Fairytale Tarot (MRP) -- The Moon

Master_Margarita

The Moon is illustrated in this deck, somewhat quixotically, by the Grimm fairy tale of The Water Nixy, a detailed version of which can be found here.* The image on the Moon card is one of the deck's most compelling--all pale, watery blues except for the wooden spinning wheel.

The water nixy is certainly a creepy character. She drives a wicked bargain with the old miller, who foolishly tries to evade it. His son pays the price, but his clever wife, who might be a bit of a witch in her own right, wins his freedom with the help of a kindly old witch (also a stock figure in fairytales). But the story doesn't end there! The young miller and his wife end up in a strange land herding sheep and unable to recognize one another (still a trace of evil enchantment there) and the spell is only broken when the young miller plays his flute and his wife remembers playing the flute by the millpond.

This tale certainly portrays long enchantment, and the image of the partially submerged body of the miller is certainly haunting. The companion also points out nicely that there is more than a hint of Maiden, Mother, Crone in the triad of nixy, miller's wife, and old witch. When this card emerges in a reading the uncanny is on the move.

:heart: M_M~

*(I personally don't see the moon as the critical component in this story and might have chosen another tale for this card, but no matter.)