Howard” Contains: • An aesthetic cover page. • A beginning click-able Table of Contents for all titles. • Inner click-able Tables of Contents for all individual books with multiple chapters. • Nicely organized chapters and text. Author’s works include: • SKULLS IN THE STARS • THE FOOTFALLS WITHIN • THE MOON OF SKULLS • THE HILLS OF THE DEAD • WINGS IN THE NIGHT • RATTLE OF BONES • RED SHADOWS • THE DAUGHTER OF ERLIK KHAN • HAWK OF THE HILLS • BLOOD OF THE GODS • SON OF THE WHITE WOLF • THE COUNTRY OF THE KNIFE • THE PHOENIX ON THE SWORD • THE SCARLET CITADEL • THE TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT • BLACK COLOSSUS • THE SLITHERING SHADOW • THE POOL OF THE BLACK ONE • GODS OF THE NORTH • ROGUES IN THE HOUSE • SHADOWS IN THE MOONLIGHT • QUEEN OF THE BACK COAST • THE DEVIL IN IRON • THE PEOPLE OF THE BLACK CIRCLE • A WITCH SHALL BE BORN • JEWELS OF GWAHLUR • BEYOND THE BLACK RIVER • SHADOWS IN ZAMBOULA • RED NAILS • THE HOUR OF THE DRAGON • THE HYBORIAN AGE • THE VALLEY OF THE WORM • THE GARDEN OF FEAR • APPARITION IN THE PRIZE RING • ALLEYS OF DARKNESS • ALLEYS OF PERIL • ALMURIC • WORMS OF THE EARTH • THE LOST RACE • EVIL DEEDS AT RED COUGAR • A GENT FROM BEAR CREEK (NOVELLA) • A GENT FROM BEAR CREEK (SHORT STORY) • CUPID FROM BEAR CREEK • GUNS OF THE MOUNTAINS • HIGH HORSE RAMPAGE • MOUNTAIN MAN • NO COWHERDERS WANTED • PILGRIMS TO THE PECOS • TEXAS JOHN ALDEN • WHILE SMOKE ROLLED • PISTOL POLITICS • SHARP’S GUN SERENADE • THE APACHE MOUNTAIN WAR • THE CONQUERIN’ HERO OF THE HUMBOLTS • THE FEUD BUSTER • THE HAUNTED MOUNTAIN • THE RIOT AT COUGAR PAW • THE ROAD TO BEAR CREEK • THE SCALP HUNTER • WAR ON BEAR CREEK • THE TOMB’S SECRET • CHAMP OF THE FORECASTLE • CIRCUS FISTS • THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT • THE HAUNTER OF THE RING • HAWKS OF OUTREMER • THE BLOOD OF BELSHAZZAR • THE BLACK STONE • THE FIRE OF ASSHURBANIPAL • THE THING ON THE ROOF • CUPID VS POLLUX • IN THE FOREST OF VILLEFÉRE • WOLFSHEAD • BLACK CANAAN • THE HOUSE OF ARABU • PEOPLE OF THE DARK • THE VOICE OF EL-LIL • SPEAR AND FANG • SEA CURSE • FIST AND FANG • GENERAL IRONFIST • GATES OF EMPIRE • LORD OF SAMARCAND • THE LION OF TIBERIAS • THE SOWERS OF THE THUNDER • THE CAIRN ON THE HEADLAND • THE DREAM SNAKE • THE FEARSOME TOUCH OF DEATH • THE HYENA • THE TREASURES OF TARTARY • THE SHADOW KINGDOM • THE MIRRORS OF TUZUN THUNE • KINGS OF THE NIGHT • NIGHT OF BATTLE • OLD GARFIELD’S HEART • T

      This nearly wordless companion to the Caldecott Medal-winning The Lion & the Mouse is Jerry Pinkney's most stunning masterpiece yet. Even the slowest tortoise can defeat the quickest hare, and even the proudest hare can learn a timeless lesson from the most humble tortoise: Slow and steady wins the race! Here is a superbly rendered journey from starting line to finish that embodies the bravery, perseverance, and humility we can all find inside ourselves.  Don't miss these other classic retellings by Jerry Pinkney: The Little MermaidThe Lion & the Mouse The Grasshopper & the Ants The Three Billy Goats Gruff Little Red Riding HoodTwinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

    After showing kindness to a strange old woman, Shiraz receives the gift of beauty but her lazy and unkind stepsister, Nargues, suffers a less pleasant fate in this adaptation of the Grimm's fairy tale, Mother Hulda, reset in Tehran, Iran.

    All of these three-hole-punched information sheets -- the Lucky Mojo Shop Flyers and the Hoodoo Workshop Hand-Outs -- were then collected together into a black school-report cover -- which we called The Black Folder. As the years went on, the content of The Black Folder grew and grew and grew, until there were so many pages that they could no longer easily fit into a single report cover ... and so we put together the complete set of all of the past Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Workshop flyers, plus a complete set of all of the Lucky Mojo shop flyers into a 136 page professionally printed BOOK. The name of the book is "The Black Folder" -- but don't let the name (or the cover) fool you -- it's a regular 8 1/2" x 11" trade paperback book, like nothing else available anywhere.Contributors include an all-star line-up of well-known conjure doctors from around the world: ConjureMan Ali, Deacon Millett, Dr. E., Lara Rivera, Prof. Charles Porterfield, Dr. James Dotson, Khi Armand, Sister Robin Petersen, Sindy Todo, Susan Diamond, Marin Graves, Miss Elvyra Curcuruto-Love, Ms. Robin York, Dr. Johannes Gardback, Michele Jackson, Valentina Burton, Tanisia Mooney, and catherine yronwode.

    In this ambitious and thoroughly up-to-date book, Ronald Hutton reveals the long development, rapid suppression, and enduring cultural significance of paganism, from the Paleolithic Era to the coming of Christianity. He draws on an array of recently discovered evidence and shows how new findings have radically transformed understandings of belief and ritual in Britain before the arrival of organized religion.   Setting forth a chronological narrative, Hutton along the way makes side visits to explore specific locations of ancient pagan activity. He includes the well-known sacred sites—Stonehenge, Avebury, Seahenge, Maiden Castle, Anglesey—as well as more obscure locations across the mainland and coastal islands. In tireless pursuit of the elusive “why” of pagan behavior, Hutton astonishes with the breadth of his understanding of Britain’s deep past and inspires with the originality of his insights.

    Flyfishing guide Rusty Wilson spent years collecting these stories from his clients around the campfire, stories guaranteed to scare the pants off you-or make you want to meet the Big Guy! Just remember to never go searching alone... Come read about a most unusual campground host-then read about a case of Bigfoot habituation where the creatures make themselves at home, literally-a dog with a rare talent-a Bigfoot graveyard-a forlorn and abandoned Bigfoot that returns to wreak its vengeance-an encounter in the Missouri Ozarks-a Bigfoot caught in a trap-how a woman faces her Bigfoot fears-these and more great campfire tales. "There are many mysteries on this planet, and I think they make life interesting. Of course, nothing compares to the mysterious world of Bigfoot, a world we humans rarely get a glimpse into-but when we do, it results in a huge paradigm shift. We begin to realize there are many things we don't yet know, so many really good mysteries." -Rusty Wilson Another great book from Rusty Wilson, Bigfoot expert and storyteller-tales for both the Bigfoot believer and those who just enjoy a good story!

    Anderson's fifth book--her most enchanting yet--turns the spotlight on "reversibles": knitted projects that are two toys in one. This collection of a dozen delightful toys features a dog in a doghouse, a chrysalis with a fluttery surprise inside, a tiny hidden fairy, a vintage toy with a fabled theme to boot, pigs in a blanket, and much more.The adorable photographic sequences and the playful and energetic line drawings show how each finished reversible can be turned inside out to reveal its companion toy. Projects are arranged in order from simplest (fine for a beginner) to the most challenging. Finally, the book features tutorials from the author (a great knitting teacher), explaining special techniques: how to apply any applique, how to do the stem stitch, how to embroider "eyes" on the Bunny and Lamb, and 14 more. It all adds up to the best knitting book of the season.

    Interspersed with spotlight features on faery folklore, including fascinating quotes drawn from medieval manuscripts and both written and oral folklore, these tales cover faery morals, elvish misdemeanors, the spells cast by goblins, and the sightings of the creatures, as well as their dealings with mortals. The enchanting stories, rewritten to engage a new generation, are each attributed to a British region. With charming illustrations from favorite illustrators throughout, this book reminds readers of the enduring appeal of folklore and mystery for all generations.

