#FolktaleWeek2020 - Day 4 Picks: Solstice

by Amy June Bates (@amyjunebates)
I love folktales. -- I love the feeling I get when I read or hear a good one. The spine tingle of familiarity. Somehow our bones remember the old stories long after our minds have forgotten. At some time these stories were our truths.

 The fourth prompt

(from Thursday - so we're slightly behind here)

was SOLSTICE.

by Sojung Kim-McCarthy
A tiger tried to eat a granny working on a field of red beans. The granny begged him to wait until the winter solstice when she would have harvested the red beans and made soup out of them. So the tiger came to tea on the solstice day! -- The tiger went into granny’s kitchen. As he tried to taste the red bean soup, baked chestnuts popped out from the furnace and burned the tiger’s eyes. He put his head into the water bucket to cool down his eyes, and a turtle bit the tiger’s nose. -- Retreating from the bucket, the tiger stepped on cow dung and slipped. Then a punch poked his bumhole! The tiger took a big fright from all these attacks and tried to run out of the kitchen. One last blow came from a grinding stone that jumped and fell onto the tiger’s head. -- A mat wrapped the tiger who passed out, and a timber carrier took him down to the river and threw the tiger away. Then the granny, chestnuts, turtle, cow dung, punch, mat and timber carrier had a red bean soup party! 

by milanka_reardon
(from an ongoing story) Solstice - Although this year, the winter solstice did not turn out to be a day of celebration, the birth of this mystical creature gave a ray of hope to bears everywhere! But how can a tiny dragonbunny save them from this? 

by Silvia Vanni (@fantafumino)
The San Giovanni night closes the celebrations of the summer solstice. On this night, witches gather to harvest nuts and prepare nocino (a liqueur made with nuts).

by Karlan Tam (@karlen_tam)

The Cypress Tree Fairy (see text above for story)

by Camille Witcher (@milly_of_bunston)

by Laura Chamberlain Illustration

You would think that on the longest day of the year, the residents of the town would spend the day outside. Instead, the day is spent indoors, so as not to disturb the mothers of the mountains who wake just once a year to sunbathe and catch up about the year. -- It is thought that this belief came about following a landslide one solstice and the theft of an entire seasons' worth of wine from a local vineyard which was later found empty in a valley.

by Ofride's Garden

"Solstice" - "The masked creature introduced himself to Sofia, informing her that the letter and the flowers were destined for Marchesa. One of the gods of his land, s'Urzu, had fallen in love with her and had decided to declare his feelings. Sophia, displeased, said that Marchesa gifted her powers over to her, and that she had decided to end her life, having taught her all about her magic. -- Boes, the masked creature, was very worried, but still decided to inform his god about the fate of his beloved Masca. Thus, they both went to a sacred place, struck by the sunlight. The god, there, manifested itself in the form of a silhouette of light, shaped like a bull's head. Boes and Sofia, desolate, informed s'Urzu of the fate of the Marchesa. -- In the end, the divinity only speaks these words - if she has decided to leave this world, I will follow her too.-" -- In Sardinia there are ancient megalithic edifices called nuraghi. On the day of the winter solstice, inside the nuraghe of Villanova Truschedu, the sun rays, entering through the window of the nuraghe, form a bull's head on the wall of the nuraghe itself. The bull was probably considered a divinity by those peoples of the past.

by Tanja Stephanie (@tanja_stephanie)
On that special day, the princess’s imagination grows into a big tree. - At this time awakening all of their little fantasy creatures and give the world magical stories.

by Debra Styer (@debrastyer)
For today's illustration, I was inspired by the Inuit folktale, "The Raven Steals the Sun". It is the story of the Raven who was sick of living in the darkness. He finds that a old man is the keeper of the light (sun). He disguised himself as a baby, grows into a nice trustful boy and when no one suspects he steals the sun, turns back to a Raven and flies away with the sun making the first Day.

by Laure Allain (@laure_illustrations)
day 4: solstice - The previous winter had been terrible. Thumbelina had nowhere to go and was always freezing. She tried to cover herself in leaves and made an acorn hat, but it didn’t help much against the bitter cold. Anything was better than going through that again, even marrying the mole. Another poor creature, a lonely swallow had missed the call of the south.

