The Beldam lures you in with dreamy illusions and sweet offerings, disguising her true form until you’re in her trap. There are many similarities between the spindly monster and a popular clique in folklore. Your hosts believe the origin of this shapeshifting baddie, seen in Coraline’s Other Mother, traces back over 200 years – and has us asking: Is the Beldam much older than the world of Coraline?

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Sources:

“Adder Stone.” Mysteries and Legends, Accessed 26 Jan. 2025, https://mysteriesandlegends.fandom.com/wiki/Adder_Stone

“Coraline.” Focus Features, 2009.

Gaiman, Neil. Coraline. HarperCollins, 2001.

“John Keats.” Britannica, Accessed 27 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Keats.

“La Belle Dame Analysis.” LitCharts, Accessed 24 Jan. 2025, https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/john-keats/la-belle-dame-sans-merci.

“La Belle Dame sans merci.” Brittanica, Accessed 24 Jan. 2025, https://www.britannica.com/topic/La-Belle-Dame-sans-merci-by-Chartier.