    A Deed Without a Name seeks to weave together some of this cutting-edge research with insider information and practical know-how. Utilising her own decades of experience in witchcraft and core-shamanism Lee Morgan pulls together information from trial records, folklore and modern testimonials to deepen our understanding of the ecstatic and visionary substrata of Traditional Witchcraft. Those who identify themselves as 'Traditional' tend to read a lot of scholarly texts on the subject and yet still there remains a vast gulf between this information and knowledgeably applying it in practice; this book aims to close that gap.

    Add a little magic to each day and keep pace with the ever-turning Wheel of the Year with this indispensable, on-the-go tool. You’ll find fun, fresh ways to celebrate the sacred seasons and enhance your practice—inspiring Sabbat musings (Elizabeth Barrette), tasty Sabbat recipes (Magenta Griffith), Moon rituals (James Kambos), and animal magic (Lupa). For spellwork, there’s astrological information and daily colors. Also included are in-depth articles on charming jewelry (Ellen Dugan), a Witch’s mini herb garden (Deborah Blake), spontaneous divining (Autumn Damiana), spellcraft on the fly (Marion Sipe), and more.

    Beautifully illustrated . . . this handsome volume is an art object in itself."- Kirkus Reviews"Punchy writing and bold images make this a promising readaloud prospect. It’s a work of art, too" -Publishers WeeklyMeet the most wily jackal in the forest. Too lazy to hunt for food, he decides to trick his friend the crane, and soon gets carried away, gobbling up every animal he encounters. This lighthearted story, told in cumulative rhyme, is an adaptation of an oral trickster tale from Rajasthan, north India. It is illustrated with finger painting by the talented Sunita, a young woman artist who hails from the Meena tribe. In this handmade, silkscreen printed children's book, Sunita adapts a traditional Meena art form called Mandna, which is traditionally painted by women on the walls and floors of their village homes.This is the first time that Mandna--rarely seen outside the confines of Meena villages--has been used in a children’s book. Each book is made completely by hand, and numbered out of a limited edition.

    So appealing were these spirit-maidens that they also took up residence in nineteenth-century Romantic literature.Archaeologist and linguist by profession, folk dancer by avocation, Elizabeth Wayland Barber has sleuthed through ethnographic lore and archaeological reports of east and southeast Europe, translating enchanting folktales about these “dancing goddesses” as well as eyewitness accounts of traditional rituals — texts that offer new perspectives on dance in agrarian society. She then traces these goddesses and their dances back through the Romans and Greeks to the first farmers of Europe. Along the way, she locates the origins of many customs, including coloring Easter eggs and throwing rice at the bride. The result is a detective story like no other and a joyful reminder of the human need to dance.

    But could he stomp a hole deep enough to reach water for the thirsty animals? Maybe…maybe not. All the animals tried until tiny Gecko Gecko takes a turn. He is small...but he is determined. And he's not going to give up! Kids will love to chant and stomp along to this Ugandan folktale.

    This brief-but-richly drawn book explores the practice of divination by playing cards—known as cartomancy. It reveals the “secrets in plain sight” which hide within the pips, kings, queens, and jokers of a standard deck. Explore one method of divination in-depth as you meet the “fifty-four devils”—the symbolic spirits of each card—and learn about invoking ancestral blessings for card readings, the folklore of playing cards, and how to relate fairy tales to a spread along the way.-From the back cover

    Includes historical notes about Aesop and the tales, and facts about the animals and locations photographed.

    . . 1920, central Russia. The Red Terror tightens its hold. Kolya has deserted his Red Army unit and returns home to bury his brother and reunite with his wife and sons. But he finds the village silent and empty. The men have been massacred in the forest. The women and children have disappeared.In this remote, rural Russian community the folk tales that mothers tell their children by candlelight take on powerful significance, and the terrifying legend of Koschei, The Deathless One, begins to feel very real. Kolya sets out on a journey through dense, haunting forests and across vast plains against the bitter winter, in the desperate hope he will find his wife and two boys-and find them alive. But there are very dark things in Kolya's past. And, as he strives to find his family, there's someone-or something-following his trail . . .

    Yokai have attracted the artists and have been a common theme in art works until these days because of their unique forms and their mysterious behaviours. This book is a visual collection of art works of Yokai in Japan since the Edo period (1603 - 1868). The works are not only paintings but also wood block prints, ceramics, kimonos, children's playthings such as board games, and more. All items that are featured in the book come from personal collections by Koichi Yumoto, who has the largest Yokai art collection in Japan.

    A collection of fifteen essays are introduced and curated by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold through whose contacts we encounter the worlds of lone practitioners and tradition holders, from both family and clan, and are allowed a rare glimpse into the workings of the more secretive proponents of the Craft.Traditional Craft is intimately bound to the spirit of the land. Serpent Songs contains the works of genuine Cornish and Basque witchcraft, the relatively unknown Swedish Trolldom, the persecuted Bogomils, and the oft misrepresented Italian Stregoneria. Members of 1734, Clan of Tubal Cain, an ex member of The Companie of the Serpent-Cross are among those who choose to share their experiences. Light is shed on such important figures as Robert Cochrane, Evan John-Jones and Andrew Chumbley amongst others, but more than illustrious ancestors, Traditional Craft is revealed as a living throng.These are the voices of those who work the art and this book details their practices, struggles and wayward journeys. Serpent Songs takes a crooked path through the landscape, from historical studies to practical acts, from lonely stone stiles set between deep hedges to the warm entrails of animals and forays into the caves and woods. These tresses are woven into an undulating nest of serpents.Serpent Songs is a wide ranging work that deals with the issues of witch blood, taboo, the other, the liminal state, fire, dream, art and need as vectors of the Craft. What emerges is not a narrow definition of what it means to engage in Traditional Craft, but a set of shared characteristics and approaches which become evident despite the cultural gulfs in place and time. This is a book of praxis, beliefs and their own definitions of the art itself rather than those applied to it by outsiders. These are the voices who for the most part operate in silence but now wish to be heard.

    It focuses on the representation of female witches and the enduring stereotypes they embody, ranging from hideous old crones to beautiful young seductresses. Such imagery has ancient precedents and has been repeatedly re-invented by artists over the centuries, to include scenes with corpses and cauldrons, caverns and kitchens, and the dead being raised through demonic or satanic rites - all inversions of an ordered and religious social world. Petherbridge introduces this fascinating subject and includes catalogue entries on each of the exhibited works. The illustrations primarily feature drawings and prints as well as a group of important paintings. A wide range of artists is represented including Durer, Goya, Fuseli, Blake, Burra and Rego."

    This jacketed, hardcover book features foil cover accents, a ribbon bookmark, and full-color illustrations on large, lush spreads. Enjoy a bonus audiobook download of all six stories for repeated listening at home and on the go. Includes:The Little Red HenThe Three Little PigsThe Three BearsThe Gingerbread BoyThe Three Little KittensThe Three Billy Goats Gruff

    This book presents new English translations of Chiri's remarkable work.Originally written in yukar form, a type of chant used by female storytellers among the Ainu villages of Hokkaido, these stories tell of the relationship between mankind and the world of spirits. Each yukar is narrated by a spirit -- fox, whale, frog, or even shellfish. Most important is the owl god, Kotankor Kamui, whose two long songs describe the covenant between humans and the spirits who provide them with food. Other tales focus on the balance of nature, on the respect due between animal spirits and people, and on the strength of Okikirmui, the human hero.The Ainu oral tradition was in danger of dying in the early 20th century, when the teenaged Chiri Yukie resolved to begin writing down these chants. Descended from a line of female storytellers, she devised a way of representing Ainu language in the Roman alphabet, and made Japanese translations of the most important tales.Although she died at 19, the thirteen tales she had written down went on to become a sensation. Her clear and beautiful yet intricate and emotive Japanese translations brought Ainu culture to a wide audience in Japan and created a movement to record and preserve Ainu belief in a living state. In many ways, the idea of trying to learn from and preserve tribal wisdom goes back to Chiri's book.Chiri's work includes the best-known passages of Ainu literature: Chiri's original introduction, an elegy to the vanishing Ainu way of life, and the tale 'Silver drops fall around, golden drops fall around'.This translation tries to preserve the rich texture of Chiri's versions in English, while remaining absolutely true to the details of the original. A clear introduction to Chiri, her book, and its language is provided, giving the reader a vivid insight into this startlingly sophisticated spiritual tradition.

