Brian Froud

Brian Froud (born 1947) is an illustrator of faeries and goblins. He works in Devon and the landscapes in his paintings are frequently inspired by Dartmoor. His work has been used as the inspiration for creatures in films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth (both in conjunction with Jim Henson's Creature Shop). He collaborated with Terry Jones, who was a screenwriter on Labyrinth, on The Goblins of the Labyrinth (1986, re-issued in abridged form as The Goblin Companion: A Field Guide to Goblins ...

Read more here: » Brian Froud: Encyclopedia - Brian Froud

Alan Lee (born August 20, 1947) is an English book illustrator and movie conceptual designer. He has illustrated several fantasy books such as the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, Faeries (with Brian Froud), The Mabinogion, Castles and Merlin Dreams. He won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 1993 for Black Ships Before Troy and the Best Artist Award at the World Fantasy Awards of 1998. Lee and John Howe were the lead artists of Peter Jackson's The Lord of ...

Read more here: » Alan Lee: Encyclopedia - Alan Lee

A fairy is a spirit (supernatural being) found in the legends, folklore, and mythology of many cultures. They are generally humanoid in form, though of a higher, spiritual nature and so possessed of preternatural abilities, along with such mystical qualities as otherworldly beauty and grace, an ethereal glow, wings, or the like. They are also regarded as aloof, ephemeral, mercurial, and whimsical, among other qualities that place them outside of a human scope and have a tendency to make them associated or confused with other mythologi ...

Including:

• Fairy - Etymology
• Fairy - Nature
• Fairy - Fairies in literature
• Fairy - Fairies in visual arts
• Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture
• Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia - Fairy

According to the website habidabad.com, Thra is the name of the planet created by Jim Henson for his film, The Dark Crystal. It is a planet with three suns, so it does not contain the dualities of day and night, nor the summer and winter of planet Earth. The most important element on the planet is a huge crystal, which was erected by the planet's ruling UrSkeks and which once bathed the planet Thra in a healthy light. It is housed in the magnificent Castle of ...

Including:

• Thra - History
• Thra - Geography

Read more here: » Thra: Encyclopedia - Thra

Charles De Lint (born December 22, 1951) is a Canadian fantasy author and Celtic folk musician. He established the genre of mythic fiction which falls somewhere between fantasy literature, and mainstream fiction with a magical realist bent. It is sometimes also considered "urban myth" and is known for being "fantasy for people who normally don't read fantasy". He was born in Bussum, the Netherlands, and emigrated to Canada at the age of four months. He now lives in Ottawa. He published three novels under the pseudonym Samuel M Key which have subseq ...

Including:

• Charles de Lint - Bibliography
• Charles de Lint - Novels
• Charles de Lint - Collections
• Charles de Lint - Short stories

Read more here: » Charles de Lint: Encyclopedia - Charles de Lint

Connelly was born to Gerard Connelly (a clothing manufacturer of Irish Catholic and Norwegian descent) and Eileen (a New York-bred Jewish mother who was an antiques dealer and a masseuse at Esalen). Jennifer was raised in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn near the Brooklyn Bridge, attending St. Ann's School, except for four years the family spent living in Woodstock, New York. One of her father's friends through the garment trade was an advertising executive. The executive friend suggested Jennifer audition at a modelling agency. At the age of 10, her career started in newspaper and mag ...

See also:

Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Connelly - Early life, Jennifer Connelly - Early film career, Jennifer Connelly - Breakthrough, Jennifer Connelly - Personal life, Jennifer Connelly - Selected Filmography

Read more here: » Jennifer Connelly: Encyclopedia II - Jennifer Connelly - Early life

The Dark Crystal was made in the era between traditionally animated feature films and later movies produced by computer-generated techniques. All characters in the movie are muppets, and none are based on humans or any other specific Earth creature. Originally, members of one of the factions, the Skeksis, were meant to speak in their own constructed language. The Skeksis dialogue was subtitled in English. This was dropped after screen test audiences found the subtitling too distracting, but the original effect can be obs ...

See also:

The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal - Technical Notes, The Dark Crystal - Plot, The Dark Crystal - Characters, The Dark Crystal - Synopsis

Read more here: » The Dark Crystal: Encyclopedia II - The Dark Crystal - Technical Notes

Terry Jones - Fiction. Fairy Tales - 1981 The Saga of Erik the Viking - 1983 (Children's Book Award 1984) Nicobobinus - 1985 The Knights and the Squire - 1997 Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic - 1997, a novel based on the computer game of the same name by Douglas Adams. Jones claims to have written the entire book while in the nude. The Lady and the Squire - 2 ...

