“Puss in Boots” is an Italian fairy tale first published in the mid-sixteenth century in Italy, according to Wikipedia. Magonomia® co-author and folklore expert Timothy Ferguson found comparable legends from England. We give you the latest preview from our upcoming A Bestiary of Enchanted England: the Malkin, English cats who walk upright when you’re not looking!

The malkins appear to be cats, but have the ability to stand upright and use tools. During the day they are, apparently, house pets, but once their owners are asleep they gather. Their society is complex: they have a king and religious rituals like weddings and burials. Their king, Tim Toldrum, lives in Lancashire, but various outcasts and fortune hunters of their kind have drifted to the larger cities. The king’s claim to control them is about as solid as Elizabeth’s claim to the Crown of France.

A Bestiary of Enchanted England: Coming to Kickststarter, May 2022

Text by Timothy Ferguson. Unfinished illustration by Teresa Guido. ©2022 Shewstone Publishing LLC.