Adults will find that, like most classic fairy tales, this one rewards periodic rethinking." --New York Times Book Review"Zelinsky's smooth retelling and glowing pictures cast the story in a new and beautiful light." -- School Library Journal

    Over 150 tales are compiled from Iceland to Syria, Cuba to Papua.Part of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library

    to the fifth century A.D. Containing a fresh translation of the Greek papyri, as well as Coptic and Demotic texts, this new translation has been brought up to date and is now the most comprehensive collection of this literature, and the first ever in English.The Greek Magical Papyri in Transition is an invaluable resource for scholars in a wide variety of fields, from the history of religions to the classical languages and literatures, and it will fascinate those with a general interest in the occult and the history of magic."One of the major achievements of classical and related scholarship over the last decade."—Ioan P. Culianu, Journal for the Study of Judaism"The enormous value of this new volume lies in the fact that these texts will now be available to a much wider audience of readers, including historians or religion, anthropologists, and psychologists."—John G. Gager, Journal of Religion"[This book] shows care, skill and zest. . . . Any worker in the field will welcome this sterling performance."—Peter Parsons, Times Literary Supplement

    It demonstrates how recent writers have changed the aesthetic constructs and social content of fairy tales to reflect cultural change since the 1960s in area of gender roles, socialization and education. It includes selected works from such writers as Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood and Jay Williams, and critical essays from Marcia Lieberman and Sandra Gilbert.

    Miriam's Tambourine presents fifty classic Jewish folktales that come from virtually every corner of the globe and every historical period. Readers of all ages will delight in the Jewish versions of the Snow White, Rapunsel, and Sinbad stories, which in some cases were the original sources of these popular folktales. Howard Schwartz has also selected and retold those tales which have retained their uniquely Jewish character and have become part of the heritage of the Jewish people, including the Golem, the tales of Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav and of the Ba'al Shem Tov, tales of Elijah the Prophet, Miriam and her mystical well, Rabbi Adam, and even of the Sambotyon, the legendary river that raged six days of the week and rested on the Sabbath. Recast in a form accessible to readers both young and old, yet true to their provenances, these tales continue to enthrall and capture the imagination as they illustrate the power of man to overcome evil; the longing of the Jewish people to return to their homeland; and the universal prayer for a world at peace. Providing careful annotation of sources and a brilliant analysis of meanings and symbolisms, Miriam's Tambourine represents a landmark in Jewish folk literature and in American-Jewish culture.

    Equally impressive is the number of beliefs and superstitions the industrious insect has inspired. Its honey, which was known to the ancient Greeks as the “food of the Gods,” played an important role in early religious rites and was also mentioned in the folklore of many peoples. Hilda Ransome's well-documented and copiously illustrated study of bees focuses on this valuable byproduct of nature and its creator — the "sacred" bee.Chapters cover the folklore of bees and bee culture — from Egyptian, Babylonian, Chinese, Hittite, and other ancient sources as well as practices in modern England, France, and Central Europe. Thirty-five plates of rare black-and-white illustrations depict bees, hives, and beekeepers as they appear in ancient paintings and sculpture, on coins, jewelry, and Mayan glyphs; and carved into African tree trunks. Folk stories from Finland and the bee in America are also described. Hailed by The New York Times as possessing an "oddity, beauty, and broad scholarly interest," this unusual book will attract a wide audience — nature lovers and folklore enthusiasts included.

    Finally driving into a clearing on the banks of the Ogeechee, Leigh found himself at Uncle Shed's Fishing Camp, and at the beginning of what would be a two-year discovery of the river and its people, a chronicle in images and words stretching from the Ogeechee's headwaters in Greene County to marsh flats near the Atlantic Ocean.In his photographs and text, Leigh introduces such river natives as George Altman, standing knee-deep in water and reeling out fishing stories as he flicks his line into a shaded area beneath a fallen tree; and Jack Mikell, Sr., whose life on the river is told in the array of frying pans that hang on the wall behind him and in his recollections of long nights tending moonshine stills in backwater swamps. Leigh tells of the many stories the river holds---of the Muck Runners, Louisville men who each winter slog through swamps and deadfalls two hundred miles to Savannah; of Frank Cox, whose journey down river, taken in numerous pieces with as many reluctant partners, fulfilled a childhood dream; and of a woman's baptism in Warren County, at which beads of anointing oil mingled with the cold water of the rushing river.At Uncle Shed's Fishing Camp, as tales of fish fries and courtship conjure up more than fifty years on the Ogeechee, the camera ranges across the clearing, capturing the pattern of river life in the faded letters of a hand-painted sign; in the weathered face of camp matriarch Bessie Dickerson; and in the scattered flowerpots, lawn chairs, ceramic swans, and gravestone that lie cluttered against a cabin wall. Recording the wild ramblings and lazy progress of the Ogeechee, the quiet rituals and raucous stories of its people, Jack Leigh chronicles the course of lives that run with the current of the river.

