#east o the sun west o the moon

[kaiyonohime]

So sitting in a safety deposit box in a credit union in the US is a copy of East o the sun west o the moon that I loved growing up. It's old, well read, and very loved. And I was thinking of making a new version of that edition for my son so he could read it. It was published in 1934, so it's in the public domain.

Project Gutenberg doesn't have that edition. Their editions don't have the stories mine does, nor the same illustrations. So I get curious and start looking online.

A book that I bought for five dollars online twenty years ago because the original was at my grandmother's farm is nowhere to be found. Absolutely nowhere. I can't find any proof of its existence.

So yeah, the next time I'm in the US, not only am I retrieving that book, I'll be making high quality scans and making a copy. Because the illustrations were gorgeous, and no edition I can find has a several of the stories, like Butterball, and Snow White and the Seven Goose Brothers.

Book editions are weird.

[andsobelovedbesoalone]

“There was a darkness in him, so different from the brown bear; foreboding and cynical, as if he viewed the world only for the worst it could be, instead of choosing to look for hope.”

[purpledragon-ephemera]

East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon Translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent Illustrated by P.J. Lynch © 1991 Candlewick Press

[necronomi-kun]

East O’ the Sun and West O’ the Moon

Illustration by Donn P. Crane for The Magic Garden (1947)

[littlenightma]

Run, Rabbit, Run | Thomas Hewitt x Female!Reader (NSFW)

Author’s Note: *slams post button* Here you go, sluts *evil cackle*

Warning tags: Primal kink, chase kink, breeding kink, lots o’ smut.

The Texas sun kissed your sweat-soaked skin with a harsh pressure of a thousand blow torches. His heavy breathing and roaring of his chainsaw pushed you forward, to keep going no matter what stood before you, but the persistent throbbing between your legs teased the resilience of your rapidly depleting willpower.

Miles separated you from the farm house and separated you from the rest of civilization. Oceans upon oceans of rocky dirt, dying grass, and the occasional road kill were all that could be seen.

The radiating sun, which had been sitting proudly in the sky to the East, now sat lamely in the West beginning to hide beyond the horizon. The ivory moon would force away its suffocating heat, providing the barest of illumination, increasing your chances at escaping.

A small part of you wished the sun would stay out and light up the world just a little while longer.

“You’re so polite for someone your age. You remind me so much of my boy Thomas.”

“If he’s anything like you, ma’am, he has to be the sweetest boy around.”

He was a six foot tall mountain of muscle and power, running with the determination of a blood hound tracking the scent of a wounded animal. When you thought you had successfully outsmarted him by suddenly changing directions within the tall, golden thickets at the last second, he’d still be barreling after you, unphased, no further than he was before.

There were moments, fleeting as they were, but impressionable nonetheless, where he had been so close to getting a hold of you. So close, the slight breeze from his hand attempting to grab your hair raised your skin, sucking the breath from your chest as you narrowly dodge him.

And that made things even more thrilling.

His grunts of frustration were muffled by his mask and the tight curve of his bottom lip. The lip jutted out awkwardly and looked as if it had been stung by a bee the way it was swollen.

Deformed.

And this deformed man was coming after you.

To him you were an outsider. A pest that needed eradicating. Even though his Mama willingly invited you into their home, he made you feel as if you were trespassing anyway. He wanted to kill you then and you were sure as shit he wanted to now, probably more than ever seeing how you keep escaping him.

She’d had asked him to keep you alive so assuming that he’d follow through with her request, your life would be spared, but for what sick reason? Would death be more lenient than what they had planned for you?

Of all days for your tire to blow out…

“Here he comes now,” said the woman, smiling expectantly as the basement door opened and out from the darkened staircase came Thomas.

The boy, no man, stood protectively behind the older woman. He placed his hands on her shoulders, watching you with narrowed eyes that were partially covered by a curtain of black, curly hair. To you, they looked like snakes ready to strike, and so did he.

