Folk tales, fairy tales & myth
My favourite fairy tale is East of the Sun, West of the Moon a Norwegian tale involving a polar bear, trolls and a determined young woman. Read the tale here
It was the first fairy tale that my younger self came across in which the female protagonist does the questing and saving. I have since come across many more tales featuring active heroines but it was the first with which I could identify and its effect on my young feminist sensibilities was memorable.
One of my key interests in fairy tales is how they are constantly being reimagined, reshaped and retold. I guess I’m fascinated with fairy tale genealogy! I have been reading fantasy books since I was a young teen, back then I didn't realise how steeped in fairy tales, folklore and mythology they were.
Click on an image below, to find out the story behind them
Mythology, Folk stories and Fairy tales are full of talking animals and beastly transformations. Some animals may be helpful and full of advice, others are cunning and tricky. Enchanted transformations from human to animal form can be wondrous or a terrible punishment. I’m interested in the symbolic resonance that a particular animal gives to a story & what that choice reveals about the story teller and the audience.