#icelandic fairytales

[themousefromfantasyland]

Hildur, the Queen of the Elves

As told by Jón Arnason, translated by George E. J. Powell and Eiríkur Magnússon

Once, in a mountainous district, there lived a certain farmer, whose name and that of his farm have not been handed down to us; so we cannot tell them. He was unmarried, and had a housekeeper named Hildur, concerning whose family and descent he knew whatever. She had all the indoor affairs of the farm under her charge, and managed them wondrous well. All the inmates of the house, the farmer himself to boot, were found of her, as she was clean and thrifty in her habits, and kind and gentle in speech.

Everything about the place flourished exceedingly, but the farmer always found the greatest difficulty in hiring a herdsman; a very important matter, as the well-being of the farm depended not a little on the care of the sheep. This difficulty did not arise from any fault of the farmer’s own, or from neglect on the part of the housekeeper to the comforts of the servants, but from the fact, that no herdsman who entered his service lived more than a year, each one being without fail found dead in his bed, on the morning of Christmas day. No wonder, therefore, the farmer found herdsmen scarce.

In those times it was the custom of the country to spend the night of the Christmas Eve at church, and this occasion for service was looked upon as a very solemn one. But so far was this farm from the church, that the herdsmen, who did not return from their flocks till late in the evening, were unable to go to it on that night until long after the usual time; and as for Hildur, she always remained behind to take care of the house, and always had so much to do in the way of cleaning the rooms and dealing out the rations for the servants, that the family used to come home from church and go to bed long before she had finished her work, and was able to go to bed herself.

The more of the reports of the death of the herdsman after herdsman, on the night of Christmas eve, were spread abroad, the greater became the difficulty the farmer found in hiring one, although it was never supposed for an instant that violence was used towards the men, as no mark had ever been found on their bodies; and as, moreover, there was no one to suspect. At length the farmer declared that his conscience would no longer let him thus hire men only in order that they might die, so he determined in future to let luck take care of his sheep, or the sheep take care of themselves.

Not long after he had made his determination, a bold and hardy-looking man came to him and made hi a proffer of his services. The farmer said:

“My good friend, I am not in so great need of your services as to hire you.”

Then the man asked him, “Have you, then, taken a herdsman for this winter?”

The farmer said, “No; for I suppose you know what a terrible fate has hitherto befallen every one I have hired.”

“I have heard of it”, said the other, “but the fear of it shall neither trouble me nor prevent my keeping your sheep this winter for you, if you will but make up your mind to take me.”

But the farmer would not hear of it at first; “For,” said he, “it is a pity, indeed, that so fine a fellow as you should lose your chance of life. Begone, if you are wise, and get work elsewhere.”

Yet still the man declared, again and again, that he cared not a whit for the terrors of Christmas eve, and still urged the farmer to hire him.

At length the farmer consented, in answer to the man’s urgent prayer, to take him as herdsman; and very well they agreed together. For everyone, both high and low, liked the man, as he was honest and open, zealous in everything, he laid his hand to, and willing to do anyone a good turn, if need were.

On Christmas Eve, towards nightfall, the farmer and all his family went (as has been before declared to be the custom) to church, except Hildur, who remained behind to look after the housholdmatters, and the herdsman,who could not leave his sheep in time. Late in the evening, the latter as usual returned home, and after having eaten his supper, went to bed. As soon as he was well between the sheets, the remembrance struck him of what had befallen all the former herdsmen all the former herdsmen in his position on the same evening, and he thought it would be the best plan for him to lie awake and thus to b ready for any accident, though he was mighty little troubled with fear.

Quite late at night, he heard the farmer and his family return from church, enter the house, and having taken supper, go to bed. Still, nothing happened, except that whenever he closed his eyes for a moment, a strange and deadly faintness stole over him, which only acted as one reason the more for his doing his best to keep awake.

Shortly after he had become aware of these feelings, he heard someone creep stealthily up to the side of his bed, and looking through the gloom at the figure, fancied he recognized Hildur the housekeeper.

So he feigned to be fast asleep, and felt her place something in his mouth, which he knew instantly to be the bit of a magic bridle, but yet allowed her to fix it on him, without moving.

When she had fastened the bridle, she dragged him from his bed with it, and out of the farmhouse, without his being either able or willing to make the least resistance. Then mounting on his back, she made him rise from the ground as if on wings, and rode him through the air, till they arrived at a huge and awful precipice, which yawned, like a great well, down into the earth.

She dismounted at a large stone, and fastening the reins to it, leaped into the precipice. But the herdsman, objecting strongly to being tied to this stone all night, and thinking to himself that it would be no bad thing to know what became of the woman, tried to escape, bridle and all, from the stone. This he found, however, to be impossible, for as long as the bit was in his mouth, he was quite powerless to get away. So he managed, after a short struggle, to get the bridle off his head, and having so done, leapt into the precipice, down which he had seen Hildur disappear. After sinking for a long, long time, he caught a glimpse of Hildur beneath him, and at least they came to some beautiful green meadows.

From all this, the man guessed that Hildur was by no means a common mortal, as she had before made believe to be, and feared if he were to follow her along these green fields, and she turn round and catch sight of him, he might, not unlikely, pay for his curiosity with his life. So he took a magic stone which he always carried about him, the nature of which was to make him invisible when he held it in his palm, and placing in it the hollow of his hand, ran after her with all his strength.

When they had gone some way along the meadows, a splendid palace rose before them, with the way to which Hildur seemed perfectly acquainted. At her approach a great crowd of people came forth from the doors, and saluted Hildur with respect and joy. Foremost of these walked a man of kingly and noble aspect, whose salutation seemed to be that of a lover or a husband: all the rest bowed to her as if she were their queen. This man was accompanied by two children, who ran up to Hildur, calling her mother, and embraced her. After the people had welcomed their queen, they all returned to the palace, where they dressed her in royal robes, and loaded her hands with costly rings and bracelets.

The herdsman followed the crowd, and posted himself where he would be least in the way of the company, but where he could catch sight easily of all that passed, and lose nothing.

So gorgeous and dazzling were the hangings of the hall, and the silver and golden vessels on the table, that he thought he had never, in all his life before, seen the like; not to mention the wonderful dishes and wines which seemed plentiful there, and which, only by the look of them, filled his mouth with water, while he would much rather have filled it with something else.

After he had waited a little time, Hildur appeared in the hall, and all the assembled guests were begged to take their seats, while Hildur sat on her throne beside the king; after which all the people of the court ranged themselves o each side of the royal couple, and the feast commenced.

When it was concluded, the various guests amused themselves, some by dancing, some by singing, other by drinking and revel; but the king and queen talked together, and seemed to the herdsman to be very sad.

While they were thus conversing, three children, younger than those the man had seen before, ran in, and clung round the neck of their mother. Hildur received them with all a mother’s love, and, as the youngest was restless, put it on the ground and gave it one of her rings to play with.

After the little one had played a while with the ring he lost it, and it rolled along the floor towards the herdsman, who, being invisible, picked it up without being perceived, and put it carefully into his pocket. Of course all search for it by the gusts was in vain.

