Showing posts with label inkgypsy writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inkgypsy writing. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Article: 'Fairy Tales for Resistance #RRR' by Gypsy Thornton

"We are all Red" (unofficial title) by Cuban artist ARES

Our Fairy Tale News Hound has a special article up on Enchanted Conversation today. It's all about the importance of fairy tales when it comes to resistance.

Here's the opening paragraph:

In fairy tales, wolves show their insides are the same as their outsides (despite their silver tongues), beanstalks prove to their climbers that greed is the true giant (though other big troubles may appear on the way) and flowers speak up to protest their plucking (even as they sink in their thorns). When impossible things happen, you begin to question reality. It's one of the reasons fairy tales are so very needed. Sometimes that Wonder, that impossibility, is the very thing that wakes us up and invites us to challenge the norm.
You can keep reading at Enchanted Conversation HERE.

We hope you will be inspired to keep use, telling and retelling fairy tales, and find solidarity with many others as you do. The hashtag/label, #RRR, that we're using on our Once Upon A Blog website, is searchable and by clicking it, you can find lots of inspiring reading, viewing and more. New posts are being tagged regularly and the recommendations are growing all the time.

While you're over at Enchanted Conversation, don't forget that:
  • You can sign up for the Fairy Tale Round Up Newsletter (which OUABlog and Timeless Tales contribute to). The first newsletter went out some time ago and the next will very shortly (within the week). You can find the sign-up in the side bar HERE or learn more about it before signing up HERE.

  • Enchanted Conversation is about to release their Donkeyskin issue, and Kate Wolford has just announced the writers for it HERE. The recent Diamonds and Toads issue was superb and we're really looking forward to this one too.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Fairy Tale Hidden Treasures Blog Hop: "The Heart's Door" - A Finnish Fairy Tale

The Fairy Tale Hidden Treasures Blog-Hop, is the brainchild of Adam Hoffman over at Fairy Tale Fandom. Always up for sharing obscure fairy tales we love, Once Upon A Blog immediately signed up to be part of the fun. We are supposed to share a favorite obscure fairy tale (that very likely will NOT end up on OUAT), tell you a little about it, give you an idea of the main story, let you know where it came from and why we love it so, then tag the next treasure hunter... 

For those keeping track, yes, I did switch places with Tales Of Faerie for 'reasons'... (you'll find out why at the end).

So far the revealed tales have been:

[By the way - if you have a blog and would like to get in on the action (it doesn't need to be a fairy tale blog or storytelling blog in particular -you just need to love obscure fairy tales) then please contact Adam Hoffman HERE for details and to see if you can be included in this round.]

On to my tale treasure!
When I heard about the 'hop, I immediately knew I wanted to share a Finnish fairy tale called The Heart's Door. I also knew it would be tricky. While I have three versions in my personal library, know one else seems to know anything about this one. It's not online ANYWHERE (and boy have I hunted!) and, just to make it extra tricky, one of the books I have was reprinted in 2009 so the copyright on that version of the tale (which is the closest to 'original' that we can find in both English and Finnish) is back in force and I'm not able to transcribe it for the web without express permission.

I personally discovered this fairy tale in Neil Philip's wonderful DK book, The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales, back in the late '90's. It took me a very long time to realize he'd re-titled this tale from Severi and Vappu, which had been sitting in my Scandinavian Folk & Fairy Tales book (edited by Claire Booss) for years. (Titles with just list names, I tend to mentally file under "epics and sagas"  - in this case, that was a big mistake and I missed out on what came to be a favorite fairy tale of mine, for years!) When I finally did realize what I'd been sitting on (and read the much longer version) I agreed with Mr. Philip: The Heart's Door is a perfect title for this fairy tale and I will always think of it that way.

