A reward of one grain of rice doubles day by day into millions of grains of rice when a selfish raja is outwitted by a clever village girl.

    Zelinsky has once again with unmatched emotional authority, control of space, and narrativecapability brought forth a unique vision for an age-old tale. Few artists at work today can touch the level at which his paintings tell a story and exert their hold.Zelinsky's retelling of Rapunzel reaches back beyond the Grimms to a late-seventeenth-century French tale by Mlle. la Force, who based hers on the Neapolitan tale Petrosinella in a collection popular at the time. The artist understands the story's fundamentals to be about possessiveness, confinement, and separation, rather than about punishment and deprivation. Thus the tower the sorceress gives Rapunzel here is not a desolate, barren structure of denial but one of esoteric beauty on the outside and physical luxury within. And the world the artist creates through the elements in his paintings the palette, control of light, landscape, characters, architecture,interiors, costumes speaks to us not of an ugly witch who cruelly imprisons a beautiful young girl, but of a mother figure who powerfully resists her child's inevitable growth, and of a young woman and man who must struggle in the wilderness for the self-reliance that is the true beginningof their adulthood.As ever, and yet always somehow in newly arresting fashion, Paul O. Zelinsky's work thrillingly shows us the events of the story while guiding us beyond them to the truths that have made it endure.

    He first revisits the old stories--Hermes in Greece, Eshu in West Africa, Krishna in India, Coyote in North America, among others--and then holds them up against the life and work of more recent creators: Picasso, Duchamp, Ginsberg, John Cage, and Frederick Douglass. Authoritative in its scholarship, loose-limbed in its style, Trickster Makes This World ranks among the great works of modern cultural criticism.

    Bubba never complains, though. He's a real cowboy - tough as leather (and cute as a cow's ear).When Miz Lurleen, the purtiest rancher in Texas, decides to throw a ball to find herself a real feller, Bubba has to stay at home. "You smell more like the cattle than the cattle do," laugh Dwayne and Milton. But with the help of Bubba's fairy godcow, and a little Texas magic, Miz Lurleen finds the cowboy prince she's always dreamed of.With its western brand of language and humor, this Texas retelling of the Cinderella story will really rope in readers.

    It is also a terrific introduction to Celtic culture. The recipes in this book were gathered during four trips the author took to Ireland and Britain, as well as visits to Scotland and Wales. She searched for people who still cooked in the traditional of their ancestors, passing down recipes from generation to generation. The result is a book that is rich in Celtic tradition. And the foods are delicious any time, too!Like a well-stocked larder, Celtic Folklore Cooking offers plenty of tempting choices for daily meals or special celebrations. Pick from more than 200 tasty traditional dishes, all nestled among colorful food-related proverbs, poems, tales, customs, and other nuggets of folk wisdom. Each recipe lists ancient and modern holidays associated with the dish so you can select the perfect fare to complement the season. Recipes include: - Mushroom and Scallop Pie - Heather Wine - Pratie Oaten - Beestings Pancakes - Hot Cross buns - Figgy Pudding - Boxty on the Griddle - Barm Brack - Sweet Scones - Scotch Eggs - Colcannon - Cockle Soup - Flower Pudding - Flummery - MeadThe ancient Celts celebrated their Sabbats with music, dance, games, food, and drink. Whether you are a solitary practitioner or a part of a larger group, food and drink should always be a part of your festivities, rituals, and ceremonies. This book can be the key to a wide variety of foods that will make you the talk of the town!If you are involved in Celtic traditions, this book is a must. If you simply like unique recipes for foods that are as tasty today as they were hundreds, even thousands of years ago, you'll want this book, too.

    An enthralling collection of fairy tales from all over the globe, with entrancing illustration that conjure up magical worlds where wishes come true, the wicked are punished, and the good are rewarded spectacularly.

