Hibernophobia in Fantasy

Sure Look, Sure Listen

On this episode of Sure Look, Sure Listen, we take a look at the dodgy world of Irish coding your villains and characters in Fantasy settings, starting with the booming popularity of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses, or as Ben calls it; fairy smut. We take a look at the problematic way in which the author bases her fictional worlds of Hybern and Prythian on real Irish and British History and Geography. This in itself isn't bad but the framing of Irish coded characters as savage and ruddy feels like a clear call back to the grim old days of rampant Hibernophobia, Paddywhackery and Stage Irishness.

This leads into a discussion of a few dodgy representations of Irishness in Fantasy settings, including the Harfoots in Rings of Power and Mad Sweeney in American Gods.

Following that, Mick reviews the inexplicably real Rings of Power season 2 and gives a masterclass in rolling your R's. We also take a look at Halle Berry's latest horror flick, where a rope is the main character in Never Let Go. Finally, we wrap up with a look at Sonic 3's trailer, and do a quick deep dive into Doctor Robotnik's rocky coming to America.

• [00:00] Introduction and Podcast Banter
• [01:56] Give us a Review
• [04:20] Collecting Issues: Comic Book Club Announcement
• [06:33] Substack Announcement
• [08:08] Discussion on Fairy Smut and Irish Representation
• [10:34] Critique of Sarah J. Maas's Depictions
• [30:23] Historical Context and Hibernophobia
• [32:37] Stage Irishness and Cultural Stereotypes
• [37:30] Mad Sweeney's Expanded Role in American Gods
• [38:56] Irishness of Gods in American Gods
• [41:25] H.P. Lovecraft's Racism Towards the Irish
• [49:26] Rings of Power: A Critique
• 01:01:53 Never Let Go: A New Horror Concept
• [01:05:23] Sonic 3: The Unexpected Success
• [01:12:49] Wrapping Up

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