"The Secret of the Tattered Shoes" - A Fresh, Dark & Poetic Retelling by Jackie Morris

Now available in the UK (and coming to the US in Fall 2020) is a new and "poetically dark" retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (also known as The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces). Always popular among fairy tale fans, and often voted as "one of the fairy tales I wish Disney would animate", there haven't been as many retellings as one would think, though it appears to have gained notice again recently and we're seeing projects bubble up using this fairy tale here and there...

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is from publisher Tiny Owl's series One Story, Many Voices, in which authors and illustrators explore well-known fairy tales and folktales from different perspectives. (They are the same folks who are behind Cinderella of the Nile.)

Here's the description for the new Morris/Abdollahi collaboration:

The Secret of the Tattered Shoes is a fresh interpretation of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale about twelve princesses who are locked in at night, yet whose dancing shoes are still worn down by morning. A young soldier is tasked to discover their night-time adventures. But unlike the story told by the Brothers Grimm, this soldier seeks a different ending. Jackie's dark and poetic text updates this well-known tale and shows how stories evolve and adapt over time.
Beautifully illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi, who has created stunning puppet-like illustrations in rich and delicate detail, this unique illustrative style brings the story to life and perfectly encapsulate the beauty and melancholy of the story.

Have a look at the lovely book trailer by publisher Tiny Owl:

Made known to the next generation most recently via her award-winning illustrations for The Lost Words, (with writing by Robert Mcfarlane) Jackie Morris, an illustrator and author for many years, has put her writing to work and created a poetic retelling of the fairy tale.

Iranian artist, animator, and teacher, Ehsan Abdollahi, who uses handmade papers in his collages, has created beautiful and eye-catching puppet-like illustrations that Morris says captures her vision for the tale exactly as she meant. "The paintings are so beautiful. With the echo of birdsong in the feathers become leaves. The textures are wonderful, the characters just lovely. "

About her story, Jackie says:

"It concerns a man, traumatised by the choices he has made, tired of life, weary of the world, a wanderer. He wanders, this lost soul, and meets a wise woman who lives in the forest, more at home with the creatures of the world than the human creatures. She sees the damage to his soul, sends him on his way, hopes he will find peace. Wishes it to be so. And she gives him a gift and a slight piece of advice. He meets women of another kind and undertakes a task, sure in the knowledge that it will end in his death.The ending might surprise. Does he find the peace his heart seeks, or does he choose death?"

Photo via Jon Biddle 

@jonnybid on Twitter

You can see a sort-of behind-the-scenes of the illustrations and layout as the book was being created that Jackie shared on her blog HERE, which reveals some of Ehsan's fascinating process. Ehsan's animator-eye is very evident as he assembles his collages! (A lovely example is shown below.)

Here's a review by Liz Robinson at LoveReading4Kids, explaining a little of how this retelling is unique:

In process piece for The Secret of the Tattered Shoes
by Ehsan Abdollahi

Exquisitely gorgeous illustrations accompany a well known fairy tale with a difference, an edge. Tiny Owl Publishing have a series of books called ‘One Story, Many Voices’, where authors and illustrators explore well known fairy tales from different perspectives. Here, the Twelve Dancing Princesses from the Brothers Grimm are transformed into The Secret of the Tattered Shoes by Jackie Morris. I opened the package containing the book and exclaimed in delight. The illustrations by Ehsan Abdollahi carry the story perfectly, the gold glistens, the pears call to be picked, the background as stunning as the puppet-like characters. The story by award-winning Jackie Morris sits boldly on the page, simple, evocative, familiar yet different. The love that Jackie Morris holds for nature shines through, while the ending made me smile, it suits, it feels, well, just so right. The Secret of the Tattered Shoes conjures the traditional fairy tale yet awakens new feelings and thoughts. I absolutely adored this rich and vibrant tale, both for the new interpretation, and the illustrations which adorn it.

Sold yet? We are!

UK fairy tale folks can go to Tiny Owl and order HERE. Keen folk in the US (who don't have the patience to wait till Fall 2020) can order a minimum of two directly from Tiny Owl, to help support their awesome indie mission of providing new perspectives on familiar fairy tales, (you can contact them through Twitter for the exact details), and they'll ship to you.

Cinderella's Glass Arm Is More Magical Than Her Glass Slipper! (+ Discussion On Disability In Fairy Tales)

You want magic? This is magic.

Professional costume designer and one-armed cosplayer, Mandy Pursley, has become the Cinderella so many people need.

Asked by the mother of a girl born with one arm, for some princess-costume inspiration for her daughter, Pursley went above and beyond and created something beautiful, extraordinary and very inspiring.

