Having lately had the Great good fortune to lay Hands upon a most Curious Selection of old documents, Your Humble Servant has taken this opportunity to Compose this Discourse upon their contents. Said Discourse is arranged in this manner: Firstly, an Account of the Nature of said Curious Documents. Secondly, a Recounting of the other Names applied to that most Mysterious Being. And finally, a translation of the faerie-tale which Appears within one of the afore-mentioned Books.
Being known to my Dear Friends Messers. Wolfen and Cotter as a most Avid Collector of divers Odd books, they graciously Procured for me several antique Books from the estate of one Lord Mechterson. Among these books lay two on a most Uncommon and Delightful topic, the nature of Faerie-Land, and both of these books referred by divers and varied names to a most August and Potent being which, I am convinced, is one and the Same. The first book, a Diary of the Mad Poet Jervis, is laden to the brim with Wild and Fanciful references to this being, references, which, despite their Most Disorderly Nature, may yet allow a careful Examiner to derive much knowledge. The second is a most Bizarre Tome, being written in corrupted Latin with snatches of Hebrew, and purports to contain an account of the Creation of the Realm of Faerie by this Mysterious Person.
It becoming Apparent to me that Both Books had some names in common Within them, I began to suspect that both might, Perchance, be speaking of the Same Creature. The Diary of Jervis repeats a Great Multitude of names, a selection of which follow.
The wild Ravings of the Mad Poet describe her a Woman most fair, and of great stature, Possessing the Wings of Ravens, and hair of exceeding darkness Laced with Silver, who bears in her right hand a Ivory Distaff, and does incessantly Spin a fine thread from the very Air about her. She is clad always in white; betimes a Gown of finest silks, or again a robe of Coarse Linen, and her feet are unshod. Several Rings of Fine Silver are borne upon her hands, bearing upon one a Silver Wheel and upon the other a badge of a black Feather.
He said also that she had a second face, the which to gaze upon brings instant madness for very terror of it. At this point, his writing becomes singularly illegible, and but a few words are apparent. He speaks of a Most Horrible darkness, and a visage that changeth like molten wax Before One�s gaze, and of eyes like Polished Steel.
I, a Retiring Scholar, found a most Definite Unease come upon me while Perusing these Words, and made unscholarly Haste to lay that book aside, turning rather to the Writings contained within that Second Text. Therein was writ, as it were a Title, the words Weaver of the Silver Path. Your Humble Servant fears he has not the Acuity of Mind to discern the meaning of this Address, but has Faithfully set down such of the Contents as he was able to interpret.
It is therein set out How an Unknown Traveler, garbed like a Beggar-Woman in a robe of undyed linen, was Seen passing hither and yon in Faerie-Land, walking without heed of the Dangers of that Rare Land. The Realm of Faerie being at that time in Great Turmoil and appearing to be on the Brink of Dissolution by means of it�s Wildness, this Wanderer was little remarked on. It is writ, also, that this Mysterious Personage was always seen to be bearing a long stave or distaff of some pale substance, like unto Ivory or Blanched Wood, and wore neither Shoes nor Sandals upon her feet. (�Twas in this part that Your Devoted Student first supposed a Connection between the two Personages of these Rare Books.)
This Woman, then, was seen to pass to and fro over the troubled lands, passing without fear into the dens of Legendary Beasts and journeying through Frightful Wildernesses. It is said that she questioned many of the Rulers and People of Faerie, but would reveal her Name and Origin unto None. Likewise, our Strange Pilgrim would not speak of what Errand she might be upon. After long years of Roaming, she took for herself a Mountain, and dwelt within, and was Seen not at all for Many Years, as the Kingdom of Faerie reckoned such things. This Mountain was of white stone, and after a time, a flock of White Ravens was seen to roost upon the trees of it, and to fly incessantly in and out of the caverns therein.
After 10 years and 1 day had passed, this Great Sorceress emerged again from her Mountain, and went forth upon the land, bearing with her a Great Number of strands seemingly spun of silver, and did lay them behind her as she walked, and her Ravens followed her. Now, these Strands were of a Most Curious sort, having all their ends knotted together within her Mountain, and their other Ends born out into the Lands about them. Where she laid the Strands, a Path of Silver appeared behind her, and followed her unto the Uttermost Ends of Faerie, thereby Binding it together, and Binding it also to her Superlative Will. And when this Mysterious Enchantress had reached the Furthest Limit of her Magic Cords, she took up the other ends of all of them, and Bound them together in a Great Knot, bidding them to stay so until the End of Time. It is written that the place where she Bound this Knot has become a Maze of Infinitely Twisting paths, from which no being save she may find their way unaided, save by her Desire that it be so.
Therefore is the Land of Faerie held together by the Paths which sprung from the Strands which were laid over it in this manner, with it�s Two Poles, as it were, being the Mountain from which she started and The Labyrinth where she Bound them. And will they or no, all Things of Faerie were Likewise Bound, and therefore is She rightly called the Dream Queen and the Spinner of Dreams.
At various points, it is suggested that She ruled over matters of Inspiration, like unto the Muses of old, and further that she held Dominion over Prophecy and Fate, and might bestow gifts having to do with these matters upon her Devoted Subjects. Also, because of her Long Journeying, she has certain Powers, which were not named, over Travel and the Means of Travel, and that her Servants were many in all the Lands of the Earth, as well as in Faerie by means of this Power.
It was writ beneath this that, despite her Many Powers and Great Magics, that she had been Assailed by Most Dread forces, and had been Brought Low for a time. Thereafter, so it said, the White Lady was subject to the Rule of Certain Laws, not of her Own Making, and might be in some wise Bound herself by means of those Laws, were they to become Known to a Canny Sorcerer. ----Vanis Wilhelm.
The White Lady, The White Queen, the Lady of Ravens, Dream Queen, She of the Mirrored Hall, The Silver Witch, Dreamspinner, and, as with the other Book, The Oneriomancer.