Why do I love it? I'm a sucker for fairy tales with transformations. They're my favorite kind of 'wonder' in tales but The Heart's Door does it a little differently. You may recall Heidi at SurLaLune mentioning the 2009 reprint of a book called Tales from a Finnish Tupa, some time ago (a tupa is a Finnish peasant hut, complete with the all-important fireside for storytelling). To highlight what is unique about Finnish fairy tales from other European ones, she included an excerpt from the Notes on Finnish Folklore in the back of the book and I will do the same:
The heart of Finnish folk lore is magic. As Lafcadio Hearnhas so well said:
“The magic is not like anything else known by that name in European literature. The magic is entirely the magic of words. These ancient people believed in the existence of words, by the utterance of which anything might be accomplished. Instead of buying wood and hiring carpenters, you might build a house by uttering certain magical words. If you had no horse, and wanted to travel rapidly, you would make a horse for yourself out of bits of bark and old sticks by uttering over them certain magical words. But this was not all. Beings of intellect, men and women, whole armies of men, in fact, might be created in a moment by the utterance of these magical words.”
The magical words in this story allow the main character to hide inside... things - things you wouldn't normally be able to hide inside (no barrels or wash-baskets etc). It's a special sort of hiding and a special sort of transformation and I love the idea of the way this character is hidden. Most hiding in tales is to stay safe or get away from danger by diversion of camouflage, but, again, this is different. This tale also has other things I like: it has a little mystery, has motifs in common with other tales that are used very differently, but most of all it's about choices and dealing with consequences.

Because there is no text online for you to read, I've done my best to retell the story in short form. I've expanded beyond the points included in the DK version and put the emphasis back on the use of words and word-magic, but it's still much shorter than either of the other printings I have as well. I left out a lot of descriptive detail and got right to the parts that I love the most. As with all storytellers, it has my 'print' and emphasis on it, but I believe that is a storyteller's prerogative. ;)

And I've done something else: because this is all about 'hidden treasures' and my tale is also about 'hidden treasures' I have hidden another treasure within this tale for you to find... 
[For you 'pop-culturalists', think Easter egg. I did NOT make it easy... but it's definitely there... ]
Photographer & artist unknown - any information appreciated so can properly credit
[Found on fototalisman.livejournal.com]
Now, without further ado, I present to you:
The Heart’s Door
A Finnish Fairy Tale
(also known as “Severi and Vappu”)
A retelling by Gypsy Thornton

Once there was a boy named Severi who announced one spring morning that it was high time he had adventures and seek his fortune.
“What are you seeking?” people asked.
”I do not know yet,” Severi replied, “But when I find it, I’ll know then,’ he said, and waved goodbye.

He walked over bright meadows and through dark woods, sailed over great seas and survived ocean storms. He climbed up a great black cliff and down a long stone stairway, until eventually, at what he thought must be the very heart of the earth itself, he found a golden door.

He lifted his hand to knock and it swung open for him, so he stepped through. Inside was a magical world of green hills with fragrant flowers and shiny plumed birds sang among lush trees, all laden with golden fruit. In the distance, turrets of a copper castle rose into the air, shining like red gold in the sunlight. Immediately Severi set out straight toward it. There he met a strange old man with glittering white hair and very young cheeks, who asked him who he was and where he was going.

“My name is Severi,” he replied, and told him of his journey so far. “And now I am here. I do not know yet where I am going to, but when I get there, I’ll know then.”

Ka!” said the white-haired man, “Since you’ve come such a long way, why don’t you stay here with me awhile? I live in the copper castle, just beyond.”

So Severi went with the old man to live in the copper castle. When he’d been given all the good food he could eat, the old man held up a heavy ring full of keys. “Here are the keys to the castle: twenty four keys for twenty four rooms. Feel free to go into any, except for the last. If you open that twenty-fourth door, you do so at your own risk. I am not to blame for whatever may happen.”

“I understand,” said Severi, accepting the keys, but already he was quite curious.

Before long the old man set out on a journey that would take him far away and the instant Severi was alone, he began to explore.

Each door held a room of wonders, the next even better than the last: one seemed on fire, it dazzled with so much copper, while the next glittered with so much gold it hurt his eyes. Another was all ebony, another, blue sapphire, yet with each door he grew sadder and sadder until he stopped in the middle of the twenty-third room, too sad, even, to touch anything.

“Now I have seen it all. My adventures are over and done. I might as well just go back to my tupa.” He sighed, lay down right where he was, and fell asleep.


When he awoke he found the key to the twenty-fourth door clasped in his hand.

“The old man said I could enter at my own risk, “ he thought, turning it over curiously. “I will open it and find out what happens,” and he bravely turned the key in the twenty-fourth lock, then pushed open the heavy door.

Inside, sitting on a very high throne, was the loveliest girl in all the world.
“Who are you?” asked Severi.
“My name is Vappu,” said the girl. “I’ve been waiting for you a very long time.” Severi held out his hand and she put hers in his then climbed down to him.