When the night advanced, Hildur made preparations for departure, at which the assembled showed great sorrow, and begged her to remain longer.

Th herdsman had observed, that in one corner of the hall sat an old and ugly woman, who had neither received the queen with joy nor pressed her to stay longer.

As soon as the king perceived that Hildur addressed herself to her journey, and that neither his entreaties nor those of the assembly could induce her to stay, he went up to the old woman, and said to her:

“Mother, rid us now of thy curse; cause no longer my queen to live apart and afar from me. Surely her short and rare visits are more pain to me than joy.”

The old woman answered him with a wrathful face.

“Never will I depart from what I have said. My words shall hold true in all their force, and on no condition will I abolish my curse.”

On this the king turned from her, and going up to his wife, entreated her in the fondest and most loving terms not to depart from him.

The queen answered, “The infernal power of thy mother’s curse forces me to go, and perchance this may be the last time I shall see thee. For lying, as I do, under this horrible ban, it is not possible that my constant murders can remain such longer secret, and then I must suffer the full penalty of crimes which I have committed against my will.”

While she was thus speaking the herdsman sped from the palace and across the fields to the precipice, up which he mounted as rapidly as he had come down, thanks to the magic stone.

When he arrived at the rock he put the stone into his pocket, and the bridle over his head again, and awaited the coming of the elf queen. He had not long to wait, for very soon afterwards Hildur came up through the abyss, and mounted on his back, and off they flew again to the farmhouse, where, Hildur, taking the bridle from his head, placed him again in his bed, and retired to her own. The herdsman, who by this time was well tired out, now considered it safe to go to sleep, which he did, so soundly as not to wake till quite late on Christmas morning.

Early that same day the farmer rose, agitated and filled with fear that, instead of passing Christmas in joy, he should assuredly, as he so often had before, find his herdsman dead, and pass it in sorrow and mourning. So he and all the rest of the family went to the bedside of the herdsman.

When the farmer had looked at him and found him breathing, he praised God aloud for his mercy in preserving the man from death.

Not long afterwards the man himself awoke and got up.

Wondering at his strange preservation the farmer asked him how he had passed the night, and whether he had seen or heard anything.

The man replied, “No; but I have had a very curious dream.”

“What was it?” asked the farmer.

Upon which the man related everything that had passed in the night, circumstance for circumstance, and word for word, as well as he could remember. When he had finished his story every one was silent for wonder, except for Hildur, who went up to him and said:

“I declare you to be a liar in all that you have said, unless you can prove it by sure evidence.”

Not in the least abashed, the herdsman took from his pocket the ring which he had picked up on the floor of the hall in Elf-land, and showing it to her said:

“Through my dream needs no proof, yet here is one you will not doubtless deem other than a sure one; for is not your gold ring, Queen Hildur?”

Hildur answered, “It is, no doubt, my ring. Happy man! May you prosper in all you undertake, for you have released me from the awful yoke which my mother-in-law laid, in her wrath, upon me, and from the curse of a yearly murder.”

And then Hildur told them the story of her life as follow: -

“I was born of an obscure family among the elves. Our king fell in love with me and married me, in spite of the strong disapproval of his mother. She swore eternal hatred to me in her anger against her son, and said to him, ‘Short shall be your joy with this fair wife of yours, for you shall see her but once a year, and that only at the expense of a murder. This is my curse upon her, and it shall be carried out to the letter. She shall go and serve in the upper world, this queen, and every Christmas eve shall ride a man, one of her fellow servants, with his magic bridle, to the confines of Elf-land, where she shall pass a few hours with you, and then ride him back again till his very heart breaks with toil, and his very life leaves him. Let her thus enjoy her queenship.’

“And this horrible fate was to cling me until I should have these murders brought home to me, and be condemmed to death, or should meet with a gallant man, like this herdsman, who should have nerve and courage to follow me down tnto Elf-land, and be able to prove afterwards that he had been with me, and seen the customs of my people. And now I must confess that all the former herdsmen were slain by me, but no penalty shall touch me for their murders, as I committed them against my will. And as for you, O courageous man, who have dared, the first of human beings, to explore the realms of Elf-land, and have freed me from the yoke of this awful curse, I will reward you in times to come, but not now.

“A deep longing for my home and my loved one impels me hence. Farewell!”

With these words Hildur vanished from the sight of the astonished people, and was never seen again.

But our friend the herdsman, leaving the service of the farmer, built a farm for himself, and prospered, and became one of the chief men in the country, and always ascribed, with grateful thanks, his prosperity to Hildur, Queen of the Elves.

@ariel-seagull-wings @princesssarisa @amalthea9 @natache @tamisdava2

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@princesssarisa @themousefromfantasyland @faintingheroine @softlytowardthesun @grimoireoffolkloreandfairytales @the-blue-fairie

The Story of Hild the Good Stepmother

This is one of my new favorite fairytales. When it starts out, it seems like just a retelling of Snow White. Then it takes a hard left turn into a completely unrelated story about curses, arson, and a clever, heroic stepmother.

Read More

[ancientvision]

Lonely Princess at Skogafoss Waterfall in Beautiful Iceland

[snrland]

You people will never understand how much I love snow. I want to go on vacation to the South or North Pole. I wanted to move to Iceland and the only reason I abandoned that idea was because Icelandic is not on Duolingo.

[grushenko]

[nyenyurun]

Dream Vacation: See the beauty of the northern lights(Aurora Borealis)

Jeshurun L. Villamor | BSIT 1A

Photo: paranyu pithayarungsarit/Getty Images

Overview

Iceland is the perfect place for people looking for a cold but not too cold of a place to go for a vacation. it is also good for people who like to go on adventures and seeing amazing views and sceneries.

"Iceland is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis (also known as the northern lights). Here, at 65° N on the southern edge of the Arctic Circle, you can see auroras almost every night — and in warmer temperatures than many other viewing locations around the world."

Ref: https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/nature-travel/iceland-when-to-see-northern-lights

What are the northern lights?

"Auroras are the result of disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. Major disturbances result from enhancements in the speed of the solar wind from coronal holes and coronal mass ejections. "

From this, the trajectory of charged particles is being altered from the magnetospheric plasma. These charged particles are mainly composed of electrons and protons that precipitate into the atmosphere thus emitting lights of varying colour and complexity.

Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora

Where to go to see the northern lights

1. Snæfellsnes peninsula

One of the best places to see the northern lights combined with the distinct shape of Kirkjufell on the peninsula along with a waterfall in front of it with tons of parking and an easy drive to and from Reykjavik.

2. Siglufjörður

Watching the northern lights while beside the water's edge can feel like a scene from a fairytale. and is also near the Sigló Hótel one of the best places to stay in Iceland for the northern lights.

3. The Blue Lagoon

Being able to see the northern lights while relaxing in one of Iceland's geothermal spas can be the best place to enjoy the show if that is the kind of vacation you prefer.

Ref: https://perlan.is/articles/best-place-to-see-northern-lights-in-iceland

[withlovelunette]

writeblr introduction!