    This is a writer who has never forgotten any of the mystery of this mysterious place, who never allowed his paradise to be paved over in concrete, at least inside his heart, and I could read him all day.”—Rick Bragg “If Jeff Klinkenberg isn’t careful, he might give journalism a good name.”—Carl Hiaasen “No one captures the old, secret Florida, the Florida of the swamps and forests where alligators and panthers rule, like Klinkenberg does. He uses his formidable reportorial skills to get fantastic (often hilariously funny) stories which belie the ghastly six-lane, strip-mall, gated-community, golf-course, air-conditioned, theme-parked Nature-wrecking Florida that most of its citizens know. Almost everything Klinkenberg writes is a public service as well as an enriching and educating experience.”—Diane Roberts, author of Dream State Florida is a civilized place with eighteen million residents and all of the modern amenities one might expect: fine universities, art museums, world-class restaurants, and luxury accommodations. It is also home to panthers, bears, rattlesnakes, and alligators. In this collection of essays about Florida culture—the things that make Florida “Florida”— Jeff Klinkenberg sets his sights on the contradictions that comprise the Sunshine State. With a keen eye for detail and a lyrical style, Klinkenberg takes us meandering through the swamps and back roads of Florida, stopping to acquaint us with the curious and kooky characters he meets along the way. These sometimes hilarious, sometimes reminiscent stories are as strange and mesmerizing as the people inhabiting this wacky peninsula. Klinkenberg is a journalist who conveys a deep fondness for his state and the curiosity behind his ongoing explorations in each story. Who else would engage a symphony orchestra tuba player to determine if bull gators will thunderously bellow back in a low B-flat during mating season (they do, but they only respond to that pitch). Readers will join Klinkenberg as he roams through the twisted roots of past and present, describing a beautifully swampy place that is becoming increasingly endangered. The traditional ways of the scallop shuckers, moss weavers, and cane grinders in his stories are now threatened by corporate greed, environmental degradation, and mass construction. From fishing camps and country stores to museums and libraries, Klinkenberg is forever unearthing the magic that makes Florida a place worth celebrating. Join him in contemplating Florida, both old and new, a place that is as quirky and enigmatic as it is burgeoning.

    She appears in traditional Russian folktales as a monstrous and hungry cannibal, or as a canny inquisitor of the adolescent hero or heroine of the tale. In new translations and with an introduction by Sibelan Forrester, Baba Yaga: The Wild Witch of the East in Russian Fairy Tales is a selection of tales that draws from the famous collection of Aleksandr Afanas'ev, but also includes some tales from the lesser-known nineteenth-century collection of Ivan Khudiakov. This new collection includes beloved classics such as "Vasilisa the Beautiful" and "The Frog Princess," as well as a version of the tale that is the basis for the ballet "The Firebird."The preface and introduction place these tales in their traditional context with reference to Baba Yaga's continuing presence in today's culture--the witch appears iconically on tennis shoes, tee shirts, even tattoos. The stories are enriched with many wonderful illustrations of Baba Yaga, some old (traditional "lubok" woodcuts), some classical (the marvelous images from Victor Vasnetsov or Ivan Bilibin), and some quite recent or solicited specifically for this collection

    Santa Muerte has millions of devotees and the numbers are growing all over the world! To those devoted to her, she is their friend, a spiritual mother and the source of unconditional love and protection from whom all of the necessities of life flow. She is an advocate, a healer and the performer of miracles. Santa Muerte is the patron saint of those who have confronted death and lived and those who must confront deadly situations every day. She is a spirit of second chances who avenges those who are devoted to her and punishes evil-doers. She is a godmother who guides those under her care and arranges things in much the way a benevolent and powerful living benefactor might. This book shows you how to connect with Santa Muerte and includes information about how to construct an altar for her, how to consecrate items, how to pray the Rosary of Santa Muerte and provides prayers, spells and rituals for a variety of purposes.

    If I hadn’t fallen in love with that sweet and kind boy, I wouldn’t have gotten on a plane with him to fly halfway across the world; I wouldn’t have trusted him enough to do what he was asking me to do. And as angry as I was, as much as I hated what my life had become, I knew I had to do what Simon and the others were asking me to do. It all came down to one inescapable belief. I would have to kill or be killed. There were certainly other pieces of the puzzle that were more complex and harder to understand, but that one piece was very clear and unrelenting and it drove me forward, even in those moments when giving up seemed like the most sensible choice I could make.”The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?

    How many times had she dreamt of the bear…. Now, here he was, as if spelled from her dreams.“I will come with you, Bear,” she said.It is the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the girl. First to the bear’s secret palace in faraway mountains, where she is treated so courteously, but where she experiences the bear’s unfathomable sadness, and a deep mystery…As the bear’s secret unravels, another journey unfolds… a long and desperate journey, that takes the girl to the homes of the four Winds and beyond, to the castle east of the sun, west of the moon.This beautiful, mysterious story of love, loyalty and above all, freedom, is inspired by fairy tale, and is magically told and illustrated by Jackie Morris.

    Sequel to the award-winning Kitsune-Tsuki.The onmyouji Tsurugu no Kiyomori and his allies must protect his daimyou‘s household from a dangerous rival without revealing their own secret — or they die by the hands of their friends instead of their enemies.

    Signed, numbered edition limited to 400 copies. Herald of the Hidden collects ten adventures of Ralph Tyler, an occult detective from an obscure shire in the heart of England, without private means or any special esoteric knowledge. The Ralph Tyler stories first appeared in hard-to-find small press publications. Three of the stories are previously unpublished, including two newly written for this collection. Along with six further supernatural tales, all the stories are previously uncollected in book form.

    Vann Woodward. Masterfully drawn from one-on-one interviews conducted by renowned folklorist William Ferris over the past forty years, the book reveals how storytelling is viscerally tied to southern identity and how the work of these southern or southern-inspired creators has shaped the way Americans think and talk about the South.The Storied South offers a unique, intimate opportunity to sit at the table with these men and women and learn how they worked and how they perceived their art. The volume also features 45 of Ferris's striking photographic portraits of the speakers and a CD and a DVD of original audio and films of the interviews.

    The young man's testimony and physical evidence was so compelling, it not only launched a serious investigation by the local sheriff's office but an all-out monster hunt that drew hundreds of people to the small town. This real-life "creature from the black lagoon" has inspired major national news coverage, even a call from the famous CBS news anchor, Dan Rather, as he and the rest of the world clamored to know more about Bishopville's elusive monster. The case is often mentioned in books, websites, and television shows, but the full story has never been told... until now. This book provides unprecedented documentation for one of the most bizarre and hair-raising cases of an unknown creature. The witnesses are convinced they've seen it, and the local law officials are backing them up. This is their story.Follow Lyle Blackburn, author of the bestselling book "The Beast of Boggy Creek," as he and his partner, Cindy Lee, revisit the sighting locations, speak to the living eyewitnesses, and consider all possible theories in their search for the truth behind the legendary Lizard Man.

    While Cinderella is better known, Beauty and the Beast is most often voted the favorite among readers. The tale has definite literary origins. It was written by Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve in 1740 as a novella length book. Villeneuve drew upon folklore for her inspiration as well as other literary predecessors. Her story was then adapted and rewritten by Madame Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1757 into the version we most easily recognize today. The tale is part of a larger group of folktales-Animal Bridegroom stories-known in countless variations throughout Europe and Asia as well as Africa and the Americas. Starting with the story of Cupid and Psyche from the second century A.D. and continuing to modern times, Animal Bridegroom stories have warned and thrilled readers for at least two millennia. This collection offers over 180 Animal Bridegroom tales from around the world. Some of the tales are new translations, a few appearing for the first time in English. Whether you are a student of folklore or an armchair enthusiast, this anthology offers a diverse array of tales with a unifying theme that both entertains and educates, all gathered for the first time in one impressive collection.

    The most widely read story collection after the Bible, their magical tales are stalwarts of early learning and imagination, listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register as a vital part of our history and culture. This new edition of The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm brings to life 14 of the most beloved Grimm stories, including classics such as Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel. In a unique design format, each featured tale is paired with a different illustrator, bringing special pictorial splendor to each story. Featured artists include such masters of pictorial invention as Kay Nielsen, Walter Crane, and Viktor Paul Mohn, as well as many new discoveries. Historic and contemporary silhouettes - many commissioned especially for this anthology - further animate the tales, dancing across the page like delicate black lace. The book also contains a foreword on the Grimms' legacy, brief introductions to each fairy tale, and extended artists' biographies in the appendix. For adults and children alike, this beautiful compilation brings the eternal magic of the Grimms' stories to the heart of every home.The following fairy tales are featured in the book: The Frog Prince, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, The Brave Little Tailor, Cinderella, Mother Holle, Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, The Star Coins, Puss n' Boots, The Golden Goose, The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

    A fire-breathing monster with the head of a horse, bat wings and the body of a kangaroo, the creature is said to be the thirteenth child of a Mother Leeds, born in 1735 when the woman put a curse on her unfortunate offspring.Informed at a tender age by his grandmother--his BeBop--that he is distantly related to the beast, Bill Sprouse goes looking for the story behind the story of his family's connection to the famous monster. The result is part memoir, part travelogue and part lively tour through three hundred years of New Jersey history.The Domestic Life of the Jersey Devil traces the origins of the legend to a little-known pamphlet war that sent the Leeds family to Leeds Point in the waning years of the seventeenth century, with Daniel Leeds, the family patriarch, labeled "Satan's harbinger" in the process. It follows the story through its connection with the residents of the Pine Barrens (the famous Pineys), who were said to live in fear of the creature, and it looks at the legend in its modern variations: X-Files episodes are made about it, a pro hockey team is named after it, and residents of Galloway Township seek to adopt the monster as the Official Town Mascot.The Domestic Life of the Jersey Devil is a book about the suburbs and the uneasy relationship they have with their own history, and it's about one suburbanite's attempt to understand his own family's history in the most unlikely of places.