The golden days that followed were like a dream as the two lived together in the copper castle. For a whole month, they sat by the silver stream and feasted on golden fruit with not a care in the world. One day Vappu led Severi into a deep orchard. Cool winds caressed the trees and their faces and at the center blossomed the Tree of Life. They sat beneath it, ate its fruit and drank from the sparkling brook nearby. Completely content, Severi fell into a deep sleep under the Tree. When he awoke, Vappu was gone.

“Vappu!” he called. “Vappu! Vappu!” and his calling turned to cries and his cries turned to tears, for she was nowhere within and nowhere without.

When the old man returned home he found Severi in deep misery.
“Please help me find her”, Severi begged. “I cannot live without her.”

The old man chuckled. “That’s the way it always happens when you do what you should have left undone. I warned you about that twenty-fourth door,” he said.

“I am a grown man,” Severi replied. “I make my own choices. And you did not tell me I must not enter, only that to do so, would be my own risk. ”

“That is fair,” the old man said, gently. “But have your choices made you wiser?”

“My sorrow has made me older – but yes, wiser too. Please help me find my Vappu - that is all I ask.”

The old man muttered some words of magic and there stood Vappu, radiant as a sunbeam.

“Did you miss me Severi?” she asked.

“All my happiness disappeared with you!” Severi said to her. “Please, never leave me again.”

“I will promise,” said Vapu, “But on one condition: you must hide from me where I cannot find you. Then, and then only, will I always be with you. You have three chances.”

Severi did not understand what she meant, but the old man whispered a magic charm in his ear and promised he would help.

Severi did not want to hide but knew he must try if he wanted to win her, so the first day he snuck away over the hills and whispered his charm to a rabbit running by. It stopped, let him hide inside its thumping heart then ran on, even faster than before. But Vappu quickly tracked him down.
“You are not very good at hide-and-seek Severi,” she said. “Try again.”

The next day Severi stole away into the dark heart of the forest and whispered his charm to a bear ferociously guarding its den. It stopped, let him hide inside its warm heart then growled, more ferociously than ever before. But Vappu still, somehow, tracked him down.
“I have found you Severi! You cannot hide from me. You have one last try.”

Sadly, Severi walked back to the castle. He could not think how to hide from clever Vappu.

The next day, at a hint and a wink from the old man, Severi finally decided to hide in Vappu’s own heart. He drew close to her and softly whispered his charm:

“Three times I knock at your door, dear heart, 
Let me in, heart’s jewel, let me in!”
And he vanished right before Vappu’s eyes.

Try as she might, Vappu could not find him anywhere. 

When she had looked and looked and looked some more, Severi called to her:
“Can you not find me, Golden One?”
“I cannot - where are you?” asked Vappu.
“Here in your heart,” answered Severi.
“Who led you here?”

“You, Vappu. You led me here.”
“Then my heart is yours,” said Vappu.


Severi came out of his hiding place and she held him as close as he held her.
“And now,” said Severi, “I’ve found you.”
And they lived in peace, ever after, in their copper castle, beside the silver stream, beneath the golden trees.

…………………«§ The End §»…………………


Did you find the hidden treasure in the tale? 
If you like spelunking for information and digging for gems of knowledge, then you will like this: there's a hidden page I've linked to in which I have put 
an annotated version
(And if you looked but didn't find it yet - go back and check the text carefully. It's a teeny tiny link, hidden within the text of the tale - and yes - I checked - it's there and it's working.)
When I wasn't able to find an e-text of the original for you to read, and I wasn't able to reprint the original on the blog due to copyright reasons, (I have contacted the publishers - plural - to ask for special permission but these things take time to sort out. I am still pursuing permissions as of this posting, so no e-text yet), I decided to use the opportunity to give you more information about the tale than I should sensibly put in a blog post, and send you on a treasure hunt instead. Turns out, these things take a good amount of work to put together, (!) hence the place swap. (Thanks for being understanding Adam!)
In the annotated version, you can find out more about the original form of the story, learn more Finnish words, the original wording of key phrases, tidbits on Finnish culture and mythology, and uncover links between motifs to other fairy tales around the world - some of which you know very well! 

Happy hunting!

And next up in the Fairy Tale Hidden Treasures Blog Hop is: Megan Hicks at Life, the Universe and Everything! (Hey Megan: TAG - you're it!)

