For once in my deckbuilding "career", I did not need to take flavour into account as much as the rest of my decks. Throne of Eldraine was so full of flavour, that I had the opportunity to focus mostly on power. In some cases, the additions I made are obvious: Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After, Once and Future (as King Arthur was called the Once and Future King), Into the Story and True Love's Kiss.
Arguably, Kenrith represents King Arthur himself. A deck with Arthur as Commander cannot be played without Merlin, hence the inculsion of Gadwick, the Wizened. In addition to using the original legends and fairytales, I use my favourite adaptations. One of them is the red and white dragons: whether you know the legend written by Gildas or Geoffrey of Monmouth, it is essentially the same. King Vortigern wanted to build a new castle, but it kept being demolished by unknown forces. His advisors suggested sacrificing a "fatherless boy" in order to break the curse. Ambrosius, or Merlin, when he was brought before the king, informed the court of two warring dragons that lurked beneath, one red and one white. BBC Merlin adapted these dragons into Kilgharrah and Aithusa - hence I chose Drakuseth, Maw of Flames and the Eternal Dragon to represent them. Not only because of their colour, but also because they have a similar physique. Loyal Unicorn is a reference to the episode "The Labyrinth of Gedref".
The Questing Beast is a reference to the bad omen in the original legend and the creature in the last episode of BBC Merlin season 1. Mystic Sanctuary refers clearly to the original Avalon in addition to the adapted Avalon.
Emry, Lurker of the Loch is a clear adaptation of Nimueh, the original Lady of the Lake, and Freya (BBC Merlin). Trapped in the Tower - not only is this included to represent Rapunzel but it is also a reference to the Lady of Shalot. As for Syr Konrad, the Grim, I thought he may be the Black Knight, Tristan de Bois, Agravaine (BBC Merlin) or perhaps Mordred.
Foreboding Fruit has many different meanings. Many fairytales warn of forbidden fruit but eating Otherworld and Underworld fruit is absolutely forbidden as long as you wish to leave. Frogify is a adaptation of the story of thr Frog Prince. Queen of Ice is adapted from the original Scandanavian fairy tale as well as the most recent adaptation, Elsa. Piper of the Swarm refers to the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Mystical Dispute could be argued to be the differing ideologies of Morgana and Merlin. Outlaws' Merriment is my reference to the legend of Robin Hood and his merry men. Bake into a Pie is flavourful removal but also refers to the witch who cooks children alive. Flaxen Intruder is simply Goldilocks as "flaxen" refers to her golden curls and she did technically break into the bears' house. Blow Your House Down is the Three Little Pigs' encounter with the Big Bad Wolf. Rubinia is my reference to Rumpelstiltskin. Kwain is the bunny from Alice in Wonderland.
Sleeping Beauty is adapted in Ancestral Blade (Prince Philip's Sword of Truth), the Spinning Wheel (where Aurora pricks her finger), Charmed Sleep (where instead of dying, Aurora falls into a 100 year sleep) and Epic Downfall (referring to Phlip taking down Maleficent). Oko, the Trickster could be an adaptation of the original Sleeping beauty story: the Evil Fairy. Instead of making the fairy female, instead he is now male. Oko could also be the Dark Fairy referred to by Claim the Firstborn; the Dark Fairy stole first born children from their families to raise herself. However the card could also refer to the evil witch in the Rapunzel story; Rapunzel's family was starving so the father stole a lettuce from the witch's garden. The witch caught him and made him promise to give their first born child to her.
Now, the Lovestruck Beast is definitely Prince Adam in the Beauty and the Beast but he and Korvold, Fae-Cursed King are both Royalty cursed by the Otherworld. Prince Adam may have also been cursed by his own fairy godmother. The Little Red Riding Hood story is also represented by Rowan, Fearless Sparkmage and Garruk, Cursed Huntsman. Speaking of the Huntsman, Snow White gets a mention. Taste of Death is the poisoned apple, Forever Young refers to Queen Grimhilde's obsession with youth and beauty, the Glass Casket refers to the resting place the dwarves made for Snow and The Magic Mirror doesn't need to be explained. One could also make a case it could be included as in the original Snow Queen story in form of a demonic mirror, the Beast's magic mirror that could show any person and any place, the Lady of Shalott's mirror that was her window to the outside world, and the mirrors in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel.
The Enchanted Carriage, the Crystal Slipper, the Midnight Clock, Return to Nature and Turn into a Pumpkin are all Cinderella references. Gingerbread Cabin and Witch's Oven relate to Hansel and Gretel. Jack and the Giant Beanstalk are represented by the Gilded Goose, Beanstalk Giant and Tall as a Beanstalk. Finally, the Mabinogion is also referred to, especially Branwen uerch Lyr, by Cauldron's Gift, referring to the fact the Cauldron resurrects the fallen.
I hope you enjoyed looking at the deck and all suggestions are welcomed!
Raven Rose
