Happy Birthday Heidi Anne Heiner!

Our beloved Heidi who is the mastermind, creator, curator and wrangler for the amazing SurLaLune fairy tales site, as well as the accompanying blog, is having a birthday today!

(See? You announce it on your blog and the information stays here forever... ;)

We cannot tell you how much we appreciate all you've done and all you continue to do. I'm sure many of us would not have been half so successful in pursuing our passions, research and writing with fairy tales if it hadn't been for your work!

So, on behalf of all the readers at Once Upon A Blog:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI!

If you'd like to give Heidi an extra-specially great day, go buy one of her books HERE (or, if you have them all already, buy one for a friend!).

You have a great list to choose from (and she's still creating these awesome resources!):

• Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales From Around the World: Fairy Tales, Myths, Legends and Other Tales About Maidens in Towers
• Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World
• Cinderella Tales From Around the World
• Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World
• The Frog Prince and Other Frog Tales From Around the World: Fairy Tales, Fables and Folklore about Frogs
• Mermaid and Other Water Spirit Tales From Around the World
• Bluebeard Tales From Around the World
• Twelve Dancing Princesses Tales From Around the World
• The Fairy Tale Fiction of Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie
• The Grateful Dead Tales From Around the World 

SurLaLune's "Grateful Dead" Are Coming!

Awesome news from Heidi and SurLaLune this week! (So very excited, my fingers are tripping over themselves as I type!)

From the SurLaLune blog:

The Grateful Dead Tales From Around the World--the 10th SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series release!-- will be officially released on 5/4/15.  

...The book is 828 pages and stuffed full with Grateful Dead tales, discussions, and other miscellanea.

You can find more about the book HERE.

And the table of contents is HERE.

The links to Amazon don't work yet for pre-ordering but should soon.

And Heidi will be sharing on Grateful Dead folklore and tales in the lead-up!

And if you don't know this already because you're not a SurLaLune subscriber/regular, then I strongly recommend you go and check into everything SurLaLune has done because we would not be the same without her efforts and excellence.

I am buying this. I need it. I even have a gap on my bookshelf waiting for it. Why? Go check in with Heidi's upcoming posts about the tales and you'll see why this is a completely fascinating tale type.

When Fairy Tales Stray Beyond Their "Borders"...

This is a funny (as in a little skewed and strange) thing that people have latched onto: that a certain tale belongs in a certain cultural context only. As such, people get very territorial when it comes to certain tales. To me, it's means they're missing one of the best things about fairy tales - that they belong to everyone. Fairy tales show us our differences and our similarities across the world and I think it's one of the reasons they're so important for children to learn when they're young. People everywhere - in every place, culture and society - are just like you, but also unique.

As fairy tale people, you're very likely aware that there are, for example, versions of Cinderella in almost every culture in the world, meaning that the tale type is - by and large - the same, but the context and details are different. Cinderella doesn't "belong" to any ones place or peoples. only the versions of them do (and that could be debated as well, considering how those tales came to be).

There has been a lot (a LOT) of "gender-bending" illustration of Disney characters (and non-Disney fairy tale characters too, but less so) and recently I came across a "race-bending" set of illustrations by an illustration student who hosts a Tumblr titled Let There Be Doodles. While I like imagining what the stories would be like set in a different cultural context, it was the questions and responses that followed the posting of these illustrations that caught my attention.

And I was delighted to find SurLaLune being linked to as a resource for the many versions of different stories as well (Heidi - your work is so very, VERY important and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. xx)

People really are concerned and curious and I'm grateful that this exchange, at least, was done with respect and courtesy! (I left all typos and phrasing intact to keep the original spirit of the exchange):

Anonymous asked: So I want to appologise before I ask if this sounds mean spirited, I'm trying really hard not to be. But WHY would you do race bent disney characters? Like, I get wanting more POCs and that's hella. I'm all for it. But fairy tales don't make since out of their cultural context(i.e. Meg as an Egyptian, Cinderella as a Geisha, even Jasmine as African instead of Middle Eastern). So why that change? Sorry again if this sounds mean, I'm just really confused here.