I really want to make writer friends so I’ve recently decided to involve myself more in the online space! Feel free to interact with the post if you’re a writing/writing craft blog so I can give you a follow!

About my writing / favourite genres to read

- Fairytales and folklore are very central in both my own writing and what I enjoy to read.

- Literary fiction with morally grey or even morally reprehensible characters.

- Mythology incorporated into the story.

- Classic and gothic literature are also some of my favourites to read!

- Fantasy (usually classics) and sci-fi, though I don’t write a lot of sci-fi myself.

- Not much of a romance reader, but I enjoy a good romance subplot and period pieces, as well as queer themes!

- Steampunk settings :)

About myself

I’m a norwegian-icelandic writer, but I primarily write in english. I’m a huge book lover and folklore enthusiast, to the point where I’m currently studying it in university. I’m also an artist in my spare time, and have an interest in philosophy, psychology and (personality) typology! I’m game tag friendly and more than happy to talk about writing craft and personal projects. Hopefully I’ll be able to make posts about my WIPs one day, but I’m hoping to make some friends on here regardless!

Updated with WIPs list!

Matryoshka Doll & Wooden Soldiers (WIP)

A fairytale retelling of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King! Tag: #md&ws

Animal Arbiter (WIP)

A gothic folk-horror novella! Tag: #animal arbiter

[adarkrainbow]

Some scholarly notes about the Grimm fairytales (1)

Recently in France (well... for the last two dozen years), the publishing house José Corti has been specializing itself in scientific fairytales collections. While for the study of literary fairytales one would go towards Honoré Champion, when it comes to folktales and fairytales it is José Corti one must check. In their "Merveilleux" collection they have been publishing for the very first time in France or republishing out-of-prints collections of various European fairytales (from Denmark, Spain, Romania, and more) - with a few classics of the "literary" fairytales that marked deeply the evolution of the genre (such as Straparola's Facetious Nights or Ludwig Bechstein's fairytales).

All of that to say, José Corti has in 2009 published the most recent scientific (but for an all-public) edition of the brothers Grimm fairytales. The full collection of their fairytales, translated accurately in French, with annotations about their type/classification, their evolution throughout editions and their predecessors. I can't share all of these annotations with you, of course, but I can share a handful of them, about the most famous stories of the Grimm. They all come from the same person who translated the story in this edition: Natacha Rimasson-Fertin. (Of course my notes might be incomplete but hey, you'll have to buy the books to see the whole thing :p Or check them out at your local library)

The devil with three golden hairs (Der Teufel mit den dre goldenen Haaren)

This story is at the crossroa between the Aa-Th 461 "Three hair from the devil's beard" ; the AT 460B "The quest for fortune" and the AT 93à "Urie's letter/The prophecy".

In the 1812 edition, there were two different versions of this tale. Story number 29 "The story of the devil with three golden hair", told by Amalia Hassenpflug, and number 75, "The phenix", told by her sister Mary. In the second version the devil was replaced by a phoenix, and the hero had to get three feathers. In the 1819 edition the two stories disappeared and were replaced by the version we know today, told by Dorothea Viehmann. Another version that the Grimms had collected in 1812 had a princess falling in love with the woodsman that cuts a tree below her window.

The final episode, where the hero asks three questions to the devil through the old woman, echoes the Pentamerone's "The Seven Doves". Other versions of this story include Asbjörnsen-Moe's "The wealthy Peter Krämer", and Afanassiev's "Marco the Wealthy and Vassili the Unfortunate". The story of the brothers Grimm gathers several references to the Bible: the child throw in the water echoes Moses' abandonment, the letter meant to kill the hero is similar to the one David uses to kill Urie, finally the hair as holders of a being's wisdom and strength is linked to the legend of Samson and Dalila. But many other elements of the story evoke older faiths. The idea of a body of water as the frontier with the Otherworld can be found in the Classical Antiquity with the Greek Charon, and is found in other stories of the volume, such as "Frau Holle" and "The Iron Stove" - it as believed that water formed an obstacle spirits could not cross. The hero's mission recalls a tale of Saxo Grammaticus where Thorkill enters Utgard (the realm of supernatural beings) to steal a hair from the beard of Utgard-loki. The brothers Grimm had noted that the belief in the exceptional fate of a child born with a "hood" was also found in Iceland, where the "caul", called Glückshaut (skin of luck) was the home of a genie that would follow the child all of his life. And indeed, modern research has proven that the name given to this caul, the "fyljia" was also the name of a spiritual double, a tutlar spirit tied to a person or a family. This is why the tradition was to preserve and hide this "pileus naturalis" - in Belgium, it was called a "hem" and its color allowed for divination rituals about the child's future.

The girl without hands (Das Mädchen ohne Hände)

This fairytale is actually a cross between the AT type 706 "The maiden without hands" and the AT 930 "Urie's letter/The prophecy". The story was created by the brothers mixing two versions from Hesse, one told by Mary Hassenpflug, the other by Dorothea Viehmann. The second version lacks this story's introduction and begins with a father trying to marry his own daughter - when she refuses, he cuts off her hands and breasts, and chases her out of his house. It then follows the story. Meanwhile, the first version differs when the heroine is with her child in the forest: an old man tells her to hug three time a tree with her arms, which makes her hands grow again. He also tells her to only open the door of her house to one who will ask to enter "for the love of God" three times in a row - the king will be forced to do this before entering.

Outside of these two main versions, the brothers Grimm collected three additional ones. In the first, the angel that guides the girl is replaced by a small light that descends from the sky ; and the hands of the girl grow back when she plunges her arms in a stream after seeing a blind mouse enter its water to regain its sight. In the second version, a man is upset at his little girl praying for him day and night, but since she refuses to stop despite his demands, he cuts off her tongue. But she prays in thought and makes the sign of the cross, so he cuts off her right hand, then her arm all the way to the elbow, before banishing her. She is saved by a hunter that hides her in his master's domain and feeds her in secret with his master's dogs. When the master discovers this, he decides to raise the girl as his own child. One day she gives money to a poor man, who tells her she will regain her arm and tongue if she goes to drink of a certain stream, and he gives her a magical staff to protect her. When she returns at the lord's house, he marries her. The third version is about a queen banished by her husband with her two children, and is identical to the legend of saint Helen.

Other international versions of the tale include Zingerle's "The pretty daughter of the innkeeper", Basile's "Penta the one-armed girl" and Afanassiev's "The young girl without hands". There are some versions where it is a man that is mutlated, such as Afanassiev's "The brave without legs and the blind brave". The roots of this story date back to the end of the 12th century, and are located in southern England - this tale was the subject of numerous literary adaptations, the most famous being the verse romance of the 13th century "The Beautiful Helen of Constantinople".