    

    Throughout the years of collectivization, industrialization, and World War II, women played major roles in the evolution of the Russian village. But how do they see themselves? What do their stories, songs, and customs reveal about their values, desires, and motivations?    Based upon nearly three decades of fieldwork, from 1983 to 2010, The Worlds of Russian Rural Women follows three generations of Russian women and shows how they alternately preserve, discard, and rework the cultural traditions of their forebears to suit changing needs and self-conceptions. In a major contribution to the study of folklore, Laura J. Olson and Svetlana Adonyeva document the ways that women’s tales of traditional practices associated with marriage, childbirth, and death reflect both upholding and transgression of social norms. Their romance songs, satirical ditties, and healing and harmful magic reveal the complexity of power relations in the Russian villages.

    Throw a nontraditional tea party with zesty flair. Add a spicy twist to your beer, wine, and liquor. There are hundreds of ways to benefit from nature's versatile plants inside Llewellyn's Herbal Almanac.This treasury of innovative herbal ideas spans gardening, cooking, crafts, health, beauty, and myth/lore. You'll learn how to improve indoor air quality, create a "golden years" herb garden for seniors, keep invasive herbs in check, and soak up vibrational healing from roses, daisies, and other flowers. Discover how to use herbs as preservatives, and make your own homemade vinaigrettes and low-carb vegetarian dishes. Create herbal dyes and beautiful handcrafted paper speckled with seeds or flowers.From enchanting primroses to the many faces of avocado, this practical almanac is your gateway to the herbal kingdom.

    Gideon Lir: a legendary Celtic warrior with a bit of a temper of his own.Secretly, these blue-collar warriors battle the hobgoblins infesting their suburban neighborhood...when they are not battling each other.Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish."

    It often has to climb steep dunes, run when it is exhausted, and wait in the hot sun while Halim sits in the shade talking to the other merchants. One day the camel is overwhelmed by sadness and finds itself in tears. But still Halim shows no sympathy.When they arrive in the beautiful garden-filled city of Medina where the Prophet lives, the merchant refreshes himself with food and drink and then naps on a pillow of sand, once again leaving the tired camel to stand alone in the burning sun. But when the Prophet sees the camel's plight, everything changes. Halim finally empathizes with the camel's pain and suffering.The Camel in the Sun was inspired by a Muslim story told to the author when he was in Sri Lanka. That story was a retelling of a hadith, and this book was respectfully inspired by both the retelling and a translation of the hadith itself. It is an unforgettable story about empathy. It is beautifully, respectfully and sensitively illustrated by Linda Wolfsgruber, whose images and earthy palette reflect her time spent in the Middle East.

    When a new boy moves to town in this modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty, he learns that there's a house in the hills that no one has gone into in a hundred years.

    This collection of field notes meticulously documents the dark side of Inuit legends, complete with hideous monsters and unspeakable deeds. Each creature is brought to life by the stunning illustrations of Mike Austin, a world-renowned tattoo artist. The Hidden exposes the dark beings that lurk in Arctic shadows. This gothic illustrated book is destined to become a collectorís item for any reader interested in dark folklore.

    With elementals divided by air, fire, water, and earth, you'll learn the unique qualities of each, how to catch sight of them, and respectfully request their help with healing, protection, getting a job, attracting love, and more. Along with step-by-step instructions for invoking faeries and elementals, you'll find rituals, meditations, and everything you need to begin safely interacting with these magical entities.

    Farther west, tales of legendary hunter Meshach Browning echo among the Allegany Mountains while visitors to Deep Creek Lake may feel the chilling presence of monks who never left their former monastery. From the 1909 hoax of the monstrous Snallygaster that terrorized the Middletown Valley to the doglike Dwayyo that was spotted near Frederick in 1965, local historian Susan Fair rounds up the bizarre beasts, odd characters and unsolved mysteries that color the legends and lore of Western Maryland.

    Medieval authors placed them in the borders of manuscripts as markers of the boundaries of our understanding. Tales from around the world place these beasts in deserts, deep woods, remote islands, ocean depths, and alternate universes—just out of our reach. And in the sections on the apocalypse in the Bible, they proliferate as the end of time approaches, with horses with heads like lions, dragons, and serpents signaling the destruction of the world. Legends tell us that imaginary animals belong to a primordial time, before everything in the world had names, categories, and conceptual frameworks. In this book, Boria Sax digs into the stories of these fabulous beasts. He shows how, despite their liminal role, imaginary animals like griffins, dog-men, yetis, and more are socially constructed creatures, created through the same complex play of sensuality and imagination as real ones. Tracing the history of imaginary animals from Paleolithic art to their roles in stories such as Harry Potter and even the advent of robotic pets, he reveals that these extraordinary figures help us psychologically—as monsters, they give form to our amorphous fears, while as creatures of wonder, they embody our hopes. Their greatest service, Sax concludes, is to continually challenge our imaginations, directing us beyond the limitations of conventional beliefs and expectations. Featuring over 230 illustrations of a veritable menagerie of fantastical and unreal beasts, Imaginary Animals is a feast for the eyes and the imagination.

    Centuries have passed since the rightful heir to the throne was banished. The people are losing hope in ancient legend, which foretells of one who will rise up, overthrow the evil king and queen, and restore peace. Like all others in Nereth, Edlyn has suffered greatly. Orphaned as a child, Edlyn grew up as the serf of a drunken lord. Now a spirited seventeen-year-old, Edlyn works to buy her freedom while fighting off the unwanted advances of Sheriff Hurst. One morning, Edlyn discovers a young man hiding in the stable. He is fleeing from Sheriff Hurst and inflicted with a sword wound that will surely be fatal without her help. In a split-second decision, Edlyn conceals the young man from Sheriff Hurst and begins nursing him back to health. As the young man's strength returns, Edlyn learns that his name is Maddock, and she is stunned to find that he has come from the mysterious land to the north. Maddock soon comes to Edlyn's aid, rescuing her from Sheriff Hurst. Suddenly declared outlaws, both Edlyn and Maddock must escape for their lives to enchanted Ravenshire Forest and then the desolate mountains beyond. As their adventure unfolds, Edlyn and Maddock discover that their meeting may have been more than chance, for their lives prove bound by a fate that neither of them could possibly have imagined.

    From the Arthurian mythos to Scandinavia, from ancient Greece to Renaissance poetry and beyond, the awesome power of the Faerie Queens to inspire, challenge and transform is investigated and discussed from both scholarly and personal perspectives. TO SEE A GARLANDED LADY by Sorita d'Este & David Rankine DIGGING DEEPER: FAERY QUEENS, DEATH AND THE SOUL by Emily Carding SPIRITS AT THE TABLE: FAERIE QUEENS IN THE GRIMOIRES by Dan Harms WRITING FAERY: A TALE OF VIVIANE by Jack Wolf MAIDS OF ICE AND MEADOWS by Cliff Seruntine TRANSATLANTIC FAIRY QUEEN: HELEN ADAM by Katie Stewart MELUSINE: ENDURING SERPENTINE QUEEN by David Rankine HOLDA: WINTER'S FAERIE QUEEN by Ceri Norman THE SKOGSRA: QUEEN OF THE WILD WOODS OF SWEDEN by Helena Lundvik DIANA'S MOON RAYS by Sorita d'Este THE VALKYRIES: NORSE FAIRIE QUEENS? by Valerie Karlson MORVEREN: THE SEA QUEEN by Dorothy Abrams THE TRANSFORMING ILLUSION OF MORGAN LE FAY by Frances Billinghurst NIMUE: AMBIGUOUS ENCHANTRESS by Aili Mirage CLIODHNA: FAERIE QUEEN AND POTENT BANSHEE by Pamela Norrie RHIANNON: FAERIE QUEEN, MORTAL THRONE, DIVINE EQUINE by Halo Quin AINE: CELTIC FAERIE QUEEN OF THE SUMMER SOLSTICE by Joanna Rowan Mullane WHOSE QUEEN? by Thea Faye QUEEN OF THE UNDERWORLD AND THE FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE by Felicity Fyr le Fay AN A-Z OF EUROPEAN FAERIE QUEENS CONJURATIONS FROM THE GRIMOIRES by David Rankine Powerful, mysterious, otherworldly, the Faerie Queens have spread their magic across Europe for many centuries, enchanting all who encounter them. From forests and lakes, mounds and mountains, the Faerie Queens emerge from the liminal places to bestow their numerous gifts (and curses) on man. Lover, shapeshifter, sorceress, prophetess, bestower of sovereignty, semi-divine ancestress, protectress of animals, collector of souls - the powers and roles of the Faerie Queens are as diverse as the folklore about them, their origins rooted deep in the legends, goddesses and beings of the ancient world.