(( No, you’re fine, no worries! :)
Before anything else, I’d like to point something out. Fairy tales are constantly being taken out of their cultural context. Most of the fairy tales that we know now were taken out of their original cultural context and altered. Aladdin was originally set in China. The Frog Prince was Latin, and was altered over and over again in several countries. The stories have been and can be altered in many ways. *shrugs*

Anyway, I’m not necessarily trying to alter an entire story (although it would be fun) I’m just working with character design. I create racebent characters simply for fun and because I’d love to see more diversity in our media. :) ))

To the anon who said fairy tales don’t make sense outside their cultural context…

There are actually many variations of the Cinderella story. 

As well as Sleeping Beauty. 

The Little Mermaid is a story by Hans Christian Andersen, but there are a fewvariations on that theme as well (though not nearly as many as the previous two, but I’m sure there are more.) 

There’s like a bunch of them for Snow White. 

I’m not gonna touch Hercules (or, as he’s more properly called since the movie takes place in Greece, Heracles) or any of the Hans Christian Andersen based stories like The Snow Queen/Frozen (except, of course, for The Little Mermaid.)
Fairy tales don’t have to make sense. It’s all about the story, or the message contained within it (like with Aesop’s Fables.)

And, in case you're wondering, there were people that had a problem that it wasn't just white princesses that were getting "race bent", but that's actually the point. The tales belong to the world. The variations of the tales can crop up anywhere and the tales will still be "the tales".

I don't think I really need to add much more commentary to this. I'm just really glad the conversation is happening out in social media (and going viral as a result). It's another way people are learning that there are many, many tale variations all over the world and that we share more with each other globally than many people realize.

What are your thoughts on this?

New Release: "Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World" SurLaLune Fairy Tales Series Vol (Happy Book Birthday Heidi!)

It's here! And it's available in both ebook and paperback.

I can't describe how excited I am about these SurLaLune Fairy Tales Series volumes Heidi has been working on and I know this one is dear to her heart.

She is having a special Beauty and the Beast week on the SurLaLune blog to celebrate and started by giving us a lot of information on what we can look forward to in the book.

Rather than link you to buy directly from here, I know sales from Heidi's links help her fund her research via her affiliate agreement with Amazon so please click through to buy from her blog in particular. I'll just link you to her. :)

Here are some of the book-related posts you will enjoy reading (if you haven't already):

Table of Contents for Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World

This is all you should need to convince you to order this book ASAP. This collection should make you squeal like it's a fairy tale Christmas.

Beauty and the Beast and Me

This post is not to be missed! Here Heidi generously explains her love of Beauty and the Beast, how this love began, how it was nurtured and why she's still fascinated with the tale today.

Beauty and the Beast and Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve

This post includes details on this new and wonderful resource:

Including both translations felt important, so I gave up 121 pages in Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World to them, 15% of the book. So now they are in one place for comparison and contrast. I even added footnotes to help cross reference the transformation scene in both which is significantly different as I described in my intro.

Beauty and the Beast and Madame Beaumont

This post explains the governess mentalities of Madame Beaumont and how, in a parallel to adaptations of tales done for Victorian nurseries, she adapted the story for children's ears.

Then she's also summarized for us her recommended reading if you're studying Beauty and the Beast:

Beauty and the Beast: Recommended Reading Part I

Beauty and the Beast: Recommended Reading Part II

Beauty and the Beast: Recommended Reading Part III

Heidi never fails to be a font of truly amazing resources for serious students, writers and scholars of fairy tales. If you haven't availed yourself of any of the books in her series yet, do yourself a favor and start collecting them. 

Here are the covers from the collection to date (and now we can add a Beauty and the Beast volume too).

You won't be disappointed. They are worth every cent! 

As a complete aside, don't you think these covers would make an amazing library frieze?

And I cannot wait for The Grateful Dead collection. Check the cover and blurb from the SurLaLune website below. Heidi originally planned to release this one for Samhain/Halloween this year (I know - I'm being TOTALLY greedy right now but this is on my WANT! list..), but that was before her Beauty and the Beast collection was completed. Either way we should see it in the near(ish) future, depending on how crazy-busy Heidi is these days.

In the meantime:

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY HEIDI!

Hint: if you're thinking about expanding your library with this series, you can help encourage and fund Heidi's research by buying via her blog links. Let's help keep this woman writing!