    She had to spin straw into gold. And who should show up to help her but an odd little man named Rumpelstiltskin.According to tradition, the gold-bedazzled king and the miller's daughter are wed. But wait just a minute! This king is definitely not husband material, and there's someone else who is -- a hardworking guy who's supportive and nice looking, and who really comes through in a pinch.Why not marry Rumpelstiltskin?In Diane Stanley's merry rethinking of the traditional tale, Rumpelstiltskin and the miller's daughter are wed...and then sixteen years later their only daughter is stuck in the same dilemma: She's been locked in a room full of straw to spin for a greedy king! She could call for help from her father, but this fairy-tale heroine has some canny plans of her own.How Rumpelstiltskin's daughter sets things to rights in the troubled kingdom, while achieving a unique place for herself, makes for a wise and witty tale of kindness and cleverness rewarded. Diane Stanley's wickedly funny text and zesty illustrations put a delightful new spin on a classic fairy tale.Rumpelstiltskin's daughter may not be able to spin straw into gold, but she is more than a match for a monarch whose greed has blighted an entire kingdom.2000-2001 Georgia's Picture Storybook Award & Georgia's Children's Book Award Masterlist01-02 Land of Enchantment Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 3-6) 99-00 Children's Book Award

    Add a striking new cover anda fascinating introduction by the author, and this is a volume no Lionni fanwill want to be without.In a pointer review of the 1985 edition, "Kirkus Reviews" said, "Lionni'sstories are simple and elegant, his pictures are nothing short of stunning.Splashy colors, inventive collages, whimsy, and a sense of wonder are all herein abundance. A splendid collection...not to be missed."

    Grimm's Grimmest presents nineteen of the original, unsanitized, unholy tales as they were first collected by the Brothers Grimm -- all fiendishly illustrated in full color. Grimm's Grimmest has the irresistible look and feel of a creaky old leatherbound volume, perhaps discovered in a forgotten trunk or dusty attic. With aged paper and a leathery stamped case, this delightfully shocking collection harkens back to a time when travelers risked roasting or worse and bad manners could yield frightful consequences. From the true horror of Aschenputtel (the original Cinderella story) to Rapunzel's dark secret, here are the authentic stories born long ago in the land of the Black Forest, at a time when fairy tales were not necessarily for children.

    All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels.Some of our books may have slightly worn corners, and minor creases to the covers. Please note the cover may sometimes be different to the one shown.

    Now retold in this gorgeous volume and its accompanying audio CD, they are more vibrant than ever. Chief Lelooska was a celebrated painter and carver and a storyteller without peer. This glorious book, completed before his recent death, is his final tribute to the art and lore of the tribe. Full color.

    In this retelling of an Aztec myth, Lord of the Night sends Wind to free the four musicians that the Sun is holding prisoner so that they can bring joy to the world.

    It contains articles on the world's spiritual traditions; entries on deities, symbols, spiritual teachers, spiritually focused artists; and related subjects.

    A historical herbal encompassing over one hundred ten species of North American leaves explores the superstitions, beliefs, myths, medicines, and poetry attributed to each variety.