The motif of the child sold to the devil is recurring among the Grimm fairytales - even though the character of the devil can be replaced by another supernatural being, such as in "Rapunzel" or "The Nixie of the Mill-Pond". The idea of offering the first thing one sees upon returning home is as old as the Ancient Testament (Judges). This story bears the signs of a heavy Christianiation, and was clearly inspired by the legend of Saint Genevieve of Brabant, falsefely accused of being unfaithful and condemned to death with her newborn child. The executioners take pity on her and she lives alone in the woods for seven years. As with other tales from the Grimm collection, this story mixes the Christian fantasy (the hands that regrow are treated as a Christian miracle) with pagan fantasy (there are several elements of folk-magic, such as the circle the girl draws around her to be protected from the devil, or the accusations of the queen giving birth to a changeling - a changeling also appears in the third story of "The Elves", KHM 39).

The Robber Bridegroom (Der Räuberbräutigam)

This story belongs to the fairytale type Aa-Th 955, named after it: "The robber bridegroom".

The tale was told to Jacob Grimm by Mary Hassenpflug, and was present as early as the 1810 manuscript. However this first version, that the brothers deemed "incomplete" was replaced from the 1812 edition onward by a new version which mixed two versions from Lower-Hesse. The brothers noted the existence of another version where the robber indicated the road to his house to a princess, by tying ribbons around the trees.

Ludwig Bechstein took inspiration from the brothers Grimm's tale to create his own "The Robber Bridegroom". This fairytale, like "Fichter's Bird", belongs to the "Bluebeard cycle" (several tales that the brothers removed from their first edition also belonged to this cycle).

Fitcher's Bird (Fitchers Vogel)

This tale is a variation of the Aa-Th 311 "The heroine rescues herself and her sisters", usually classified under the "Bluebeard" category.

The final text of the Grimms is actually a mix of two different versions of the same story that was told to the brothers by both Friedrike Mannel and Dortchen Wild. The Grimms noted the existence of a version from Hanovre which goes as follow: a poor woodcutter asks his daughter to bring him his meal in the forest, and to show them the way he places peas on the floor. However dwarves notice this, and change the emplacement of the pea so that their path leads to their grotto. The older girl follows the peas, and become the dwarves' slave. Then we have the Bluebeard "forbidden room" motif, and the story goes as the "Fitcher's Bird" goes, as the dwarves lure the two other sisters to their cave. The last sister sticks the feathers on her body by rolling herself in blood (presumably the blood of the dwarves' victims), and there is no resurrection of the sisters. Everybody that meets her on the way call her "geputzter Vogel". The dwarves hunt the girl down and almost catch her just as she reaches her father's house - she is so fast in closing the door that it cuts a piece of her heel. The Grimms also knew of a Dutch version of the story, translated in German, and that was identical to one of their first-editions tales, "The Murder-Castle".

The translation of the name of the "bird" always caused many problems, due to the difficulty of understanding the expression. The brothers Grimm themselves explained the name of the bird by the Icelandic "Fitfuglar", meaning "birds that swim" - as such, the girl would be called "Fitchers-Vogel" because she looks like a swan". However, other people do not agree with this etymology, some linking Fitcher with "Fitze", the thread. Rimasson-Fertin highlights that the expression "Fitchers Fitze", outside of a simple sonority game, might be two variations of the male name Fritz (the diminutive of Friedrich) - other usual diminutives were Fitze, Fitz and Fiete. The brothers Grimm noted that the motif of the blood that cannot be erased was much older than Perrault's Bluebeard - it could be found as early as the "Gesta Romanorum", where a mother who had murdered her child couldn't erase three blood-drops from her hand, forcing her to wear a glove. This story must be compared to the KHM 40, "The Robber Bridegroom".

The Juniper Tree (Von dem Machandelboom)

It is the AaTh 720 "My mother killed me, my father ate me".

Just like the tale of "The Fisherman and his wife", this story was written by the painter P. O. Runge, and the brothers Grimm used it as a model for how they should present their own fairy tales. In fact, we can note sentences almost identical between the two tales.

The brothers noted a variation of the story where the stepmother places her daughter near the pot where her brother cooks, and she forbids her from looking inside. But since the pot boils too much, the girl lifts the lid - then her brother's hand reaches out to her from the cauldron. There is yet another version noted by the Grimm where there are three children, not two, and the stepmother sends them pick up strawberries in the wood, promising an apple to whoever comes back first.

The cruelty of this fairytale earned the brothers a serious criticism from Achim von Arnim - who only tolerated such violence because it echoed the one present in Goethe's Faust. The description "red as blood, white as snow" of course echoes the tale of "Snow-White". The brothers Grimm mentionned in their notes that the juniper tree was a plant believed to have the power to bring back youth - and Rölleke noted that the juniper-tree's red berries were used in folk-magic. It seems to be a very ancient tale due to several very old motifs such as the soul returning in the shape of a bird, a resurrection out of bones, and cannibalism. This tale must be compared to "Brother Lustig", "The Singing Bone" and, of course, "The Fisherman and his wife".

Briar Rose (Dornröschen)

Of course, it is the AaTh 410 "Sleeping Beauty".

This fairytale was present as early as the 1810 manuscript, written by Jacob Grimm from a tale told by Marie Hassenpflug. Research has proven that this story is derived from Charles Perrault's own Sleeping Beauty. We also find back in the German story a motif coming from another famous French literary fairytale, madame d'Aulnoy's "The Hind in the Woods/The Doe in the Woods" (also known as the White Doe). In this story a Crayfish/Lobster fairy announces to the queen she will have a child, and later the same fairy curses the princess as she is born - and what a coincidence! In the first edition of "Briar Rose", the animal that announces the princess' birth is not a frog... but a crayfish. Proving that there is a direct link. As for the name of the princess n German, "Dornröschen", "small briar rose", it actually first appeared in the German translation of a 1730 fairytale by Anthony Hamilton (an Irish man who however spoke and wrote French), "Fleur d'épine" (Thorn flower/Briar flower) - it had been translated in 1790. Bolte and Polivka have also noted a comedy by Gryphius from 1660 whch was named "Die geliebte Dornrose", "The beloved briar rose".

In their notes about the fairytale, the Grimm brothers explicitely compare Briar Rose to the legend of Brunhild asleep behind a wall of fire, cursed into a magical slumber by Odin's "sleep-thorn" and woken up by Sigurd, the only one able to cross the wall of flames. The brothers Grimm were also aware of Basile's version of the story, "Thalia, Sun and Moon", which they compared to their own Briar Rose in their notes. The brothers were very fascinated by the consistant naming of the princess' children from Perrault (Dawn, Day) to Basile (Sun, Moon) and compared it to the occurences of "Day, Sun and Moon" as names within the Eddas. However we know that Perrault was heavily inspired by Basile's story when writing his own Sleeping Beauty, and only modified some parts so as to erase the more shocking and "unpleasant" parts (such as the married prince having sex with the sleeping girl). Of course, this story is also to be compared with the 14th century medieval tale of the Roman de Perceforest.

The wise women that appear in this story are the Germanic equivalent of the fairies. In fact, we know that the brothers Grimm carefully avoided (or erased) any mention of "Fee" (the German word for the English "fairy" and French "fée") from their tales, so as to better differentiate them from the French "fairy tales", "contes de fées". By turning the fairies into wise women making predictions at the child's birth, the Grimms notably opened an entire set of symbolism and interpretations linking them to the mythological figures of the Norns, Parcae and Moirai.