She said: ‘When my daughter was studying Cinderella stories at school last year, I realized that even though there were so many beautiful tales from around the world, there were still no princesses who looked like me. ‘When I was growing up with a physical difference, I never saw girls like myself represented in the media, so it took me a long time to realize that what makes us different can also be the thing that makes us strong, beautiful, and unapologetically unique." (Metro.co.uk)

She added this information when talking to Insider.com:

"I remember being enthralled watching Jim Abbott play baseball, because he was the only amputee I had ever seen on television," she told Insider in an email. "But I still never saw amputee women being portrayed as normal, beautiful, or strong, so it took me a long time to realize that being different and unique can actually be a positive trait."
"Representation is so powerful," Pursley said. "It is so much easier to believe in yourself when you are able to see people who look like you achieving the same dreams that you have. People who have differences really just want to feel included and accepted without feeling the need to hide what makes them unique."

With the request for this other little girl, who was having the same issues growing up, Pursley decided it was high time to change that. A graphic designer by trade, she created her own version of fairy tale princess. Pursley designed her costume, as well as her husband's (who plays Prince Charming in these shots), then with the assistance of artist Gilbert Lozano (and other specialists*), she commissioned this phenomenal prosthetic: a "glass" arm, for a different take on Cinderella.

When she tried on her custom-made and fitted resin arm for the first time, Mandy said she cried with happiness. "It really felt like a dream was coming true... it was so beautiful and amazing to see this be a reality.”

Initially, the cosplay was supposed to be for Comicon but Pursley ended up being ill and couldn't attend. Once she received the request from the little girl's mother, Pursley and her husband decided that, rather than wait until next year's Comicon, they would go ahead and create a photoshoot now, to post the images online. They enlisted Pursley's friend, Kelly Anderson, to take the photos which became an instant social media hit on September 19 (2019).

“I think it sends a really great message to little girls, especially,” Anderson said. “You can be creative. You can be beautiful. You can be the main character in your own story.”

Not all the images are not shown on all the sites sharing this story but Pursley and her husband did not shy away from the iconic scene of the story in which Cinderella loses her glass slipper  - in this case her glass arm - either, and we were thrilled to see it! (see he two-shot below) Possibly anticipating the inevitable trolls of the internet making horrible references to losing an arm (and all the ugly arm and hand references you can imagine), they didn't ignore or avoid this part of the story. Instead, here you have representation, without any glove or glass-glamor, of a one-armed princess, being pursued by the prince who wants her. It's the Cinderella story with a unique, personal and memorable twist.

Accompanying the lovely shots posted on her Facebook page, Pursley wrote:

This costume is dedicated to all the little girls learning to navigate the world with their "lucky fins" or other challenges. I hope you know you are beautiful, and that you are UNSTOPPABLE!!! Write your own story, and be your own kind of princess.

Mandy Pursley's whole story on Facebook can be read HERE, and we recommend you do. This wonderful act of creativity and courage is changing the landscape for the better.

Note: If you, like us, are not only enchanted but getting Cinder vibes (thanks to Marissa Meyer's wonderful sci-fi retelling of Cinderella) you're not alone. (And we do recommend picking up Meyer's retelling in which Cinder loses her cyborg leg, if you haven't read it.) You'll see some of the same issues being explored and it's an empowering read.

As For Disability In Fairy Tales...

Pursley's "glass arm" also brings to mind The Maid Without Hands and the plight of many (too many!) wronged women; some having permanent scarring and some, even today, having lost hands or arms despite a changing world that no longer sees this as acceptable 'punishment'. Unlike the fairy tale, in which the girl is given silver hands for a while, and then, eventually has her natural hands magically restored (or re-grown!), such an event isn't possible in real life. Though the happy end of the tale could have occurred when the girl, now queen, was given silver hands by a king who loved her, and had a son of her own that she loved and cared for, this fairy tale isn't done until she has her original human hands back. With even such a dark tale insisting that happiness isn't complete until this happens, is it any wonder it's difficult for differently-abled people to see themselves as the heroes, princes and princesses of fairy tales?

Whether born differently physically or mentally, or changed to be different due to trauma or accident, disability has so many forms. Some are obvious by being visible. Some are not, either because they can be hidden under clothes, or they are internal/mental. All those who live with these differences, however, have the "princess problem" in common: most don't see themselves represented in a positive light. They see themselves as incomplete, and many tales we tell reinforce this. Too often in fairy tales, disabilities are things that need to be overcome or transformed to able-bodiedness, or, just as problematically, be revealed as a "superpower" to make up for having the disability in the first place, in order for the hero or heroine to have a happy ending. The state of 'princess' is not possible until she is "fixed", but that is largely because we tend to equate disability with disadvantage. People like Pursley (who designed the concept, the costumes, sewed them, collaborated on her prosthetic and cosplayed it) show us disability shouldn't be synonymous with disadvantage. If you ask people what the qualities of a 'true fairy tale princess' are, disabilities can still exist within that definition, so why are we restricting this idea of what a princess is?