    Their action spans the whole world known to the Vikings, but the stories mainly center on the unique society they founded in Icleand, depicting the men and women who settled there and their descendants. For sheer narrative artistry and skill of characterization, the fiest Sagas rank with the world's greatest literary treasures—as epic as Homer, as deep in tragedy as Sophocles, as engagingly human as Shakespeare. The Sagas of the Icelanders form a unique literary genre and have served as a source of inspiration for many outstanding writers of later times—such diverse authors as Walter Scott, Jorge Lius Borges and W.H. Auden.Deeply rooted in the real world of their day, concise and straightforward in style, the Sagas explore perennial human problems and conflucts: love and hate, fate and freedom, honor and feud, crime and punishment, travel and exile. In saga narrative we may identify the budding of a literary technique that, centuries later, would develop into the great European novel. While steeped in the spirit of Viking age oral tradition, the Sagas tell of the lives and deeds of Icelanders during the decades immediately before and after the year 1000, when they abandoned the Germanic gods such as Odin and Thor and adopted Christianity. In this period, too, Icelanders ventured farther westwards, to explore and settle Greenland; the culmination of this venture was Leif Eiriksson's voyage to North America.Despite their traditional origins, the Sagas are first and foremost works of consciously created literary art. They are also, in a sense, frontier literature, in which the descendants of settlers reflect on their writers, the origins, identity, legends and myths, whilst grappling with troublesome contemporary realitites, not least a 13th century civil war. For the saga writers, the settlement period was something of a Golden Age, the era of a unique commonwealth of free chieftains with no king, dominated by Viking traditions of honor and blood vengeance.The Sagas of the Icelanders are not typical heroic literature, but rather stories of flesh-and-blood humans burdened with a heroic legacy. These were steely-minded men and domineering women in search of worldly wealth and power, fame and love. Typically, a feud could start with a minor slight to a man's honor and escalate into a chain of revenge and counter-revenge, culminating in a major battle or in the heroic death of a great champion. For the modern Saga reader, it is the psychological intensity and depth of the characters as much as the codes of honor and ethics which capture the imagination. And though strong men dominate teh Saga stage, it is often clever and beautiful women who manipulate the course of events behind the scenes and outspokenly voice their opinions on the players involved in it.The horizons of the saga writers extended to the limits of the Viking world: westward to Greenland and Vinland, east to Russia and north to Lappland, south and east to Constantinople and Jerusalem. Iclenaders and other Vikings sailed to the shores of Ireland, upriver to the cities of Rouen and London, all along the Baltic coast. Everywhere we see that the world lies at the feet of saga heroes: witty poets become the companions of kings and earls, fierce and successful fighters never lack the attentions of noble ladies. But though these champions reign victorious on foreign shores they almost always turn their backs on the honors heaped upon them, in order to return home to their Icelandic farms nestled under towering mountains in lonly fjords and valleys.If the Sagas can be compared to novels, the Tales are the medieval equivalent of short stories. Their narrative may have a smaller scale, but there is no loss of dramatic force, humor or deftness of character protrayal. Preserved either as independent narratives or as parts of larger works, most Tales tell of young Icelanders journeying abroad where they have a variety of encounters with men of power and influence. Their journeys represent a kind of rite of passage which tests the mettle of a potential hero. Tales range from brief anecdotes, sketched with a few masterful narrative strokes and terse dialogue, to light-hearted comedies in which royalty is gently mocked.In The Complete Sagas of the Icelanders, the Sagas and Tales have been grouped on broad thematic principles and divided accordingly among the five volumes of the set. Although overlapping is inevitable in a genre of such diversity, a central distinction can be established between Biogrpahies and Sagas of Feuds. The Biographies tell of exceptional individuals—poets, outlaws and champions—and the stories spotlight these "odd men out" as they pit their strength against a society they stand out from and defy. At the heart of the Sagas of Feuds are wealth, power, regional status, and the inevitable conflicts that result from life in a singular society which sets its own laws and metes out a hard justice. Each of the five volumes, then, is thematically self-contained and offers a particular angle of approach for exploring and navigating the vast and fascinating world of the sagas.

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    He writes in evocative, imaginative, personalized prose that vividly captures the flavor of his everyday experiences, providing plush visual detail, trenchant character profiles, attention to perplexing local hospitality codes and the shaping hand of gender, throughout." --Slavic Review..". extremely informative, using music as a platform for a much wider discussion of cultural and political issues." --Times Literary Supplement, London"The subject is music, but Levin uses it to cast a wider light, revealing places of considerable sorrow long hidden in the shadows of Soviet power, and to create a travelogue with wide potential appeal.... Candor about his own uncertainties and personal struggles helps make this a personal as well as a scholarly adventure." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"Not to be missed by those interested in music and world culture... " --Library Journal..". may be destined to become the definitive work on the music of this newly accessed region." --Dirty LinenThe Hundred Thousand Fools of God assembles a living musical and ethnographic map by highlighting the fate of traditions, beliefs, and social relationships in Muslim and Jewish Central Asian cultures during and after seventy years of Soviet rule. Theodore Levin evokes the spectacular physical and human geography of the area and weaves a rich ethnography of the life styles, values, and art of the musical performers. Photographs, maps, and an accompanying CD (featuring 24 on-site recordings) make The Hundred Thousand Fools of God a unique reading and listening experience.

    Grounded in scholarship but accessible to a general audience, this commentary sheds light on the main themes of Luke's Gospel. He works through each theme in a twofold way. He first addresses individual concerns, duties, and possibilities, and then connects them to the larger picture of cultural and ecclesial values. Fr. Rohr has a fascinating perspective, enhanced by his travels to Africa and Latin America, that can nourish and inspire both individual readers and the church at large.

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    Encoded within his work are the ancestral beliefs of the Celtic and pre-Celtic peoples. In addition, his verse is established as a direct precursor to the Arthurian Legends--and Taliesin himself, shaman and shapeshifter, is said to be the direct forebear to Merlin. Though the bard's work is steeped in the rich traditions of druidic practice, few have explored the revelations of his writings--the secret poetic language of the bards, revelatory information about divination, the ancient mysteries of the Druids, and the cosmological rites that were central to Celtic worship. John Matthews, one of today's preeminent Celtic scholars, sheds new light on the poems of Taliesin and on the vast body of allusion, story, and myth that grew from his body of work and shamanic practice. With the help of fellow Celtic scholar Caitlin Matthews, the author presents completely new translations of Taliesin's major poems in their entirety, uncovering the meanings behind these great works for the first time.