    She lives on the fringe of society as the lowest of the low, a living sacrifice to the gods. The only person she interacts with is her aged grandmother Nne who nurtures her powerful gift of healing. Until the day she meets Ebube a strange warrior to their lands. He ignites a yearning within her she's unable to ignore.Ebube is drawn to the young maiden with the emerald green eyes who possesses the body of a goddess and the healing touch of an angel. But he is forbidden from mating with a human and the consequence is the wrath of the gods.Moreover he is on a mission. If he fails, the gates of hell will be opened and the earth plunged into darkness. He cannot stay and she cannot go with him.

    

    L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, and Othar Turner. Thisjourney yielded recordings of music now on cherished and touted albums and CDs. From Mitchell'sfieldwork many others discovered the region and its distinctive style of blues. Some of the musiciansMitchell recorded had their lives transformed following his visit.The historic photographs in George Mitchell's Mississippi Hill Country Blues 1967 capture avibrant blues tradition at the moment of its discovery. Intimate, without posturing or pandering, thesephotographs provide a raw, authentic look at African American blues musicians, their families, andtheir stomping grounds in the Mississippi Hill Country at a time when blues music remained a lively, though waning, part of their community and blues musicians were viewed with respect and pride.Blues musicians brought pleasure and release to people wrestling with severe poverty and pervasivediscrismination.Mitchell's ability to connect with his subjects is evident in his arresting images. The musicians--and their families and friends--welcomed him in their homes and at rent parties and fife and drumpicnics. They posed for portraits. They let him hang around with his camera while they cooked supperor danced up a storm. The book includes Mitchell's interviews, conducted at the time he took the photos, with four of themusicians, who talk about their music, their lives, and the times in which they live. Running throughoutis the author's recounting of his experience of the seminal musicological odyssey.

    Once you're connected, you have all the special powers that your spirit animal possesses. But those powers are in serious jeopardy when the diabolical Uncle Skeeta tricks 11-year-old Brody Boondoggle into helping him steal the Akaway's spirit. Now, aided by his skeptical big brother, Jake, and guided by his quirky Grammy, Brody must lead the way on an adventure to defeat Uncle Skeeta, save the last Akaway, and protect the special powers of kids everywhere. "A refreshingly imaginative, emotionally satisfying quest for all ages... Author Karton has an ear finely tuned to the rhythms and sweet absurdities of childhood patter, and his tale has enough fabulous twists and turns to keep even the most grown-up young adults intrigued... Adults reading to children will also delight in the wholesomely irreverent tone and moments of linguistic fancy... the villain and resolution are wonderfully original." -Kirkus Review

    We encounter the Psalms within the rites and talismanic magic of the grimoires, and their prolific employment within Charming, Cunning and folk-magical tradition. Herein the methods of their use are varied and incorporate magical acts of utterance, inscription, bottling, burning, sprinkling, pouring and burial in conjunction with various substances and materials.Serving a vast array of needs, principally for healing, protection and the averting of evil, but also long employed within acts of cursing, the Psalms are an established feature of traditional operative magic yet also an indicium of engaging with the world of spirit, the divine and the unseen:“Whilst the traditional magical uses of the Psalms may appear to be almost entirely for the serving of material needs and desires, rather than for purposes of spiritual advancement, they are possessed of great beauty, and in one's recourse to them in times of distress and great difficulty there is to be attained a moment of contemplative comfort, and an acknowledgement of the immanence of the divine presence; turned to for spiritual strength and assistance.”(From the Introduction and Manner of Use)The Charmers' Psalter is born from a personal working collection of magical Psalms and other verbal charms, here presented in a convenient 'pocket book' format (100mm x 150mm), so that it may always be on hand to the contemporary Charmer for reference should need of it arise.Limited to an edition of 250 hand numbered and signed examples, The Charmers' Psalter is case bound using recycled leather fibres in replica of green Morocco, and foil blocked in copper with black end papers and black and gold head and tail bands.Contents: Pagination: 105 pages, on 120 gsm cream paper stock. Introduction and Manner of UseThe Magical PsalmsFor the Exorcism & Blessing of the Working Ground For the Opening of the Rites and Workings of the Wise For Blessing In Thanks for Blessings & Answers ReceivedTo Avert Evil To Defend against Enemies & Return CursesFor Safety Amidst Evil Against Slander To Expose Slanderers, Liars and PersecutorsTo Undo the Damage Caused by Slanderers Against Evil, Plotting & Vengeful EnemiesAgainst Evil Spirits and People Against persecutionAgainst MagicFor PeaceFor Fear For ReconciliationFor Joy and to Dispel MelancholyTo Hasten the Healing of the SickBlood StoppingFor Broken BonesFor all Physical InjuriesFor Aches and PainsFor Aches in the Head or BackFor the EyesFor Money and Material NeedsAgainst PovertyFor Success in BusinessTo be FortunateFor the Respect of High PersonsFor PowerTo Cause LoveTo Curse Enemies & OppressorsTo Strike Enemies with TerrorFor Vengeance upon EnemiesTo Punish the HarmfulTo Return Evil upon EnemiesFor the Destruction of Enemies & Gain-Seeking PersecutorsTo Kill EnemiesTo Raise Dark Assistance against EnemiesOther Verbal CharmsFor ToothacheTo Charm a SprainFor Bone-SettingFor Blood-StoppingFor a Burn or ScaldTo Charm WartsFor Illness in GeneralAgainst EpidemicsA Witches’ Herb-Gathering Charm for Healing PurposesA Herb-Gathering Charm for Pimpernel against WitchcraftA Herb-Gathering Charm for VervainA Morning Charm against Thieves & EnemiesA Suffolk Charm Against ThievesA Scotch Charm to Protect the Household by NightProtection from AssaultA Welsh Cursing Charm

    That research led forensic geologist Scott Wolter on a world-wide search that resulted in several explosive discoveries, including the stunning realization that the Hooked X symbolizes an ideological thread that weaves through at least 3,800 years of human history. This amazing story involves some of the most important figures in world history, including the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten, the biblical Jesus, the medieval Cistercians and Knights Templar, numerous Native American tribes, Freemasonry, and the founding fathers of the United States, including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington.This book introduces several new mysterious aftifacts and sites in North America along with exciting new scientific geological research using the latest technology, which allowed Wolter to reach definitive conclusions about the authenticity of these and many other controversial artifacts. Some of these artifacts provide conclusive evidence that changes not only North American history in a profound way, but demands a thorough rewrite of world history.Wolter brings the reader along on his investigations and presents his case using his proven and enjoyable narrative style along with over 280 black-and-white images, and 40 color photographs to introduce these artifacts and sites and illustrate his points. After the fun, Wolter distills the evidence down to his findings of fact, his interpretations of the facts, and finally presents his conclusions in a convincing scientific way that is irrefutable.(Description from back cover of trade paperback edition)

    Designed to give essential background on the current study of folklore and some of the basic concepts and questions used when analyzing folklore, this short, coherent, and approachable handbook is divided into five chapters: What Is Folklore?; What Do Folklorists Do?; Types of Folklore; Types of Folk Groups; and, finally, What Do I Do Now?Through these chapters students are guided toward a working understanding of the field, learn basic terms and techniques, and learn to perceive the knowledge base and discourse frame for materials used in folklore courses. Folklore Rules will appeal to instructors and students for a variety of courses, including introductory folklore and comparative studies as well as literature, anthropology, and composition classes that include a folklore component.

    This is the period of the Golden Age of folk and fairy tales, when European folklorists sought to understand and redefine the present through the common tales of the past, and long neglected stories became recognized as cultural treasures.In this rich collection, distinguished expert of fairy tales Jack Zipes continues his lifelong exploration of the story-telling tradition with a focus on the Golden Age. Included are one hundred eighty-two tales--many available in English for the first time--grouped into eighteen tale types. Zipes provides an engaging general Introduction that discusses the folk and fairy tale tradition, the impact of the Brothers Grimm, and the significance of categorizing tales into various types.Short introductions to each tale type that discuss its history, characteristics, and variants provide readers with important background information.Also included are annotations, short biographies of folklorists of the period, and a substantial bibliography.Eighteen original art works by students of the art department of Anglia Ruskin University not only illustrate the eighteen tale types, but also provide delightful—and sometimes astonishing—21st-century artistic interpretations of them.

