Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
"Lud-in-the-Mist" is a fantasy novel set in a town that borders the mystical realm of Fairyland, ruled by Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, who grapples with his own discontent despite his outwardly affable demeanor. The narrative unfolds in a society that, after a violent revolution against its aristocracy, has deemed magic and fairy fruit as taboo, believing them to be sources of delusion and chaos. Nathaniel’s personal turmoil begins when he inadvertently recalls a haunting musical note that symbolizes his repressed desires for adventure and artistic expression.
The plot thickens when his son Ranulph's reckless behavior suggests he may have consumed forbidden fairy fruit, leading to a series of events that involve the mysterious disappearances of young women, including Nathaniel's daughter Prunella. Throughout the story, Nathaniel's investigation into these occurrences unveils deeper connections to the town's past and its former noble ruler, Duke Aubrey, whose spirit ultimately plays a pivotal role in their resolution. As Nathaniel confronts these challenges, the narrative explores themes of law, societal norms, and the struggle between a mundane existence and the allure of the fantastical. The resolution hints at a potential reintegration of magic into the fabric of Lud-in-the-Mist, reflecting the complex interplay between order and chaos.
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Subject Terms
Lud-in-the-Mist
First published: 1926
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy—high fantasy
Time of work: Indeterminate
Locale: Lud-in-the-Mist, the capital of Dorimare
The Plot
Bordered on the West by the Debatable Hills and Fairyland, Lud-in-the-Mist is governed by Master Nathaniel Chanticleer, the High Seneschal. Although he is outwardly pleasant and kind, Nathaniel is inwardly unhappy. His unhappiness began several years earlier, when he and some of his friends dressed up for a party as ghosts of their ancestors. An amateur musician, he seized the opportunity to play his lute. Plucking one of the strings rather harshly, Nathaniel heard “the Note,” a dissonant pitch that menaced the harmonious, predictable, and prosaic nature of his life. He now frequently feels discontented and longs to hear the Note again, but he is afraid that it will reawaken his youthful restlessness.
Historically, Lud-in-the-Mist rooted out all magic and adventure when it ousted the last of its “noble” rulers, Duke Aubrey. After a battle that lasted three days, Lud’s citizens killed all the nobles and drove Aubrey from Lud-in-the-Mist into Fairyland. Because of its connection to the artistic and political caprice of Duke Aubrey, fairy fruit became taboo after the revolution. Eating it makes one delusional, desiring only to flee Lud and escape into Fairyland. Welcoming the new laws, Lud’s citizens embraced the “science of jurisprudence.” Law now directs Lud-in-the-Mist, and Nathaniel’s duty is to uphold it.
Ironically, trouble begins for Lud’s citizens in the house of Chanticleer itself. There, while Nathaniel cuts a famous Moongrass cheese for a party, his son Ranulph cries out for him to stop, claiming that if he proceeds, “all the flowers will wither in Fairyland.” This violation of taboo shocks the party guests and forces Nathaniel to face his worst fear: His son may have eaten fairy fruit. By his own admission, Ranulph wants only to escape, to get away from Lud-in-the-Mist. Nathaniel calls the town physician, Endymion Leer, and urges him to find a cure. Leer suggests some time away from Lud on the widow Gibberty’s farm. Taking Leer’s advice, Nathaniel sends Ranulph, accompanied by Nurse Hempen’s nephew Luke, to the farm.
Soon after Ranulph’s departure, the “Crabapple Blossoms,” young ladies at Miss Primrose Crabapple’s Academy, disappear into Fairyland. Among them is Nathan-iel’s daughter Prunella. Although Captain Mumchance fails to discover any forbidden fruit, Miss Primrose is nevertheless blamed for the disappearances and is taken into custody. Miss Primrose admits to Dame Marigold, Nathaniel’s wife, that fairy fruit had been smuggled into Lud. Marigold believes that Leer may be involved and urges Nathaniel to investigate. In his research, Nathaniel comes across the case of Diggory Carp, a laborer accused of the murder of Jeremiah Gibberty, the widow Gibberty’s former husband. During the trial, Carp had accused the widow of poisoning her own husband because of her affair with Christopher Pugwalker, an herbalist much like Leer. She was not convicted, but Nathaniel begins to suspect her guilt. Moreover, he believes that the young Pugwalker is, in fact, Endymion Leer.
Riding out to the farm, Nathaniel meets Portunus, a mysterious fiddler who tells him to “dig, dig.” When Nathaniel arrives at the farm, the widow’s granddaughter, Hazel, assists him in digging beneath a stone bust in her orchard. They discover Jeremiah Gibberty’s last note, accusing the widow of his murder and of her affair with Christopher Pugwalker. The note becomes substantial evidence for the arrest and conviction of the widow and Endymion Leer. Unfortunately, Nathaniel also finds that his son, with the assistance of the widow, has run off to Fairyland. Compelled not by fairy fruit but by the love of his son, Nathaniel blindly follows him into Fairyland. There he meets the spirit of Duke Aubrey, who ultimately releases Ranulph and the Crabapple Blossoms. Aubrey also hints that one day Nathaniel may again hear the Note. Master Ambrose, Nathaniel’s best friend and a powerful speaker in the senate, convinces the citizens that fairy fruit should no longer be forbidden but should be reintegrated into the city’s commerce and culture.