This beautiful creation of a "glass arm" by Pursley is in direct contrast to another thing that happens in older, more infamous versions of the Cinderella tale - that in which the step-sisters, (attempting to secure a happy ending for themselves), cut off part of their heel or a toe, so they can cram their own foot into the delicate glass slipper. In this horrible reversal, the stepsisters (and their mother!) decide they need to mutilate their bodies to fit the princess mold. (And these are - supposedly - able-bodied women feeling the unrealistic princess-pressure!) The truth is that so many more people (girls especially) choose this route, to the point of harming themselves - from fad diets and restrictive 'make-overs' to plastic surgery - while chasing the happy ending. If able-bodied people feel this, how much more so must differently-abled people? Sadly, many assume the role of hero or princess is impossible for their personal narratives, and relegate themselves to minor or supporting roles instead of seeing that their story is just as important as anyone else's. But it shouldn't be that way. Diversity and representation matter, and we, especially those of us who tell fairy tales, need to be conscious of this and tell more inclusive stories.

In the true-life story of Mandy Pursley using her difference as an opportunity for beauty and magic, instead of harm, or trying to mask or change her disability, we see a celebration of self and happiness. Instead of being "less-than" her actions make her "more" and a role model. Here is representation, and inspiration. Just like Cinderella, who was not who she was because of the glass slipper, Pursley is not a princess because she now has a glass arm either. The glass slipper and arm, were, are, tools. The difference is that we now see Pursley for who she is, and has been all along: a fairy tale princess. 

Pursley's sentiment that you don't have to be the princess others are expecting you to be is a powerful and empowering one. Be yourself and create your own version of a princess. There is real magic in that.

*Here is the list of heartfelt thanks from Mandy to all those key people who, in addition to her photographer friend Kelly Anderson, helped make her vision a reality. We thought we'd include it to show you, you don't have to create a fairy tale all by yourself - sometimes - often - friends and partners are part of the recipe:

Many, MANY thanks to all the people who helped turned this dream into reality! My real-life Prince Charming, Ryan Pursley, who didn't think I was crazy while I kept sewing for MONTHS. Gilbert, the brilliant artist who didn't even know me but believed in my dream and is now a cherished friend. Eric Morris and Nick Ibarra at Cemrock who generously offered their equipment and assistance to create the glass arm. Jennifer Woodard at Hanger Clinic in Vista, CA for helping me figure out how to attach the prosthetic, and of course the amazing Kelly Anderson for taking such beautiful photographs!! Wig is by On The Wall Wigs. Who needs magic when you are surrounded by such talented and generous people!

Kirsten Dunst & Sofia Coppola Want To Make A New Version of Faerie Tale Theatre But No One Will Bite?!

Yes. You read that correctly!

Here is the quote from an interview just this month (Vogue magazine speaking to Kirsten Dunst):

A contemporary version of Faerie Tale Theatre, helmed by Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola? With great directors and a bunch of celebrities lined up and ready to jump on board?? And no studio is interested??!!! (a.k.a. willing to spend the $)

This confounding news was included in an article published in Vogue on September 9th (2019), interviewing Kristen Dunst, right after she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Shelley Duvall posing with a poster showing some of the stars
she worked with on various fairy tales during her series

Both Kirsten Dunst and Sofia Coppola (who are longtime friends and worked together on Marie Antoinette, Beguiled and many other projects) have been publicly enthusiastic about their love of fairy tales, and it's a massive, missed opportunity for any network or studio to not take the pair of them on, especially for a project that will hit all those buzz buttons: Star directors! Star actors! Fantasy settings & costumes! And the nostalgia-hook of the moment: 80's remakes & call-backs!

With regard to their love of fairy tales, it's been something both women have always been drawn to.

Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst has long proclaimed her love for her favorite book, Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, even admitting it has been her "bedside book" for many years. There were rumors she expressed an interest in being involved in a movie adaptation, (though we can't find any source online to confirm that), something Jane Yolen said she would have been thrilled to see but that hasn't eventuated, despite the book having been optioned for a film version quite a number of times. When Kirsten originally announced this, she would have been the correct age to play the protagonist, but odds are good she would still want to be involved in some capacity should a film adaptation of Briar Rose ever get off the ground.

Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola, as anyone who has been following this blog for a while knows, was set to direct her own version of The Little Mermaid for Universal Pictures and Working Title Productions. The first news about her vision for retelling the fairy tale was thrilling, edgy, and promising and fresh - and representative - vision of the story. She was on the project for a year before things came to a fault. Unfortunately, it seems her vision was just a little too edgy (risky?) for the studio and Coppola left the project, citing creative differences. (No one has yet to revisit the project for Universal.)