Article: A Short History of Beauty and the Beast in Pop Culture

La Belle et la Bête (1946)

Easy to read and navigate this article does a nice job of highlighting the "big" Beauty and the Beast pop culture highlights from its beginnings. La Belle et la Bête is hard to beat for me, though seeing a contemporary dance performance choreographed by Graeme Murphy for the Sydney Dance Company, in Australia, came close. (Neither that ballet or any other Beauty & the Beast dance work appears on the list unfortunately.)

Go over and have a look at A Short History of Beauty and the Beast in Pop Culture. It's highlights only, not a definitive works/major works timeline and will be nothing new to readers of this blog but it's great to see all in one place.

A little more obscure is this article, also by Flavorwire, of "Beauty and the Beast-style" Love on Film.


Knowing Beauty and the Beast is a personal favorite of Heidi Anne Heiner's (of SurLaLune fame), I'd love to see a visual-plus-notes pop culture timeline from her. (Like she hasn't got a gazillion things on her plate already! We're REALLY looking forward to her Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World anthology which she aims to have out sometime this year.)

In the meantime, I found this little gem below, showing various incarnations of Beast over the years for comparison. Originator unfortunately unknown, though I did find it HERE. (Sorry about the resolution. It's as large as I could make it without the image pixilating badly.)

Illustrations by Walter Crane, Rebecca Guay, Ron Embleton, Nilesh Mistry, Judy Riggenbach, Glen Keane, Warwick Goble, Anne Grahame Johnstone, Edmund Dulac, Eleanor Vere Boyle, Paul Woodroffe, Errol Le Cain, Anne Anderson, Kirsi Salonen, Scott Gustafson, Alicechan, Margaret Tarrant, and various Anonymous

Now with Once Upon A Time about to make their mark and two Beauty & the Beast TV series projects currently in development, there are only going to be more...

Here's the Once Upon A Time promo (somewhat spoilery) for the February 12th Beauty and the Beast Valentine-themed episode (photo previews, also with slight spoilers HERE):

Strawberries in the Snow Illustrations by Folkard & Anderson

The Three Dwarfs in the Wood, Grimm's Fairy Tales
by Charles Folkard

Remember my post on The Twelve Months/Strawberries in the Snow from December HERE?

It's taken me a while but I finally found where I'd read the version with the strawberries. It's a German fairy tale included in Andrew Lang's Red Fairy Book, called "The Three Dwarfs", and includes the paper dress the girl is forced to wear too (don't know how I forgot that part). While I'm certain I've blended parts from different tales in my memory I know I've also read a Russian version with strawberries somewhere too. Strawberries, apples or violets, I do love this variant on diamonds and Toads. I also like that the story continues after the girl is found by a king. Her troubles don't stop until the troublesome step-relatives are dealt with once and for all.

The Three Dwarfs
by Anne Anderson

Once I found the name/s of this variant of "Diamonds & Toads" with the strawberries, I also found these lovely illustrations by Charles Folkard and Anne Anderson too. Pretty, no? (You can see more of his fairy tale illustrations on the SurLaLune page for Folkard HERE and Anderson HERE.) Just like "The Twelve Months", I'm surprised there aren't more illustrations for this story - there's a wealth of subjects for illustrators to explore in this tale.

12 Days: Lots of Different Fairy Tale Books

My apologies for the lateness of this post today.

I've been having connection difficulties.

Books are the obvious fairy tale gift to my way of thinking, which is why I tried to find non-book ideas these past two weeks. But I can't help recommending a few, so I saved a bunch for this last post in the series. :) Here are some different types of fairy tale books that you may not have heard of. Some are new, some are not and you can find more information by clicking on the titles below the cover images:

Magic Hoofbeats (with CD)
by Josepha Sherman

Availability: Released September 2007 - still available.
Description: Multicultural fairy tale and folktale collection on a horse theme. An unusual collection of tales not often printed with the added bonus of horse facts scattered throughout. Scholarly yet accessible to kids. Includes a CD of the stories being read, lovely watercolor illustrations and a brief list of sources.

