My Name Is Magic

Xan van Rooyen

Tiny Ghost Press

Copyright © 2022 Xan van Rooyen

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN:

E-book 978-1-7399834-3-7

Paperback 978-1-7399834-4-4

Hardcover 978-1-7399834-5-1

Cover artwork by: Alex Copeman

Illustrations by: Susan Campbell

For those who doubt their worth and their place in the world—please know that you are needed, you matter, and it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet.

And to Mark, always.

Author’s Note

I was fifteen when I fell in love with Finnish heavy metal. Thanks mainly to Nightwish, but also to Children of Bodom, Ensiferum, Sonata Arctica, and Moonsorrow, I very quickly became obsessed with all things Finnish. So obsessed, in fact, that when I discovered my university had an exchange program with the University of Jyväskylä, I changed my major so I’d be eligible for the program.

I went on exchange and as soon as I stepped onto Finnish soil, I knew I was home. It might sound a bit OTT, but as someone who had always struggled to fit in, had never quite felt like they belonged, I arrived in Finland and everything just felt right: the nature, the people, the culture, the music—everything! Suffice it to say, I have loved Finland for a very long time and while I can only ever lay claim to the smallest smidgen of Nordic ancestry courtesy of my Viking ancestors settling in England, I am extremely proud to now be a Finnish citizen and to call this wonderful, if at times strange and seemingly inhospitable, country home.

It is from a place of love and respect for Finnish culture and mythology that I began writing this book. Finland’s ancient pagan history has been eroded and even actively suppressed by oppressive forces throughout the centuries. As a result it’s difficult to find references to Finnish mythology beyond the national and well-known epic, Kalevala, especially in English. Much of what was compiled by Elias Lonnröt for the version of the Kalevala known today was borrowed from local folklore shared in the oral tradition, stitched together, altered, “corrected,” and sometimes embroidered with Lonnröt’s own interpretations as well as a liberal dash of Christian influence. I have done my best to include older, more authentic, pre-Christian mythology in my story.