But back to the concept of a contemporary version of Faerie Tale Theatre.

If no studio will take the plunge and trust it will bring in the crowds (and the $), how do we:
a) change their minds
or
b) go about crowd-funding this?

As much as we love Shelley Duvall's series, we all agree it could use some serious diversifying and updating to reflect proper cultural - and differently-abled - representation, which makes the concept even more exciting!

(Gosh - and we just missed the "pop-up exhibit", advertising poster shown below, of the costumes from the show too; which means, they still exist... and might be available for re-use, should any brave costume designer wish to take on the job of respectfully overhauling the originals for a new show...)

We know there are many folks who would be willing to support a project like this and show just as much enthusiasm and excitement as we have about the potential. Just take a look at these early social media responses now the word is getting out about this. Time to tweet this - and retweet this - and make sure to tag @Netflix, or @Hulu, or any well-funded Independent studio and get this happening.

And while you guys are doing that, go ahead and start making lists of fairy tales with current celebrity actors in the lead roles, then post them and tag those actors and @kirstendunst *, and add the #NewFaerieTaleTheatre hashtag to boost this project.

If enough people show interest, their wish (and ours) might just come true.

Fairy Tale Bonus of the Day:

A Look At How Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre Began

& Illustrating Those Beautiful Posters

If you haven't seen the full set of posters from Faerie Tale Theatre (we included 5 small ones in our header-banner at the top of this post), we recommend going and taking a look HERE.

Then you can go read an article on how those posters - and the show - came about HERE.

Here's an excerpt:

Once Upon a Time…It was 1980, the sun reflected brightly off the limestone cliffs surrounding Anchor Bay in Malta...The ramshackle locale was the set for the ambitious and original motion picture production of ‘Popeye’. From behind the camera, director Robert Altman was watching Robin Williams, a new talent chosen to portray the eponymous sailor. The energetic actor was performing a scene and was leaping about the set. 

Playing the role of Popeye’s lady love, Olive Oyl, actress Shelley Duvall sat reading under the shade of an umbrella... Looking up from her book, she watched Williams as he danced about. Duvall returned to her book, she had read it many times before but the stories felt as fresh and exciting as the time that she had first read them: 

‘Princess, why do you weep so bitterly?’ ‘Alas!’ said she, ‘what can you do for me, you nasty frog? My golden ball has fallen into the spring.’ ... 

Duvall smiled to herself; she looked up at Williams again and thought he would make a great frog in a live adaptation of the tale. The fact that this thought occurred to Duvall was not unusual. For the past few years she’d had the idea to create a live-action series that brought her much loved fairy tales to life. 

The idea became a reality in September of 1982, when ‘The Tale of the Frog Prince’, starring Robin Williams was broadcast on Showtime, the US cable television channel. The premiere episode of Duvall’s ‘Faerie Tale Theatre’ series was followed by 25 more adaptations of world-famous classic tales brought to life with creative scripts, dazzling special effects and lavish production design formatted aesthetically after the work of a famous illustrator or painter. With Duvall serving as executive producer, the series ran until 1987 and featured the most popular entertainers of the day playing the parts of the celebrated characters. Conceived with special consideration to entertain and instruct the young, the series was also executed to amuse and appeal to adults. By 1983, the immense popularity of ‘Faerie Tale Theatre’ led to the decision to begin releasing the episodes on home video. 

Released by CBS/Fox Video, the covers of the 26 titles in the series featured unique illustrations that depicted the actors rendered in the style of the famous illustrator or painter whose work had inspired the production design of the episode.

You can read the long-but-interesting article in its entirety HERE.

*That is the most official Kirsten Dunst twitter handle. Sofia Coppola is not on social media.

Of Cancer Giants & Recovery Beanstalks (A Health Update)

Yelena Bryksenkova

Our Fairy Tale Newsroom isn't in full swing yet but we are on the tail end of two back-to-back surgeries, two hospital stays and - so far - excellent recovery on both of those counts.

Both our Editor and her husband are now officially cancer-surgery-survivors.

Doctors appointments, ongoing tests, and recovery are still very much the flavor of the day but we are slowly finding our new normal this week. News and social media appearances are likely to remain sporadic for a while but we've conquered the fearsome giant that suddenly loomed large in our lives - twice now! - these past 14 months*, and are now working on the rest of that beanstalk climb... (sometimes climbing down is more challenging than climbing up!)

To all those lovely readers who have sent healing vibes and good wishes, thank you so much. We greatly appreciate your support in these challenging times.

Sincerely,
Gypsy Thornton & Family

*14 months from our Editor's double-mastectomy, 19 months if you count from our Junior Editor's emergency apendectomy and subsequent two hospital stays early last year! We will be very happy if we never have to live at the hospital ever again.