See also:

Terry Jones, Terry Jones - Publications, Terry Jones - Fiction, Terry Jones - Non-fiction, Terry Jones - Television, Terry Jones - Screenplays, Terry Jones - Political articles

Read more here: » Terry Jones: Encyclopedia II - Terry Jones - Publications

The Dark Crystal - Characters. Jen - A male Gelfling urSu, Jen's Master - A Mystic Aughra - An astrologer of unknown species Kira - A female Gelfling Fizzgig - Kira's pet SkekSo, the Emperor - A Skeksis SkekSil, the Chamberlain - A Skeksis SkekUng, the Garthim Master and later the new Emperor - A Skeksis SkekTek, the Skeksis Scientist - A Skeksis SkekNa, the Skeksis Slavemaster - A Skeksis Ydra, Kira's adoptive mother, ...

See also:

The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal - Technical Notes, The Dark Crystal - Plot, The Dark Crystal - Characters, The Dark Crystal - Synopsis, The Dark Crystal - Trivia

Read more here: » The Dark Crystal: Encyclopedia II - The Dark Crystal - Plot

It has been theorized that the planet Thra may be triangular in shape since the number three is so important to the cultures which inhabit it. This could also be just because of the planet's three suns, whose convergences are treated as great religious occurrences by the planet's occupants. Before the beginning of the film The Dark Crystal, the UrSkeks dared to expose themselves to a great conjunction of the three suns in an attempt to purify their perceived faults. Instead, the UrSkeks split their beings into two divergent races. The noble and kind urRu retained the gentle calm of the UrSkesks, while the vain and cruel Skeksis retained t ...

See also:

Thra, Thra - History, Thra - Geography

Read more here: » Thra: Encyclopedia II - Thra - History

Charles de Lint - Novels. The Riddle Of The Wren (1984) Moonheart (1984) The Harp Of The Grey Rose (1985) Mulengro: A Romany Tale (1985) Yarrow (1986) Ascian In Rose (1987) Jack, The Giant Killer (1987) Greenmantle (1988) Wolf Moon (1988) Svaha (1989) Westlin Wind (1989) The Valley Of Thunder (Philip José Farmer's The Dungeon, ...

See also:

Charles de Lint, Charles de Lint - Bibliography, Charles de Lint - Novels, Charles de Lint - Collections, Charles de Lint - Short stories

Read more here: » Charles de Lint: Encyclopedia II - Charles de Lint - Bibliography

The words fae and faerie came to English from French and, ultimately, Latin. An interesting correlation is the word "fey," which may be derived ultimately from the same Latin root and is now returning to mean the same as "fae." The Latin root fata, meaning fate in the sense of one of the Parcae, is an indication that fays have abilities associated with knowledge (foresight) and manipulation (luck, blessing, cursing) of fate, both of whic ...

See also:

Fairy, Fairy - Etymology, Fairy - Nature, Fairy - Fairies in literature, Fairy - Fairies in visual arts, Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture, Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia II - Fairy - Etymology

The success of Sam and Friends led to a series of guest appearances on network talk and variety shows. To this day, Muppets appear as "guests" on shows such as The Tonight Show and Hollywood Squares, with particularly memorable appearances by Kermit and Miss Piggy on 60 Minutes and Cookie Monster on Martha Stewart Living. Henson himself appeared as a guest on many shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show. The greatly increased exposure led to hundreds of commercial appearances (mostly for Wilkins Coffee) by ...

See also:

Jim Henson, Jim Henson - Early work, Jim Henson - 1960s, Jim Henson - 1970s, Jim Henson - Contributions to film, Jim Henson - Death, Jim Henson - Tributes

Read more here: » Jim Henson: Encyclopedia II - Jim Henson - 1960s

The question of a faerie "nature" has been the topic of many a myth or scholarly paper for a very long time. This is partially due to the fact that, by being supernatural and chaotic entities, they are difficult to pin down as being anything in particular and partially due to the fact that humans have yet to answer completely what constitutes the racial ethos of humanity. Consequently, faerie runs amok with creatures that are completely unrelated save that they are mythologic in origin. There is a central archetypal figure behind most of the stories described as a tall, delicate, radiant being of humanoid aspect. Such beings are most ...