    Full color.

    A collection of folk tales, including: The Flying Ship / The Poor Man and the Tsar of the Crows / Teeny-Tiny / How Ionike Fet-Frumos Freed the Sun / The Pot of Gold.

    Magic in many incarnations - mischievous, terrifying, benevolent, erotic-suffuses the pages of this extraordinary collection, from the humourous tales of the trickster Raven through the feminist fable of the bearded woman to the myth of the lazy boy who was reared by whales and saved the world, climaxing with the epic story of the mythical superwoman Dzelarhons - First Mother, Frog Mother, Weeping Woman, guardian and teacher of her people.Praise for Daughters of Copper Woman:"... an enchanting, uplifting revelation."-Ottawa Citizen". . . startling mix of the exotic, the repellent, and the fantastic ... a unique book, a work thick with substance and extraordinary life."-Vancouver Sun"... the underlying vision, though tender, has the thrust and the strength of steel."-Quill & Quire

    

    A collection of Russian folk tales, including: Marya the Fair, Plait of Golden Hair / Marya Morevna / Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka / Wee Little Havroshechka / Altyn-Saka the Golden Knucklebone / The Golden Cup / Hiysi's Millstone / How the Rich Man Was Taught a Lesson / The Girl and the Moon Man / Kotura, Lord of the Winds.

    Here are giants, little people, witches, devils, an outrageously naughty imp and a beautiful mermaid who enchants a handsome young Cornishman. Michael Foreman's evocative watercolors perfectly capture the wild splendor of the Cornish landscape and its ancient echo of magic and mystery.

    They seem to smell of dry wood, resin, sea and forest. Many of the characters in the old songs and legends resemble the people of today who live in these parts: the wise fishermen, the skilled craftsmen, the sturdy, brave young men and the gentle, faithful women. The forces of evil in these stories take the form of terrible monsters, catastrophes and disasters which the heroes have to combat and overcome.CONTENTSLATVIAN FOLK TALESThe White Deer 6The Sea Bride 24ESTONIAN FOLK TALESThe King of the Mushrooms 48The Forbidden Knot 72LITHUANIAN FOLK TALEThe Sun Princess and the Prince 96

    A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture presents an overall examination of the history of the werewolf in Western culture, medicine, myth, and literature.TABLE OF CONTENTSIllustrationsContributorsPrefaceAcknowledmentsIntroductionsection I: Medical Cases, Diagnoses, DescriptionsSection II: Trial Records, Historical Accounts, SightingsSection II: Philosophical and Theological Approaches to MetamorphosisSection IV: Critical essays on LycanthropySection V: Myth and LEgendsSection VI: AllegoryBibliographyIndex

    

    That tradition continues vigorously to the present day.The 80 stories published in this volume, many for the first time in English, some for the first time in any language, are gathered from 31 countries, including India, France, England, the U.S., Greece, Sweden, Syria, Argentina, Russia, and Turkey. Here are tales in which young mothers become vampires and wolves become lawyers; where ostracism, poverty, hunger, and death are countered by resourcefulness, hospitality, and magic. Here are tales that offer imaginative explanations of why the Gypsies live all over the world, why they have no church and no alphabet, why they love music; tales that link the Gypsies' past to their recent successful efforts to organize against oppression.As varied as the tales are the tellers - factory workers, musicians, novelists, shopkeepers, dancers, professors, lacemakers, political activists - who are identified in the headnotes to individual stories. In these notes and in their introduction, Diane Tong discusses, among much else, Gypsy values, beliefs, and customs as revealed in the tales. The vivid storytelling and Tong's perceptive annotation combine to show how the Gypsies see themselves and the world.

    Add a few legends, folk heroes and sinister ghosts, and you have a fascinating collection of stories. Rumours and Oddities from North Wales has them all. Readers will find it both informative and entertaining. There are stories that shock, others touch the heart. The characters will either haunt you or tickle you, but most of all, they will make you want to visit the many places of interest in this book.

    A collection of fourteen tales from the Tibetan, Thai, Uighur, Bai, and other non-Chinese people living in China.