Five Hundred New Fairytales Discovered in Germany

Spinning a yarn … King Golden Hair, one of the newly-discovered fairytales. Illustration: Barbara Stefan

From Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany: Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years by Victoria Sussens-Messerer:

A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.

Last year, the Oberpfalz cultural curator Erika Eichenseer published a selection of fairytales from Von Schönwerth's collection, calling the book Prinz Roßzwifl. This is local dialect for "scarab beetle". The scarab, also known as the "dung beetle", buries its most valuable possession, its eggs, in dung, which it then rolls into a ball using its back legs. Eichenseer sees this as symbolic for fairytales, which she says hold the most valuable treasure known to man: ancient knowledge and wisdom to do with human development, testing our limits and salvation.

Von Schönwerth spent decades asking country folk, labourers and servants about local habits, traditions, customs and history, and putting down on paper what had only been passed on by word of mouth. In 1885, Jacob Grimm said this about him: "Nowhere in the whole of Germany is anyone collecting [folklore] so accurately, thoroughly and with such a sensitive ear." Grimm went so far as to tell King Maximilian II of Bavaria that the only person who could replace him in his and his brother's work was Von Schönwerth.

Von Schönwerth compiled his research into a book called Aus der Oberpfalz – Sitten und Sagen, which came out in three volumes in 1857, 1858 and 1859. The book never gained prominence and faded into obscurity.

You can read the rest at The Guardian's site. You can also read one of the tales, The Turnip Princess.

So, not really lost, just forgotten which is somewhat different. They were published in German and they are around, just not highlighted. As a researcher, not a member of the media proper, I distinguish. After all, Aus der Oberpfalz: sitten und sagen, Volume 1 By Franz Xaver von Schönwerth is available online at Google Books in full text. The other two volumes were not fully scanned but there may be ones soon. Of course, a full English translation of all three volumes would be wonderful. (Someone get right on that for me, okay?)

And don't think I am not happy about this news item if I sound less enthusiastic about the idea of lost treasures. These do deserve some much needed attention, no doubt, especially if they were much less edited than the Grimms. (I am unversed about Von Schönwerth's work overall, so don't know at this point.) I am thrilled whenever fairy tales get coverage in the media, except when I weary of the "don't read fairy tales to children" articles. I could muster through life with less of those....

Music Month: Frogs & Princes by Natasha Bedingfield

This is Frogs & Princes by Natasha Bedingfield on her Unwritten album.

The song is actually a send-up of modern dating but the chorus directly references the fairy tale. From the lyrics:

Tell me how many frogs do I have to kiss
Before I find my Prince
Before I find my Prince
All you girls that are goin' thru this
Tell 'em how it is
Tell 'em how it is

Once Upon a Time: Sneak Peek Episode 14: Dreamy

Above is a preview for tonight's episode of Once Upon a Time on ABC. This one is titled Dreamy and we will see the backstory for the dwarfs apparently. I admit I am more interested in next week's episode in which we finally get some of Red Riding Hood's back story.

Also, Paleyfest 2012 is happening today and there is a panel devoted to Once Upon a Time this afternoon. You can read the preview details here. I will try to find some coverage to share here after the event.

And although many other show are getting repeats during much of March, OUAT has mostly new episodes which is the boon of it starting in late October.

Music Month: Once Upon a Time by Helen Trevillion

Inside Myself / Once Upon a Time by Helen Trevillion offers four tracks from her Once Upon a Time CD.  From her site:

This little EP is disc 2 of the 'Inside Myself / Once Upon A Time' album. It consists of four songs based on four fairytale protagonists. I have depicted their stories, their situations, their feelings... it's all rather subjective of course but this is my take. :] I think this is the stronger of the two CDs.

ONE DAY I would like to make an extended (i.e. full album length) fairytale album, because I think it worked nicely and there are so many more magical little stories that are begging to be explored in song.

The four fairy tales represented are Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Goose Girl and Cinderella. I love that that she included Goose Girl since it is so often ignored or forgotten or never known for that matter.

Here are sound videos of Goose Girl and Rapunzel--the imagery is just a photo of the artist.

On her website, Trevillion also has a song titled "Noted Absense of Fairy Godmother."

Music Month: Prince Charming by Adam Ant

Adam Ant - Prince Charming by jpdc11

Okay, here's one that is also 30 years old, "Prince Charming" by Adam Ant. Wow, somehow I missed the music video for this one the first time around but it definitely plays with Cinderella. Or I don't remember it. I am an 80s child, but music videos weren't in my regular viewing except for Friday Night Videos when I had sleepovers with friends. So it's not surprising, but if I ever did see this one, it didn't stick in my memory.

But the lyrics aren't about the fairy tale, but this makes a fascinating historical journey to the 80s. And Cinderlad twist on Cinderella. The theme is much more obvious these days than it was to me at age 10 or so.