    Nothing but that waggely tailed pup will do as a pet for the boy, so he's off to make some money to buy the dog of his dreams!Misadventures follow and by the end of the week the boy has less money than when he started. Thinking he will just say hello to the doggie in the window, the little boy finds the dog is gone. Someone else has bought the dog for a very special son to thank him for all the nice things he has done. Who could that lucky boy be?A story as irresistible as waggely tailed doggies and little boys.

    Includes paintings by Turner, Millais and others. 168 pages 130 illus.

    Nicholas Pipe, a merman who, through a magic spell, can live on land, falls in love with Margaret, the daughter of a fisherman. As their love blossoms, Nicholas and Margaret must defy her father, the jealous sea-folk, and even the king himself. Full color.

    Revered by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike from the Himalayas to Hollywood, the Dalai Lama has spoken out on love, peace, religion, compassion, justice, and brotherhood, as well as on the three subjects of greatest concern to him: the preservation of the environment, the liberation of Tibet, and the bringing of Buddhism to the awareness of the West.This fall two major motion pictures about the Dalai Lama will be released, focusing widespread attention on his philosophy and inspirational message. This book will coincide with the movies and will provide exactly what people will be looking for: spiritual and historic insight into Buddhism and Tibet, a concise biography of the Dalai Lama, and a collection of his most moving quotations.On Freedom:?As this dramatic century draws to a close, it is clear that the renewed yearning for freedom and democracy sweeping the globe provides an unprecedented opportunity for building a better world. Freedom is the real source of human happiness and creativity. Only when it is allowed to flourish can a genuinely stable international climate exist.?On Compassion:?Compassion compels us to reach out to all living beings, including our so-called enemies, those people who upset or hurt us. Irrespective of what they do to you, if you remember that all beings like you are only trying to be happy, you will find it much easier to develop compassion towards them.?On the Environment:?As people alive today, we must consider future generations; a clean environment is a human right like any other. It is therefore part of our responsibility towards others to ensure that the world we pass on is as healthy, if not healthier, than we found it.?

    Beautifully illustrated with the exceptional artwork of five Native American illustrators, this book will help young readers appreciate the power of myth and legend in the lives of all people.

    With its great feasts, its white stone churches, its merchant visitors from many lands, Sadko felt there was no better place to be. Yet he was lonely too, for the rich young ladies who danced to his music would never favor anyone so poor. One night he takes his twelve-string gusli and goes alone to play by the River Volkhov. Suddenly from the water rises the Sea King, who invites the astonished musician to play at his underwater palace. But how will Sadko get there? And how will he get back? And will he want to return at all, when he meets the Sea King's lovely daughter? One of the most popular legends of Russia, Sadko's story is found in medieval epic ballads, as well as in a popular opera by Rimsky-Korsakov. It is retold here in elegant prose, complemented by the entrancing illustrations of a modern Russian master. TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS -- A READER'S THEATER SCRIPT OF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN AARON'S BOOK "FOLKTALES ON STAGE," OR FREE ON AARON'S WEB SITE. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Aaron Shepard is the award-winning author of "The Baker's Dozen," "The Sea King's Daughter," "The Monkey King," and many more children's books. His stories have appeared often in Cricket magazine, while his Web site is known internationally as a prime resource for folktales, storytelling, and reader's theater. Once a professional storyteller, Aaron specializes in lively retellings of folktales and other traditional literature, which have won him honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the American Folklore Society. Gennady Spirin, with a style he describes as "fairy-tale realism," is one of the world’s most esteemed children’s illustrators. His honors include five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, the Golden Apple from the Bratislava International Biennial, First Prize at the Bologna and Barcelona international book fairs, and four appearances on the New York Times list of Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year. Born and trained in Russia before moving to the United States, Gennady already knew well the legend of Sadko and welcomed the chance to contribute his sumptuous art to this retelling.  ///////////////////////////////////////////////// HONORS 1997 New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Books of the Year  1998 American Library Association Notable Children's Books  1998 NCSS/CBC Notable Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies  1997 Aesop Accolade, American Folklore Society  1998 Honor Title, Storytelling World Awards  1997 Cincinnati Enquirer Best Illustrated Children's Books  American Bookseller Pick of the Lists  Starred review, Publishers Weekly  Featured on "CBS This Morning" ///////////////////////////////////////////////// "Emotionally authentic prose and jewel-like illustrations make this an exquisite volume. . . . [A] mood of eloquent enchantment." -- Publishers Weekly, Aug. 25, 1997, starred review "Exquisite." -- The New York Times Book Review, Oct. 26, 1997 "Knock-your-socks-off beautiful. . . . Will stay in a family's library forever." -- Valerie Lewis, "CBS This Morning," Dec. 11, 1997 "Retains the flavor of Old Russia. . . . A fascinating spin on mermaid/human interaction." -- Denise Anton Wright, School Library Journal, Dec. 1997 "The telling is descriptive yet very accessible. . . . The pictures are gorgeous and resplendent with extraordinary details." -- Stephanie Zvirin, American Library Association Booklist, Nov. 15, 1997