His nose and lower half of his face was covered by a worn, leather mask that wrapped around the base of his head with thick straps. It looked uncomfortable to wear as it was was to look at.

He was not pleased to see a stranger sitting in his living room and you wanted to sink deeper into the faded couch and disappear. Maybe if you pushed against the cushions hard enough.

A muffled scream came from the basement. Luda Mae glanced up at her son then back to you. Your back straightened.

“What was that?”

She smiled, yet it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Nothing, dear.”

Again, the basement door opened, and out came a man in a Sheriff’s uniform. Fresh blood splattered across his chest and arms, trickling down as he sauntered his way into the room.

“Who in the hell is this pretty thing?”

Time slowed down and so did your breathing. All three had you pinned with various stares ranging from curiosity, understanding, and searing contempt. You weren’t going to risk it. You jumped from the couch and hauled ass out the door, leaving a trail of dust behind.

“Son of a bitch,” said Hoyt. “Boy, go get her before she causes us any trouble.”

Luda Mae grabbed Thomas’ hand. “Keep this one alive, baby. She’ll be good one to have around.”

Thomas wanted to argue his Mama’s odd request, but the sweet smile she gave him and the gentle way she held his hand made him reconsider. He didn’t want her, that’s for damn sure, but whatever his Mama wanted, she’d get.

In the midst of your recollection you realized it was ominously quiet behind you. Peering back, he was no longer running after you. I’m fact, he wasn’t there at all.

You spun around, eyes frantically searching the desolate landscape. He didn’t just vanish into thin air, not a man of his size, yet he had. The weeds danced and suddenly parted, revealing him on all fours as he pushed himself off the ground, propelling into you with a gut-wrenching force, knocking you onto your back.

His full body weight had you pinned, flattening the dry brush beneath you. His barrel-chest heaved and his hand wrapped around your neck, squeezing. As frightened as you were, a strange sense of relief washed over and the instinct to raise your hips overtook you.

He tried moving away, but your legs locked him in. You awkwardly shimmied your shorts down and he watched you. His anger dissipated, replaced by hunger the more of your thighs he saw.

You captured his curious gaze, “Look how wet you made me.”

Your hand reached down and massaged your aching pussy through your sodden underwear. You were a mess, physically and mentally, and if you didn’t get fucked soon you were going to go rabid.

“Thomas, please. Don’t make me beg for it. You know what I want.”

Hearing his name revved him up like an engine. He could practically smell you through his mask. Your pussy glistened beneath the moonlight and he was more than willing to comply. With one hand still around your throat, he used the other to hastily unbuckle his belt and unzip his pants.

He roughly pushed your soaked panties aside and thrusted roughly inside you with a loud grunt. It was swift and had you not been as wet as you were you knew it would have hurt more than it did. You gasped and cried out, pounding your fist to the ground. He fucked you like an animal. It was exactly what you’d been yearning for and if felt so fucking good to finally get it.

His hips bucked with a mighty strength, sending you backwards every time. It made it hard for him to keep himself inside you without having to adjust his position. He scooped you up like a rag doll and pinned you against a tree, folding you between it and his body. The change in position was too much as the angle allowed him to reach new depths inside you, hitting spots you never knew you had, sending you over the edge.

Your climax arrived so suddenly that it left you silently shaking and clinging to Thomas. Your pussy clamped down like the jaws of a lion and he growled, spilling his seed inside you from the tightness.

He laid you both down on the ground with your back to him. You took the time to catch your breath and settle down, but Thomas had other plans. He raised your top leg in the air, spreading you wide and began pumping again.

“Slow, Thomas. I’m really sore.”

Not thinking he’d actually do as you asked, you were surprised at the gradual way he eased his thick cock back into your pussy, keeping a close eye on your face. Although you were too spent to cum again, you nestled back against his chest and idly enjoyed his thrusts.

“Just like that, Thomas. Oh…”

His head was right there and the temptation to kiss him was too good to pass up. Soft lips met his through the mask and he jerked back, stopping his movements altogether.

