The Awakening

In The Awakening, Roberts draws on Irish mythology as well as contemporary trends in paranormal fiction to create its setting and the history of Talamh. The word talamh in the Irish language, also called Gaelic, refers to earth, ground, land, or soil. The realm of Talamh in the novel is modeled on Ireland but is a different version, formed when its citizens decided to break away from an earth world where Western civilization persecuted and tortured witches and regarded supernatural beings as demons.

Talamh formed before the invention of the steam engine, electricity, or gas-powered engine; its inhabitants do not have machines, electric power, or automobiles. Instead, people ride horses or fly with their wings, use candles for light, cook over open flame, and till fields with an iron plow. Technological devices like Bree’s laptop do not work in Talamh (even with battery power), but the Talamhish can charm objects or influence elements, as is the case with the bottomless pitcher of hot water Breen uses for her bath or the quill Marg gives Breen that can transfer her thoughts to paper.

Elements used in magickal practices, like stones, crystals, and runes, function in Talamh according to traditions developed by Earth practitioners, and herbs carry properties assigned to them by similar traditions. Rosemary, for instance, has long been thought to ward off evil spirits, which is why Breen puts a sprig under her pillow to prevent bad dreams. Breen learns from Marg that most magickal practices are a combination of significant elements mixed with the proper words and intention. Additionally, some Talamhish have supernatural powers. Keegan can conjure or vanish objects, and he teaches Breen how to fetch her own glass of water when she’s thirsty. Talamhish can also create light and flame with their will, a trick every child knows, or so Morena tells Breen.

Dragons live in Talamh, and so do merfolk, trolls, and elves. There is a distinction between the Sidhe (pronounced SHEE), who have wings, and the Fey. In common usage, both words refer to fairies, but the prevailing trend in paranormal fiction is to regard them as distinct creatures. Roberts also follows the trend of using the archaic spellings of Fey, faery, and magick to separate these terms from the more frequently denigrated terms of fairy and magic. Magick, a term originated by English occultist Aleister Crowley, describes supernatural practices intended for the beneficent purposes of healing, protection, or nourishment, as opposed to witchcraft, which can refer to practices that impose one’s will for selfish or harmful purposes. Faery or fey, an early modern spelling of the word fairy, is used in paranormal fiction to suggest a more serious or legitimate aspect to these beings’ supernatural powers, as opposed to depictions of tiny, adorable, winged folk who dance on flowers. Keegan makes a joke at one point in the novel that pixies, who are small and winged, do bear a resemblance to Tinker Bell from Peter Pan.

The novel includes Irish legends and Gaelic terms. Irish legend lies behind Talamh’s Lake of Truth, in which the future Taoiseach finds the sword Cosantoir. Taoiseach, a Gaelic word meaning leader or chief, is the title for the prime minister of Ireland. Cosantoir in Gaelic means protector. Keegan tells Breen the lake was formed by the tears of Finnguala, a goddess who, in the Irish legend “The Children of Lir,” was transformed into a swan by her stepmother. Lir (or Llyr) is one of the Tuatha Dé Danann, descendants of the goddess Danu, a group of wise and powerful beings who populated Ireland in its earliest times. The mythological cycle of stories concerning the Tuatha Dé Danann tell of four treasures, one of which is a sword of light.

The motif of the swan maiden appears in several strands of European folklore, as does the magical sword gifted by a supernatural being; the best-known version to English-speaking audiences is the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian legend. The Awakening’s Odran, a lesser god who can traverse portals, conveys the notion of gods who can interact across realms.