It is seriously compelling reading. A small feral child
raised by wolves is ‘rescued’ by a trio of witches, who raise her as a human –
a species that is very foreign to both child and hags. Their combined knowledge
and skills provide Wulva with what she will need to fulfil their own ends. They
plan a future role that remains completely unknown to the girl until the
realisation comes too late.
The three sisters: Cailleach, Merrow and Berthe each have different skills and abilities and, because of these, different roles to play in Wulva’s upbringing and ‘education’. Cailleach takes the lead in teaching the girl the ways of the mormaers (humans) via old books and documents they have held close for years, for just this purpose. Read more
And when the time is ripe, Wulva is taken to a place close to the castle keep of a noble family, the MacDuffs, who take her in and subsequently she falls under the gaze of Macbeth, who makes her his wife.
Wulva’s fate, as already prescribed by the hags and for
which she has been tutored, is to be Macbeth’s downfall. The collateral damage
is of no concern to the witches and it is both bloody and ruthless.
Where this gets far more complex and even more intriguing, is
the parallel narrative separated from the first by some centuries.
A humble and very unworldly monk, a scribe named Rowan, is
commanded by his (definitely up-to-no-good) superior to go on a long expedition
to research the ‘history’ of the ancient Scottish kings.
Accompanied by a late-convert ex-soldier, zealous and pious
to the point of arrogance, Brother Kenneth, this pair stumble along on the
journey finding no common ground and, in fact, the chasm between them widening
by the day.
They face terrible deprivations along the way to their
destination, including a meeting with a sinister old woman who has a story to
tell, which Brother Kenneth refuses to countenance. He is in fact, extremely
antagonistic and dismissive to the point of ugly rudeness. Rowan is far more
polite and gentle, a manner that stands him in very good stead and saves him
from Kenneth’s ultimate fate.
Their fraught and dangerous travel takes them to the very
seat of Macbeth’s downfall and the evilness that accompanied this has imbued
the place with a sinister and infectious atmosphere. Let’s just say Kenneth’s rigid
piety and arrogant superiority does not serve him well. When Rowan escapes the
castle he once again encounters, the nameless old woman who finally relates her ancient tale. Rowan certainly
fills some gaps in his take on the whole history of the regicide.
This is really full-on creepy and one can’t help feeling the
utmost pity for Wulva who is caught in a web, not of her own making. She
absolutely loses the most of all really and is cast adrift, without friend or
family.
The split narrative, 300 years apart, will have any mature
reader fully engaged and some of your senior students may well appreciate it,
particularly if this play is on their study program. It’s macabre and riveting,
full of tension and drama and, I guarantee from first page to last, you
will be turning pages quickly in your need to know what happens next.
Title: Hagtale: A Macbeth Origin Story
Author: Sally O'Reilly
Publisher: Scribe Publications, $26.99
Publication Date: March 2026
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761381430
For Ages: 15+
Type: Young Adult Fiction