by Marta Dorado (@martadorado)
(from an ongoing original story) …At first, no one noticed the curse; however, come the winter solstice, the little princess suddenly transformed into a terrifying beast before the horrified eyes of the entire court! For years, her parents tried everything to heal their daughter, but nothing ever worked, and what worried them the most was that the princess didn't seem to be bothered! People were wild-eyed of her and her feral ways, and as the princess grew up, she also grew more and more lonely…

by Kristina Kister (@nichtlicht)
Solstice - Sending your wishes out and hoping for the best. Also creepy ghosts just for the sake of it.

by @mandyhiggsart
Day 4: SOLSTICE #folktaleweek2020 - Inspired by Greek Mythology & the story of the rise of Persephone from her time with Hades.

by Johanna Lohrengel (@the.dreamers.front)
A Sámi tale of hope and community. - There used to be a land that was called the Land of Darkness as the sun never rose. The hut dwellers of the land were cold, scared and sad. There was one place however, on the top of a steep mountain, where a tribe of shadow beings lived in a comfortable log house, hoarded reindeers and had more at hand than they needed. - One day a tall man appeared riding on a reindeer and told them that out there was light, a big ball called the Sun, and that he could lead the way to that place. The hut dwellers did not believe him and chased him away. - There was only one boy among the villagers who believed the stranger and who kept thinking that maybe indeed there was a sun to be found out there. One day he said: "How can I find the sun?", and a reindeer appeared in front of him and took him to the tall stranger. That man told him that he would need to collect one hair from each of the villagers and weave a basket from them to fetch a piece of the sun. Upon returning the hut dwellers trusted the boy and so it was done. With the help of the reindeer he fetched a piece of the sun after a long journey and brought it back to his people. - Just imagine how it must have felt for the to see the light for the first time! But so did the shadow people and came running from their mountain to steel the basket full of sun. - Everyone defended the boy and a great battle began. But just in that moment the sun started to leak from the basket and such a warmth and light started to appear that the shadow people vanished. - The hearts of the villagers then open up to the sun and the boy told them to ask the reindeers of the shadow beings to bring them to the big sun. The reindeers agreed and took them on their backs to the sun and when they saw it a ray of sunshine crawled into their open hearts. They were now filled with light and strength for a new beginning.

by Trudi Murray (@trudi_murray)
Today’s word is SOLSTICE, and my Shakespeare book cover is, of course, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
- It’s strange to think of it in these darkened, short Winter days, when getting out for a walk must be done well before 4pm. The longest day of the year does seem a world away: Summer dresses and long grass and a cold glass of white wine among the flowers... ah. One day. Maybe when we get there, in 2021, we will find players making mischief, fairies falling in love with the wrong people, and unwitting humans making an ass of themselves. - Maybe we will, maybe we won’t! The sweet joys and loves of high Summer are - maybe - all but a dream.

by Imogen (@imogenfoxell)
Winter #solstice for #folktaleweek2020. The time when old Mother Holle makes it snow by shaking out her feather bedclothes.

Additional late entries for Day 3: COURTSHIP

by Freya Hartas (@freyaHartas)
The White Cat (a French fairy tale) - 'In a few moments the door was opened yet he perceived nothing but twelve hands in the air, each holding a torch. The most melodious voice he had ever heard sang the words ' Welcome, Prince, no danger fear, mirth and love attend you here; You shall break the magic spell, that on a beauteous lady fell' He was then beckoned through a door of coral, which opened of itself onto a splendid apartment built of mother of pearl, he imagined he must be in an enchanted palace. His attention was suddenly caught by a small figure not a foot high which had on a long black veil and was supported by two cats dressed in mourning with swords by their sides. They were followed by a numerous retinue of cats, some carrying cages full of rats and squirming mice. The little figure now approached, and threw aside her veil. He beheld a most beautiful white cat.' -- I feel like my drawing and short Instagram caption doesn't do this beautiful fairy tale justice so you must research it yourself! It begins with three princes who are sent on a mission to bring their father the King three gifts, the son who brings the best gifts will inherit the crown. The youngest prince stumbles across a beautiful enchanted palace owned by a beautiful white cat, who of course is actually a princess under a spell. The nicest thing about this story is that the cat (or princess) is portrayed as a kind and highly intelligent character, she and the prince discuss politics over dinner, and the prince respects her immensely (not just as a trophy, as often is the way in fairy tales) She also rides a magic yellow monkey at one point which is just pretty cool imo! 

