal goddess. Demonic villain. Feminist icon. High Priestess....
Jo-Anne BlancoNov 29, 20215 minIntroduction to the Fata Morgana SeriesI first encountered Morgan le Fay when I was 18. During my first year at university, a friend lent me her edition of The Mists of Avalon....
Jo-Anne BlancoNov 11, 20211 minThe adult characters in my dream cast of Fata MorganaGorlois, Duke of Belerion, Morgan’s father – Kevin McKidd Igraine, Duchess of Belerion, Morgan’s mother – Romola Garai Sebile, Morgan’s...
Jo-Anne BlancoOct 21, 20211 minMy ideal Fata Morgana Casta huge film buff (I did a postgraduate Master of Philosophy in Film Studies), and I love to image who I would cast as the characters in...
Jo-Anne BlancoOct 14, 20215 min#Folklore Thursday Igraine Part IIIIThe beginning of the second novel of Stewart’s Merlin trilogy, The Hollow Hills, has a pregnant Ygraine, now Queen and married to Uther,...
Jo-Anne BlancoOct 5, 20214 minFolklore Thursday Igraine Part IIIWolfram von Eschenbach’s 13th century Parzival and Heinrich von dem Türlim’s Diu Krône (‘The Crown’) both tell similar stories and with...
Jo-Anne BlancoSep 30, 20213 minFolklore Thursday - Igraine part IICONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST: Uther persuades the wizard Merlin to cast a spell to make him look like Gorlois. He enters Tintagel...
Jo-Anne BlancoSep 23, 20212 minFolklore Thursday: Igraine in legend and literatureAs the mother of Morgan le Fay and Arthur, Igraine is a crucial figure in Arthurian legend, but it is important to remember that she is a...
Jo-Anne BlancoSep 16, 20213 minMy Writing ProcessJo-Anne Blanco writes about her writing process in creating her Fata Morgana series
Jo-Anne BlancoSep 9, 20212 minCaelia, Queen of the MuryansFollowing on from my blog post about the Muryans I have done some research into Caelia, Queen of the Muryans. In the Fata Morgana Series,...
Jo-Anne BlancoSep 3, 20211 minOn Writing . . .This week I thought I'd answer a couple of questions I seem to get asked a fair amount as an author. 1 - How do I overcome writer's...