#The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

[judgingbooksbycovers]

The Norse Myths

By Kevin Crossley-Holland.

[paintingpuff]

I try not to be negative about other artworks but. Why are the covers in the Pantheon folklore and fairy tale library Like That.

[cscclibrary]

New Books!

Here’s a few highlights from our latest additions to the collection! Even more new items can be viewed on the second floor of the Library. 

Magic in the Middle Ages, Richard Kieckhefer. Magic in the Middle Ages surveys the growth and development of magic in medieval times, placing magic at the crossroads of medieval culture to shed light on many other aspects of life in the Middle Ages.

Want more mysticism? Drop by the Library to check out The Cards: The Evolution and Power of Tarot.

Yiddish Folktales, Beatrice Silverman Weinreich (ed.) Folktales offer both entertainment and cultural insight. Like all volumes from the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library, this one also features scholarly commentary to provide context for the stories.

Want more folk and fairy tales? Check out our folklore selection!

The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African American Culinary History in the Old South, Michael W. Twitty. Southern food is integral to the American culinary tradition, yet the question of who "owns" it is one of the most provocative touchpoints in our ongoing struggles over race. Food historian Michael Twitty traces the roots of his own family and the charged politics surrounding the origins of soul food, barbecue, and all Southern cuisine. 

Want to learn more about African American food traditions? Check out High on the Hog, Hog and Hominy, and Collards: A Southern Tradition from Seed to Table.

[witchyfashion]

Long a treasure in Norway, the folktales collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe have been acclaimed for their richness of humor, fullness of life, and depth of understanding since they first appeared in translation more than a hundred years ago. The Norwegian folktales, said Jacob Grimm, “surpass nearly all others.”   Within these captivating tales we meet witches, trolls, and ogres; sly foxes and great, mysterious bears; beautiful princesses and country-lads-turned-heroes. Collected here in a sparkling contemporary translation by Pat Shaw Iversen and Carl Norman, these tales brim with the matchless vitality and power of their original telling. Included also are the wonderfully evocative original illustrations of Erik Werenskiold and Theodor Kittelsen. With black-and-white drawings throughout Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library 

click here

[follow-ur-heart-till-it-bleeds]

If you are interested in learning more about Native American myths this is a book I would highly recommend you should read. However, before you read it it’s important to bear in mind these myths are more than just “fictional stories” but is representatives of one’s culture, history, and religion and should be respected as such as all myths from every culture should. Before the stories is a part of an excerpt I quoted below that I think better explains the importance of these myths.

“Stories are told for adults and children alike, as elements in solemn ceremonies and as spontaneous creations. Rather then being self-contained units, they are often incomplete episodes in a progression that goes back deep into the tribe’s tradition.  

“Long ago Hubert Howe Bancroft wrote, ‘Language is thought incarnate; mythology soul incarnate. The one is the instrument of thought, the other the essence of thought. In mythology, language assumes personality and independence. Often the significance of the words becomes the essential idea.’Thus the word for ‘sun’ becomes the name of the sun god, the word for ‘moon’ the name of the moon goddess. The words themselves take on potency, as the Sioux medicine man Leonard Crow Dog explains:

“Our modern Sioux language has been white-manized. There’s no power in it. I get my knowledge of the old tales of my people out of a drum, or the sound of a flute, out of my visions and out of our sacred herb pejuta, but above all out of the ancient words from way back, the words of the grandfathers, the language that was there at the beginning of time, the language, these words, should ever die, then our legends will die too.

“In this volume we offer titles and categories for different tales, but these are in the end arbitrary appendages for a reader’s convenience. No child will ask her grandfather to tell the story of the first arrival of winter, but will clamor instead, “Tell me again about Iktome getting caught when he steals food,” or “Tell us about where the girl saved her brother.” The tales can be divided in infinite ways, and we hope the chapters we have selected show both the common elements that run through the stories told at opposite ends of the continent and the rich diversity of detail.

“...these legends are not told merely for enjoyment, or for education, or for amusement: they are believed. They are emblems of a living religion, giving concrete form to a set of beliefs and traditions that link people living today to ancestors from centuries and millennia past. As Bronislaw Malinowski said, ‘Myth in its living, primitive form is not merely a story told but a reality lived.’“

[omunday]

Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library, 2017. For more covers, structuralism, and Claude Lévi-Strauss click here. Co-bricoleur: Peter Mendelsund.

[vicey-vice]

Tag 9 -Getting to Know You...

Tagged by: @impracticaldemon Thank you for tagging me, this was so fun I may have written more than necessary.

I apologize if you have been tagged already, but I don’t know many people, so I’ll tag : @hakuokifirst, @daddytrash, @annahakuouki​, @shenanigumi​ @thetastyturnip, and anybody else who wants to give this a try. Please tag me so I get to know you better :)

Rules: Answer the questions and tag 9 or more people you want to get to know better

Relationship: Single. Favourite colour: I like color combinations more than individual colors, and these have changed over time. When I was like eight, my favorite colors were pink, purple and sky blue.Nowadays, it’s:1. white, black, poppy red, ochre,2. burgundy or burnt orange, powder blue, white3. forest green, black and gold. Pets: None yet, but one day I would like to adopt a white cat, give it a red collar with a tiny silver bell and call it Mogget. If you have not read The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, I highly recommend it. Wake up to: The dreadful sound of a standard plug-in alarm clock. Cats or dogs: Cats. I don’t think I have what it takes to be a dog person, though I still think they are cool.

