We watched The Lone Ranger in the theater last weekend. It was a fun movie, but I think my mom, David and Amber liked it amore than I did. I love Johnny Depp, but there was a part in the middle that was just a little too serious for me, especially considering the rest of the movie. Happily, it picked up at the end, otherwise I would have been disappointed. I did learn, while wasting time before the movie started, that Depp's look was based on a painting that was based on a Native American legend, Crow-Head. The painting by Kirby Sattler is shown above. I thought the legend would make a perfect Thursday's Tale post for today. You can read the legend at the Manataka American Indian Council website. It comes from the Chipewyan people in Canada.
Crow-head's father dies soon after he was born. One day, while Crow-head and the others were fishing, one of the medicine men said something that led...
Illustration: The Golden Key, Claudia Bettinardi, 1999
"The Golden Key" is another tale from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and was traditionally the last story in the second volume, which may explain the rather abrupt ending.
Usually I give you a synopsis of the story, but this one's so short, I'll let you read it yourself.
In the winter time, when deep snow lay on the ground, a poor boy was forced to go out on a sledge to fetch wood. When he had gathered it together, and packed it, he wished, as he was so frozen with cold, not to go home at once, but to light a fire and warm himself a little. So he scraped away the snow, and as he was thus clearing the ground, he found a tiny, gold key. Hereupon he thought that where the key was, the lock must be also, and dug in the ground and found an iron chest. "If the key does but fit it!" thought...
Today's tale. "The Tsarevna Frog," comes from Russia and features a couple of the more famous Russian fairy tale characters, Baba Yaga and Kostshei the Deathless. It was retold in Folk Tales from the Russian by Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal, 1903.
At their father's orders, Tsarevitch Ivan and his two older brothers shot arrows in different directions to find brides for themselves. The other brothers' arrows landed in the houses of the daughters of an aristocratic and a wealthy merchant. Tsarevitch Ivan's arrow landed in the mouth of a frog in a swamp and his father insisted that he marry the frog, that it was his destiny.
The father then gave the three brides two challenges, to bake a loaf of bread and to weave a rug. During the night of the challenges, Tsarevitch Ivan's frog wife turns into a beautiful, wise young woman named Vassilissa, who called her servants to perform the tasks. In the morning, Tsarevitch Ivan was astounded and took...
I have a fondness for just-so stories, the ones that tell why people or animals are the way they are. Today's tale, "Why the Bananas Belong to the Monkey," comes from Brazil. I have to admit that I chose this one because I've been on a bit of a banana kick lately. I've had one for breakfast most mornings, whether with eggs or in a smoothie.
"Once upon a time when the world had just been made and there was only one kind of banana, but very many kinds of monkeys, there was a little old woman who had a big garden full of banana trees." It was difficult for the woman to gather them all, so she made a bargain with the largest monkey, promising him half of the bananas if he would gather them all for her. He got all the bananas but of course kept the best ones for himself and gave the old lady the small ones.
The...
There aren't many actual fairies in traditional fairy tales, so I though I'd feature one today. "The Boy and the Dancing Fairy" is from Canadian Wonder Tales by Cyrus MacMillan, published in 1918.
Two Indian boys lived in the forest with their parents. The boy of the title was of course the younger brother. His older brother was bigger, stronger and meaner. He beat up his younger brother regularly and made him do all the difficult chores, so the younger brother decided to run away. He left with a bow and arrows and an extra pair of moccasins and, in true fairy tale fashion, headed out to make his own way in the world.
The boy could run very fast and by the time night arrived he was far from home, lonely, and afraid of all the sounds. He met an old man who gave him a box that would be useful on his travels and would help him in times of...
Image by tinkerbelky at DeviantArt.
I know I often feature fairy tales from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, but they are, in general, the most well-known and some are just so odd, like today's, "Faithful Johannes." You can read the whole story here.
A king on his deathbed orders his servant, Faithful Johannes, to take care of his son, to teach him everything, but to never let him see into a certain room, which holds a portrait of a princess.
After the father's death, the new young king of course forces his Johannes into letting him into the room and he falls madly in love with the princess of the golden palace after laying eyes on the portrait. Johannes agreed to help the king win the princess' hand. The young king and his faithful servant Johannes travel to the golden kingdom, trick the princess into coming onto their boat and then set sail when she is below deck. Initially she is terrified, but when her kidnapper reveals he is a...
