Melusine or the Nature of Fairies

In Melusina or The Nature of Fairies, Concha Pasamar revisits one of the most attractive legends of the Middle Ages, in which a magical being becomes a woman out of love for a mortal. Subject to a curse, Melusina transforms every Saturday into a serpent from the waist down and regains her human form every Sunday, a condition she would lose forever if seen with her scaly tail by a mortal. The character and story have had particular continuity in France, where they have given rise to works for children and young people, including graphic books such as comics or illustrated albums. The general Spanish-speaking public, however, remains unaware of this story, which is, essentially, a fairy tale in the truest sense of the word. The author – a historian and philologist – follows the essential lines of Jean d'Arras's novel, the “classic” version of the story. Without losing sight of this late 14th-century narrative and its first translation, Historia de la Linda Melosina, the Pamplona-born writer provides a very abbreviated and personal version, intended for a wide audience. Pasamar strips the narrative of secondary episodes and links the main plot with some major themes: the human condition, freedom versus destiny, or the relevance of narratives and stories in personal and social construction. Thus, the narrative can be enjoyed for its magical and chivalrous plot, as a brief fantasy novel, while also inviting other levels of reading. The illustrations, created by the author, are engravings, in line with the first incunabula of various European printing presses, including those that emerged from the Toulouse press for the Spanish translation, from the late 15th century. This seeks a coherence that encompasses all aspects of the book. In this vein, this project will be published in cloth, with a design in keeping with the late medieval style of the text itself. The interior will be printed in two inks on special papers, in a very carefully produced edition.