“God, don’t you stop, Thomas. Your cock is too good. Come back here.”

You wrapped an arm around his head and he let you bring him back down. This time he kissed back, licking and sucking your lips like they were made of chocolate. You were in absolute bliss, not thinking clearly, lost in a haze of euphoria.

With his mouth full of you and you full of him, he groaned a guttural sound that didn’t sound quite human. Your pussy took his second load with open arms, milking every last bit of him he had left to offer. You broke the sloppy kiss to watch his cock pulse and his balls twitch, finding it super erotic.

His cock left you open and wide. You clenched your walls and streams of his fresh cum gushed out. You swiped some and brought it to your lips with Thomas watching in clear fascination. You then offered your finger to him.

He titled his head and inspected the leftover fluid. After some time of pondering his tongue tentatively flicked out, considering the taste, then placed your entire finger in his mouth. He sucked until there was nothing left to suck except the saltiness of your skin.

Using the tree as a support, you carefully maneuvered up. Everything was sore, from your head down to your hips and the simple task of bending down seemed impossible. In an oddly sweet gesture, Thomas gathered your shorts and helped you put them back on.

“You know,” you began, eyes twinkling mischievously, “It’s a long way back to the house. Who knows what could happen on the way there.”

Thomas made a sound caught between a chuckle and a scuff. He watched you strut away, eyes glued to your bouncing ass.

His Mama was right. You were worth keeping around.

[nemfrog]

Smiling sun face. East o' the sun and west o' the moon. 1924. Endpaper detail.

Internet Archive

[the-evil-clergyman]

Illustration from East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon for Thourgh Fairy Halls of My Bookhouse by Donn P. Crane (1925)

[thefugitivesaint]

Edna Cooke (1889-1975) , ''East o' the Sun and West o' the Moon'', 1921 Source

[thegothicalice]

Another oil painting, from the fairytale “East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon” with hand sculpted & painted details added to a thrifted frame, 8”x10” 🐻‍❄️🌞🌙🌌🕯️

[zoesblogsposts]

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

[fictionadventurer]

Seeing your latest fairy tale post and some misconceptions about fairy tales, I’m interested to see your perspective on how they portray love cause lots of people believe it to be not of much substance

Not much substance? The love that sends a woman east o' the sun and west o' the moon in search of her beloved? The love that wears through seven pairs of iron shoes? The love that makes seven nettle-shirts while keeping silent for seven years? The love that sends a prince through brambles that that have killed dozens of men before him? Fairy tales contain some of the most awe-inspiring examples of true, substantial love--romantic, platonic, and familial--that one can imagine, and anyone who thinks otherwise has not read far enough into the genre.

Perhaps these people are referring to commonly-known Cinderella types of tales, where a prince falls madly in love with a woman after one night of dancing, and we are meant to believe that this is a solid-enough foundation for a lifetime of happiness. How could he truly love her? Isn't it more likely he's been blinded by her beauty? No, because these too-literal takes forget that Cinderella's appearance in a dazzling gown is a revelation of her true self; the interior beauty that has been hidden by her stepmother's efforts to keep her enslaved as a soot-covered, rag-wearing servant is now put on full display, clad in silk and jewels as such beauty deserves to be. Often in fairy tales, beauty equates with goodness, not because beauty is good, but because goodness is beautiful. It is this beauty, exterior and interior, that the prince can now recognize and fall in love with, and a love built upon a foundation that clearly sees the interior self can be as lasting and true as love built upon years of acquaintance.