    Magic weakens with each generation. Rumours of a fourth magus war overshadow the ongoing murders in Belfew.Adhering to traditions they no longer understand, the corrupt Council will still recognise the bearer of the crown of white moths as their High Priestess. If they allow her to survive.Lacilegwen knows she made too many enemies. She flees Belfew before Ynnis and the Council can assassinate her for her renegade beliefs.To restore the balance of power and subvert a war, she must bring back one of the elder gods. But some gods should remain dead, and others never really left.

    The author, Florence Marian McNeill, succeeded in capturing and bringing to life many traditions and customs of old before they died out or were influenced by the modern era. The Silver Branch of the sacred apple tree, laden with crystal blossoms of golden fruit, is in Celtic mythology the equivalent of the Golden Bough of classical mythology – the symbolic bond between the world we know and the Otherworld.In the first volume of the Silver Bough, the author deals generally with Scottish folk-lore and folk belief, with chapters on ethnic origins, the Druids, the Celtic gods, the slow transition to Christianity, magic, the fairy faith, second sight, selkies, changelings and the witch cult. In volume two she began her more in-depth exploration of the foundations of many of these beliefs and rituals through the Calendar of Scottish national festivals, in which we find enshrined many of the fascinating folk customs of our ancestors. This third volume continues that study by looking at the Festivals from Hallow’en to Yule tide. As man makes greater and greater advances in the understanding and control of his physical environment, the river between the known and the unknown gradually changes its course, and the subjects of the simpler beliefs of former times become part of the new territory of knowledge. The Silver Bough maps out the old course of the waterway that in Celtic belief winds between here and beyond, and reveals the very roots of the Scottish people’s distinctive customs and way of life. The Silver Bough is a large and important work which involved many years of research into both living and recorded lore. Its genesis lies, perhaps, in the author’s subconscious need to reconcile the old primitive world she had glimpsed in childhood with the sophisticated modern world she later entered. “I do not believe that you can exaggerate the importance of the preservation of old ways and customs, and all those little things which bind a man to his native place. Today we live in difficult times. The steam-roller of progress is flattening out many of our old institutions, and there is a danger of a general decline in idiom and distinctive quality in our Scottish life. The only way to counteract this peril is to preserve jealously all these elder things which are bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. For, remember, no man can face the future with courage and confidence unless it is solidly founded upon the past. And conversely, no problem will be too hard, no situation too strange, if we can link it with what we know and love” F Marian McNeill

    Country stores in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and other tourist regions display row after row of handcrafted quilts—a favorite souvenir for tourists and a source of income for the quilters. In luxury homes, office buildings, and museums, the quilts have been preserved and displayed as priceless artifacts. They are even pictured on collectible stamps. Amish Quilts explores how these objects evolved from practical bed linens into contemporary art.In this in-depth study, illustrated with more than 100 stunning color photographs, Janneken Smucker discusses what makes an Amish quilt Amish. She examines the value of quilts to those who have made, bought, sold, exhibited, and preserved them and how that value changes as a quilt travels from Amish hands to marketplace to consumers.A fifth-generation Mennonite quiltmaker herself, Smucker traces the history of Amish quilts from their use in the late nineteenth century to their sale in the lucrative business practices of today. Through her own observations as well as oral histories, newspaper accounts, ephemera, and other archival sources, she seeks to understand how the term "Amish" became a style and what it means to both quiltmakers and consumers. She also looks at how quilts influence fashion and raises issues of authenticity of quilts in the marketplace.Whether considered as art, craft, or commodity, Amish quilts reflect the intersections of consumerism and connoisseurship, religion and commerce, nostalgia and aesthetics. By thoroughly examining all of these aspects, Amish Quilts is an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of these beautiful works.

    That means no more laughter in the city of Alifbay and now the place stinks of sadness. So it's up to me to put things right. If the water genie Iff can take me on the Hoopoe bird Butt all the way to Gup City then maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to persuade the Grand Comptroller to give my father his Story Water supply back. Trouble is, that is strictly forbidden, one hundred percent banned, no way Jose territory...Luka: What do sea monsters eat?The Old Man of the River of Time: Fish and Ships. Why was six afraid of seven?Luka: Because seven eight nine.Luckily, my father is the Riddle King and taught me everything I know. But the stakes are high in this riddle battle, couldn't be higher in fact! To save my father from Un-Life, I've got to beat the Old Man and steal the Fire of Life that burns at the top of the Mountain of Knowledge. Only problem is that nobody in the entire recorded history of the World of Magic has ever successfully stolen the Fire of Life...Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can read an interview with the author and solve some fiendish riddles!Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

    She bravely decides to move in and finds that the house is really haunted by a ghost who awakens her sensuality. He spends his time strumming an old grand piano and she knows she has found a soul mate for her violin. As she digs into his past she unearths a family secret and comes face to face with a curse that threatens to hold more than her heart captive. She wants to free him so badly so that they could be together but in the process she starts a chain of events that puts them both at the mercy of an evil spirit. Can she find the means to break the curse or is she destined to be yet another causality of the house on Halloween?

    A cookie trying to escape from being eaten.

    Compiled by Egbert of Liege, it""was planned as a first reader for beginning students. This makes it one of the few surviving works from the Middle Ages written explicitly for schoolroom use. Most of the content derives from the Bible, especially the wisdom books, from the Church Fathers, and from the ancient poets, notably Vergil, Juvenal, and Horace; but, remarkably, Egbert also included Latin versions of much folklore from the spoken languages. It features early forms of nursery rhymes (for example, "Jack Sprat"), folktales (for instance, various tales connected with Reynard the Fox), and even fairytales (notably "Little Red Riding Hood"). The poem also contains medieval versions of many still popular sayings, such as "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," "When the cat's away, the mice will play," and "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." "The Well-Laden Ship," which survives in a single medieval manuscript, has been edited previously only once (in 1889) and has never been translated. It will fascinate anyone interested in proverbial wisdom, folklore, medieval education, or medieval poetry.

    Inseparable from the ancient cults of saints and spirits of place, the natural springs and wellheads of the British Isles have come to be famed loci of healing, divination, and spiritual revelation. Some, possessing long traditions of votive and sacrificial offerings, have assumed powers of spirit-guardianship, or, indeed, divinities of water. Other such wells are the repositories of eldritch lore connected with the cult of the skull and the Holy Head. Additionally, bodies of magical practice have developed around some wells, serving a variety of magical purposes, including blessings and curses, healings and the dispensation of prophetic power. In almost every case, there is a specific magical relation between the waters as a medium of spirit, and the surrounding features of the land.Wisht Waters is the fifth book in the continuing Three Hands Press Occult Monographs series, and the first book for Three Hands Press by Gemma Gary. It examines both the lore of holy wells as well as their associated cultic activities, whether religious or earthed in the practical magic of folk-sorcery. While examining many a well in Britain and Ireland, much of the text focuses on the lore in the West Country and Cornwall.

    It is difficult for many people to lament the loss of a crop that has come to symbolize addiction, disease, and corporate deception; yet, in Kentucky, the plant has played an important role in economic development and prosperity. Burley tobacco -- a light, air-cured variety used in cigarette production -- has long been the Commonwealth's largest cash crop and an important aspect of regional identity, along with bourbon, bluegrass music, and Thoroughbred horses.In "Burley: Kentucky Tobacco in a New Century," Ann K. Ferrell investigates the rapidly transforming process of raising and selling tobacco by chronicling her conversations with the farmers who know the crop best. She demonstrates that although the 2004 "buyout" ending the federal tobacco program is commonly perceived to be the most significant change that growers have had to negotiate, it is, in reality, only one new factor among many. Burley reveals the tangible and intangible challenges tobacco farmers face today, from the logistics of cultivation to the growing stigma against the crop.Ferrell uses ethnography, archival research, and rhetorical analysis to tell the complex story of burley tobacco production in twenty-first-century Kentucky. Not only does she give a voice to the farmers who persevere in this embattled industry, but she also sheds light on their futures, contesting the widely held assumption that they can easily replace the crop by diversifying their operations with alternative crops. As tobacco fades from both the physical and economic landscapes, this nuanced volume documents and explores the culture and practices of burley production today.

    It had stayed that way for thousands of years. People never expected anything different until one day, the colorful Snake Goddess, Nuwa, fell from the sky. She was determined to bring color and beauty to the gray nothingness of the earth, but all the colors kept running out through a giant hole in the sky. To fix the hole and bring color to the world, Nuwa would have journey near and far to find the five magical colored stones that were her only hope for fixing the sky. Join the Snake Goddess on her journey to bring color to a desolate world!