Credits for images within the tale: 
1. Secret Door by Georgina Gibson
2. Fantasy Castle Wallpaper - artist unknown
3. Antique keys - photographer unknown
4. Antique door knob - photographer unknown
5. The Golden Apple Tree and Nine Peahens by Arthur Rackham
6.  From "The Princess in the Underground Kingdom" by Pavel Tatarnikov
7. A Golden Dream by Thomas Cooper Gotch
8.  Searching by Amanda Clark
9.  Bearskin Falling by Ellen Li
10. The Lover's World by Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale 
11. Detail of Brunnhilde and Siegfried...from Rhinegold and Valkyries series by Arthur Rackham from an opera Siegfried by Richard Wagner

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Household Tales: Easter, Baba Yaga & The Monster Chicken

Bunny Beware by Michael Sowa
A little treat from my household to yours.
You've probably heard of Baba Yaga and her hut on chicken legs. But did you know the hut has its own story? 
The chicken-legged house spends all year long seeping up the magic leaking out of Baba Yaga's kitchen and one day each new Spring (a day we call Easter), there's finally enough in its bones that a wondrous thing happens. The hut shakes its walls and shingles into feathers, breaking enough of the spell keeping it chained to Baba Yaga's bidding, to transform into the strangest half-house, half-chicken monster anyone has ever seen. 
Having picked up a few tricks living with its Master, the hut always manages to escape, forcing Baba Yaga to give chase. For a whole day, the Monster Chicken plays a mischievous game of hide-and-seek, dodging the Yaga's flying mortar and pestle by hiding in the yards of good-hearted children. Wherever it sits and makes a hurried nest, it leaves monster eggs as thank you's for the household's hospitality.  
Hut on chicken legs during the spring nesting season
Divo-Ostrov", Saint-Petersburg
At the end of one whole day and one whole night, however, the hut is tired and has enough of running. Baba Yaga catches up with it and drags her little house back to their home in the woods. There it gives one great shake before turning its body back into a hut and settling into a good long sleep, dreaming of the next year when it can run on its own again.  
But even though the hut is sleeping, sometimes the dreams are so strong, it gets up on its legs, stretches them out, turns around and settles down again, without even waking up...
Note: My son adores this tale of ours (though if any of you have had visits from the Monster Chicken  my son would LOVE to hear about it!) and looks forward to visits from the Monster Chicken even more than the Easter Bunny. Frankly, I think the Easter Bunny is tickled to have the magical company in our yard every year. 
Mystic Chicken by Ekaterina/Philieria
 Do you have a personal 'Household Tale' of your own you'd like to share? Write to fairytalenews AT gmail DOT com. We'd love to share your personal traditions and stories.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Online Magazine "la Vie Sirène" Is Featuring Fairy Tales EVERY DAY During November!

The lovely Joy Siren has an obsession very much like mine. She adores everything mermaid and her Siren School is the place to go if you want to fish for what she knows. The depths of her knowledge on the subject are DEEP folks! (Puns intended as they're also completely true.)

Just as I find more than I can post on every day regarding fairy tales, Joy does the same for her mermaid students and siren scholars, and her daily magazine, la Vie Sirène, is brimming full of delights and treasures.

It's no wonder, then, that our paths would cross at some point (which they did not too long ago, thanks to Facebook) and this month I was delighted to find out that she is focusing on all things fairy tale, yours truly and this blog included.

I'm a little in awe of the life this amazing woman has led and the brave choices she's made. I'm also stunned by how just one person can accomplish so much on so little and inspire so many people in doing so. Because of this, I was incredibly humbled when she asked to interview me for the November fairy tale issue. Let me tell you, Joy's questions had me squeaking the rust out of my brain bolts to answer her insightful questions. She forced me to articulate - in black and white! - a lot of what I end up talking to people about when they ask "why fairy tales", so if you want the scoop, check with Joy. She is holding the key to all my fairy tale secrets. (And I believe I finally let out a little family "secret" I haven't shared before too...) ;)

In the meantime she has something new to read every day, and just posted an interview with the photographer she worked with, Love BEA Photography, to make the cover for the November "fairy tale special" issue.