There Was An Old Lady
by Jeremy Holmes

Availability: New August 2009
Description: Hardcover - the book is like a piece of art. Unusually shaped, comical, whimsical and the eyes close at the end via a clever little paper tab.

The Diary of Hansel and Gretel
by Kees Moerbeek

Availability: Out of print but still readily available.
Description: At last, here is the true story of what really happened to Hansel and Gretel, in the words of Gretel herself. This book is a faithful reproduction of Gretel's original diary, complete with all of her drawings -- as well as the very first newspaper article by the Brothers Grimm. (Pop-ups, inserted notes and artifacts, interactive.)

Black Pearls: A Faerie Strand
by Louise Hawes

Availability: Released May 2008 - still available
Description: Seven edgy/dark retellings of fairy tales (and one legend). Beautifully written in a fairy tale style with lovely pencil drawings throughout. The twists sneak up on you and you should beware of the sexual content if you're giving it to younger teens. As a hint to the twists, the cover is actually a picture of Cinderella herself.

Pretty Monsters: Stories
by Kelly Link

Availability: Released October 2008 - still available
Description: YA collection of fairytale style stories. This book has been getting rave reviews and comparisons to Neil Gaiman's storytelling. The hardcover has black edged pages and illustrations by award winning artist Shaun Tan.

Sisters Red
by Jackson Pearce

Availability: Not yet! Coming June 2010 (you can pre-order a surprise for someone!)
Description: The story of Red Riding Hood and her younger sister after the death of their grandmother... of and some werewolves. Jackson Pearce talks a lot about fairy tales in her interviews so this is one to watch for at the very least.

Twisted Tales: Fairy Tale Anthology
by Isabelle Rose

Availability: New November 2009 for Kindle (hard copies available HERE)

Description: Anthology of short stories and poems for Kindle. Dark retellings of classic fairy tales by newer authors. I haven't read any excerpts but the folks involved love fairy tales. Contest for a free copy through December HERE.

The SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series
by Heidi Anne Heiner

Availability: New August and September 2009 for Kindle (PDFs coming)
Description: Excellent collections of hard-to-find fairy tales, with new translations. By the mastermind behind the SurLaLune website. Three titles so far: "The Frog Prince and Other Frog Tales From Around the World", "The Fairy Tale Fiction of Anne Isabella Thackery Ritchie" and "Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales From Around the World".

The Book of Lost Things (Unabridged Audiobook CD)
by John Connolley

Availability: Released October 2006 - still available
Description: A fairy tale for adults - a boy mourns the death of his mother and reality and fantasy worlds start to blur together. On his journey back to the real world he meets many fairy tale characters. By turns funny, poignant, surprising. A book about hope and the power of stories. While the paper book is available the audiobook highly recommended to take you through the journey.

The Beastly Bride: Tales of the Animal People
by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Availability: Not yet! Coming April 2010 (you can pre-order a surprise for someone!)
Description: The newest collection of retold fairy and folktales on a shape-changer theme from the best authors and editors in the business. Gorgeous illustrations throughout by Charles Vess (I've seen a couple of previews!). The pre-order price on this one is excellent - you will still save even with shipping.

Baba Yaga Laid an Egg by Dubravka Ugresic

Availability: New October 2009 for Kindle (Hardcover available February 2010)
Description: Part of The Myths series. From the website: Dubravka Ugrešić takes the story of Baba Yaga and weaves it into something completely fresh. The result is an extraordinary meditation on femininity, ageing, identity, secrets, storytelling and love.

The Seeing Stick
by Jane Yolen
(new illustrations by Daniela Terrazzini)

Availability: New September 2009
Description: A newly illustrated version of Jane Yolen's original fairy tale about a blind emperor's daughter (originally published 1977). This is a stunning book with gorgeous specialty printing and embossed pages - which underlines the story perfectly.

Once Upon a Tutu: Five Ballet Fairy Tales Starring the Ballet Friends:
Including The Princess and the Prima, Ballerella,
Snow Tights and the Seven Dancers,
... the Three Barres, and The Klutzy Duckling
by Kitty Michaels

Availability: Released November 2008 - still available
Description: Retold fairy tales in ballet settings (with a whole lot of humor!) based on the classic tales. From the Ballet Friends series but it can definitely stand alone.

