#101 | Compulsory Elvish: the Irish Language, Fantasy and Roleplaying Games
“Only a game designed by nerds would have charisma as a fantasy power”
Gravity Falls
A few weeks ago, Orla Ní Dhúill wrote a blogpost that got tongues wagging across the internet. The issue she wanted to address was the phenomenon of the Irish language being used as a kind of public-domain Klingon or Dothraki across fantasy novels and roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Naturally, we had to have her on the show!
In today’s episode, Orla chats to Peadar (the others are “resting”) about how jarring it is to see Irish text used as narrative Polyfila, as well as how half-understood Irish mythological entities turn up in such storytelling formats. It’s a journey that goes from Tir na nÓg to America and back, involving the elf IRA, the salmon of knowledge and highy practical armour bikinis.
You can find out more about Orla here: https://naturallyorla.com
—
Get Kirsten Shiel art prints here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/kirstenshiel/
Order from www.dropchef.com using the code “MOFO” mentioned in this podcast for a €15 discount
—
Contact the show:
twitter – @motherfocloir and @theirishfor
email – [email protected]