Juliet Marillier Retells "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" in Audible Exclusive "Beautiful"

Yes - you read correctly: this is an ears-only story!

Most fairy tale fans have heard of Juliet Marillier. Ever since meeting Sorcha in the first book of the Sevenwaters series, Daughter of the Forest, still many folks' favorite retelling of The Wild Swans, she's been an author who guarantees a fresh, folklore-based and well-researched take on any fairy tale she puts her pen to.

This time she's tackled the popular Norwegian fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, and, true to form, the narrator isn't someone you'd suspect.

Marillier's look at the beloved tale is told from the perspective of one of the players in the story who was taken advantage of, then unceremoniously left behind as the main couple "get their Happily Ever After".

Here's the description:

Illustration by Anton Lomaev for the novel East, written by Edith Pattou

With the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon as her inspiration, Juliet Marillier weaves a magical story of a young princess' search for her true self.
Hulde is a queen's daughter and lives in a palace. But her life is lonely. Growing up atop the glass mountain, she knows only her violent and autocratic mother and a household of terrified servants.

Then a white bear named Rune comes to visit, and Hulde learns what kindness is.

But the queen has a plan for Hulde. When she turns 16, she will wed the most beautiful man in all the world. Hulde has never met her intended husband, and her mother refuses to explain the arrangement. Hulde becomes desperate to find out more and seeks the help of a magic mirror. Perhaps someone is coming to her rescue.

On her wedding day, Hulde's existence is turned upside down. For the first time she leaves the glass mountain behind, setting out to be as brave as the heroines in her beloved storybook.

The journey will test Hulde to the limit. Can she overcome her fears and take control of her own life?

Marillier posted this little insight on her personal blog:

East of the Sun, West of the Moon by Bev Johnson

Beautiful (the novel) is in three parts. Part one follows the pattern of the fairy tale, though the central character is not the white bear prince or the intrepid young woman who travels east of the sun and west of the moon to save him from a curse. Our narrator, whom I named Hulde, only had a bit-part in that original story. The novel-length version takes Hulde way out of her comfort zone as she heads off into the unknown world beyond the glass mountain, to find out what it means to make your own story. I really loved writing this book and I hope readers will enjoy it too. It has adventures and catastrophes and a dragon. Beautiful is suitable for both adult and young adult readers.  

One reviewer, Steff (Mogsy) at Bibliosanctum, had some interesting things to add about the book, which made us more inclined to consider taking the time to listen:

Hulde is what you would call the bit-parter, the forgotten one. Not the bold and indomitable heroine, nor the girl who gets the guy, she is in fact the troll princess, the quiet and unassuming daughter of the power-hungry Troll Queen. Marillier has described Hulde as “rather hard done by” in the original tale, so her novel was a chance to explore the character and her viewpoint in more detail. The first part of Beautiful tells of her childhood high in the mountain castle, growing up under the thumb of her temperamental and ambitious mother. Hulde is told that when she reaches age sixteen, she will be married to the most handsome prince in the land, though having been sheltered and isolated all her life, our protagonist isn’t really sure what to make of that. Her only friend—and the only one she’s ever had those kinds of feelings for—is Rune, the kindly white bear who only visits the castle every three years. 

Well, knowing the gist of the original fairy tale, you can probably guess what became of that relationship and how Hulde took it. Hard done by, indeed. After the introduction, I began to better understand the author’s fascination for the forgotten troll princess’ role in the story as well as her motivation to come up with the next chapter for her character, and I was glad to see that parts two and three of Beautiful did just that. Following Hulde after she finally steps out from the shadow of her mother, this book chronicles the epic journey of her self-discovery.

While Marillier did publish a novella-length version in the Aurum anthology late last year, this story, released in May 2019, is novel-length, and clocks in at 7+ hours of listening time. To date, if you want the whole story, this audiobook exclusive is the only way to go. (We hope that changes in the future!)

You can have a sample listen at Amazon HERE or at Audible HERE. It's free with a 30-day trial of Audible.

Animation Short: "Iron Hans" by Xun Wang (& Comparison of the Prince with Finn of "Adventure Time")

Since #FolkloreThursday is due to talk about wild men, wild women and wild places on August 22, 2019, we thought it was high time we posted this animated short, telling the fairy tale of Iron Hans.

It was created by animation student Xun Wang (aka Bunnyisgood) for her MFA thesis project, with posts on her process still able to be seen on a dedicated blog HERE. Finished in 2013, it was beautifully designed in collaboration with illustrator Eleanor Davis, and the narrator (Jon Avner) did a wonderful job, with his rough, mature voice.

The short film animates approximately half of the fairy tale, up to when the prince joins the wild man and runs into the dangerous woods, but make sure to continue to watch, as still scenes decorating the credits tell the rest of the story through to the end.

Enjoy!

