New Release: Grimmworld: The Big Bad Wolf by Michaelbrent Collings

Grimmworld: The Big Bad Wolf by Michaelbrent Collings, the second book in the Grimmworld series was released in March. It follows the first book in the series, Grimmworld:The Witch in the Woods.

Book description from the publisher:

Willow and Jake have done the impossible: by saving Hansel and Gretel from the witch in the woods, they brought the first “happily ever after” to Grimmworld. But in the real world, their father is still missing, and the boundary between universes has grown even more fragile. Determined to reunite their fractured family, the twins return to Grimmworld to find their dad, their great-to-the-tenth-power grandfather, and the perpetually befuddled, acorn-loving, naked mole rat, Chet. But Grimmworld is a treacherous place, and soon, Willow and Jake are captured by fairies, who are less innocent and more dangerous than expected, and forced to make an impossible choice: Steal the golden claw of the Wolf King and return it to the fairy queen in exchange for information about their father, or refuse and become the fairies’ eternal, soulless slaves. But to steal the Wolf King’s claw, Jake and Willow will have to undergo the Wolf Trials, a perilous series of tests and traps that will push the twins to their limits and beyond. It will take Willow’s strength, Jake’s intellect, and the love and friendship they share—and maybe a few treats from Red Riding Hood’s magical basket—to defeat the Big Bad Wolf, find the next clue to their father’s whereabouts, and perhaps even bring another “happily ever after” to Grimmworld.

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Snow White Watches from Citizen Watches

I used to be a watch collector so I am always drawn to interesting watch designs. Now I am overly attached to my smart watch, alas. The new Snow White film has helped to inspire some lovely watches with a Snow White theme by Citizen. I am not expecting to sell these but using the Amazon links allows me permission to use the copyrighted images. So here they are:

Citizen Ladies' Eco-Drive Disney Princess Snow White Gold Stainless Steel Case with Blue Leather Strap Watch This one is my favorite and why I am sharing these at all. It charmed me when I saw it. I like the folkloric floral look of the watch and the subtler nods to Snow White.

Citizen Ladies' Eco-Drive Disney Princess Snow White Apple Stainless Steel Watch This one is pretty and in some of my favorite colors. 

Citizen Ladies' Eco-Drive Disney Villians Evil Queen Gold Stainless Steel Case and Black Leather Strap Watch and Pin Gift Set, Black Dial 

Citizen Women's Eco-Drive Disney Villain Evil Queen Crystal Watch and Pin Gift Set in Black IP Stainless Steel And this one looks the most like a Disney product to me. I almost didn't include it. Funny how ubiquitous the Disney Villains have become through various campaigns now.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 8: Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, a Scottish Snow White

This is an edited repost of a post from 2010:

So I decided to talk about another Snow White variant: Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree.  It, too, appears in my book, Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World.  You can also read the tale in Celtic Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs at Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree. 

This tale isn't as obvious a variant of Snow White, but most of the standard elements are there. What's more unusual is that it is a Scottish tale, closely related to a very old French one.

Here's an excerpt from my article about Snow White that appeared in Faerie Magazine in 2009 and that appears again in my Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World:

Another interesting variant, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, comes from Scotland. In this tale, the mother seeks to kill her beautiful daughter. The father deceives his wife and sends his daughter to another king to be married. Despite these precautions, the mother murders her but her devoted husband refuses to bury her. Eventually he marries again and his second wife revives the first wife. She offers to leave but the king chooses to keep both wives who become friends. The second wife later kills the wicked mother during another murder attempt. Then the king and his two wives live happily ever after together. Since polygamy wasn’t common in Scottish history, scholars speculate that the tale traveled there from a country in which the practice was more accepted.

This Scottish tale bears a strong resemblance to The Lay of Eliduc by Marie de France first recorded in the late 12th century. The lay is a Christianized version of the story with Eliduc as the king. In this version he doesn’t keep both wives. His first wife enters a nunnery instead of living in a plural marriage. Eventually Eliduc and his beloved wife enter into holy orders, too. At first reading, the lay appears unrelated to the version of the tale that is so well-loved today, but its relationship to the less popular variants is obvious upon closer inspection.