And if you love mermaids, or inspirational women connecting and making their lives beautiful - which is so much of what Joy does - Siren School is everywhere online! You can find Joy and her school:

  • On Pinterest HERE
  • On Twitter HERE
  • On Facebook HERE
  • On Tumblr HERE
  • On YouTube HERE
  • On Google+ HERE
  • The daily magazine, la Vie Sirène  - currently in fairy tale mode - is HERE
  • The blog is HERE (with cool regular features I might add)
  • And much, much more, which you can find on the main website, HERE

And you noticed the "school" aspect, right? It's not just a pun. Ms. Siren actually runs classes and workshops, activities, socials and more! Anyone is eligible to enroll and there are many choices, depending on how far you want to dive in. It's really quite amazing. You'll just have to go see her site for yourself.

Go! Enjoy! And tell her you love what you see. (And send some cheers to Love BEA Photography for their fantastic foray into the fairy tale realm as well.)


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

"The Marsh King's Daughter" Illustrations

The Marsh King's Daughter by Anne Anderson


I'm finally posting my slow-growing collection of illustrations for The Marsh King's Daughter (by Hans Christian Andersen) illustrations. If you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that this is one of my longtime favorite fairy tales, despite all the heavy handed religious aspects of the second half. I haven't included every single one if there were multiple pictures by one artist so if you look at the links (each name should link you to their work or the image source).

Papercut - Maria Dorte

Anne Anderson
Brochure - Artist Unknown
Contest "Disney's New Musical" Winner by Ashamyn
Dugald Stewart Walker
Harry Clarke
Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)

Frølich's drawings really feel like they fit the story in mood and story telling style.  I really like them.
Postage stamp -  Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)
Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)
Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908)
Esben Hanefelt Kristensen
Arnold Thornam
The Walt Disney Company
Kay Nielsen
Kinuko Y. Craft
Book Illustration 1926 The Marsh King's Daughter - Artist Unknown
Arthur J. Gaskin
I wish he had illustrated more aspects of the story. I love this style of illustration.
Ricki Klages
Marsh King's Daughter, Egyptian Princess - Artist Unknown (can't find image source either)

Dugald Stewart Walker
Tiziana Gironi
Volquartz
This looks really interesting! There is a whole section of the site dedicated to this production. Only problem is it's in Danish (I think).
W. Heath Robinson
Avi Katz
Oscar Klever
This is one of my favorites in the collection here. It really seems to fit the mood of the story and  manages to incorporate many of the elements without feeling like a mural.

Rex Whistler
I really like this one too.
amytaluuri
This looks much nicer large but I wish the artist had dug a little further into the story and incorporated more key elements.
drawmeapicture (silk dye on silk)
W. Heath Robinson
W. Heath Robinson
I can't find Andersen's own papercut work for The Marsh King's Daughter online, and my H.C. Andersen fairy tale collection book which is printed with his original papercuts as the illustrations, is packed away in storage right now. I do know that it has a stork, a baby and marsh reeds and it isn't a "mirror image" or snowflake-type cut. When I find it - or find my book - I'll add it to the post.

There was also at least one animation made of this story which I remember seeing somewhere back in the 70's too. Not all of it seems to be on YouTube but what parts there are, are below:



I'm surprised there aren't many more illustrations floating around for this story. There are so many things going on in this one, it's rich fodder for an artist's imagination. (This illustration HERE by Beatriz Martin Vidal isn't based on the fairy tale  - which is why I haven't included it in the collection here - but it would work well both for Frog King or for The Marsh King's Daughter.)

I'm certain I saw some illustrations in my childhood that have helped keep this story so vivid in my imagination all these years - especially regarding scenes the beautiful but scary and out-of-control wild child Helga, of the transformation from vicious Viking girl to toad-like creature and of the nurses kindness. Either that or the story really spoke to me strongly at the time and I created my own in my head!

I have a favor to ask: if you find, create, make any new or different illustrations from those posted here (ie by other artists), please email me or put a comment below and let me know - or send me a copy (with artist credited if at all possible). I'll add it to these and give you finder's credit/artist's credit (whichever is appropriate).

Also, as per my previous post, I recently realized my Marsh King's Daughter inspired short story, Torn, was no longer available to read on the web anywhere, so I've made a dedicated page here at Once Upon A Blog so it will have a (hopefully) permanent home.
by Tom Mazzocco
You can click the tab labeled TORN under the Once Upon A Blog header or just click HERE to read.