Brave and magic

Here we are discussing Brave, only today we are tackling the magic and folklore of the Brave movie. What are wisps? Do they really lead you to your fate or doom? Keep reading to find out.

Photo courtesy of Surf and Sunshine

 Those cute little blue flames are real folklore. Wisps are as bad as pixies. They are spirits of the dead or spirits of fairies that lead travelers off the beaten path and lead you to your doom (which does in fact change your fate) or treasure. According to folklore, you should be wary of them if you are out after sunset on an unfamiliar path.  Ignus Fatuus, or foolish fire, often leads lost travelers into the marshes. Why? Because it is a natural phenomenon that is due to decaying plants in marshy areas. It is a case of biology explained by the folk tales. Fun, right? So, please, don't follow those blue flames into the marshes and get stuck. They are not actually dead spirits or fairies. You will die in the bogs or drown there. People used to follow these "wisps" and get too far into the bog to be saved, which is your doom and does change your fate - just not for the better. Folklore says chasing these things are like cats catching laser pointers - you can't get it. Ultimately, the one doing the chasing ends up lost and alone. 

The video below is the closest I can get to showing you the real nature spectacle. It gets confused for spirit orbs quite often. They resemble lanterns. Animated blue things look a little bit less weird, but the fact is that it is hard to find anything on youtube, other than stuff like this that doesn't look all that clear, that represents wisps in real life.

The legend does ring true to Merida's story because she does end up led to a witch, which makes things far worse, because of those cute blue flames. They probably intended her doom, really, because her decision tore apart her kingdom, which she had to face. While Merida and her mother did end up better off as mother and daughter and the kingdom was restored, it could have been a smoother ride without dealing with a witch's spell, a spell that had been done before and was proven to shatter kingdoms. Mordu was a huge neon warning sign and may have also been shown the way by wisps. Mordu ended up alone. Merida changed her ways and reunified her kingdom, but Mordu never mended his ways in time. He was forever trapped in the form of a bear that had the strength of ten men. Oops, times ten!

Other things that make Brave authentic

Photo courtesy of Visit Scotland

You see those standing stones in a circle that the horse won't go near? Those are real. In the outer Hebrides is a circle of stones - the Calanais standing stones. They were constructed 5000 years ago. We don't know why. They may have something astrological about them or they may be a religious ceremonial place, but they are there regardless. Until we invent a time machine and watch what the people do with the stones, we know nothing. 

The Highland games are real, even the throwing of big poles. If you win the games you win honor and a

Photo courtesy of Visit Scotland

name for yourself. Merida was a warrior of a woman, even disarming her own father to save her mother and hitting targets on horseback. I'll say it again - she would have done well to be born a boy. She doesn't fit the domestic role she was born and prepared for. She outshot all the suiters and split an arrow! (I know the suiters weren't good at archery, yes, but still, she split an arrow!) Nowadays all genders can compete in the games. Even some women toss cabers.

Photo courtesy of Balkan Celts

Artio, a bear goddess, may have inspired Elinor's transformation. The Helvetii tribe worshipped her. She was called upon during hunting rituals and there were white bear-shaped candles of her carved. She was a feminine goddess brought from Switzerland to the UK to Scotland.

                What isn't quite right

As expected we have some costumes that are portrayed inaccurately. Also, it only shows the highland. Strangely, bears may have been extinct in Scotland then. According to a historian the feel of the movie and settings were actually quite good, but only a few things were off. This film crew did their homework and research well. The chessboard was accurate to the time period if you look at it in a museum and then watch the movie. Most movies are not entirely accurate in historical senses unless they are documentaries or reenactments of some form. They got close, very close, but not quite correct. 

The link here can show you more details about the historical accuracy of the film Brave:

https://apprenticeofthechosenone.wordpress.com/2015/08/23/disney-pixars-brave-historically-accurate/

Sources:

 https://www.surfandsunshine.com/will-o-the-wisp-brave/

https://www.babysavers.com/what-are-the-wisps-in-disneypixars-brave-bravecarslandevent/

https://thefairytaletraveler.com/2016/06/17/Disney-brave-Scotland-legends/#:~:text=Folklore%20%E2%80%93%20Scottish%20Legends%20Featured%20in%20Brave&text=To%20avoid%20an%20arranged%20marriage,a%20bear%20goddess%20called%20Artio.&text=Artio%20could%20have%20partly%20inspired%20Queen%20Elinor's%20transformation.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/aug/29/scottish-historian-view-brave