by @daryamorozz
“...The Dzhigit ordered to build a yurt and settled in it with a white she-wolf. During the day she lay at the entrance, and as soon as evening came and the fire was extinguished, the she-wolf turned into a girl and with her extraordinary beauty illuminated the yurt. --Dzhigit spent all the time with his wife. He rarely appeared in public. Soon the neighbors began to laugh at him. - Look, he married a wolf. Now he himself has turned into a beast. -- And when the Dzhigit came out of the yurt, they shouted after him: - Hey, wolf’s husband! - Hello, wolf’s husband! -- It was hard for the Dzhigit to listen to the ridicule of people. He completely stopped leaving the yurt. Finally he could not stand it — on the thirty-seventh night, as soon as his wife threw off the wolf's skin, he tore it apart and threw it into the fire. The wife got scared and says: - Well, now you will be suffering. You broke your promise. -- You did not wait for the forty days bequeathed by my mother...” -- An excerpt from the Kazakh fairy tale "Dzhigit and She-wolf"

Disney+'s "Godmothered" Trailer Suggests There's More Than One Way to Live a Fairy Tale Life

The new "magical holiday comedy" movie from Disney+ seems to be trying very hard to be a modern take on the Disney idea of "a fairy tale life" or what happily ever after can be. It certainly feels like it's inspired by one of Disney's most self-aware films, Enchanted, but we're yet to be convinced that Godmothered can top it.

Here's the description:

This holiday season, be careful who you wish for. Watch the new trailer for Disney’s #Godmothered, a magical holiday comedy starring Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell, streaming on #DisneyPlus Dec. 4.

Set at Christmas time, “Godmothered” is a comedy about Eleanor, a young, inexperienced fairy godmother-in-training (Jillian Bell) who upon hearing that her chosen profession is facing extinction, decides to show the world that people still need fairy godmothers. Finding a mislaid letter from a 10-year-old girl in distress, Eleanor tracks her down and discovers that the girl, Mackenzie, is now a 40-year-old single mom (Isla Fisher) working at a news station in Boston. Having lost her husband several years earlier, Mackenzie has all but given up on the idea of “Happily Ever After,” but Eleanor is bound and determined to give Mackenzie a happiness makeover, whether she likes it or not.

And the trailer:

The premise has a lot of potential, but what the trailer suggests about the movie doesn't show it exploring that a whole lot of that. Trailers are now more difficult than ever to get a true feel for what they're advertising, especially from big companies who are very set on marketing to a demographic, That demographic here is the princess culture following. While the trailer seems to want to show itself to be subverting Disney tropes as much as Enchanted did (and still does, despite being thirteen years old) we're not seeing a whole lot of evidence of Godmothered being any more relevant or socially aware than Enchanted was. 

While Godmothered begins with a nice diversity of fairy godmothers, despite the glitter-and-fantasy-troped surroundings, as soon as the Godmother of the title, named Eleanor, leaves the fairy world (a magical world called "The Motherland"??) and enters the real one, we're smack in the middle of a very white, comfortably upper-middle-class, Hallmark-feeling set of situations and scenes, including the bumbling not-so-smart fairy godmother who needs a dose of self-awareness in order to be able to bring HAE to her charge.

We're hoping we're wrong about this. 

One little glimmer of hope is that the Director is Sharon Maguire of Bridget Jones' Diary, a film which could easily have fallen into all the typical rom-com traps and been a nice-but-very-average movie, but instead rose above that to have a lot to say at the time. Unfortunately, unless Maguire had a strong and unique vision for this movie from the outset, we don't quite see this doing the same, as it's been fast-tracked from September 2019 at first mention to being released next week on December 4th - that's incredibly fast for a feature-length project, especially one that is aiming to break the mold. Perhaps we've just gotten a substandard trailer though, and there actually is some hidden magic here. We've known talented writers to put together works of insightful and delightful genius very quickly, so perhaps one of those scripts made it through the Exec-machine intact and was supported by a visionary producer. We shall see.

Why do we care? 