Coke or pepsi: Neither. I rarely drink soda/pop/carbonated beverage, but if I do, it has to be Squirt. It’s a nostalgia thing. Day or Night: Night because it’s when I do my best thinking without interruptions. Text or call: Texting, is so much easier. I feel like a rambling fool if I have to leave a voicemail message. Lipstick or chapstick: What shade of lipstick? If it’s too bright or dark or red, I prefer chapstick. Muted rose  is my shade of choice. Also, no glossiness or sparkles.

Last book I read: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden was the last book I completed. I am currently reading Japanese Tales edited and translated by Royall Tyler for the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library. Next on my reading list will be an autobiography called Geisha of Gion by Mineko Iwasaki, a retired geisha, who sued Arthur Golden for basing his book too much on her life. Last song I listened to: “We Are the Dead” from the Diamond Dogs album by David Bowie. I’ve been playing it on repeat. Love the melancholy in the lyrics and instrumentation. Last movie I watched: Hacksaw Ridge (2016). A bit  bloody (well, it is a war movie), but the story was interesting, and the patriotism wasn’t too over the top. Top 3 TV shows: In no particular order, Sherlock BBC, Blackadder, also from BBC, and to my shame, Game of Thrones. Top 3 characters: Oh my! There are sooo many characters to choose from!

Again, in no particular order, I’ll pick Inigo Montoya (The Princess Bride book version) his back story at the end of Buttercup’s Baby made me sad :(

Next, I’ll choose Sherlock Holmes from the BBC series. I can relate to him so much.

Finally, I’ll choose Sabriel from the Old Kingdom Series, she is one of the few female hero characters I know that is still a badass in her 40s. Not that I’m in my 40’s, but sometimes I feel like it, and I know I’ll get there eventually.

Top 3 ships:How to begin…Shipping is a subject in which I don’t have much practical experience. This makes my tumblr account feel existential. I have seen/read enough to understand it, so here I go! I hope I’m doing this right. I’ll make a canon ship, a non-canon ship, and an OTP (Guys, I am  using the right lingo, right?)

1. Howl and Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle, book version), the arguments between them are hilarious!)

2. Amagiri and Kimigiku from Hakuoki (I had to mention Hakuoki sooner or later in this post). They seem to be the more mature characters, and I feel they many things in common *coughdealingwithoniroyaltycough* they could at least be friends.

3. Mango slices and Tajin chili powder- I can’t have one without the other!

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Reading List (7)

In S1E5 Raisins and Almonds, Yossi told Miss Fisher that Saul was a student of Kabbalah, “religious philosophical teachings”. Simon later tried to explain it to Miss Fisher twice, “The Kabbalic teachings try to divine the nature of the universe. The essence of life itself”, and then “The keys to the Kabbalah are light and heat, the endless light of the divine and the flame of creation”. I don’t know if Miss Fisher understood it, but I certainly didn’t. I guess I am lacking what the Buddhists call 慧根 (root of wisdom that can lead one to truth; or the quality of being sagacious) that would guide me to enlightenment.

According to Wikipedia, Kabbalah is “an esoteric method, discipline, and school of thought that originated in Judaism” (link here), and there are many books available on Amazon to purchase. I haven’t decided whether to explore any of them as I am neither religious nor particularly philosophical. However, if I do, I will probably start with the one titled “Kabbalah For Beginners” by Michele Gilbert (link here).

Since the religious or philosophical teachings are often embedded in the folktales, if I am in the mood of lighter reading, I may choose one the following instead: “Yiddish Folktales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)” (link here) or “Solomon and the Ant: And Other Jewish Folktales” (link here). Based on the customer reviews on Amazon, the latter may be more suitable for “older readers” while the former “would make excellent bedtime stories for children”.

(Posted 07-Mar-2017)

[fantastic-nonsense]

Do you know any good websites for finding fairytales?

Hi! Yes, I do!

My two favorite websites for reading the texts of fairy tales and their various variants are Surlalune and the University of Pittsburgh’s Folktext collection. Both are extensive, well-researched, and well-sourced. Surlalune in particular is an amazing resource for anything to do with fairy tales.

If you’re looking for print sources/anthologies, I recommend the following:

The Victorian Fairy Tales Book

Norton’s The Classic Fairy Tales

Norton’s The Great Fairy Tale Tradition

The Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales

My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me (retellings, not original/source texts, but still really good)

Any and all of Andrew Lang’s Colored Fairy Books (the first two focus on collections of well-known tales, but most of them are sort of themed/grouped geographically and have fairy tales from all over the world)

The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library, including The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales

The Brothers Grimm: Illuminated Fairy Tales is a really beautifully illustrated version if you prefer those

The Complete Fairy Tales of George MacDonald

The Names Upon the Harp: Irish Myth and Legend

The Golden Ages of Folk and Fairy Tales: From the Brothers Grimm to Andrew Lang, Jack Zipes

I’m a big fan of the various “Annotated” Fairy Tale collections, like the Annotated Brothers Grimm, Annotated Classic Fairy Tales, and Annotated Hans Christen Andersen, though I don’t always agree with the editorializing. It’s a whole series, so I’m only going to link to a couple.

