Modern Fairy Tales

                   

Do you like modern retellings of classic fairy tales? Here are a few of my favourites. Most of these are anthologies of modern retold fairytales edited by  Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. 

Most of you probably remember Gregory Maguire from his Wizard of Oz book, Wicked, but I much prefer his Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a retelling of Cinderella. 

                     

Want something even more modern? Why not check out Bill Willingham's comic Fables, the story of fairy-tale characters exiled to our world. It's pretty awesome up to the end of the war against the Adversary, so about to Fables: The Dark Ages.

What about you? What's your favourite modern fairy tale?   

Fairy Tales: Step Off the Beaten Path

                      

I love classic fairy tales, but sometimes you're in the mood for something a bit different. For a westerner, these Japanese tales are just that. Sometimes fairy tales can get a bit predictable, but there's no danger of that with these stories. Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn is a collection of Japanese supernatural horror stories, and  Royall Tyler's Japanese Tales will transport you to medieval Japan and introduce you to ghosts, demons, healers, and saints. Some of the animal fable type stories were quite graphic, but then, Grimm's Fairy Tales aren't all snuggles and cotton candy, either.   

It's interesting to read folk tales from different countries. Sometimes you discover a familiar story in different guise, and it makes you wonder if that's the original one. When people traveled to distant lands, they took their stories with them, and the best ones got adopted by the locals. Pretty cool, huh? 

                        

This beautiful book is a souvenir of a trip to Scotland, but you don't have to sit on the shores of a dark loch to enjoy these tales. Pour yourself a dram of the good stuff and settle down in front of the fire to learn all about selkies, giants, mermaids and ogres.  

                      

Have you heard of Baba Yaga yet? Trust me, you need to. Russian tales are dark and magical, and they appeal to those who like their fairy tales dark and gruesome. My edition is in Finnish, but you can probably pick up a nice collection on Amazon. 

                    

The Fairy Faith in Celtic Countries By W. Y. Evans-Wentz isn't exactly fairy tales, but a "scientific" book of a folklorist gathering stories of the Fey in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Brittany. I found it a fascinating read, and a treasure trove of story ideas. Be warned, the writing's a bit on the dry, scholarly side. I bough this in a magic shop in Edinburgh, so that makes the book extra special to me. 

                    

This is for all the Finnish readers out there. Myytillisiä Tarinoita by Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura is a classic for anyone interested in Finnish ghost stories and folklore. You''ll probably have to track it down at the library, but trust me, this book is worth it.  (No translation that I know of, sorry.)

So, that's my picks. Have a book recommendation of your own? Post it in the comments.

Etymology Expeditions: Fairy Tales

After last weekend, I thought we'd continue with the fairy tale theme. Ever wonder why a stepmother is called stepmother? Or where the word "goblin" comes from? Let's find out!

First up: stepmother, from Old English steopmodor. Old English steop- has connotations of loss and is related to astiepan and bestiepan meaning "to bereave, to deprive of parents or children," originally from Proto-Germanic steupa, meaning "bereft." There's also a connection to Old High German stiof-, "pushed out." A curious thing to consider is also the Latin word for stepson, privignus, related to privus, "deprived." 

I guess stepmothers were doomed from the start. 

There's only short step from stepmother to witch, so let's do that next.

Witch, from Old English wicce, "female magician, sorceress," feminine of Old English wicca, "sorcerer," from verb wiccian, "to practice sorcery." Origins are uncertain, there are suggested connections to Old English wigle meaning "divination" and wig, wih meaning "idol". It might also represent Proto-Germanic wikkjaz, "necromacer," "one who wakes the dead." Did you know the word "witch" could originally refer to a man? The word "witchcraft" came from wiccræf, which meant "skilled with horses." "Witch" was also used to describe Egyptian midwives in an old translation of "Exodus." The connotation of old and ugly is from the 15th century, and the "a young woman of bewitching aspect" thing was first recorded in 1740. 

There's a few other words connected with "witch," gealdricge, "a woman who practices incantations," and scinlæce "female wizard, woman magician," origins from "phantom, evil spirit," and  Lybbestre was a fem. word meaning "sorceress," from lybb, "poison," all fascinating stuff. You can read more about them here. 

Let's do a few magical creatures:

I promised you "goblin", so here we go... Goblin, from Norman French gobelin, from Medieval French gobelinus, from a spirit haunting the region of Evreaux in chronicle of Ordericus Vitalis. Apparently unrelated to the German kobolt meaning "household spirit," it might be related to  Medieval Latin cabalus from Greek kobalus, "impudent rogue, knave" from kobaloi, "wicked spirits invoked by rogues."

What about the troll under the bridge? Maybe this one will have its roots here in Scandinavia? Ha, nailed it: troll, from Old Norse troll, "giant being not of the human race, monster, evil spirit."It seems to have been a general supernatural word, like the Swedish trolla "to charm, bewitch," or Old Norse trolldomr, "witchcraft."

Well, that's all for now. I suddenly have an overwhelming urge to watch Labyrinth again.

*sneaks off*

Sources:
http://www.etymonline.com