The world could really use a feel-good, insightful Enchanted-like movie to add to the holiday viewing line-up and folks are clearly searching for solid doses of uplifting and hopeful viewing. To have a solid movie that also gives people cause to reflect and rethink things, in a positive way, would be the tonic so many need right now.

On a deeper level, an exploration of "fairy godmothers no longer being needed" and one in training aiming to prove the world still needs them (and magic) speaks directly to the disillusionment currently at an all-time high. We've overdosed on "real" stories in the efforts to separate fact from fiction and to consolidate fractured narratives into something that makes sense. Attraction to the bizarre has not only started to feel understandable, but we're seeing more that people giving into nonsense feels cathartic. It lets the steam out before we pop. The problem with this is that it's very temporary and is a coping strategy at best, not a way forward. When a response doesn't allow for resolution, hope, or a sense of peace, but instead reinforces chaos, chaos is king. When chaos reigns and takes over our stories it becomes harder and harder to have a strong vision for a better future and for creating a way to get there. Escapist fantasy is useful because we know - we give it permission - to remove us from reality to tell us a story to explore ideas and possibilities. Without the pressure of our upsetting reality dominating the story, we can get a clearer idea of concepts, of ideas, of ideals, and of possibilities not usually visible from our regular point of view, and it is not a threatening thing to consider. It's a fantasy and isn't asking to replace reality like alternative narratives do, only to reflect on it. Stories of wonder and fantasy free us to see possible choices - and that's empowering.

Let's all cross our fingers that the saccharine impression of the trailer (although it's clearly trying to avoid that very thing) isn't a true reflection of what the movie really is. 

Godmothered premieres on Disney+ on December 4, 2020.

________________________________

For those wanting more insight into what this film will be here are some excerpts from the Disney Live-Action Production Notes Media Kit (sections in bold are our emphasis)

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Fantasy faces a hard reality in Disney’s "Godmothered" – a hilarious Christmas comedy that turns the traditional fairytale completely on its head. When an offbeat fairy godmother forces herself on a reluctant human protégé, they’ll both discover life isn’t as simple as “happily ever after. “ Eleanor is an apprentice fairy godmother, highly enthusiastic and eager to learn the tricks of the trade, but not quite there yet. All her life she has lived in The Motherland, the Gothic fantasy other-world where fairy godmothers come from and where they are raised and trained and have existed for a thousand years. There, she has been taught by her imperious headmistress Moira (Emmy winner Jane Curtin), who literally wrote the book on “godmothering,” all the very traditional fairy tale notions of what girls aspire to—going to balls in beautiful gowns, marrying Prince Charming and also things like turning pumpkins into carriages and mice into footmen. Mackenzie is a world-weary widow who lives in Boston with her daughters Jane (Jillian Shea Spaeder) and Mia (Willa Skye) and is exhausted from trying to juggle all the responsibilities of motherhood with a high pressure and mostly unrewarding job on the number four local news program... Eleanor’s and Mackenzie’s worlds collide one day when, due to a lack of demand for fairy godmothers, The Motherland is in great danger of shutting down, with everyone to be retrained as tooth fairies. Desperate to find something that will validate the need for fairy godmothers to continue to exist, Eleanor finds a letter from Mackenzie asking for help, unaware that she sent it decades ago. With the help of her roommate, Agnes (Oscar® nominee June Squibb), Eleanor is transported from The Motherland to 21st century Boston, in order to find Mackenzie and use what she has learned from Moira to bring happiness to her life... (Director) Maguire explains, ”There’s this conflict between Eleanor’s expectations and what she thinks being a fairy godmother is and what she thinks magic is like. But then when she’s confronted with the real world, all her expectations come crashing down in a very funny way.” The director continues, “There are all the tropes of the Disney legacy….magic, there’s wands, fairy godmothers and woodland creatures, but we also get to subvert that legacy for comedy. Eleanor is untrained in magic, so none of her spells go according to plan and Happily Ever After is delivered in a very different way than we’ve come to expect in previous Disney movies.” From her first encounter with the much-older-than-she-expected Mackenzie, it is evident that this assignment is not going to be easy for Eleanor. 