Snow White (Schneewittchen)

Of course, it is the AaTh 709 "Snow-White".

The full editing history of this tale was only "recently" recreated (the book was published in 2009, it was recent back then) in its entirety. We know that it begins in 1808 with a version collected by Ferdinand Grimm, brother of Jacob and Wilhelm, called "Schneeweibchen". It seems Ferdinand might have invented the story on his own. Wilhelm and Jacob then slowly modified it, by adding details from other collected versions, before publishing it in their first edition in 1810 (they did note at the time that it was a Lower-Germany story, and that in Upper-Germany the tale did exist but with the deformed name of "Schliwitchen". When the Grimms did their second edition, the main change they performed onto this story was the modification of the wicked mother into a wicked stepmother - something they also did for "Hansel and Gretel". In fact, from edition to edition the Grimms kept adding adjectives and expressons highlighting the opposition between the girl and the vain queen.

Th Grimms had collected several variations of the tale. One was much closer to the tale of "The Juniper Tree" and in it the queen, as she was with the king on a hunting sled, cut her finger while peeling an apple. In another variation the king and queen were walking by three mounts of snow, than went by three pools of blood, and finally saw three ravens in the sky, and each time the king wishes for a girl with the corresponding colors - soon afterward the couple encountered a little girl fitting this description. The king, immediately attached to her, takes her with him in their royal carriage, but the queen immediately hates her and tries to get rid of her - so she asks the girl to go seek a glove she threw out of the window, and while she is out of the carriage she asks the driver to leave as fast as he can. Then the little girl takes refuge at the seven dwarves' house.

The fairytale existed in German literature before the brothers Grimm published it. Indeed J. A. Musaüs had published in 1782 a fairytale called "Richilde" - and the Grimm were influenced by this tale, since in the margins of their first edition, they noted about Snow-White "It is Musaüs' Richilde". There was also a Snow-White story that had been published in 1809 in a fairytale book by A. L. Grimm (no relationship to the brothers Grimm). The Brothers Grimm did note the striking similarity between this story and the Norse pseudo-historical legend of Snäsridr, the beautiful wife of "Harald with fair hair", a wife that, when she died, stayed in her prime state so that it seemed she was still alive.

This fairy-tale has a very wide area of spreading, as it can be found from Ireland to Turkey passing by central Africa. It is especially present in the literary Italian compilations of fairytales. Basile has three variations of the story in his Pentamerone: "The raven", "Nennillo and Nennella" as well as "The she-cook".

The various virtues that Snow-White shows in this tale made her one of the big role models within the education of bourgeoisie girls in the 19th century - alongside Cinderella, of course. In fact, according to H-J Uther's analysis of the story, it is because of all her virtues that Snow-White's beauty does not fade away and stays undamaged even in death, unlike her wicked stepmother whose vices causes the fading of her charms. Finally, this fairytale is actually the proof that the brothers Grimm did not simply listed their fairytales one after the other in a random order, but deliberately created "bridges" and internal references to create a cohesive world within their book. Indeed, the mention of the snowflakes looking like feathers references "Frau Holle", while the glass coffin can be found back in, of course, "The Glass Coffin", and the blood-drops on the snow evokes "The Juniper Tree".

Rumpelstilzchen

Yes this story is the famous "Rumpelstilskin" (or Rumpelstiltskin? I never know how to write it in English). But why keep the German spelling? Because Rimasson-Fertin has some stuff to say about it: this name is the diminutive form of "Rumpelstilz", a term that Jacob Grimm defined in his "German Dictionary" as being synonymous with "poltergeist" (he noted a similarity between Poltergeist and Rumpelgeist, both designated a very loud spirit). While today "poltergeist" is mostly associated with ghosts, in a much broader way it designate a dwarf, a dead or a devil - or just any kind of phenomenon caused by witchcraft.

This story corresponds to the AaTh 500 "The name of the supernatural being". This fairytale has an interesting evolution history... Jacob Grimm had a version of it as early as 1808, named "Rumpenstünzchen", which was then slightly modified for the 1810 manuscript. This tale was actually the mix of two different versions - and one of these versions had a different ending. The queen didn't sent messengers searching for the dwarf's name, rather the king spotted the little man while returning from hunting on the third day. The Grimm also noted a variation where the initial situation was reversed: a young girl who had to spin hemp but could only manage to spin gold much to everybody's despair, and a small man appeared to promise her a wedding to a king's son in exchange for her firstborn child. It ended in such a way: the queen herself spotted the small man singing his name, jumping around a fire while riding a ladle like a horse. When she guessed his name, he flew out of the window and into the sky, riding the ladle like a witch's broom. We know that the episode of the spinning of the straw was only added by the Grimm in 1812 (it is not in the 1810 version), and that the final scene of the dwarf self-mutilating comes from a story of Lisette Wild and was added in 1819.

The first literary record of this story is a French fairytale published in 1705 and written by Mlle Marie-Jeanne L'Héritier de Villandon. It was "L'Histoire de Ricdin-Ricdon" (The Tale of Ricdin-Ricdon), published in her "La Tour ténébreuse et les jours lumineux" (The Shadowy tower and the luminous days). It had been translated in German by Johann Gottwert Müller in 1790, under the title "Straubfedern", "Ostrich feathers". As for the name "Rumpelstilzchen", it actually originates from Johann Fischart's Grman adaptation of the French "Gargantua", "Geschichtklitterung" (1584) - in it, Fischart lists various children game by name, and mentions a "Rumpele stilt oder der Poppart".

This fairytale type is very present in Western, Central and Northern Europe (British Isles and Ireland included), with also a few spottings in the Baltic countries, China and Japan. The name of the supernatural being always changes from one region or country to the next (in Swiss it is Hans-Öfeli, in Dutch Trillevip, in Swedish Titteliture, in Finnish Tuttirituli, in the Suffolk it is Tom Tit Tot, in Welsh Gnarwynathrot, in Irish it is Eve-Trot or Trit-a-Trot...). It is part of the enormous success of this tale-type: every country has to invent its own brand of nonsensical, un-guessable name. As for the rhymed song through which the dwarf betrays its name, it is found in England as "Nimmy nimmy not / My name is Tom Tit Tot", and in an Afro-American version of North Carolina "I'm so glad that she do not know / That my name is Tabutoe Tambutoe".

The brothers Grimm noted that in Germanic mythology it was typical for underground beings (aka dwarfs) to have names that are not usual among humankind, which is why, again according to them, the dwarf of this story would feel in perfect safety proposing the queen such a game. The rule according to which obtaining the name of a supernatural being means gaining a form of power over them is very common, and is even reused in another one of the Grimm stories: KHM 136, "Iron John". H. Rölleke did an analysis of the names the queen proposes at first: we have the three names of the Magi, aka the Three Wise Men, or King-Magi, which gives a Christian setting to the story, and could also serve as a metonymy for all the saint names found in the Christian calendar. As for "Heinz" and "Kunz", Rölleke sees in them the diminutives of the names of the medieval emperors Heinrich and Konrad, which used to be some of the most popular male names among German-speaking countries.