    The young boy grows up into a rich and powerful man who forces Elvis to confront the demons of his addictions. There are many threads to this story, such as the involvement of Johnny Cash to help orchestrate the plan while a down-and-out reporter investigates the mystery of Elvis' death, getting too close to the truth. As the tale unfolds, the reader will be pulled back to the days before the King of Rock n Roll fell from his throne.

    For many the classical traditions of the Greeks and the Romans occupy the imagination but the ancient world was a lively and fertile source of stories, reaching much further back than the pantheon of Zeus and his fellow gods. For the early civilisations, from the ancient Chinese to African tribal societies, stories were told to explain the origins of fierce weather, of unexplained disasters, of floods and earthquakes. Many traditions developed independently but still echoed similar themes in the natural human desire to understand the world around us. This new book brings to life the myths and legends of eight intriguing traditions: Native American, Chinese, Celtic, Scottish, Greek, Viking, Indian and African. With a cast of characters as broad and wide as the ancient river Styx the book is packed with the great themes of life: love, revenge, eternal conflict, the obsession with power and the everlasting the battle between the wily and the strong. This powerful new book is a dazzling collection of the most gripping tales, vividly retold.

    

    The book also contains a wealth of information about the origin of the tales, about Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Serbian folk lore and mythology and Serbian language, shining a light on the material previously not available in the UK. At the same time, it draws comparisons with other storytelling traditions and draws attention to universal motifs, characters and plots, thus highlighting the cross-cultural influences and transmissions.

    Almost every major myth cycle of the Greek and Roman worlds featureda dragon-fight at its heart, including the sagas of Heracles, Jason, Perseus, Cadmus, and Odysseus. Asclepius, the single most beloved and influential of the pagan gods from the late Classical period until Late Antiquity, was often manifest as a giant serpent and even in his humanoid aspect carrieda serpent on his staff.Detailed and authoritative, but lucidly presented, this volume incorporates analyses of all of antiquity's major dragon-slaying myths, and offers comprehensive accounts of the rich sources, literary and iconographic. Ogden also explores matters of cult and the initially paradoxical association ofdragons and serpents with the most benign of deities, not only those of health and healing, like Asclepius and Hygieia, but also those of wealth and good luck, such as Zeus Meilichios and Agathos Daimon. The concluding chapter considers the roles of both pagan dragon-slaying narratives and paganserpent cults in shaping the beginnings of the tradition of the saintly dragon- and serpent-slaying tales we cherish still, the tradition that culminates in our own stories of Saints George and Patrick.

    . . it should be, first and foremost, an educational 'must' for adults."—W. H. Auden, The New York Times"The one book—other than the Bible—that has truly made Western man."—The New Republic"It doesn't feel like a warning to naughty infants. It feels like a glimpse of the dreadful side of the nature of things."—A. S. Byatt on "The Juniper Tree""In truth, most of the Grimms' tales cannot be made wholly respectable. . . . Even people who have never known hunger, let alone a murderous stepmother, still have a sense—from dreams, from news broadcasts—of utter blackness, the erasure of safety and comfort and trust. Fairy tales tell us that such knowledge, or fear, is not fantastic but realistic. Though Wilhelm tried to Christianize the tales, they still invoke nature, more than God, as life's driving force, and nature is not kind."—Joan Acocella, The New YorkerThis new edition and translation of the darkest tales of the Brothers Grimm selected and translated by Peter Wortsman with full-color illustrations by Haitian artists Edouard Duval-Carrié, Pascale Monnin, and Frankétienne restores the visceral edge and violence of these enigmatic narratives, and will include a few of Grimms' oft-neglected, grislier tales, including "The Juniper Tree."Jakob Karl Grimm was born in 1785 in Hanau, Germany. His brother, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, followed in 1786. As court librarians, linguists, scholars, translators, and writers, they collected stories told by peasants and villagers and published them in written form, shaping the foundation of the most popular children's stories today. For most of their lives, they worked in the same room, at facing desks.Peter Wortsman, recipient of the Beard's Fund Short Story Award, was selected as a 2010 Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin.

    He ends up learning a few shell cracking lessons. This friendly easy-to-read book shows children how our everyday actions and decisions always consequences. This story also draws attention to the nuggets of wisdom embedded in African cultural stories which can be emulated by any child whatever their racial background.

    He's just like any other boy, except for a few small differences: he only has one eye, his hair is an antenna that senses paranormal activity, his geta sandals are jet-powered, and he can blend into his surroundings like a chameleon. Oh, and he's a three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old yokai (spirit monster). With all the offbeat humor of an Addams Family story, Kitaro is a lighthearted romp in which the bad guys always get what's coming to them. Kitaro is bestselling manga-ka Shigeru Mizuki's most famous creation. The Kitaro series was inspired by a kamishibai, or storycard theater, entitled Kitaro of the Graveyard. Mizuki began work on his interpretation of Kitaro in 1959. Originally the series was intended for boys, but once it was picked up by the influential Shonen magazine it quickly became a cultural landmark for young and old alike. Kitaro inspired half a dozen TV shows, plus numerous video games and films, and his cultural importance cannot be overstated. Presented to North American audiences for the first time in this lavish format, Mizuki's photo-realist landscapes and cartoony characters blend the eerie with the comic.

    Although safe, they are faced with the reality that this same alliance have weaken their blood line and made it impossible for them to complete a successful blue moon ceremony since, to restore their magic. With two months away from a blue moon’s rising, the monarchy is sure that crown Princess Lily is the key to save them, but as luck would have it a Lycan Alpha dies and Arn the new Alpha is not interested in signing a renewed alliance without a bride. Faced with choosing between the safety of his borders and the hand of his pure daughter Monarch Alcazar is forced to reveal that his daughter is a twin and offers Luna instead, in hope that she would please the wolf and buy them enough time to complete the ceremony. Luna enters a world that not only unlocks the secret of her lineage but she realizes in a most embarrassing way that she actually has a powerful light that only comes out of her when Arn brings her to an orgasm. Arn commits to helping her master it and it triggers a suppressed memory from his childhood, which reveals what really happens the night his parents died. This insight into his past proves to be the key to helping him uncover the fact that he has inherited a complicated rule filled with betrayal, murder and strife. With pure nerve and brute force Arn fights to uncover the conspiracy which threatens to devastate the continuance of his pack. While Luna is called upon to step in and complete the Blue Moon ceremony herself when Lily fails, placing her in harm’s way. Their ultimate success will only come when they both join forces to reconcile their past in time to save a world that depends only on the strength of their love to survive.

    Full description

    Accessibly written and organized by decade, the book begins with Sally Ann Forrester, who played accordion and sang with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys from 1943 to 1946, and continues into the present with artists such as Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, and the Dixie Chicks. Drawing from extensive interviews, well-known banjoist Murphy Hicks Henry gives voice to women performers and innovators throughout bluegrass's history, including such pioneers as Bessie Lee Mauldin, Wilma Lee Cooper, and Roni and Donna Stoneman; family bands including the Lewises, Whites, and McLains; and later pathbreaking performers such as the Buffalo Gals and other all-girl bands, Laurie Lewis, Lynn Morris, Missy Raines, and many others.

    When midnight arrives, they will be in for the shock of their lives.

    His grandmother, Nagymama, prepares him for a journey of discovery that takes him from his Hungarian village into a supernatural world. Here he faces powers and mystical beings—some that he strives to understand, while others he is forced to battle. With help from Zoltan, a wise man, he finally confronts the Sarkany, a dragon that changes shape at whim and will. Will Elias triumph over the dark powers around him? If he survives, what will he learn—about life and himself?

    

    Explores global traditions surrounding the arrival of a new year, including food, parties, finding good luck, and making resolutions.

    His beautiful wife, Anna, has fallen prey to the beguiling fruit of the forbidden trees. Taking clues from the elders in the village, he enters the forest and meets the fairies trapped into submission by the Mistress of Trees. As he continues his search to break the spell, he is met with further challenges before he comes face to face with the Mistress of the Trees herself.

    This book explores the cultural significance of flutes, flute playing, and flute players from around the world as interpreted from folktales, myths, and other stories--in a word, ""flutelore."" A scholarly yet readable study, World Flutelore: Folktales, Myths, and Other Stories of Magical Flute Power draws upon a range of sources in folklore, anthropology, ethnomusicology, and literary analysis. Describing and interpreting many examples of flutes as they are found in mythology, poetry, lyrics, and other narrative and literary sources from around the world, veteran ethnomusicologist Dale Olsen seeks to determine what is singularly distinct or unique about flutes, flute playing, and flute players in a global context. He shows how and why flutes are important for personal, communal, religious, spiritual, and secular expression and even, perhaps, existence. This is a book for students, scholars, and any reader interested in the cultural power of flutes.

