Now, at a veritable fairy-tale moment—witness the popular television shows Grimm and Once Upon a Time and this year’s two movie adaptations of “Snow White”—Philip Pullman, one of the most popular authors of our time, makes us fall in love all over again with the immortal tales of the Brothers Grimm.From much-loved stories like “Cinderella” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Rapunzel” and “Hansel and Gretel” to lesser-known treasures like “Briar-Rose,” “Thousandfurs,” and “The Girl with No Hands,” Pullman retells his fifty favorites, paying homage to the tales that inspired his unique creative vision—and that continue to cast their spell on the Western imagination.

    Other fabulous beasts are clearly inventions, existing only in a mythical landscape of our own collective creation. Bit the inicorn strikes us as more than imaginary. It seems possible, even probable—a creature so likely that it ought to exist. In this magnificently illustrated book, the author takes us on a tour of unicorn lore—from China and apan to India, the Near East, and urope—from ancient times through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and into the present. Tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures and paintings, zoological illustrations, advertisements, and original art especially commissioned for this book wll captivate all of us who are willing to submit to the magical charms of this fabulous and irresistible creature. More beautiful and appealing than the dragon, more mysterious and powerful than the elves and fairies, the unicorn as symbol and as legend is brilliantly brought to life in this colorful history.

    Based on a course in Paganism that the authors have taught for more than a decade, it is full of exercises, meditations, and discussion questions for group or individual study.This book presents the basic fundamentals of Paganism. It explores what Pagans are like; how the Pagan sacred year is arranged; what Pagans do in ritual; what magick is; and what Pagans believe about God, worship, human nature, and ethics.For those who are exploring their own spirituality, or who want a good book to give to non-Pagan family and friends A hands-on learning tool with magickal workings, meditations, discussion questions, and journal exercises Offers in-depth discussion of ethics and magick

    The Classic Fairy Tales focuses on six tale types: "Little Red Riding Hood," "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White," "Cinderella," "Bluebeard," and "Hansel and Gretel," and presents multicultural variants and sophisticated literary rescriptings. Also reprinted are tales by Hans Christian Andersen and Oscar Wilde."Criticism" gathers twelve essays that interpret aspects of fairy tales, including their social origins, historical evolution, psychological drama, gender issues, and national identities.A Selected Bibliography is included.

    Children meet Bragi, the god of poetry, and the famous Valkyrie maidens, among other gods, goddesses, heroes, and giants. Illustrations throughout depict the wondrous other world of Norse folklore and its fantastical Northern landscape.

    Compiled by an American—the United States consul for Wales in the late nineteenth century—this volume was the work of several years’ labour.Scouring the hills and valleys of Wales after falling in love with the land, the author wrote down the oral traditions, stories, myths, and legends related to him by the people he met on his travels. The result was a spectacular work, divided up into four sections: “Faerie Realm,” the “Spirit-World,” “Quaint Old Customs,” and “Bells, Wells, Stones, and Dragons.”In this book, the reader will not only learn of the greatest Welsh legends (including King Arthur, Iolo ap Hugh, the Green Lady of Caerphilly), but also of the local fairy stories and even the superstitions of ancient—and not so ancient—Wales.Rarely has a nation’s mythos and essence been so elegantly captured as in this work. The legacy of Welsh mythology and folklore has entered the vocabulary of modern English, and spread around the world, being some of the oldest tales in all Europe.As the author states in his introduction:“In a certain sense Wales may be spoken of as the cradle of fairy legend. It is not now disputed that from the Welsh were borrowed many of the first subjects of composition in the literature of all the cultivated peoples of Europe.”This edition has been completely reset, contains the full text and all the wonderful—and hand restored—illustrations of the original work. It is a literary treasure of the first class.— Written on the back of the Second Edition, 2017

    A Complete Guide to Faeries and Magical Beings is a wonderful companion for those who wish to tour an enchanted world. Cassandra Eason begins with the myths, legends, and real evidence surrounding the origins and existence of fairies and then takes us on a journey throughout the world to introduce us to the many different varieties of these mysterious beings. From fairies to viking giants, selkies to gnomes, fey beings abound. In this spritely volume, Eason shares fascinating anecdotes of people who have actually seen them. And if you'd like to meet them yourself, Eason also provides simple techniques, exercises, and rituals to attract, find, and communicate with the little people. Hang silver bells by a window. Keep potted plants in your home. Or sit quietly between two oaks at dusk or dawn. Fairyland mirrors universal human issues: fortune versus misfortune, fate versus free will, perfection and imperfection, illusion and objective reality, different time scales, the existence of parallel dimensions, and the duality of human nature. Some people even believe that fairies are becoming more visible again, as they were in preindustrial days, to remind us of the consequences of consumer society -- the danger of being seduced by our own versions of fairy gold. "If you want to be happy, be." -- Henry David Thoreau

