In this episode, we dive into Charmed Season 3, Episode 3, “Once Upon a Time,” where fairy dust, invisible trolls, and childhood innocence collide. Using the Halliwell sisters’ battle to protect a fairy princess as our guide, we unpack the darker folklore roots of fairies and trolls, creatures that have always thrived in liminal spaces like forests, crossroads, and dusk itself. From ancient Celtic legends to modern romantasy vibes, this episode asks what we lose when we stop believing and what kind of magic waits in the in-between.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes references to child abandonment, child kidnapping, and harm against children. It also references threats of harm, murder, and death. 

Learn More:

• alyssanicolepallotta. (2023, May 8). Fairy folklore. Read It Or Weep. https://readitorweep.org/2023/05/08/fairy-folklore/ 

• Barone, F. (2020, March 12). Luck of the Irish: Folklore and fairies in rural Ireland. Human Relations Area Files. https://hraf.yale.edu/luck-of-the-irish-folklore-and-fairies-in-rural-ireland/ 

• 
  

• ceridwensilverhart. (2021, April 28). Quarterly bestiary: Trolls from hostile magic to lovable goofs. https://illuminatingthefoolsmirror.wordpress.com/2021/04/28/quarterly-bestiary-trolls-from-hostile-magic-to-lovable-goofs/ 

• Dragons and Beasts Live. (n.d.). Where did the trolls myth come from? https://www.dragonsandbeastslive.com/blog/where-did-the-trolls-myth-come-from 

• Dundes, A. (1980). Interpreting folklore. Indiana University Press.

• Faircloth, K. (2025, February 13). “Faerie smut” is having a moment — just like it did in 1500. Culture. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/romantasy-history-acotar-celtic-folklore 

• Goikhberg, M. (2021, April 19). The in-between. Brizo: For the Artist and the Intellectual. https://brizomagazine.com/2021/04/19/the-in-between/ 

• Halpin, D. (2024, May 17). Fairies in folklore versus popular culture. The Druids Cauldron. https://thedruidscauldron.net/2024/05/17/fairies-in-folklore-verses-popular-culture/ 

• Heckel, J. (2018, July 13). Charmed, I’m sure: A closer look at everyone’s dream prince. Reactor. https://reactormag.com/prince-charming-everyones-dream-prince/ 

• The Irish Pagan School. (2022, July 13). The Sídhe: Irish fairy folklore. https://irishpagan.school/sidhe-irish-fairy-folklore/ 

• Jones, M. (2015). The role of trolls in Scandinavian folklore and their modern adaptations. Folklore Studies Quarterly, 42(3), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/fsq.v42i3.1234

• Lee, S. (2025, May 28). Exploring liminal spaces in mythology. Number Analytics. https://www.numberanalytics.com/blog/liminal-spaces-in-mythology 

• Lindow, J. (2001). Norse mythology: A guide to the gods, heroes, rituals, and beliefs. Oxford University Press.

• MacCulloch, J. A. (1911). The religion of the ancient Celts. T. & T. Clark.

• Muratore, G. (2022, November 1). Charmed: 10 demons who actually had roots in myth and literature. Collider. https://collider.com/charmed-demons-with-roots-classical-myth-literature/ 

• Mythos Anthology. (n.d.). Trolls: The giants of myth, folklore, and fantasy. https://mythosanthology.com/385-2/ 

• Rainbolt, D. (2022, January 20). Irish folklore, myth, and legend: The fairies. Wilderness Ireland. https://www.wildernessireland.com/blog/irish-folklore-fairies/ 

• Smith, L. (2018). Fairies and the concept of childhood innocence in European folklore. Journal of Mythological Studies, 12(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jms.v12i1.5678

• Valentinelli, M. (2020, December 4). Five fascinating magical beings from the original Charmed. Reactor.  https://reactormag.com/five-fascinating-magical-beings-from-the-original-charmed/