Thread: Folklore

I love all the norse mythology the stories are amazing and pretty dark... also Annabelle has really got into the Grimm brothers stories, the proper old school ones - not the ones with the sweeter than sweet endings.

I dont understand why publishers today have changed most of the endings to be happy ones, I really hate the fact that they think kids cant handle a bit of gore.

We have a few of the norse mythology books if you want to borrow one..

xxxx

claire


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one of my favourite mythological tails of of hern the hunter the guardian of the woods and nature. Sorry Can't give much idea about resources but the old BBC film the box of delights has him in it.

English Heritage also has some stuff on the old Druidic person of the green man which is another one I live. I like the idea of nature been seen not just as trees etc but that the trees can have reactions etc like us and that they are a community that we just can't get to yet ... but that they have protectors .....

there is of course the folklore of merlin and the book Mortis D'Artur

the is the sory of the golum of prague which is a jewish tale about a rabbi that made a man out of clay to protect his people but it all went wrong and well you can imagine the rest it is a bit like Frankenstein.

How ever the very very best folklore in my mind is not the Nordic stuff (though its good) but the Welsh. The book the Mabinogion will give you all you need and yes it comes in translation you can get a copy from the National Museums and galleries of Wales. There are stories there of the sea dragons off the coast protecting Wales from invaders, there is a story of St Peneth Melengeth who was a girl that was in the woods when a hare came and hid under her skirt, then a hunter the local land owner came along and wanted her to give him the hare so he could kill it... she said no and so he cut off her head..... but she did not die and stayed there her eyes focused on him from her head on the floor and she still said no... then the landowner ran away screaming. The hare was safe and went away, she was dead and so they berried her and she was sainted and is the patron saint of Hares and young girls. This is the abridged story....

there is a book called Myths and Legends of Wales that tells of the specific folk tales of areas such as the dancing of the Y Tylwlth Teg who are fairy like people and who dance and if people join them at the end of the dance they all vanish, the is the story of the reason for the welsh blacks (they're cattle) that the lady of the lake came out each full moon with her cows of perfect white and they were seen by some young lads.. one time the cows were attacked by animals and the lads fought them off and the lady was so grateful that she gave them one of her prized cows as they were the finest ever seen but she said that the cow that was separated from the rest could never be like them again and so she made it midnight black and then returned to the water with the others....

This sounds like a great idea for teaching enjoy.....sorry I could go on and on as I love folktales

Check out anything by Jacqueline Simpson. That woman really knows her stuff!

I really like the original Grimm Fairy tales as they are quite unusual and slightly disturbing.

Thanks everyone for the input, some fascinating stuff to look into! Viva, really interesting ideas, some we have covered already int he past, but some new ones to consider. I am Taking the kids to see Percy Jackson and the lightning theif tomorrow as a birthday treat for Michael (he is 11 today) he has read the book, but I haven't and didn't realise it was relevant, what a happy coincidence.

I will certainly be looking at some Germanic, and Nordic stories, as well as the more obvious English traditions, such as Maypole, Green man (Hastings has a huge green man parade and is just down the road ) and harvest traditions like corn dollys.

We are also right by the Long man of Wilmington, so might see if I can find something more out there. I have just ordered Folklore of Sussex by Jaqueline Simpson, Fleur, and also the folklore of discworld (any excuse) as she has contributed to that, so am glad you recomend her, it means it is money well spent!

Claire I would love to borrow some books please, maybe I can come over in the week if you are free? Ruth has been asking if she can visit Annabelle so they can play doctors.

I have been today to check out the art exhibition and it is incredible, he is going to love it! Damien Hirsts "The child's dream" (the unicorn) is absolutely enchanting, and the longer you stand and look at it, the more wierd and wonderful things you notice about it!

I am really looking forwards to this project as I love fairy stories, folklore and traditions. The biggest problem is whitling everything down to a few weeks work!

I may be coming inot this a bit late, but check out the work of Maria Tatar [ame=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Facts-Grimms-Fairy-Tales/dp/0691114692/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266082761&sr=1-2]The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales: Amazon.co.uk: Maria Tatar: Books[/ame]

Part of my degree was on European fairy tales and folklore and her critical work (along with Vladimir Propp) formed much of the critical framework.

I may be coming inot this a bit late, but check out the work of Maria Tatar [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hard-Facts-Grimms-Fairy-Tales/dp/0691114692/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266082761&sr=1-2"]The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales: Amazon.co.uk: Maria Tatar: Books[/ame]

Part of my degree was on European fairy tales and folklore and her critical work (along with Vladimir Propp) formed much of the critical framework.

Originally Posted by Raspberry Ripples

I have just ordered Folklore of Sussex by Jaqueline Simpson, Fleur, and also the folklore of discworld (any excuse) as she has contributed to that, so am glad you recomend her, it means it is money well spent!

The Discworld book was where she came to my attention - I've not read it but I got to see her speaking about Scandinavian folklore and had a chat to her about things like witches afterwards. She gave me a list of books she recommended ... I'll see if I can dig it out for you, actually

Originally Posted by Fleur du Mal

The Discworld book was where she came to my attention - I've not read it but I got to see her speaking about Scandinavian folklore and had a chat to her about things like witches afterwards. She gave me a list of books she recommended ... I'll see if I can dig it out for you, actually

Thank you :-) I ordered the Folklore of Sussex (as we live in East Sussex) and the discworld one, but hadn't realised it was the same author until this morning! I remember reading about her in the back of one of the Pratchett books.

I have Michael reading the wee free men series at the moment, they have some amazing narrative in them, and bits of folklore woven in.

A few books on British folklore from my bookshelf:

"A Dictionary of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies and Other Supernatural Creatures" by Katharine Briggs

"Faeries and Folklore of the British Isles" by Elizabeth Andrews

"A Companion to the Folklore, Myths and Customs of Britain" by Marc Alexander

The first one (a classic text) is a encyclopedic listing of pretty much every mythological creature in Britain you can imagine. The second one groups magical beasties by regions of the British Isles. The third one encyclopedic listing of places, festivals, legends, etc. of the British Isles with lots of helpful photos. I'd recommend any of these if you can find a copy.