The World Before This One: A Novel Told in Legend
by Rafe Martin

Availability: Released August 2005 - still available in paperback but I recommend hunting down a hardcover
Description: Folktales (Seneca tales) retold in novel format in a wonderful storytelling fashion. The book is worth getting for the incredible papercuts alone that illustrate the stories, but the writing is beautiful as well. A good gift for scholars and older children who love tales alike.

The Illustrated Book of Fairy Tales
by Neil Philip & Illustrated by Nilesh Mistry

Availability: Released March 1998 - out of print but still easy to find
Description: This remains a favorite fairy tale collection of mine because it's multicultural and contains facts along the way (scattered in the sidebars of the pages) and points to similar tales across cultures. Many of the tales are not the usual version you might expect, though the familiar ones are referenced. The illustrations are unusual in that they span the pages of the book and flow from one scene of the story in to the other (see the Beauty & the Beast example above). An excellent way to be introduced to tales from other cultures and lesser known variants without losing that 'fairy tale feel' those of us who grew up with European tales love.

1001 Nights: Illustrated Fairy Tales from One Thousand And One Nights
Edited by Robert Klanten & Hendrik Hellige

Availability: Released November 2005 - still available
Description: Contemporary illustrations by a number of different illustrators of traditional 1001 tales - some well known, other less so. A good way to become familiar with the tales. More suitable for adults.

Today is the last day I'll be specifically posting gift ideas for Christmas/Yule/Kwanzaa/Hannukah/etc on a fairy tale theme but ideas are everywhere!

Heidi Anne Heiner, of SurLaLune, has a knack for finding the most gorgeous games and toys, not to mention is the best source of fairy tale books around so be sure to browse her blog. The link is HERE.

Also Elva Undine of Folk and Fairy (Folklore and Fairy: Clever finds for the faerie inclined) finds some of the loveliest things including things you can purchase as gifts. Her blog is HERE.

NOTE: As usual, please note I am not affiliated with any of these stores or products. I do not receive any commission from any visit to the site or any purchase. These are just items I thought may interest people as fairy tale themed gifts for the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Yuletide/Holiday Season. :)

Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

This is the last of the "12 Days" posts but you still have TWO DAYS to enter before the deadline on December 20th, so be sure to email me before then.

(Check out one of the prize options in the preview above! Click for a larger view...)

Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.

Wonders & Marvels Fairy Tale Week - Some Giveaways Finishing Tonight!

I should have posted on this earlier but got distracted sorry. Was just reminded by SurLaLune... (thank you Heidi!)

For those who don't already know, the awesome site Wonders & Marvels is having a fairy tale week with articles (I've just caught up on everything - fabulous stuff) and awesome giveaways. Some of those finish TONIGHT at midnight EST!

Hurry!
CLICK HERE TO GO THERE!

Read, comment, enjoy and you might win something too.This is one of the best fairy tale themed weeks I've seen with excellent articles and books for those who love and study fairy tales - especially the old ones. Curious about the image here? It's discussed in Heidi Anne Heiner's article there today "Five Great Fairy Tales You've Never Read".

Go HERE - quick!

12 Days: East o' the Sun West O' the Moon Weathervane

I never thought of a weathervane inspired by East O' the Sun, West O' the Moon before, but it makes perfect sense - of course! This piece is out of the range of most of our wallets but perhaps it can help inspire some other gift ideas along the same line.

Forged brass and bronze, this one is very pricey but oh so lovely I had to share. You can find it (and other weathervanes) HERE.

[Please note: as per my fine print in the sidebar, I am not affiliated with any company or product mentioned or linked to in this blog. I do not receive any benefit from any purchase or visit to any site. If you wish to support people working with fairy tales, however, I would like to suggest Heidi Anne Heiner's SurLaLune SITE and BLOG. Any purchase made through her links helps support the awesome work she has done - and continues to do - in providing us all with one of the best fairy tale resources on the web.]

Don't forget the "Pursuit of Happiness" Giveaway!

Entries close December 20th, so be sure to mails me before then.
Details for the giveaway are HERE and the wonderful London Particulars (who are making this giveaway possible through their generosity) can be found HERE.