Image source: SurLaLune Fairy Tales
Today I'm returning to the Grimms' tales, although "Godfather Death" is a new one to me.
The story's about a poor man with a whole batch of kids. When his 13th arrives, he went out to the road to find a godfather for the child. Can you guess who he ends up picking? He turned down God's offer, because God "givest to the rich, and leavest the poor to hunger." He turns down the devil with his usual enticement of riches and earthly pleasure, because Satan "deceivest men and leadest them astray." Then along comes Death and the father decides that Death will be the perfect godfather for his son, since Death "takest the rich as well as the poor, without distinction."
So, with Death as his godfather, the boy grows up. One day, the godfather appears to the young man and gives him his gift. He will make the young man a famous physician. When the young...
Image source: Gun Sales
Today's story is a short little tale from South Dakota retold by S. E. Schossler. A woman is home alone with a baby in the town of Deadwood when she sees a drifter approaching her house. Knowing that the man will steal her food and take advantage of her, she gets out her husband's gun, but found it wasn't loaded. Just then the drifter walks right into her home, without even a know. Startled she drops the gun into the baby's crib and turns to fend off the intruder.
The drifter was all set to take every bite of food the little lady had prepared for her husband's dinner, and give her a hard time to boot. But he happened to glance into the crib, and saw the woman's little feller jest gumming away at the handle of the gun. Well that drifter turned pale and high-tailed it out of there. Left Deadwood as far behind as he...
Image: News Real Blog
Today's folktale comes from South Africa and takes place during the time when animals could still talk. The Crocodile is the leader of all the water animals, so when the river dries up, he comes up with a plan to trek to another river, one that the otter assures him still has water and will be able to withstand any drought. There are a couple of problems. First, traveling across dry land is dangerous for water creatures. Second, to get to the other river they have to pass by a Boer's farm.
The Crocodile comes up with the solution. He offers peace to the lion and other veldt animals. In exchange for allowing the crocodile and his friends to cross without worrying about being eaten and to escort them pass the farm, the other animals will be allowed to drink from the river unmolested whenever they wish. The Crocodile sheds tears to show his sincerity, and the Lion...
Today's tale is a little different than my recent posts. Last weekend, the three of us and my mom went to see Into the Woods at the Brooke Hills Playhouse. What a fun re-telling of some of the classic fairy tales. If you're interested and local, it's on again this weekend. Times and ticket prices are listed on the website.
The musical, with lyrics and music by Steven Sondheim and book by James Lapin, opens with four characters, each of whom have a wish: Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's festival; Jack, a simple young man who wishes that his cow would give milk; and the Baker and his Wife, who wish they could have a child. While Little Red Riding Hood buys bread from the Baker to take to her grandmother's house, Jack's weary mother nags him into selling the cow, and Cinderella's stepmother and sisters tease her about wanting to attend the King's festival.
The Baker's neighbor, an ugly...
Image credit: First People
As you can guess from the beautiful image above, "The Star Maiden" is a Native American story, from the Shawnee tribe. It's a shame, really, that I'm more familiar with European fairy tales than I am with stories whose origins are in my own country.
One day, a skilled warrior, Waupee the White Hawk walked farther in the forest than he ever had and came to a large grass-covered plain with a ring in it, as if made by feet walking around and around, but no path led to the ring or away from it. He decided to hide and watch, hoping to see who made the circle.
Soon, he heard sweet music and a basket descended from the sky, carrying twelve lovely maidens. The girls danced gracefully around the magic circle, and while they were all beautiful, the youngest captured Waupee's heart. He rushed from his hiding place to hold the girl, but the sister were quicker. Frightened,...
Image source: Sur La Lune Fairy Tales
"Little Snow White" is the Snow White story I know, complete with the seven dwarfs and the talking mirror. It's actually closer to the Disney version I remember than I expected. The Grimm version I read is from Household Tales, translated by Margaret Hunt, published in 1884.
At the beginning of the story, a queen sits at a window, sewing. She pricks her finger with her needle and when she sees the drop of blood on the snow outside, she wishes for a child "as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the window-frame." A lot of fairy tales start with someone wishing for a baby, don't they? Snow White is born, but the queen dies. After a year the King remarries; enter the evil step-mother.
The new Queen is obsessed with being the most beautiful woman in the land, and she has a mirror that when asked always...