There’s poignancy and truth when Eleanor is forced to realize that all her old-school concepts about what will make Mackenzie happy are false, and presumptuous on her part. Maguire says, “When Eleanor finds out why Mackenzie doesn’t believe in ‘happily ever afters,’ she doesn’t know what to do with that and that’s great because it sends her back to zero in what she does with her magic and she has to learn what ‘happily ever after’ really is.” This is one of the film’s key messages: That in today’s world, unlike in traditional fairy tales, ‘happily ever after’ doesn’t mean marrying a prince and living in a castle. It’s completely subjective. Says Springer, “That notion of redefining what ‘happily ever’ after might mean in a way that’s more practical and real in our regular lives. That sometimes you have to take control of your own fate and become your own fairy godmother and find that happiness.” 

Thanksgiving 2020: A Day of Remembrance

by Guinevere von Sneeden

This year's Thanksgiving in the US is not usual. This emotive illustration says it all: in memory of those who cannot be with us today - absent friends and family who are staying separate to keep their loved ones safe, and the too many we've lost this year that have left an empty chair at our tables.

May fond memories sustain us all over this season.

Forever in our hearts.

#FolktaleWeek2020 - Day 3 Picks: Courtship (+ some late entries from earlier prompts)

Promotional pic to re-post/share to spread awareness of #FolktaleWeek2020 by Julia C. Illustration

Today's prompt was COURTSHIP.

Click HERE to find out more about #FolktaleWeek2020 - happening all this week.

Day 1: BIRTH (click for our picks post)

Day 2: RITUAL (click for our picks post)

by Scott Keenan Illustration
“The jolt jostled the piece of poisoned apple loose from Snow White’s throat. Not long after, she opened her eyes, lifter the coffin lid, and sat up, alive again”

by 

Sojung Kim-McCarthy is seeking representation 

@creativesojung
The Weaver Girl(Vega) fell in love with the Cowherd(Altair) & god,
her grandfather, permitted them to marry. But when the newlyweds spent all the time
together without doing any work, god separated them with the Milky Way
in between. On the lunar seventh of July, the only day of the year they were permitted
to meet, the two of them ran to the shore of the celestial river but there was no way to
cross over. The crows and magpies took pity of them as the couple weeped,
and formed a bridge over the Milky Way.

by Diana_Renjina
Eglė the Queen of Serpents - “A young maiden named Eglė discovers a grass snake in the sleeve of her blouse after bathing with her two sisters. Speaking in a human voice, the grass snake repeatedly agrees to go away only after Eglė pledges herself to him in exchange for him leaving her clothes. <...> Instead of seeing a serpent or a grass snake on the seashore, Eglė meets her bridegroom Žilvinas, who appears to be a handsome man - the Grass Snake Prince.”

by 

katyareyda_plasticine

Day3 ☆Courtship☆
Courtship doesn't require words, just a look

by @dianamayoillo
“The True Bride” for #Courtship - Following my journey for #folktaleweek2020 by revisiting old #Grimms tales I used to enjoy, I remembered this story about a man who ‘forgot’ the woman he said he loved! So many of these tales sit very uncomfortably in the present, like this one where the woman waited and waited for her ‘true love’, whilst he planned to marry another. But, by disguising herself in increasingly beautiful gowns of moons, suns and stars, the other bride is discarded and the prince recognises his #TrueBride. Shocking! However, when I was little, all that counted were the magical dresses she wore...

by @kathwaxman

Day Three Prompt: Courtship, Petruccio and Kate, Taming of the Shrew - Familiarize yourself with the Renaissance courtship traditions in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew via this artistic rendering of Francis Bacon, the protagonist’s foil in The Mostly True Manuscripts of Wee Will Shaxbard. Considered within its historical context, this work does extol some common stereotypes. However, Shrew also provides an opportunity to challenge common folklore regarding “appropriate” behavior within the confines of marriage. Controversial yet educational.

by @marjolaneroller
Bluebeard (Marjolaine Roller is retelling the tale of Bluebeard and has mixed up the prompts to better serve the story sequence. Courtship was the first prompt of the series.)