On that note, look for book collections put together and/or edited by Maria Tatar and Jack Zipes. They’re the two most prominent fairy tale scholars at the moment and basically have an unofficial duopoly on the fairy tale academic criticism market.

Also, a special shout-out to P.J. Lynch’s illustrated version of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and really all of the fairy tales books that Lynch illustrates. They’re beautiful.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Irish Folktales

By Henry Glassie.

[pineapplemoe]

I was a witch before I was a witch.

So I have very, very recently discovered witchcraft and in my musings I have come to this conclusion; I was a witch before I was a witch. The evidence is staggering, and actually quite amusing to think about. I’m sharing this information mostly because I find it to be funny, and- as with everything I’m currently experiencing- am curious to see if others have had such an experience.

#1: As a child, my mother took me to the library and let us run free to choose some books. My light reading included such books as Introductions to Palmistry, Lucid Dreaming & Astral Projections and, of all things, White Witchcraft. My mother, being Christian, told me to put the last one back. I went on a palmistry/lucid dreaming kick, then forgot all about it.

#2: I’ve always had feelings towards nature. Like... Littering Is Bad! and Plants Are Alive! kind of feelings. My love of nature was so strong, at one point, that I convinced a friend to go with me and clean up the trash along the road she lived by. We gathered two whole bags of trash that way. My mom actually has a picture of me hugging a tree!

#3: I’ve always housed an interest in “pagan” gods. The Greek Pantheon, in fact, is one I’ve read on a lot. I have books on folklore, fairy tales from Germany, Ireland, etc. 

Those are all deep-past things that happened in my childhood. More recently, I’ve been confused as to what to do with my life in general. One particular idea stands out as very... witchy.

#4: I want to open a flower shop. Not a standard flower shop where there are premade bouquets, but one where customers could come in and say, “My mother is sick,” and I would hand-make a bouquet with flowers that symbolized health, healing, getting well, etc. “She’s mad again,” would have more than roses but other flowers with loving intentions. Oh, and of course, I thought about selling herbal teas made for particular ailments. Ha. 

#5: We’ve been working on a house to remodel and my absolute favorite thing to fantasize about is how absolutely wonderful my garden is going to be. (Not as witchy as it could be, but... whatever. Lol.)

SO YES. I was a witch before I was a witch. There are other odd coincidences (Oh, I had this plant that I straight up neglected at times that thrived more than science would like!, etc. etc.)

And of course, my bff @ironandlace, straight up told me she already knew witchcraft was for me when I went to her about it. Ha. Haha. Hahahaha. Ha.

[fairytalesandfolklore]

Misery

“Misery,” from Russian Fairy Tales by Aleksandr Afanas’ev (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library).

I can see this tale being used as part of therapy, especially for addition and/or depression. These Russian tales might be dark, but they nail human psychology.

There are two brothers, one rich, one poor. The poor brother meets up with Misery, and Misery attaches itself to him. Misery talks him into doing all of the wrong things, such as selling his few possessions in order to drink away his time with Misery at the tavern. One the poor brother hits bottom and has nothing left after having even sold his wife’s second dress, he decides to do something about it. He happens across some gold buried in the ground, and he digs it up, but instead of taking it to the tavern to continue drinking away his time with Misery, he buries Misery in the hole in the ground and goes on about his life without the burden of Misery as a constant companion. His fortunes then turn around, and he is able to prosper.

The rich brother is jealous. He has taken some sort of perverse pride in lording over his poor brother, and he doesn’t like seeing him move up in the world. He decides to dig up his brother’s Misery and set it loose so that it will ruin his brother once more. The plan backfires--as it must have done in any just tale--and the rich brother ends up with Misery attached to him. His fortunes immediately begin to decline.

Misery is a poor companion. It will ruin you if it can. It will convince you to take a bad situation and make it worse. You can’t get ahead in life as long as you are spending all of your time with Misery.

It’s also a bad thing to wish on others. Be careful when you do. Any attempt to wish misery on others is likely to bring it down on yourself.

What a truth bomb of a tale.

[volmarrsheathenism]

Heathen/Asatru Learning Book Reading List

Heathen/Asatru Learning Book Reading List

1. A Practical Heathen’s Guide to Asatru

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Heathens-Guide-Asatru-ebook/dp/B00FM5E1P8/

2. The Norse Myths (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library)

https://www.amazon.com/Norse-Myths-Pantheon-Folklore-Library/dp/0394748468/

3. Gods of Asgard: A graphic novel interpretation of the Norse myths

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Asg…

[tinyfamily]

The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Pantheon fairy tale & folklore library) buy now from Amazon £16.99

[judgingbooksbycovers]

American Indian Myths and Legends

By Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz.

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Japanese Tales

By Royall Tyler.