I found a Grimm story I hadn't read before today.
A poor young man left his home with his father's blessing, as his father could no longer support him, and went to war for a King. He was brave in battle, rallying the troops when all seemed lost, and defeating the enemy. When the King heard that he owed the victory to him alone, he raised him above all the others, gave him great treasures, and made him the first in the kingdom.
The King had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also very strange. She had made a vow to take no one as her husband who did not promise to let himself be buried alive with her if she died first. On her side she would do the same, and if he died first, would go down to the grave with him. This strange oath had up to this time frightened away all suitors, but the young...
We visited Kenyon College again yesterday. The Admissions office is in Ransom Hall, named after Kenyon poet John Crowe Ransom. Across the top of the building are a set of crows, the work of Peter Woytuk, a 1980 Kenyon graduate who is considered one the foremost sculptors of animal forms in the world. I wanted to share a photo of the crows, so I found a crow story to go along with them today. "The Crow" is a Polish fairy tale that Andrew Lang included in his Yellow Fairy Book, 1889.
A king has three beautiful daughters, although the youngest of them is the most loveable. And as we know, the youngest is almost always the hero/heroine of a fairy tale. While walking in a garden near the ruins of a nearby castle, the youngest princess comes upon a crow that has been badly wounded. Noticing that the princess pities it, the crow reveals to her that he is a prince...
I don't think I've ever featured a Br'er Rabbit story. Br'er Rabbit stories were told in the Southern US. I actually found this one because I was looking for hurricane tales.
One day Br'er Rabbit was hopping through the woods when a great wind started to blow. Br'er Rabbit was busy watching the leaves swirling around in the wind and didn't notice that he was about to run right into a lion. Then Br'er Lion roared!
Br'er Rabbit jumped way up the air, but as soon as his feet hit the ground, he knew what he had to do. "Run, Br'er Lion, run for your life! Can't you tell there's a hurricane coming?"
Br'er Lion was an old lion, and he was also rather fat. "Br'er Rabbit," he said, "I'm too old and fat to run so fast. Can you tell me what to do to survive the hurricane?"
"Well," said Br'er Rabbit, "you better lie down and get close to the ground."
"The wind...
Earlier this month I saw a National Geographic article on-line about the folktales behind Iceland's natural formations, like rocks, islands, and lava formations. I've also enjoyed Icelandic folk tales, even before I knew that's where they came. I might just have an affinity for trolls.
I couldn't find the full version of the story of the trolls of Reynisdrangar on-line, but I've pulled together a couple sources, including National Geographic and a geo-caching site.
Trolls, in Iceland, are night-dwellers. One night, three mischievous trolls, Skessudrangur, Laddrangur and Langhamar were pulling a ship onto shore. Apparently the task took longer than they anticipated and they lost track of time. When dawn came, they were instantly turned to stone. If you drive by the cliffs near Vik, you can still hear their wails as they dream of their home in the mountains.
Reynisdrangar are basalt sea stacks. As basaltic lava cools over an extended period of time, geometric forms emerge, including the cliffs at Vik. The stacks are...
Beauty and the Goblin King is definitely a re-telling for grown-ups. Our beauty, Sabela, goes the Goblin King's castle by choice. Her family needs the gold that the Goblin King gives to girls willing to spend the night with him. Okay, her family definitely pressures her to do it, but she always been a bit fascinated by the stories and this gives her an excuse to allow herself to go.
This is erotica. There are several steamy scenes, but you do get to actually like Sabela and Nyar, the King, and believe in their relationship. She's brave and curious and open-minded. He's caring, under his rough exterior, and sexy. It's only 150-ish pages so we don't get quite as much character and world-building as we might in a longer story, but I think I prefer my erotic romances on the shorter side. I was rooting for their happily-ever-after, which they do get.
As a re-telling it borrows mostly from Disney's version, complete with animate...
I truly enjoyed these lovingly retold fairy tales. Jenkins has taken some favorite, familiar tales and while not adding anything new, has made them into charming tales. We have Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, the Frog Prince, and Diamonds and Toads among others. While she keeps the traditional plots and characters. she gives some extra depth, like why the Frog Prince loved the princes or how Hansel and Gretel's father could have let them be left in the woods. She asks why the step-mother was so cruel and how Red could have been tricked by the wolf. I also love how the cold, frosty wood figures into the tales. The tales have touches of humor and amusing dialogue, especially in Three Wishes and the Frog Prince. I appreciate how the tales are connected in ways that make the book fit together well, rather than just a random collection. For example, the same huntsman who doesn't kill...