Music Month: Beauty and the Beast by Stevie Nicks

I have two video versions of today's song, "Beauty and the Beast" by Stevie Nicks, originally released in 1983. The one above features art for the fairy tale and the one below is a live concert performance.

You can read the full lyrics, written by Nicks, on her website. Here's part of it:

Who is the beauty
Who... (my love)
Ahhh...
Oh...la bete...la bete
Where is my beast

My beauty...my beauty
My beautiful...beautiful...beautiful
Beautiful beast

 

Are Fairy Tales Out of Fashion? By Libby Copeland

Another discussion concerning kids and fairy tales. First of all, this article is much better researched and even-handed and you'll probably find yourself agreeing with most if not all of it. I did. Click through to read it all, but I will blockquote a portion of it.

From: Are Fairy Tales Out of Fashion?: I hate reading them to my young daughter—the classic versions are too violent, the Disney stories have bad values. By Libby Copeland at Slate.com:

There’s a tendency to jump to the conclusion that because modern parents are squeamish about violence in fiction we must be wussy and overprotective. But is it also wussy that we don’t spank anymore, or tell our children that they’re wicked? We don’t look at violence in the same way as we used to; it is not a threat for bad behavior, nor is it God’s punishment for sin. I’m sometimes troubled by reading even the most modernized versions of fairy tales to my daughter, who is 2½. It’s not that Walt Disney didn’t do his best to excise the violence from these creaky folk tales; fairy tale scholar Jack David Zipes has called him “that twentieth-century sanitation man.” But the lessons these cleansed tales impart are not ones I wish to teach, even if they are canonical to Western culture. Little Red Riding Hood is to blame merely for being curious and veering off her path to pick flowers. Beauty leads to happily-ever-afters. We have a Cinderella book, a gift from a friend, and when I read it to my daughter, I try to soften the wickedness of the evil stepsisters and stepmother. I omit the worst things they say— “a simple washer girl like you is no fit for royal company!”—and I make it so Cinderella doesn’t cry. Still, there’s no way around the basic premise that passivity and tears are rewarded. (I’m convinced Cinderella syndrome is why not enough of us ask for raises; we’re waiting for our bosses to notice how great we are. And I’m not the only one who believes Disney princesses aren’t the best role models for little girls.)

If altering fairy tales seems like politically correct white-washing, I would counter that it is the tradition of these folk tales to be changed by the era they’re in. We’re the fools if we treat them like gospel. As Zipes points out, Frenchman Charles Perrault altered the tale of Cinderella when he recorded it in the 1600s, making the protagonist submissive and industrious. In earlier oral versions, which “emanated from a matriarchal tradition,” Cinderella is more the mistress of her own fate. One Italian version has her killing her stepmother.

Fairy Tales Re-imagined Symposium Podcasts

Doc-in-Boots also pointed today to a page of Fairy Tales Re-imagined Podcasts (page down the site to see the links), a symposium held in Australia last year at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. I am going to directly link to each one here, too, since some are about readers' favorite tales.

The podcasts are from a two-day symposium exploring how traditional fairy tales are being reworked by visual artists, filmmakers and popular culture. They are free and I am always appreciative of that!


Old Tales, New Platforms: The Creation of Re-enchantment

Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 75 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: The creators of Re-enchantment, writer/director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin provide a behind-the-scenes look at how this beautiful and complex production came together.

Download MP3 (69MB)


Working Creatively with Fairy Tales
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 87 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Joy Norton, Adam Hunt, Dr Meredith Jones and Suzanne Boccalatte examine the symbolic language of fairy tales that inspires, enchants, entertains and fascinates.

Download MP3 (80MB)


The Forbidden Room: From Bluebeard to CSI
Recorded: 11 Mar 2011. Duration: 119 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Cathy Cole, Dr Terrie Waddell and Dr Rebecca Do Rozario discuss the contemporary reworkings of this darker fairy tale theme.

Download MP3 (108MB)


Re-enchantment: The hidden world of fairy tales for adults
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 59 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Writer and director Sarah Gibson and producer Sue Maslin take us on a guided tour of this immersive project re-evaluating fairytales.

Download MP3 (54MB)


Woman and Wolf - the Inspiration of Red Riding Hood
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 104 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Kimberley Pearce, Jazmina Cininas and Professor Barbara Creed explore interpretations and contemporary rethinking about this classic story.

Download MP3 (95MB)


If the Shoe Fits: Interpreting Cinderella
Recorded: 10 Mar 2011. Duration: 116 mins

Fairy Tales Re-imagined: Dr Meredith Jones, Sarah Gibson and Professor Peter McNeil look at the Cinderella story from the perspectives of culture, shoe design and psychology.

Download MP3 (105MB)

Advertising: The Guardian and The Three Little Pigs

The above is a new commercial from The Guardian (a UK newspaper) that was released yesterday.