Or maybe these skeptics are talking about the many tales in which a husband or wife is merely a reward for success in the hero's endeavors, just another piece of the happily-ever-after, a love that we're supposed to believe in just because we're told it exists. But how is this different from any of the other unbelievable things in the story? In fairy tales, we don't expect things to happen like they do in the real world. Animals talk, monsters eat children, strangers hand out magical gifts that work upon arbitrary rules. We don't question these things, merely marvel at them. Things happen because they happen, and we don't need to understand more than that. It's a very childlike approach that doesn't wonder why or how, but just plain wonders at the marvelous news that it happened at all. If the story tells us that the couple lived happily-ever-after, who are we to doubt the truth of the tale? Why can we believe that the ogre can turn into a mouse, that the cloak can make a man invisible, or that the boots can travel seven leagues in one stride, but doubt that the love between husband and wife can last through a lifetime? Why is human fidelity the one miracle that we doubt? Fairy tales are a genre that asks for innocence--for child-like trust that the story happened the way they said it did. As marvelous and unbelievable as it sounds to the skeptical ears of adults, love can last a lifetime, whether a couple has known each other for a few hours or a few decades, if they choose to keep loving each other every day of their lives. If the story tells me it happened, I am more than happy to believe it was so.

[andsobelovedbesoalone]

“And so, beloved, you must go alone—traveling lands afar and paths unknown, facing perils great and trials small, until you arrive east of the sun and west of the moon to conquer the greatest grief of all.”

— Baba Priskeda, And So Beloved

[purpledragon-ephemera]

East O' the Sun and West O' the Moon Translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent Illustrated by P.J. Lynch © 1991 Candlewick Press

[kimchicuddles]

I know this is a bit late and probably overthinking it, but all the "man vs bear" stuff keeps making me think of beauty and the beast related lore and especially all the Scandinavian tales where the man shapeshifts into an actual bear. I'm curious to hear your thoughts, especially if you loved Midsommar.

Thank you for supporting my work! patreon.com/kimchicuddles

text reads:

The hypothetical bear vs man question keeps making me think of all the stories about Prince Charming being hidden within a beast, and how weird it is that that's part of our collective thought process about finding true love hidden within a diamond in the rough.

In some versions of this story (such as East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon) the prince is literally a bear who shapeshifts but needs to hide his true form in darkess.

In many of the stories, the beast is sullen and unlikeable, but the girl is drawn into uncovering whatever he is keeping secret.

And I know the recent man/bear question is about choosing which demise would be quicker and less psychologically horrific, but it's an interesting parallel, because so often in love we reach for the dangerous one who has potential to be a prince if we only can break the spell holding him prisoner. 

It worked in the stories, but in real life it might be better to look for the ones who have already figured out how to be men instead of beasts.

[bippity-boppity-doods]

Need ideas?

Here's a small list of stories you could use for inspiration for your AU!

This is, of course, not every fairy tale ever, but there's a lot to choose from or use for inspiration if you're struggling for ideas!

The Little Mermaid

Peter Pan

Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

Snow White

Beauty and the Beast

The Bee and the Orange Tree

Bluebeard

Diamonds and Toads

Fairer-than-a-Fairy

The Benevolent Frog

Goldilocks

Hansel and Gretel

The Golden Key

The Grave Mound

The Juniper Tree

The Pink

Rapunzel

Rumpelstiltskin

The Singing Bone

The Spirit in the Bottle

East of the Sun West of the Moon

Donkeyskin/The Princess in Disguise

1001 Nights

The Snow Queen

Alice in Wonderland

Rappaccini’s Daughter

The White Snake

The Wolf and the Fox

The Strange Musician

The Fox and the Crow

Hero and Leander

The Golden Crab

The Sleeping Prince

The Ruby Prince

Feather O' My Wing

The Soul Cages

The Adventures of Pinocchio

The Canary Prince

Thumbelina

The Red Shoes

The Shadow

True and Untrue

And finally, here is a link to the wikipedia page for fairy tales!

[incomingalbatross]

"Wives saving their husbands/betrothed," very incomplete list:

Cupid and Psyche (the archetype, a lot of its structure shows up in later examples)

The Black Bull of Norroway

The Singing, Springing Lark/Lily and the Lion

East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon

There are a lot more listed under the Aarne-Thomson-Uther Index type 425, "Search for the Lost Husband" (although the Wikipedia page is titled "Animal As Bridegroom," which is an overlapping subtype). The ones above are just the ones I have some personal knowledge of.