About:

Iron Hans (2013) by Xun Wang adapts traditional animation techniques to retell a classic Grimm Brothers fairy tale of the same name. In collaboration with the illustrator Eleanor Davis, Wang’s poetic animation of flowing 2D drawings transports the viewer to the comfortable dream-like ritual of the nightly bedtime story.

We were not surprised to learn the film did well critically, becoming an Official Selection for The Melbourne International Animation Festival, and garnering another Official Selection for the Golden Orchid International Animation Festival, a semi-finalist for an Adobe Design Achievement Award, and two international student animation wins. All were well deserved!

Some scenes from this animated film have also been used in a short contemporary video, with lots of other clips, discussing Robert Bly's book Iron John - A Book About Men. It includes the reading of some extracts, explaining how Bly sees the fairy tale as a mirror for the maturation boys must undergo to become balanced men - a key part of which is accepting and becoming comfortable with his inner 'wild man'. It's an interesting video, worth the watch and the book is recommended.

We've included the video, "Iron John by Robert Bly - What's Missing in Modern Man", below. It's entertaining yet clear and full of contemporary references, and a quick 8-ish minutes worth your time (there are some other fairy tale references in there too):

We have to mention one very important pop culture tie in that we couldn't help but be reminded of while rewatching the animated short, and that is of the character of Finn in the long-running, fantastic cartoon series Adventure Time.

Adventure Time touches on many myths and fairy tales over the course of the series, sometimes very obviously, sometimes obliquely, but it's clearly telling fables for a purpose, and part of that purpose is the "hero-boy named Finn" a.k.a. "Finn the Human" finding his way in the world and growing into a man.

Clearly, there is no coincidence that Finn has the name he does (think Fionn mac Cumhaill, also known as Finn McCool), and it does require that he succeed at extraordinary and heroic feats for him and his friends to survive. While there are many episodes of Adventure Time that could be paralleled to the Prince's journey in Iron Hans, and it could be extrapolated that, instead of a golden ball, Finn has his golden (yellow) magical dog, (we checked, the parallel holds up!), there is one aspect of Finn that almost broadcasts his journey to manhood and that is of Finn's long golden hair.

Like the prince in Iron Hans, whose hair becomes golden when he accidentally lets it dip into the Wild Man's special spring water (a "no-no", with the results just as telling as the bloody key in Bluebeard, though the punishment is almost the opposite... another subject for another time!) Finn hides his hair under a white eared-cap for much of the series, revealing his long golden locks only at specific moments. Though there are times when it's used like the princess does in the Goose Girl - for distraction - Finn's hair is usually a symbol of taking responsibility or successfully overcoming (yet another) rite of passage. The importance of a moment isn't ever in doubt when Finn's hair appears. Just as in fairy tales, it's clear that hair is a very important symbol in the storytelling. The first glimpse of Finn's hair, doesn't happen until the second season, thirty-six episodes in, and it's a very dramatic reveal:

During the course of the series, there is even a "wild extension" of Finn that eventually splits off from him into a separate person, then-called Fern, that's nature-like, wild and acts like an alternate Finn with a more instinctively destructive nature. Fern struggles with identity issues once he appears and is separated from the original Finn, but clearly remains an external aspect of him. It's a pretty interesting exploration of growing up.

After ten+ seasons over eight and a half years, the widely-loved Adventure Time recently had its series finale (September 2018), something of a challenge with the "winding path (that) led us from small-scale whimsy to intergalactic adventure, building up dense layers of mythology, making for hours worth of wiki-reading", to quote Forbes, but it wrapped up the main thrust of the show well; that of a boy searching the wilds of the world, and himself, to figure out who he was and where his place was to be, as he grew from boy to man. The final episode even delivered a symbolic resolution for Fern, Finn's doppleganger, by using him to bookend the beginning of the series in an unexpected, unique and very satisfying way. Even more interesting, the finale didn't 'finish', exactly, except to imply that they (as the character BMO says) "lived their lives" and the adventure continues -  a very fairy tale ending indeed.

For a contemporary equivalent of the Iron Hans tale, Adventure Time - and the character of Finn in particular - makes for a fascinating case study.

Petzold's "Undine" To Be First In A Trio Of German Myths (& A Tour of Germanic Fairy Tale-Like Legends As Contenders for Films 2 & 3...)

During the conversation, the stranger had already occasionally heard a splash against the little low window, as if someone were sprinkling water against it. Every time the noise occurred, the old man knit how brow with displeasure; but at least when a whole shower was dashed against the panes, and bubbled into the room through the decayed casement, he rose angrily, and called threateningly from the window; "Undine; will you for once leave off these childish tricks? and to-day, besides, there is a stranger knight with us in the cottage." (Excerpt from Undine, Chapter 1: How the Knight Came to the Fisherman)

Production has just begun on a brand-new, mythic film trilogy, the first of which will be based on the fairy tale Undine, written by Friedrich de la Motte-Fouque. The story is well known in Germany and worldwide, largely thanks to Arthur Rackham's popular illustrations, and prima ballerina assoluta Margot Fonteyn's signature role as the titular Ondine with the Royal Ballet (with an 'O' instead of a 'U').

