A Cozy, Queer Spin on a Classic Tale for Long Winter Evenings

Outside, the world is pulling inward. The hills are wrapped in silver mist, the air smells faintly of woodsmoke, your fingers do that little tingle-tingle dance when you forget your gloves on the windowsill.

It’s that ancient hinge in the year when nature pulls all the energy back into its root system and invite us to the same.

Time historically reserved for storytelling, for dreaming bold of adventures and treasures awaiting us come spring!

So grab a blanket…or three, brew something warm and if you have a cat nearby, invite it onto your lap. (Cats are legally obligated to participate in winter coziness. I don’t make the rules.) Settle in. I’ve got a story for you.

The Firebird and the Fox, a classic Czech fairytale penned by 19th-century literary icon Karel Jaromír Erben, has always shimmered with magic & fiery feathers, cunning tricksters and that unmistakable Slavic melancholy-meets-wonder that feels like home. Part of Erben’s rich folklore collection, it carries the cultural heartbeat of the Czech people: resilience carved through centuries of occupation, identity shaped through silence and rebellion and a moral compass forged in forests, frost and fables.

Growing up as a queer kid in 80s and 90s Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic, I found both comfort and conflict in these stories, which - of course - firmly upheld exclusively heteronormative ideals. They were worlds I loved yet didn’t fully see myself in, because (shockingly!) a fox tricking a king and a firebird glowing like a fallen comet are apparently fine, but two princes kissing? Absolutely fucking not.

So now, I revisit The Firebird and the Fox with a fresh perspective, adding a touch of queerness to its timeless themes of courage, humility, and love: the universal force that makes every journey worthwhile.

This story also aligns beautifully with Sagittarius Season, reflecting its spirit of adventure, transformation and the quest for higher meaning. As we explore this beloved fairy tale, we’ll uncover its resonance with the stars and seasons, celebrating the light it brings to our lives.

So tuck in closer to the fire. The night is long, the story is humming with magic & mystery and there’s a fox waiting in the shadows to guide us onward.