From Guardian open journalism: Three Little Pigs advert:

This advert for the Guardian's open journalism, screened for the first time on 29 February 2012, imagines how we might cover the story of the Three Little Pigs in print and online. Follow the story from the paper's front page headline, through a social media discussion and finally to an unexpected conclusion.

Interesting concept and I'm not touching the open journalism discussion. I have to admit for me personally the message is almost trite since I am used to seeing so many recent retellings in which the pigs are dastardly and the wolf is innocent.

Add: Doc-in-Boots posted about this today, too. She discusses the commercial more than I am so go over there to read a thoughtful post.

Bargain Book: A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

Each month Amazon unveils a new list of 100 Kindle books for $3.99 or less where I always have fun perusing and usually find a few titles for my personal collection. (Have I mentioned that my leisure reading is almost entirely digital anymore?) And each month I think there is no way there will be a fairy tale related title on the list. Odds are against that. But March did not break the streak of the last several months. This month's title has been on my wishlist to purchase so I am particularly happy about this one.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan is the book on this month's list. It's $3.99 which is the upper range on the bargain list, but much less than it was a day or so ago. I've snatched it up to add to my reading list. I am always thrilled with fairy tale retellings with at least a touch of science fiction to them.

Book description:

Rosalinda Fitzroy has been asleep for sixty-two years when she is woken by a kiss.

Locked away in the chemically induced slumber of a stasis tube in a forgotten sub-basement, sixteen-year-old Rose slept straight through the Dark Times that killed millions and utterly changed the world she knew. Now her parents and her first love are long dead, and Rose -- hailed upon her awakening as the long-lost heir to an interplanetary empire -- is thrust alone into a future in which she is viewed as either a freak or a threat.

Desperate to put the past behind her and adapt to her new world, Rose finds herself drawn to the boy who kissed her awake, hoping that he can help her to start fresh. But when a deadly danger jeopardizes her fragile new existance, Rose must face the ghosts of her past with open eyes -- or be left without any future at all.

From the author:

This book came about when I realized that the world didn't stop when Sleeping Beauty was put to sleep. What would have happened while she slept? She would have had to come to terms with a whole new world the moment she opened her eyes. Once I had that concept, this particular book just fell out of me, almost whole. If only they were all so easy.

It was well-reviewed by Publishers Weekly, too:

In this intriguing first novel, Rose Fitzroy, biologically 16 years old, comes out of stasis to discover that her billionaire parents and the world she knew are long dead. Having survived the plague-ridden Dark Times, the Earth is doing quite well, with Rose's father's former company in charge of much of it. This puts Rose--the sickly, shy, and self-hating daughter of overbearing parents--in the unusual position of "waking up to discover she's the sole surviving heiress to an interplanetary empire." Before taking on any responsibilities, Rose simply wants to survive high school, make a few friends, and work on her art. Her plans are swiftly interrupted, though, when a strange, virtually unstoppable creature called a Plastine attempts to assassinate her. Aided by handsome Bren and blue-skinned alien hybrid Otto, schoolmates she develops crushes on, Rose must defeat the assassin, learn to live as an independent adult, and discover why her parents essentially abandoned her in stasis. With well-developed characters, a touch of romance, and a believable future that, for once, is not entirely dystopian, Sheehan's tale should please many readers.

If this interests you, don't wait until the end of the month to get it because sometimes books do disappear off the list, probably if they reach some quota. My other happy find was another Julia Spencer-Fleming novel, Out of the Deep I Cry: A Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne Mystery, making three of her titles currently $2.99 each. I've been adding them to my digital collection although I already own the hardcovers so I can't justify full price for the entire series. Nothing to do with fairy tales, but intriguing mysteries with interesting characters if you happen to be a mystery reader.

Bargain Book: The Snow Queen (Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey

The Snow Queen (Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms) by Mercedes Lackey is currently reduced to $3.70 on Amazon in ebook format. Other books in the series are still at least $5.50 or more. I know there are some fans of this series out there, so here's a chance to get one of the titles for cheap in ebook format if you are interested.

Book description:

Aleksia, Queen of the Northern Lights, is mysterious, beautiful and widely known to have a heart of ice. But when she's falsely accused of unleashing evil on nearby villages, she realizes there's an impostor out there far more heartless than she could ever be.

And when a young warrior disappears, Aleksia's powers are needed as never before.

Now, on a journey through a realm of perpetual winter, it will take all her skills, a mother's faith and a little magic to face down an enemy more formidable than any she has ever known....

Music Month: Rapunzel by Dave Matthews Band

Above is a video of the Dave Matthews Band performing "Rapunzel." This was the last single from an early album, Before These Crowded Streets, but has appeared on other compilations since then. You can read the lyrics on the band's site or here. It varies in length from performance to performance and recording to recording, usually ranging between four to six minutes.

Here's the bit about Rapunzel:

For you I would crawl
Through the darkest dungeon
Climb the castle wall
If you are my Rapunzel
You let your hair down
Right in through your window