The director, Christian Petzold (of last year's acclaimed film Transit) has offered a few clues as to the direction he'll be taking:

"The next trilogy is about German myths. (The) first one (is) about Undine, a woman who comes in from the water, living in Berlin wanting to kill all the men. (And) yes, (it will be) very modern."

Petzold was interviewed recently, just after production started, and elaborated a little more on how the character of Undine will be portrayed. The article extract below includes information on the film's cast and crew for any who might be familiar with Petzold's work to date:

Director Christian Petzold has now embarked on his next film, the fairytale-inspired Undine, and it finds him reteaming with Transit stars Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski, Cineuropa reports. Also starring Jacob Matschenz and Maryam Zaree, see a synopsis below for the film that kicked off production last week. (Ed: Reported in July 2019)
Named after the water nymph that seduces men in a number of mythological tales, the German director’s new movie will portray Undine (Paula Beer) as a history graduate who works as a guide in Berlin in the present day. After her partner (Jacob Matschenz) leaves her for another woman, she is cursed and compelled to kill the man who betrayed her and return to the waters she was once summoned from. Yet unlike the mythological character, in the film, Undine tries to defy her fate. Immediately after the break-up, she meets Christoph (Franz Rogowski), an industrial diver, and falls in love with him. The two have a wonderful time together until he realises that she is running away from something and starts to feel betrayed.

So it will not have the fairy tale feel of Ondine, the 2010 romantic Irish-drama (with Colin Farrell and Alicja Bachleda), which was based on the same source. Ondine has few magical effects but very much taps into Wonder and has a very fairy tale feel. Petzold's Undine, however, will be worlds away from that and will be considering a very different aspect of the story.

Petzold is one of the few German film directors who consistently gets US distribution for his films. In an interview with The Film Experience, he was asked why he thought that might be. His answer is very interesting, both for German cinema and American:

"Americans need cinema like the Greeks needed theater. It’s where you learn about community and society. In Germany cinema had to be re-invented because Nazis infected it. So I learned from American cinema." 

We have to wonder, with his eye so firmly on the social and political dynamics of the world stage, particularly with regard to Germany and the US, what Petzold's commentary on current issues will be.  Clearly, he will be exploring the changing role - and perception - of women in his film Undine, but that's unlikely to be the only issue he'll be exploring.

In de la Motte-Fouque's original Undine, a strong contrast is drawn between the wild, (and soulless) Undine, who laughs inappropriately, is 'tricksy' and brazen (see excerpt at the beginning of the post for a taste), and her transformation to the woman she becomes (overnight) on getting married to a human and therefore gaining a soul. From then on, she is demure, quiet, modest and "well behaved". It is completely opposite to her essential nature, one which is surrounded by devilish spirits and creatures that accompany and pursue her, and frighten her knight and the priest that marries them. It is even implied in the Undine text at the beginning of the story, that the water nymph did away with (drowned) a couple's human child, in order to become the replacement foster child - a huge contrast to the meek and tragic figure she later becomes. (You can read the full book online HERE.) Petzold's Undine, rather than being mysterious and romantic, is set to start with quite a brazen edge too, and a very real threat, but also promises complexity as the story develops.

As for the other German myths that might be tapped for the trilogy, there are quite a few famous ones, and though we can't know how the director is considering tying the three films together, here are some possible subjects:

• The Pied Piper (not to be confused with the tragic Children's Crusade, another German legend)
• The Changeling (Or How To Protect Your Child - written by Jacob Grimm for German Mythology)
• The Hoofprint on the Rosstrappe, or Princess Brunhilde escaping the Giant Bodo (in which her stallion left a hoof print, still visible today, on Rosstrappe, in the Harz mountain range, as he leaped off a high cliff, carrying her to safety. This is from Legends and Tales of the Harz Mountains by Toofie Lauder 1881, but it can be seen that Germanic mythology has a lot of overlap with Norse mythology)
• The Morbach Monster (the location of the last werewolf kill in Germany, which has a shrine with an ever-burning candle, as legend has it that if the candle goes out, the monster will return)

The Lorelei legend (similar to a mermaid) is also one of the most popular German myths, but with Undine already being the basis of the first and sharing many of the motifs, it's unlikely Petzold will be using this one. There is a third water nymph legend that overlaps as well, loosely titled The King of Mummelsee (also known as the Singing Nymphs of the Black Forest), which takes place in the locale of the Black Forest (and a glacial lake) and includes mention of a monastery and nymphs-who-used-to-be-nuns; in some ways, a reversal of the Undine story. Other magical legends are based around Mummelsee (the lake) too, one in which a man in a rat fur coat, with an owl companion, takes a midwife with him to the lake, to help with the delivery of his baby. He paid her in straw, which turned to gold. Another legend says that deep down in the Mummelsee is a blue flower which can make someone invisible.

