more Prydain

Found another interesting  bit of information. It's an excerpt from An Encyclopedia of Fairies by Katharine Briggs. (An excellent person in the field of folklore; too bad that she is dead. She had published several other books, if you're interested.)

"Tarans
"In the north-east of Scotland the spirits of babies who have died without baptism are called 'Tarans.'"

I very much doubt that this has to do with Lloyd Alexander's Taran but it is interesting, seeing as how he is an orphan and dying without being baptized could be considered a form of abandonment.

musical cravings

Does anyone know when Loreena McKennitt's new CD, An Ancient Muse, is coming out? I would have loved to see her performance at the Alhambra.