    Who will be king of all birds: the bird with the biggest beak...or the biggest feet...or the most colorful plumage? These feathered friends are in for a surprise when a tiny wren outwits them all and claims the crown right before their eyes!

    A boy discovers the reason: Bear has stolen the chinook. Then the boy and his friends -- Owl, Coyote, Weasel, Prairie Chicken, and Magpie -- set out in pursuit of Bear. When they locate his den, the problem becomes freeing the chinook from the fierce animal. But thanks to the boy's ingenuity, the group prevails. Spring returns, the tribe celebrates, and from that time on, Bear is compelled to sleep through winter. Harriet Peck Taylor's simple, strong words and brilliant batiks capture the drama of the story and the stark beauty of the winter landscape.

    Dramatic illustrations inspired by stonecut art of the Inuit people capture the beauty and mystery of these stories as they carry us--sometimes laughing, sometimes crying--from village to village over taiga, tundra, snow plains, and the iceberg-filled sea.

    A multicultural anthology of traditional stories is complemented by beautiful full-color artwork and introductions by ten youngsters representing diverse world cultures.The whistling monster (Brazil) --The corn maidens (Mexico) --The coming of raven (Canada) --Puss in boots (France) --The simple Saame man (Finland) --Witch of the sands (Botswana) --The paradise city (Morocco) --The birth of Krishna (India) --Gulnara the warrior (Mongolia) --Rona and the moon (New Zealand).

    Thus Turtle Island, the Earth, is born. In this book two Native American writers tell the stories of the Iroquois peoples.

    When Too Nice's evil sisters, Horrid and Very Horrid, force her to kidnap the witch Baba Yaga's jeweled toad, Baba Yaga devises a series of impossible tests for the little girl. If Too Nice passes them, she gets the toad, but if she doesn't -- the toad gets her Too Nice's only companion through the ordeal is the wise doll in her pocket, a gift from her mother, whose help leads to the miraculous completion of the tasks. And as gifts beget gifts, Too Nice gets the toad and the two evil sisters get theirs

    In all seasons, the Great Lake is full of fish. But one cold year the lake freezes over, and Shingebiss has to find a way to fish through the thick ice. To do that, he must face the fierce Winter Maker. Gracefully told and illustrated with vigorous woodcuts, this ancient Ojibwe story captures all the power of winter and all the courage of a small being who refuses to see winter as his enemy. This sacred story shows that those who follow the ways of Shingebiss will always have plenty to eat, no matter how hard the great wind of Winter Maker blows.

    How could he have known when he set out that his journey would lead him back home? Full color.

    While searching for his Norwegian immigrant family, the gentle, lumbering Troll meets Iktomi. The vain, opportunistic Trickster soon discovers that he too has lost his people, the Lakota. When Iktomi and Troll eventually find their peoples, they are neither recognized nor wanted. The lonely Trickster and the Troll find solace in their friendship and take refuge in a cave. Many years pass before they are rediscovered and loved again.

    It is the site of St Patrick's confrontation with the druids and seat of the High Kings. Legend and history meet in Tara - the Stone of Destiny, which cries out only when touched by a true king, still sits at its summit. Centuries after Tara had been abandoned by Irish rulers, it was chosen as the rallying point for the United Irishmen of the 1798 rebellion. Daniel O'Connell, The Liberator, relied on its power in the 19th century to draw a record attendance to a Home Rule meeting. Today over 30,000 people visit Tara each year.

    Centuries ago in China, hundreds of parables were told by the Buddha to his devoted followers. His messages became widespread through fables adapted by famous storytellers like Aesop and La Fontaine. In this collection, the author has chosen ten of the most engaging classic tales from the Buddha's works. Compiled and illustrated by Demi, this wonderful collection of stories is sure to draw young readers into the ancient teachings of the Buddha, teachings that are as relevant today as they were over two thousand years ago.