For the last of the major myth contenders, there is the notorious legend of the Watzmann mountain range, said to actually be a family of blood-thirsty people, who enjoyed hunting local peasants for sport, and were eventually cursed during a particularly cruel and bloody kill, and turned to stone, (each peak of the range a different family member) but it's a fairly simple story. There is a variant in which a little pocket-sized man helps the farmers defeat the wicked king and his family, and the community ends up stoning the entire awful family to death, using so many stones that the mountain range was created, but again it's a fairly straightforward tale. (An interesting local folkloric note: There is a tradition called "Kick the Royalty" in which, even today, locals encourage hikers to "kick the wicked royalty" with their shoes while "walking on their bodies".)

As one might imagine, The Black Forest has it's own unique set of legends (and fairy tales), many of which include a magical element; water nymphs, monks catching ghosts, a giant ditch-digging hen, disappearing night ladies, a headless horseman and a good witch who caused the local vineyards to produce the best wine in Europe. All of these legends are lesser-known, though, and unlikely to be a mythic source for the trilogy.

Veering slightly off the legend-as-complete-story' track, there are the popular legendary characters of German myth that could be considered as well. These include Godfather Death, Krampus (Santa's dark helper), the Erl King (German King of the Fairies), the Rübezahl (a trickster mountain spirit), Barbarossa (a famous king whose very long beard is linked with prophecy) and characters from The Nibelungenlied (knights, dwarves, and dragons).

Then there are many other collections of legends and folktales, beyond the Grimm brothers, any of which may also be in the running, as long as they have some popularity or legendary status in Germany. There are tales by Bechstein (whose work was apparently more popular in Germany than the contemporary Grimm's work, for about fifty years), Schönwerth's collected (and largely unedited) tales, and respected fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes also writes of many other German fairy and folktale collections, alerting us to many other tales and collections "more interesting" than Schönwerth's as well.

"...I can point to some brilliant German collections by Theodor Vernaleken, Johann Wilhelm Wolf, Ignaz and Joseph Zingerele, Heinrich Pröhle, Josef Haltrich, Christian Schneller, Karl Haupt, Hermann Knust, Carl and Theodor Colshorn, etc. "

There is certainly a wealth of possibilities for this new "mythic trilogy", but like Petzold's other trilogies, Undine is likely to be both a stand-alone film, and have a unique context within the trilogy, when it's complete. With Petzold's star shining so brightly at present, it's clear many critical eyes worldwide will be watching to see what he does.

For now, however, German fairy tales are front and center.

All illustrations in this post are by Frances Bassett Comstock.

Sources Referenced:

• Interview: Christian Petzold on 'Transit', melodramas and the influence of Fassbinder and Ackerman by Murtada Elfadl for The Film Experience
• Christian Petzold Begins Production on Fairytale-Inspired Film ‘Undine’ by Jordan Raup for The Film Stage 
• Full online text of Frederick La Motte-Fouque's "Undine"
• An Extraordinary New Find? Jack Zipes on the 500 New Fairy Tales by jwyg for the University of Chichester
• German Myths & Fairy Tales by Taylor Fisk Henning for the Illinois Library
• Myths, Legends & Folklore From Germany by Europe Diaries
• The Local List: German Myths & Legends by TheLocal.de
• Werewolf Legends from Germany - translated and edited by D. L. Ashliman University of Pittsburgh 
• The Nibelunglied - - translated and edited by D. L. Ashliman University of Pittsburgh 
• Undine 1911 English with illustrations by Frances Bassett Comstock - archive.org
• Various local articles on the Watzmann mountain range - including the Grosser Watzmann, the "Watzmann wife" and the seven "Watzmann children", located in Upper Bavaria
• German Changeling Legends  - translated and edited by D. L. Ashliman University of Pittsburgh 
• Barbarossa, the red-bearded hero, symbol of German unity by DW (Deutsche Welle) Culture
• Wikipedia entry for Rübezahl
• Legends of the Mummelsee in Germany's Black Forest by David Gutscher
• The Legend of the Rosstrappe from Uncommon Travel Germany, a transcribed tale from Legends and Tales of the Harz Mountains by Toofie Lauder in 1881
• The Pied Piper of Hameln (not a misspelling) and related legends of other towns - translated and edited by D. L. Ashliman University of Pittsburgh 
• Black Forest Legends by Websters
• The Erl King by Goethe - Encyclopedia Britannica.com