Unlike last week's tale, this Irish story has several similarities to fairy tales I've read over the last year or so.
The story opens with a fisherman who is not catching much. A sea-maiden rises out of the water and promises the fisherman many fish, if he will give her his first-born son when he turns 20. Of course, the fisherman agrees. Why do these people insists on making deals where they will lose their children?
Of course, when the time rolls around the fisherman, sad and worried, tells his son about the bargain. Instead of surrendering his son to the sea-maiden, he takes him to the smithy and has a huge, strong sword made for the son, and the son goes out into the world seeking his fortune.
His first day on his own, he comes across the carcass of a sheep beside the road.
And there were a great black dog, a...
This is actually a fascinating tale of the history of early Ireland, told by James Stephens in Irish Fairy Tales. Tuan Mac Cairill is visited at his home by a monk, St. Finnian, who converts Tuan to Christianity. After spending time with Tuan, the monk asks him to tell him his story. The monk is at first amazed and bewildered by the story, but then just listens to Tuan's narrative.
I know absolutely nothing about ancient Irish history, but Tuan's tale is fascinating. Tuan came to Ireland with Partholon, the first group of settlers to come to Ireland after the great Biblical flood. All of Partholon's people died from a plague; Tuan was the only survivor. He continues to survive, each time he becomes old and tired he is transformed into a new animal, first a stag, then a boar, a hawk, and a salmon. He sees invader after invader come to Ireland. Through his long life he saw battles, storms...
In my Monday post I mentioned that I debating what story to feature this Friday and blodeuedd seconded my suggestion of "Beauty and the Beast." There are many versions of this classic fairy tale. I read the version by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont from 1756. It can be found many places, including here. The first version of the story was written in 1740 by Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve. It's novella length and is actually the one I wanted to read, but I had trouble finding a copy of it. I have a book on-hold through our inter-library loan system that I think will have it, but I won't know for sure until it comes in. So maybe I'll have a chance to compare the two in the future, but in the meantime I'll look at de Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast."
The story starts out with a merchant who has six children, three sons and three daughters, and he actually...
"The Boy Who Wanted the Moon" retold by Donna L. Washington
This tale from the Congo starts with a very spoiled little boy. He is a prince, the son of a great king who gives him everything he wants. At 6, he has his own house, gorgeous clothes and is carried around on a chair instead of having to walk. The king made this boy the king of all the children, and the young prince made the other children sit in the marketplace watching him eat, nap, whatever.
One day, the prince states that he is the greatest child and has everything. A little girl in the crowd speaks up, telling him that he doesn't have the moon. The boy, of course, gets his heart set on having the moon, and the father, indulgent beyond reason, sets about getting it for him. It takes 10 years, but finally a scaffold is built to the sky and the king, prince, and their subjects...
"The Gingerbread Man"
"Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man." That's the phrase I associate with the story of the gingerbread man, but it wasn't even in the version I read for today's post. This version comes from the St. Nicholas Magazine, May 1875 and is one of the earliest known printed versions of the story.
The story begins with an old man and an old woman who desperately want a child, as often happens in fairytales. (Thumbling, Momotaro) One day the woman was baking gingerbread and she cut one into the shape of a boy. As soon as she opened the oven door to see if it was baked, the Gingerbread Boy jumped out and ran away. The old couple couldn't catch him. We follow the Gingerbread Boy as he outruns farm workers, a cow and a pig, but then he meets a fox.
I've run away from a little old woman,
A little...
"Maid Maleen" by the Brothers Grimm
I have to say that I like Maid Maleen. Maybe I'm just in a good mood today, forgiving of the Grimm's typical love of the beautiful, sweet, obedient young woman, or maybe Maid Maleen is not solely passive. Her story's romantic and touching, but she has to rescue herself in order to get to her happy ending.
Maid Maleen is the daughter of a King and of course very beautiful. A prince from another land asked for her hand in marriage, but her father refuses, the story doesn't tell us why. Maid Maleen and the prince love each other dearly, and Maleen tells her father that she will marry no one else. Her father, furious, locks her and her waiting-woman up in a tower (reminds you of Rapunzel's tower, doesn't it?) for seven years, cutting them off from the rest of the world. When the food and drink dwindles and the two young women realize that...