by @ruthburrowsillustration
I am looking to Lincolnshire Folklore to inspire my work this week and in the book Lincolnshire Folk Tales by Maureen James there appears a gruesome tale - “The Lass That Saw Her Own Grave Dug” - Bessie, invited out to walk by Mr. Fox has a strange dream the night before and says to herself, “I hadn’t that there dream for nowt. I’ll be in Galley-dales before he gets there, I reckon; then I shall get to know what he’s up to.” - She climbs into a tree and witnesses Mr. Fox digging a grave. Eventually, he tires of waiting for her to arrive, fills in the hole and leaves. Bessie runs home and tells her Father who captures Mr. Fox the next day when he comes a courting!

by Eleonora Asparuhova @elleasparuhova
There was once a man in love with a Samodiva... - Day 3 from #folktaleweek2020 ‘Courtship’ is based on the Bulgarian folktale about the beautiful mythical forest creature Samodiva...

by ayukotanaka
Day 3. Courtship - Knights and princes visited the castle to rescue the princess who keeps on sleeping inside the castle...

by shelleyaldrichminimuseum
THE STAR LOVERS - Once there was a young maiden on the edge of the Milky Way who wove lovely white clothes for the gods. She never stopped weaving because of the warning she heard, “Sorrow, age-long sorrow, shall come upon the Weaving Maiden when she leaves her loom” - At her father’s request she takes a break and falls in love with a Herd Boy. In their happiness, they forget their duties and anger the gods. Because of their carelessness, the gods create a delicate bridge of magpies for the Herd Boy to cross. Once the boy is on the far side of the bright river, the magpies fly away, thus splitting the lovers. - The maiden then returns to her loom in sorrow, weaving cloth in greys and color now that she has experienced love and loss. On the 7th day of the 7th moon, the magpies return, allowing the lovers a single day together. In Japan, Tanabata or the Star Festival, celebrates the lovers reunion on July 7th.

LATE ENTRIES FOR PREVIOUS PROMPTS WE HAD TO SHARE!

PROMPT 1: BIRTH

Artist unknown! (We found the pic then clicked to see the name of the artist but the post disappeared as the app reloaded! Instagram is not searchable via hashtags at present, Facebook doesn't show all results or in order and Twitter is used less for posting under this hashtag. Apologies to the artist whom we've spent multiple hours trying to track down without success. Any info on this artist would be greatly appreciated so we can correctly credit them.)

by Freyahartas
Tatterhood - Once upon a time there was a Queen who desperately wanted children of her own. She met an old hag who told her to plant a seed and eat the beautiful flower that grew from it, but she must not eat the weed at the base of the flower as this would bring her great misfortune. When the flower eventually bloomed the queen plucked it from the stem and ate it, the flower tasted so sweet that she couldn't help herself and ate the ugly weed that grew underneath. Later the queen gave birth to twin daughters, one as beautiful as the sun, the other an ugly little girl who clutched a wooden spoon and rode on the back of a goat! This child was named Tatterhood because she was always so ugly and ragged and wore a hood which hung about her ears in tatters.

by @victoria_fomina_art
"Birth"

by @apolin.art

by @dressenmcqueen
“BIRTH #folktaleweek2020 - From the Woman with Three Hundred and Sixty-Six Children. - A countess is cursed by a beggar woman when she refuses her any scrap of assistance then forcefully throws her from her garden - and scolds her for having two children when she, the countess, has none. The curse is for her to have as many children as days of the year. The woman intended only three babies, since she delivered these words on January 3rd. It came to be, though, a baby for each and every day of the year plus it was a leap year....here we see the progression of babies on every tray and bowl from the house on their way to be christened.

by Anne-Marie Farrell (@farrell_annemarie)
Maleficent’s FOMO is in full force as she gate-crashes Aurora’s Christening.

PROMPT 2: RITUAL

by Critterwings
from an Italian folk tale, the “Colony of Cats” a gentle variation on story of the Gatto Mammone or the Mammon Cat. There was a nice girl who was always being treated poorly by her mother and older sister. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Nearby was a large, villa owned entirely by cats, who always needed a human servant to help out with chores and paid well, but no one ever wanted to stay with so many cats for too long. She was desperate though, so she went to ask them for the job. She cooked and cleaned and helped take care of the kittens and older cats, and was happy enough for awhile. She was so kind and gentle and generous that the cats were always happy too, and when they noticed that she was lonely they took her to their leader, Father Gatto, aka the Mammon Cat.