All-Kinds-of-Fur (Allerleirauh)

It corresponds to the AaTh 510B "The dresses of gold, silver and stars", also known as "Donkey Skin", after the famous Charles Perrault fairytales.

The story we read today was the one told to the Grimm by Dortchen Wild, but there was a variation of it told to the brothers by Jeannette Hassenpflug, "Princess Mouse-Skin", which was present in the 1812's edition of the volume (n°71) but was then moves to the annotations as a mere mention. The version of the story from the first draft (the 1810 manuscript) was called "Allerlei Rauch", "All Kinds of Smoke", and was heavily inspired by one of the tales present within the novel "Schilly" by Carl Nehrlich.

The line "God forbade a father from marrying his daughter. Nothing good can come from this sin which will cause the kingdom's decadence" was added in the 1819 edition, and references a tale of Albert Ludwig Grimm called "Brunnenhold und Brunnenstark". The brothers Grimm insisted even more on the condamnation of the sin of incest when rewriting the story for their "small collection" for kids, and also insisted heavily upon a political extension of such a decision, which would damage the state itself. It is actually an allussion to the failure of the Frankfort Parliament, which had been gathered in 1848 at the Paulskirche in an attempt to create a constitution for all of Germany - to which Jacob Grimm had taken part.

A variation of the story collected in Paderborn has the last coat made of all the furs of the kingdom, plus moss and various forest-related material. In this version, the heroine puts the cloak on top of her three beautiful dresses before fleeing, and she hides in an empty tree where she is discovered, not during a hunting party, but by woodsman that cut off the tree she was sleeping into, to bring wood to the king. All-Kinds-of-Fur works in the castle's kitchen but one day as she is preparing the soup, the king has her sit on his chair so she can delouse him (a motif also present in "The Devil with Three Golden Hair). As she does, the king glimpses the beautiful shining dress under the cloak's sleeve, and this is how he discovers the girl's true appearance. Another variation of the story yet, also collected in Paderborn, has the heroine pretending to be mute. One day the king hits her with a whip, it rips apart the coat, revealing the golden dress underneath.

Not all the German versions of the story include the incest motif. In Musaüs' take on the story, "Die Nymphe des Brunnens", "The Nymph of the Well", the heroine leaves her father's castle because it has been destroyed. Her godmother, an undine, gifts her a small magical box and when she leaves the ball she says "Night behind me and day before me / Might nobody see me!". As for the version of Hassenpflug, "Princess Mouse-Skin", it begins as the KHM 179, "The Goose-Girl at the Well": a king wants to know which of his three daughters love him the most, the first says she loves him more than the whole kingdom, the second more than pearls and precious stones, the third more than salt. The furious father has the last princess be sent into the woods to be killed, but the servant tasked with the execution spares her out of pity, and gives her, by her request, a coat made of mice skin. The rest of the story goes like within "All-Kinds-of-Fur", except for the final wedding, to which the father-king is invited. All the dishes served to him are without salt, and he ends up saying he prefers to die rather than continue eating without salt. The princess-daughter reveals herself and points out how he tried to had her killed for loving him more than salt. Her father begs her for forgiveness, and the tale ends with her accepting.

The motif of the incest can, however, be found back in a variation of the KHM 31 (The Girl Without Hands) that the Grimms collected, and where the father mutilates the daughter for refusing to marry him. The motif of the king trying to marry his own daughter has been attested in many, many European stories ever since the 12th century. As for the boots that are thrown in the heroine's face in the Grimm story, while in the final edition it has no follow-up, in the 1812 edition it was a recurring element forming a motif within the tale. Another German version of the story that preserved this structure that the Grimms erased is the story collected by Vernaleken, "Throw-Broom, Throw-Brush and Throw-Comb". In it the king throws out of anger at the face of the heroine (Adelaide) a broom, a brush and a comb. Every time she goes to the ball, she changes her pseudonym to fit which item hit her (one night she is "Throw-Broom", another she is "Throw-Brush", etc...). There are many, many variations of the story containing such a "name play".

Other famous examples of this variation, outside of Charles Perrault's Donkeyskin, include Straparola's "The maiden in the chest", Basile's "The She-Bear", Afanassiev's "Pig-Skin".

Jorinde and Joringel (Jorinde und Joringel)

It corresponds to the AaTH 405, named and created after this story, "Jorinde and Joringel".

The interesting thing with this story is that the brothers Grimm did not collect it from a direct source. Rather they lifted it, to the exact word, from the autobiography of Johann Heinrich Jung, "Jugend/Youth", published in 1779. The brothers deemed that the way Jung-Stilling had written the tale was the "perfect" way to tell the story, according to their definition of a fairytale. Though they did note the existence of a version of the story told in Schwalm - but which differs very little from the story of Jung-Stilling.

The brothers Grimm themselves noted a similarity between this story, and the KHM 123, "The Old Woman in the Wood". Rimasson-Fertin notes that the witch in this story is to be compared to the ones appearing in "Hansel and Gretel" and in "Little Brother and Little Sister". As for the name of the demon the witch invokes, "Zachiel", H. Rölleke identified it as a form of "Zachariel", a demon name coming from the very popular 17th century demonology grimoire "Clavicula Salomonis", "The Clavicles of Salomon".

[talestales-art]

Reverse 1999 events/lore I would like to see mmmmmm (explodes)

GOLDEN AGE HOLLYWOOD EVENT

This is mostly because I love Bette. I would love to see a Hollywood focused event, especially with Sweetheart & Bette (and maybe even Blonney). Commentary on the film industry and on theme considering how much film related stuff is in the game (tickets, movie review achievements). At least a sweetheart anecdote. Films have also been mentioned multiple times in the daily login.

Black centered event

Can’t comment too much about this as I’m not black, but black people have done A LOT for the world and it often goes unrecognised. Deserves recognition. The game also needs more black characters. I would especially love to see a music focused event, since there’s not many music themed characters and black people invented essentially every music genre. African folklore is also really REALLY cool and I think that would be nice too see. But yeah mainly there need more black characters.

Early Iron Age Scandinavia (aka vikings)

I think it would be interesting to start it off with the 80’s with meeting Erick. Then going back in time to the Iron Age/viking age, and that’s where she gets her i2 garment. It would also be nice to see other Nordic characters, one I would LOVE to see is Njals from the Icelandic Fairytale Njals Saga. They also mentioned vikings in one of the daily login. Also it would be cool w folklore /viking stuff that’s not romanticised. Perhaps even Nordic mythology & folklore (folklore creatures > asatro gods imo).

Rabies lore

If you’ve read his story, you’ll understand. I really hope we get an anecdote or an event featuring Rabies. I would love to see who he was in his past, the emotions he experienced losing all of his patients. I also need bluepoch to release their Alicia/Alicja design. I want them to kiss. Please. Also read his story if you haven’t, it’s so tragic.