See also:

Fairy, Fairy - Nature, Fairy - Fairies in literature, Fairy - Fairies in visual arts, Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture, Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia II - Fairy - Nature

The Dark Crystal was made in the era between traditionally animated feature films and later movies produced by computer-generated techniques. All characters in the movie are muppets, and none are based on humans or any other specific Earth creature. Originally, members of one of the factions, the Skeksis, were meant to speak in their own constructed language. The Skeksis dialogue was subtitled in English. This was dropped after screen test audiences found the subtitling too distracting, but the original effect can be obs ...

See also:

The Dark Crystal, The Dark Crystal - Technical Notes, The Dark Crystal - Plot, The Dark Crystal - Characters, The Dark Crystal - Synopsis, The Dark Crystal - Trivia

Read more here: » The Dark Crystal: Encyclopedia II - The Dark Crystal - Technical Notes

Jim Henson died of bacterial pneumonia on May 16, 1990 (the same day as Sammy Davis, Jr.), at the age of 53. A memorial service for him aired on PBS and drew millions of viewers and dozens of celebrities in reverence for his life and work. The Jim Henson Company, Jim Henson Foundation, and Jim Henson's Creature Shop have continued on after his death. His son Brian and daughter Lisa are currently the co-chairs and co-CEOs of the Company; his daughter Cheryl is the president of the Foundation. Steve Whitmire, a veteran member of the Muppet puppeteering crew, has assumed the roles of the two most famous characters played by Jim Henson ...

See also:

Jim Henson, Jim Henson - Early work, Jim Henson - 1960s, Jim Henson - 1970s, Jim Henson - Contributions to film, Jim Henson - Death, Jim Henson - Tributes

Read more here: » Jim Henson: Encyclopedia II - Jim Henson - Death

Connelly became a star on her next picture, the fantasy Labyrinth (1986). Connelly played Sarah, a teenager who wishes her baby brother into the world of goblins ruled by goblin king Jareth (played by rock superstar David Bowie). Through a series of adventures reminiscent of Alice In Wonderland, The Muppets and Monty Python, Sarah does indeed manage to rescue her brother. A product of the talents of Jim Henson, George Lucas, ex-Monty Python member Terry Jones and designer Brian Froud, the f ...

See also:

Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Connelly - Early life, Jennifer Connelly - Early film career, Jennifer Connelly - Breakthrough, Jennifer Connelly - Personal life, Jennifer Connelly - Selected Filmography

Read more here: » Jennifer Connelly: Encyclopedia II - Jennifer Connelly - Early film career

William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream deals extensively with the subject of fairy-folk and their interaction with a group of amateur theatrical players. This work details the spell cast by the mischievous fairy Puck (at the behest of the fairy-king Oberon) on Oberon's wife Titania, who falls in love with the first mortal she casts eyes upon, the unfortunate Bottom, whom Puck ...

See also:

Fairy, Fairy - Nature, Fairy - Fairies in literature, Fairy - Fairies in visual arts, Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture, Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia II - Fairy - Fairies in literature

Artists such as Brian Froud, Alan Lee, Myrea Pettit, Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, Cicely Mary Barker, Amy Brown and Peg Maltby have all created beautiful illustrations of fairies. Conversely, the Victorian painter Richard Dadd was responsible for some paintings of fairy-folk with an altogether more sinister and malign nature. Another notable Victorian painter of fairies was the artist and illustrator Arthur Rackham. Interest in fairy themed art in Britain enjoyed a brief renaissance following the Cottingley fairies photographs, and a number of artists turned to painting ...

See also:

Fairy, Fairy - Nature, Fairy - Fairies in literature, Fairy - Fairies in visual arts, Fairy - Fairies in modern popular culture, Fairy - In Debates

Read more here: » Fairy: Encyclopedia II - Fairy - Fairies in visual arts

Henson, Oz, and his team targeted an adult audience with a series of sketches on Saturday Night Live, set mostly in the Land of Gorch. Eleven sketches aired between October 1975 and January 1976, with four additional appearances in March, April, May, and September. The SNL writers never got comfortable writing for the characters. The failure of the Muppets on SNL might have been a blessing in disguise. Starting in 1976, The Muppet Show was occupying Henson's attention in the UK. The show featured Kermit as host, and a va ...

See also:

Jim Henson, Jim Henson - Early work, Jim Henson - 1960s, Jim Henson - 1970s, Jim Henson - Contributions to film, Jim Henson - Death, Jim Henson - Tributes

Read more here: » Jim Henson: Encyclopedia II - Jim Henson - 1970s