Have You Ever Found a Four-Leaf Clover?
Exploring folklore related to a four-leaf clover, plus updates.
Hello!
I’m composing this letter to you on a rainy day here in California. Part of me loves how green the hills are—I’m enjoying the views on my walks. But part of me yearns for a few more sunny days…
Writing Update
I recently finished revising a short story, which is a retelling of a faerie folklore tale from the west of England. I have really enjoyed writing and revising it—I have learned a lot about the craft of writing fiction from working on it. Now I’m excited to prepare the story for submission to literary magazines. I also squeezed in some writing time on my novel. I should be able to focus more on the novel once the short story is sent out.
Exploring Folklore: Four-Leaf Clover
Central to the plot of the short story I’ve been working on is a four-leaf clover found by the main character after searching through a clover patch. I can remember sitting in the grass as a child, sifting through clover leaves and blossoms, hunting for the magical four-leaf clover with which I could make a wish. Yet, through my research for the story, I’ve learned that granting wishes is a secondary use of a four-leaf clover.
The folklorist Katharine Briggs explains in her reference work, An Encyclopedia of Fairies, that the primary purpose of a four-leaf clover is to enable the person carrying it to see through glamour (a faerie enchantment that manipulates how things are seen or not seen in whatever manner the faerie desires). In this way, the four-leaf clover acts as a protection against faeries. But often this is only a perceived protection. Breaking a glamour spell cast by a faerie and revealing what the faerie is trying to hide may result in a consequence imposed by the faerie on the person who broke the spell.
Newsletter Update
I have decided to switch to a new email service provider, so you may notice that this letter looks a little different than previous ones you’ve received. This new email service allows readers more options to access the newsletter and communicate with me and with each other. You’ll still receive my emails in your inbox, but if you want, you will be able to read current and past newsletters here. You can always reply directly to my emails, or you can click on the like and comment buttons, which will allow you to interact with my newsletter in a community-oriented way.
As ever, thank you for subscribing and reading.
All the best,
Steph
PS: Are you on Instagram? If so, you can find me there, too. @steph.rae.moran