Yule event

Shamane yule goat garment when🕯️ also I like Yule, it’s an easy way to celebrate winter time without tying it to one specific religion or practice (as many places do yule in their own way). Also it would generally be nice to see yule talked about more, since christmas usually get the spotlight.

Mesmer Jr Protagonist

Mesmer Jr gets to be the protagonist of an event, just like Vertin, Sonetto, Regulus and Matilda (kinda) got to be. She deserves that. It would also be very interesting with more Mesmer Family lore, especially her finding out about Scott (three doors). Hopefully it would end with her joining Vertin’s team officially and distancing herself from the foundation/her family. Also she gets to change her name, she deserves a proper first name. Please bluepoch give her a happy development please I’m begging. At the very least there’s NO WAY there’s not gonna be a Mesmer family heavy event/lore, there’s already so so so much and they’re building it up for something I swear.

Tragic ballerina character

I physically need a tragic ballerina reverse 1999 character or I will implode. That’s the only reason I made my r1999 ballerina OC Aigrette. ALSO there’s a painting of a ballerina in the suitcase. Bluepoch, ballerina character is a need.

[i-have-dots-in-my-brain]

HETALIA NEIGHBORHOOD AU :)

I WANNA EXPAND ON THIS YES

alfred has been chased by the cops for 1: settign the forest on fire several times and 2: using a lawnmower to travel on the open roads.

francis and arthur have a rivalry where whey see who can roast each other better. they stick their heads out of their oppsoing windows and point out the other's flaws, they'vre gotten so many noise complaints for this lol)

the only way that the neighborhood knows that kiku is still alive is that every week yao drops off some fresh groceries at his door and immediately an arm pushes the door open, grabs the groceries and then dissapears back into the void.

yao orgsnises like all of events and cooks for all of them.

roderick is playing his piano at like 3 am just to freak out gilbert and alfred.

gilbert helps decorate for like all the events.

arthur has a massive garden of flowers and francis keeps stealing his roses.

alfred is one of the only neighbors that go into ivan's house and come out alive.

ivan is the chillest neighbor and will tell the neighborhood kids fairytales if they hsve the guts to talk to him (the kids who have experienced this arent scared of him anymore)

ludwig's crazy dogs are actually pretty chill.

feliciano makes a pizza for every new neighbor who moves in.

romano grows tomatos and will beat you with a broom if you steal any one of them.

alfred likes to feed the birds.

we're pretty sure alfred hasn't committed any federal crimes.

matthew lives next to kiku and just has a polar bear that the neighborhood just accepted.

matthew has ridden a moose home don't ask questions.

alfred and matthew are like the cool uncles of halloween .

matthew's house is the place you want to go to if you wanna talk about feelings.

jack just calmly takes his tarantula on a walk sometimes.

SHIP NOTES : RUSAME, FRUK, PRUCAN, SUFIN, GERITA

alfred and ivan live in the same house and have a sign on the door that says ivan and al's house :)

alfred and ivan just walked out their house with wedding rings on their fingers and the neighborhood has learned not to ask questions about that.

whenever arthur has a party francis cooks.

sweden and finland's is the house universally known as the Clubhouse bc's of all of the playdates sealand has had there (sealand's their adopted kid)

ludwig and feliciano (married) live together and the neighborhood kids comeover for feliciano's pizza and to pet ludwig's dogs.

gilbert and matthew live together and hold a sledding race during the winter together. matthew almost always wins (sweden)

KIDS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD INCLUDE :

alaska (alexei) and hawaii (alana) (human names ) rusame kids (go by nicknames : alex and lana)

peter (sealand) (sufin)

emil (iceland) (sufin)

monica (gerita kid)

YAO'S LITTLE SIBLINGS/ COUSINS:

leon wang (hk)

macau (chen wang)

 Lien wang (Nguyen)

FULL NAMES :

arthur kirkland

francis bonneyfoy

yao wang

kiku honda (wang) (little brother to yao)

Berwald Oxenstierna (sweden)

Tino Väinämöinen (finland)

gilbert beilschimidt

ludwig vargas (beilschimidt) (bros with gilbert lol)

feliciano vargas

romano vargas

matthew williams

ivan braginski jones

alfred f braginski jones

roderich edelstein?? (not sure if thats his last name)

[beezonia]

list of justice vs fool personas!! Lets see if you can guess who’s is whose! ——

Turpin (Dick Turpin - English Highwayman)

Kisa (Icelandic fairytale - Kisa The Cat)

Jormungandr (Norse Mythology)

Gerda (From the fairytale Snow Queen)

Satine (Inspired by Satine from Moulin Rouge)

Shiratori (Inspired by the prison breaker of the same name)

Gigabyte (Inspired by the hacker of the same name)

Maid Marian (From the tale of Robin Hood)

Eris (Greek Goddess of Discord)

——-

@39tn39

[paikothecateater]

why do I feel like if norway ever turned into a child again (probably by magic) on accident, Sweden would not take him serious. Not serious as in he would coddle him and spoil him and dress him in cute sailor outfits.

While norway would be like "hey! we got to find a way for me to transform back into my normal self!", Sweden is just: "yeah yeah, hush now I made you some hot chocolate, you wanna drink it while I read you a fairytale, hm?"

Sweden always took Norway seriously which involved coddling him.

Let me explain:

Norway was a very quiet child. He only spoke if he needed something or if he had a concern to voice. On top of that, he was very well spoken and pretty damn observant.

Sweden always took whatever Norway said seriously, child or no.

However, Sweden would also be absolutely overjoyed to have little Norway back. Norway is blatantly his favourite among the two whale brothers. Sure, Iceland gets away with more with Sweden, but that's mostly because Sweden is intimidated by the prospect of having to deal with Iceland on top of the fact that Iceland is a kid and in Sweden's eyes 'meh... Kids mess up all the time' but Sweden also calls Iceland by Norway's name all the time and doesn't bother to correct himself, so it's very clear who's his favourite.

He'd be very reluctant to help Norway find a way to change back, and knowing Norway, I doubt he'd mind so much. Norway is very unfazed by a lot.