    But beware! Surprises lurk at the turn of every page. . . .Discover a time line of ALIEN LIFE on earth--beginning 4 billion years ago! Meet a man recruited by the U.S. government to become a PSYCHIC SUPERSPY. Spend a dark and stormy night with professional GHOSTBUSTERS. Visit a mysterious library in search of DRACULA's shocking origins. Witness new photos of the actual sea monster that inspired the mythical KRAKEN. And much more!

    Tradition defines faeries according to different general categories, which include nature spirits, helpers, tricksters and seducers, and angelic faeries. The author summarizes the long history of faery lore, and explains how we can develop our intuitive powers and perceive the faery realm, which he claims truly exists in the universe. He goes on to describe more than 50 faeries, including: Nymphs, nature spirits, favored by the ancient Greeks and found in places of natural beauty, Elves, revered in Anglo-Saxon lore as guardians of woods, mountains, and wild places, Jack Frost, a playful spirit of cold regions who nips at children's fingers and toes, Brownies, worker spirits attracted to industrious households, and said to bring luck, Puck, a mischievous sprite made famous by Shakespeare in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Leprechauns, the memorable faery pranksters of Irish folklore, Genies, the celebrated wonder workers of Arabian folklore. The author also offers recipes for "faery ointments" said to help us see faeries, rituals to attract beneficial faeries to home or garden, and faery herb lore for healing and making magic charms. More than 130 enchanting, full-color illustrations.

    Expertly researched and compiled by an authority on the subject, with detailed illustrations to help wayfarers identify the 13 major varieties of these elusive fairy folk of the Emerald Isle, this pocket-size volume is indispensible both in the field and back in the (relative) safety of hearth and home. With information on habitat, history, and fairy customs at their fingertips, readers will be well prepared for encounters with saucy leprechauns, kindly grogochs, and even headless dullahans. A word to the wise: Take it along, or take your chances!

    These fantastic stories have travelled across cultural borders, and been passed down from generation to generation, ever-changing, renewed with each re-telling. Few forms of literature have greater power to enchant us and rekindle our imagination than a fairy tale. But what is a fairy tale? Where do they come from and what do they mean? What do they try and communicate to us about morality, sexuality, and society? The range of fairy tales stretches across great distances and time; their history is entangled with folklore and myth, and their inspiration draws on ideas about nature and the supernatural, imagination and fantasy, psychoanalysis, and feminism. Marina Warner has loved fairy tales over her long writing career, and she explores here a multitude of tales through the ages, their different manifestations on the page, the stage, and the screen. From the phenomenal rise of Victorian and Edwardian literature to contemporary children's stories, Warner unfolds a glittering array of examples, from classics such as Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty, the Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel, and Hans Andersen's The Little Mermaid, to modern-day realizations including Walt Disney's Snow White and gothic interpretations such as Pan's Labyrinth. In ten succinct chapters, Marina Warner digs into a rich collection of fairy tales in their brilliant and fantastical variations, in order to define a genre and evaluate a literary form that keeps shifting through time and history. She makes a persuasive case for fairy tale as a crucial repository of human understanding and culture.

    Stories of miracles, visions of hell, jokes, fables, and legends, these tales reflect the Japanese worldview during a classic period in Japanese civilization. Masterfully edited and translated by the acclaimed translator of The Tale of Genji, these stories ably balance the lyrical and the dramatic, the ribald and the profound, offering a window into a long-vanished though perennially fascinating culture.

    a great book to read

    But there are also tales told for pleasure about magic, treasure and adventure - even the first ever Cinderella story.

    In this penetrating book, Joan Gould brings to the surface the hidden meanings in fairy tales and myths, and illuminates what they can tell you about the stages in your own life. As Gould explores the transformations that women go through from youth to old age–leaving home and mother, the first experience of sexuality, the surprising ambivalence of marriage, the spiritual work required by menopause and aging–her keen observations will enrich your awareness of your inner life.Full of archetypal figures known to us all, Spinning Straw into Gold also includes stories from the lives of ordinary women that clarify the insights to be gained from the beloved tales that have been handed down from one generation to the next.