    But when he shows up one day and speaks, her life will be sent off in an unexpected direction.

    Dragons are everywhere-still glimpsed in the living, breathing beasts around us that inspired and engendered their birth in our far-distant ancestors' dreams, and nightmares; perennially encountered in the myriad of traditional myths and folklore woven into the fabric of every creed and culture around the world; and ever-visible within the innumerable outpourings of artistic creation that have graced and enhanced our species' existence across all temporal, political, social, and geographical boundaries. So from where, and from what, has such widespread-indeed, worldwide-belief in these creatures stemmed? There can be no doubt that a major factor influencing the origin of the dragon is early humanity's observations and interactions with various distinctive and potentially inimical creatures of reality sharing our world. Equally thought-provoking is how and why the dragon has become so intimately associated with our own species. This multi-faceted monster of mythology is more than amply represented visually, for example, by artwork of every conceivable style, age, and category. And the dragon's status in religion, dreams, alchemy, psychology, astrology, literature, movies, and music is as compelling as it is complex. These many diverse but equally captivating themes are all fully explored in this spellbinding book's uniquely comprehensive coverage, and provide ample confirmation that there is no sign whatsoever of waning interest for what must surely be the most vibrant, tenacious, and fascinating creature that has never existed-the dragon.

    Mahabharata is a living tradition in Indonesia like in India. However, the folk tradition of Indonesia narrates a Mahabharata that despite retaining the basic frame of Indian Mahabharata, is still much different. In the first essay, the author points out the major variations in Indonesian Mahabharata that would help researchers in comparative study to find ready reference. The second essay deals with Folk variation in Mahabharata as found in South India. The second essay focuses on a particular narrative that brings out the marginalized characters of classical Mahabharata in rich glory.

    Variations of this tale are told by Native storytellers all across Alaska, arctic Canada, Greenland, the Northwest Coast, and even into the Great Basin and the Great Plains. As the story has traveled through cultures and ecosystems over many centuries, individual storytellers have added cultural and local ecological details to the tale, creating countless variations.In The Blind Man and the Loon: The Story of a Tale, folklorist Craig Mishler goes back to 1827, tracing the story’s emergence across Greenland and North America in manuscripts, books, and in the visual arts and other media such as film, music, and dance theater. Examining and comparing the story’s variants and permutations across cultures in detail, Mishler brings the individual storyteller into his analysis of how the tale changed over time, considering how storytellers and the oral tradition function within various societies. Two maps unequivocally demonstrate the routes the story has traveled. The result is a masterful compilation and analysis of Native oral traditions that sheds light on how folktales spread and are adapted by widely diverse cultures.

    And so what if the terrible kraken, so feared by sailors, was none other than a giant squid? Monsters and Legends is a delightful journey into the fearsome, unknown worlds of dragons, vampires, yetis, and gremlins, magnificently illustrated by Gabriella Giandelli.Davide Cali's book Piano Piano received a 2006 Bologna Ragazzi Special Award and the Swiss Enfantaisies Prize for Children's Literature. He is also the co-author of I Can't Wait, winner of the 2005 Baobob Prize. Cali has received the Belgian Libbylit Award and France's SNCF Award.

    Each evening, Ma or one of her quirky patrons, shares their tale. "Tales from Ma's Watering Hole" is a linked story collection that weaves together nostalgic themes relating to lands lost, families scattered and the joyful support found in human companionship.

    In this fourth book in the "Three Hands Press Occult Monograph Series", British folklorist Michael Howard casts an eye over such elements as the ancestral horde, the flight of the Furious Host, and the entheogenic Witches Salve, each of which played a unique role in the Sabbat of the Witches.

    This work collects together all those charms and rituals dealing with spirits of the dead and human bones, with the addition of some other relevant material. What emerges is a remarkably coherent and straightforward system that can be simply described.

    Tragic events, spellbinding characters, humor, romance, and clever minds are bound together by two well-established storytellers living and working in the city and shire of Aberdeen. Some of the tales in this collection are based on historical fact while others are embedded in myth and legend. All the stories are set against the backdrop of this lovely and varied landscape. Sheena and Grace have both been inspired in their storytelling and singing by the traveler, raconteur, and balladeer, Stanley Robertson.

    The stories surrounding this coal mining community are about family, neighbors and friends. ClaraBy loves her Daddy. The drama of this book will have you laughing and crying, as she grows into womanhood along this journey.She is struck with sorrow at the loss of her best friend, and worries about her father and brothers when tragedy struck. Also sees her father growing weary over the years as his health deteriorates. Her sister is a fast "breeder," who seems to be caught by the "BIG BIRD" every year or so with cute little gremlins. There are racial issues that took place in the early 1950's and 60's during the period of integration. ClaraBy begins to grow into a lovely young lady who is trying hard not to let her hormones get the best of her. This book is the beginning of her life and she has a lot of living to do. "HELLO WORLD!!" HER COMES CLARABY ROSE!! (book 2).

    Retelling some well loved faerie myths and legends, including spells, traditional folk remedies and culinary recipes.

    Alongside extensive reference material, including Westermarcks system of transliteration and a comprehensive list of the tribes and districts mentioned in the text, the chapters discuss such areas as the influences on and relationship between religion and magic in Morocco, the origins of beliefs and practices, curses and witchcraft. This is the first volume of two dealing with the same subject, and will fascinate any student or researcher of anthropology with an interest in the history of ritual, culture and religion in Morocco.

    Modern Grimmoire: Contemporary Fairy Tales, Fables & Folklore is a literary anthology in the Grimm persuasion.Awaiting you inside are the collected works of thirty-six emerging authors and artists from around the world, including prize recipients Michael Harris Cohen and Mandy Altimus Pond, along with Mona Awad, Catee Baugh, Tim Belden, Danielle Bellone, Amanda Block, Angela Buck, Simon P. Clark, Paul Crenshaw, Kimberly Duede, Steven Ehret, Danielle Fontaine, J. M. R. Harrison, Joyce Winters Henderson, John Kiste, David Kolinski-Schultz, Maude Larke, Clayton Lister, Carlos F. Mason Wehby, Colleen Michaels, Erin T. Mulligan, Jason Daniel Myers, Joann Oh, Elodie Olson-Coons, Julia Patt, Ariana Quinonez, Tay Sanchez, Sarah Elizabeth Schantz, Alex Stein, Michael Wasteneys Stephens, Cheryl Stiles, Samuel Valentino, Erin Virgil, Jennifer Whitaker and Sarah Wilson.Through short fiction, poetry and artwork, you will meet a talking cat-girl and a girl that talks to cats; librarians like you've never imagined and royalty like you always have; an ex-court painter, an all too persuasive frog, and an out-of-work wolfman.Some twist and twine their happily-ever-after predecessors in inventive ways; others craft entirely new magical faces and places. All collected, the anthology is ripe with sticky sweet revenge, altogether timely fates, and all-conquering (and conquesting) love.

    In this sourcebook, Daniel Ogden presents a comprehensive and easily accessible collection of dragon myths from Greek, Roman, and early Christian sources. Some of thedragons featured are well known: the Hydra, slain by Heracles; the Dragon of Colchis, the guardian of the golden fleece overcome by Jason and Medea; and the great sea-serpent from which Perseus rescues Andromeda. But the less well known dragons are often equally enthralling, like the Dragon ofThespiae, which Menestratus slays by feeding himself to it in armor covered in fish-hooks, or the lamias of Libya, who entice young men into their striking-range by wiggling their tails, shaped like beautiful women, at them. The texts are arranged in such a way as to allow readers to witness thecontinuity of and evolution in dragon stories between the Classical and Christian worlds, and to understand the genesis of saintly dragon-slaying stories of the sort now characteristically associated with St George, whose earliest dragon-fight concludes the volume. All texts, a considerable numberof which have not previously been available in English, are offered in new translations and accompanied by lucid commentaries that place the source-passages into their mythical, folkloric, literary, and cultural contexts. A sampling of the ancient iconography of dragons and an appendix on dragonslaying myths from the ancient Near East and India, particularly those with a bearing upon the Greco-Roman material, are also included. This volume promises to be the most authoritative sourcebook on this perennially fascinating and influential body of ancient myth.

    In Fairy Tales Transformed?: Twenty-First-Century Adaptations and the Politics of Wonder, accomplished fairy-tale scholar Cristina Bacchilega traces what she terms a "fairy-tale web" of multivocal influences in modern adaptations, asking how tales have been changed by and for the early twenty-first century. Dealing mainly with literary and cinematic adaptations for adults and young adults, Bacchilega investigates the linked and yet divergent social projects these fairy tales imagine, their participation and competition in multiple genre and media systems, and their relation to a politics of wonder that contests a naturalized hierarchy of Euro-American literary fairy tale over folktale and other wonder genres.