[milfjagger]

okay so... give us the list of folk horror films that are good please. 🤲

ok this took a while but here we go! it ended up being more than 10 lol

the wicker man (1973) - the definitive british folk horror film. midsommar wants to be the wicker man soooo bad it's embarrassing

the blood on satan's claw (1971) - i haven't seen this one in a long time but it's a pretty chilling early 70s british film centring around a demonic cult in 18th century england

night of the demon (1957) - ok so you know the sample at the beginning of hounds of love by kate bush, where a voice says "it's in the trees! it's coming!" that's from this film!!!! just barely in the folk horror category but it's based on a story by m.r. james who is one of THE iconic folk horror writers so imo it counts

a warning to the curious (1972) - also based on a story by m.r. james, this was part of a long-running annual bbc series called 'a ghost story for christmas'. it's only about 30 minutes long and very dated but I think that gives it extra charm and even a bit of extra creepiness

the juniper tree (1990) - icelandic retelling of the grimm's fairy tale, starring björk and featuring an incredibly beautiful soundtrack

the company of wolves (1984) - based on the short stories of angela carter in her compilation 'the bloody chamber'. this is probably more fairytale horror than folk horror but i LOVE this film and if you like intense psychosexual overtones and incredible practical effects then you will too

the devil rides out (1968) - classic hammer horror with christopher lee so you know it's gonna be a banger

wake wood (2009) - probably the most underrated irish horror film of all time (and that's saying a lot bc there really aren't many). really scary film with the "came back but wrong" premise. watch this one

the hallow (2013) - another one from ireland. it's not amazing but including it bc i don't think i've ever seen another horror film fully embrace the idea that faeries are actually terrifying. practical effects are also cool as hell

kill list (2011) - i'll be honest with you I didn't understand half of what was happening in this film and it's been on my to-rewatch list for ages. it starts out as a cerebral cop drama and descends into absolute madness like it literally has to be seen to be believed

a field in england (2013) - probably the modern folk horror film that comes closest to what british directors were doing with the genre in the 70s. it's trippy, impenetrable and often kinda funny, i really recommend this one

pyewacket (2017) - offbeat canadian indie film that you will either find really creepy or really boring. i thought the ending in particular was incredibly chilling

the ritual (2017) - i feel like everyone has seen this film at this point but i had to recommend it anyway bc it blends folk horror with monster movie and it's super fucking terrifying. i also highly recommend the novel by adam neville which if anything is even scarier

the witch (2015) - again everyone has seen this and has an opinion but it's one of my favourite horror films of all time

pet sematary (1989) - the iconic stephen king classic that is still really scary to this day

pumpkinhead (1988) - another film that is super underrated imo. people who love the creature design in the ritual should remember the OG

men (2022) - controversial opinion perhaps but i think this film was actually kinda brilliant. if nothing else it is super twisted and horrifying

on my list of i haven't watched this yet but people say it's really good: penda's fen (1974), witchfinder general (1968), the lair of the white worm (1988) (i know i know i call myself a ken russell fan and i haven't even seen lair of the white worm)

a radio play: children of the stones on bbc radio 4 (available on spotify hee hee)

and a couple of books: fairy tale (1996) by alice thomas ellis, and the owl service (1967) by alan garner. the owl service is for kids but it really did a number on me aged 12 and it still holds up as a classic. I think there's an old bbc series but i haven't got round to watching it yet :)

[pynkhues]

Top 5 spooky media?

Oh man, too many to count, haha, so how about my top five spooky movies I've watched this year so far?

Black Christmas (1974). I can't believe I'd never seen this Canadian horror movie about a group of sorority girls getting terrorised by phone calls over the Christmas break. It's genuinely really good, full of some delightful red herrings and some genuine scares. I jumped! A few times! That doesn't often happen these days, haha.

Sissy (2022). This one was such a delightful surprise to me! I'd been keen to see it as a big fan of Aisha Dee and also just generally tending to enjoy lowbudget Australian horror, but it was so much more than that. It really skewers wellness culture and social media, using both to explore the way damaged women can use both to perpetuate violence. It's flawed, but also a bit magic? I loved it. Let more women be evil!

Helter Skelter (2012). One of my favourite films of all time is Satoshi Kon's Perfect Blue, and in so many ways, Helter Skelter feels like its in conversation with it. A Japanese horror about a pop star losing control of her mind and body, but where Perfect Blue leans into questions of identity and fan entitlement, Helter Skelter feels much more about ambition, class and how you stay on top. Infinitely fucked up, but a lot of fun.

Carnival of Souls (1962). This was actually a re-watch, but given it's been a decade since I last saw it, it was pretty delightful to get to re-experience it. A forgotten classic that seems to be recently re-remembered, this movie about a woman who survives a car accident that kills all of her friends only to be chased by death is a perfect gothic ghost story. It's so visually innovative too, every shot sublime, I can never recommend it highly enough.

Lamb (2021). More gothic fairytale than horror, I really, really enjoyed this Icelandic film. The concept of a couple of farmers grieving the loss of their child only to find one of their sheep giving birth to a half-human, half-sheep child is strange, but also ends up really affecting and emotionally rich. It's a movie I've thought a lot about, especially as it really inspires a lot of thought about the treatment (and often kidnapping) of biracial children under imperialism . I am Team Mother Sheep.

Ask me for my Top Fives

[fanficfish]

hc that some fairytales or myths are just nations being drama kids

-America is behind Paul Bunyan. His height got exaggerated a bit, but some of his feats (most) weren't, and for a while he walked around with an ox behind him-and of course, because he's a nation that animal was not at all normal. He finally heard about the folktales and thought it was hilarious and kept right on with his stuff. I follow the HC that nations can teleport within their own countries so the tales of how he would walk to California or whatever from whatever

-Folks like Anderson and Lang just watched Denmark do a bunch of dumb shit to get inspiration. That time Denmark's head got too big so Finland and Sweden gave him some "new clothes", that time Denmark made Norway sleep on a giant matress pile because "only the real Norway would feel a pea through that many mattresses if I put it there".

-Meanwhile, that one time Norway left Denmark alone to manage their house is where "the husband who was to mind the house" came from. Norway still holds it over Denmark's head. Iceland wisely stayed out of it.

-Beauty and the Beast is just a really dramatized story about France and the time he tried to woo England. France is also behind Puss in Boots, or rather Picardy is.

-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a very wild dream America had. Alice in Wonderland- now that was England actually having that happen to him, but ofc the only ones that believed him are the other magic countries. Flying Mint Bunny actually comes from Wonderland.

-King Arthur was also just all England playing dress-up.

-Half of German fairytales are just Germany's older brothers being idiots. The Musicians of Brenen, that was three of the brothers deciding to go galivanting around the place for a bit. The Twelve Dancing Princesses was that one times twelve of the German nations got a bit too excited with a guy's twelve daughters. Hansel and Gretel- - yeah no, that was just Prussia and Austria being actual idiots.

-and that one Chinese folktale about the guy who left his body in care of his daughter while going to visit some friends and when he didn't come back on time the daughter burned the body- that was Japan following China's instructions to a T, to China's extreme annoyance.

[transbookoftheday]

Three Kings by Freydís Moon

I no longer recommend this author's books.

A polyamorous modern-day fairytale filled with magical flora, cozy romance, and Icelandic folklore…

Ethan Shaw—lighthouse keeper and local witch—lives a charmed life in his chilly, coastal hometown. Blessed with a flourishing garden and a stable livelihood, Ethan can’t complain. But when his husband, Captain Peter Vásquez, brings home a wounded leopard seal after an impromptu storm, Ethan is faced with a curious situation: caring for a lost selkie named Nico Locke.

As Ethan struggles with the possibility of being infertile, insecurities surrounding his marriage, and a newly formed magical bond with a hostile, handsome selkie, his comfortable life begins to fracture. But could breakage lead to something better?

With autumn at their heels and winter on the horizon, Ethan, Peter, and Nico test the boundaries of a new relationship, shared intimacy, and the chance at a future together.