    The entries provide an introduction that facilitates the pursuit of more specialized topics and other bodies of scholarship.Topics range from such traditional subjects as "festival" and "folktale" to cutting-edge entries such as "computer-mediated folklore" and "postmodernism." In most cases, a longer, more comprehensive essay format for entries has been favored over shorter entries. Entries are cross-referenced, and each includes a select bibliography to serve as a guide to in depth research.

    Despite a 1942 ordinance mandating death for the ridicule of Nazi soldiers, Norwegians attacked the occupying Nazis and their Norwegian collaborators by means of anecdotes, quips, insinuating personal ads, children’s stories, Christmas cards, mock postage stamps, and symbolic clothing.    In relating this dramatic story, Kathleen Stokker draws upon her many interviews with survivors of the Occupation and upon the archives of the Norwegian Resistance Museum and the University of Oslo. Central to the book are four “joke notebooks” kept by women ranging in age from eleven to thirty, who found sufficient meaning in this humor to risk recording and preserving it. Stokker also cites details from wartime diaries of three other women from East, West, and North Norway. Placing the joking in historical, cultural, and psychological context, Stokker demonstrates how this seemingly frivolous humor in fact contributed to the development of a resistance mentality among an initially confused, paralyzed, and dispirited population, stunned by the German invasion of their neutral country.    For this paperback edition, Stokker has added a new preface offering a comparative view of resistance through humor in neighboring Denmark.

    As in Heikki Heikkinen, Lauri Anderson regales his readers with more stories of "Yoopers."

    Kamba's solution? Of course, paint all the animals new coats! Along they come: first Mbanda the zebra, who gets a coat of long, flowing stripes; then Nyalugwe the leopard, who stretches out on a branch for his spots. Many other animals follow. Finally, Fisi demands his beauty, and what does he get? Tree gum, which makes his fur stand up in patches so that the villagers laugh at him. If you see him, he will laugh right back, Ha, ha, ha! Judy Sierra is in great form with her latest retelling, and Michael Bryant's deep-hued watercolors pulsate with the texture and life of the savanna. Judy Sierra, a professional puppeteer and storyteller, is now a full-time writer and lecturer. Her two previous titles for Lodestar are The Elephant's Wrestling Match and Wiley and the Hairy Man.Michael Bryant, a children's book illustrator, has been described by Publishers Weekly as an impressive accomplished artist.

    An act of generosity brings help from an unexpected source in this heartwarming Japanese classic. "A lively adaptation of a Japanese folktale.... The well-paced, carefully plotted text has a sprightly partner in its stylized, gently colored illustrations." - School Library Journal“A sweetly illustrated retelling” – The New York TimesFifteenth Anniversary Edition with new notes by author David Kudler

    Four of the legends have been re-translated into the Delaware language by native speakers, revealing the transformation of a transliterated Delaware text into an English-language story.

    The reverberations of that rumor-and of the actions it precipitated-continue to this day. In the mid-1840s, as Port Phillip developed into a burgeoning provincial center, the White Woman rumor was deployed to serve numerous political and cultural ends. Sensationalist speculation in the colonial press about a white woman held in thrall by ‘ruthless savages’ fuelled anti Aboriginal attitudes and provided justification for the taking of Kurnai lands. More broadly, the White Woman functioned as an emblematic figure: a focus for the concerns of a transplanted culture coming to terms with an unfamiliar land and its original inhabitants.

    

    Rama has triumphed over the demons that dwell there and the three live a simple, peaceful life among the forest animals. But it is not to last, for the ten-headed King of the Demons vows to take revenge. Eye-catching illustrations, based on the Indian tradition of shadow-puppetry, convey the exuberance of a millennia-old tale which is still very much alive today.

    A young peasant, with the help of his faithful and magical humpbacked horse, captures magical beasts, marries the beautiful Tsarevna and becomes the Tsar of Russia.

    It aims to provide an insight into a folklore tradition which has inspired talents as diverse as Wagner and Tolkien. A general historical introduction provides an overall perspective, and background material on the archaeology and social framework of the Norse world is provided.

    It describes how the use of masks in witchcraft ritual can lead to altered states of consciousness, creating a direct channel of communication between the masked dancer and the Pagan gods. The authors discuss the power of the mask, the historical and religious connections between masked rituals and the underworld, and a discussion of the trance itself.