House of Salt and Sorrows

House of Salt and Sorrows is an homage to the fairy tale “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” by the Brothers Grimm. In the story, a king with 12 beautiful daughters finds their shoes worn out as if they’ve been dancing all night. The king is perplexed by this mystery and implores the kingdom’s men to solve it; whoever is successful can choose one of the princesses as their bride and inherit the kingdom. Eventually, a clever soldier solves the mystery. One night, the princesses drug his wine so he’ll fall asleep, but he fakes drinking it. He sneaks into their rooms, wearing an invisibility cloak, and sees the princesses enter a hidden trapdoor in the floor. The soldier follows the princesses to a magical forest, reaching a lake with 12 boats and 12 princes on the opposite shore. The princesses dance with the princes all night, wearing out their shoes. The soldier grabs a token from the ball and shares his knowledge with the king. He chooses the eldest princess to marry, ending the spell that compelled the princesses to dance every night in the first place.

Erin A. Craig uses this classic fairy tale as inspiration for her storyline. The 12 Thaumas daughters, much like the 12 princesses, are compelled to dance. Their father, Duke Ortun, drunkenly offers his daughters up for marriage should a man solve the mystery of their worn shoes, but they refuse to oblige. Craig also expands on the Thaumas curse, making it a matter of life and death, intrigue, and romance. While there are references in this dark retelling, the inclusion of a seaside setting, gods, ghosts, and illusions adds a psychological twist to the tale.