An article discussing The Lay of Eliduc, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, and Snow White by Alfred Nutt also appears in my book along with the full lay of Marie de France, of course. It's an old article, but interesting.  I am fascinated with early folklore and fairy tale scholarship myself and admire Nutt, Jacobs, Lang and so many others who didn't have nearly as much work to build upon as we do today. 

Finally, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree is one of my favorite Snow Whites. While variants of the tale are about women's jealousies, this version also includes a generous, resourceful woman who saves the day, too. It is also a little shocking with its touch of polygamy but that makes it feel even more ancient and from a different place. No, Scotland is not known for its polygamy tales, so that this one appears there makes one wonder about its full origins.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 7: Willa: An American Snow White

I haven't shared a film yet for a favorite Snow White and since a film inspired this series of posts, I guess I should offer a few! Today, I offer Willa: An American Snow White [that's a link to the rental on Amazon], an independent film by Tom Davenport that aired on PBS when it was originally released in 1998. Part of the "From the Brothers Grimm" series Davenport produced of American versions of tales, Willa is one of the longest and most interesting of his films. Most of others are much shorter--although I have some favorites in them!

A simple synopsis from Amazon:

An American version of 'Snow White' where Willa joins a traveling medicine show to escape her evil step-mother. Winner of the Andrew Carnegie Award for "Best Children's Video" from the American Library Association.

I really enjoy the carnival/circus elements of the story. I've embedded the trailer below. Some of the production values may be harder to watch almost 30 years later, but if you get past them, there are some really charming elements to this version of Snow White.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 6: Marigo: An Albanian Snow White with Dragons

This is an edited repost about Snow White that I originally published in 2010.

Dragons, dragons, DRAGONS! If you read enough around the web, you will see references to a Snow White variant in which her hosts are not dwarves--which actually they seldom are--but dragons. 

The truth of the matter is that, yes, in at least one Snow White variant the heroine--here named Marigo--ends up living in a castle with 40 drachen after escaping her stepmother and father. The Albanian tale is "Schneewittchen" and can be found in Johann Georg von Hahn's Griechische und Albanesische Märchen.

The issue is the definition and translation of drachen. Most German dictionaries only offer "dragon (as in mythical lizard)" or "kite (as in go fly one)" as the translation for "drachen." However, there appears to be an almost archaic, less common reference to "heroic men" that doesn't appear in many dictionaries. But overall, scholars translate the drachen in that tale as heroic men, not literal lizardy dragons as wonderful as that may be.

And, considering that in the majority of the Snow White tales from across Europe, the Snow White character ends up with either heroes (such as retired soldiers) or robbers as housemates and protectors, it only makes sense. 

But don't let this news disappoint you. Whether there be lizardy dragons in the tale or not, it is one of the more interesting of the Snow White variants. 

For example, Marigo kills her mother through her teacher's instructions and the teacher then becomes her wicked stepmother. This scenario doesn't appear in many Snow Whites although it is found in other tale variants, such as some Cinderellas. Better yet, the father is not absent but complicit for he tries to kill his daughter as his new wife demands although he is fortunately unable to carry through. At first, he tries the passive aggressive route to murder--abandoning her in the wilderness--which spares her life. [Nope, no huntsman in this one.]

Then when the stepmother learns that Marigo is still alive, she sends the father back time and again in disguises to kill his daughter. So the father is the co-villain for he fails to stand up for and protect his own daughter who is herself not quite innocent having killed her own mother. (As I've said before, you just can't beat a fairy tale for amazing storylines.) This tale also ends with Snow White being revived and married to her prince charming, but her parents are not punished for their crimes. They are simply not mentioned after her revival. The ending is rather abrupt actually, but fascinating for that very reason.

Yes, it is a very interesting variant of the tale, a great horror movie plot for the taking.

(This one is going on my short list of tales I'd love to hand to people who get that condescending tone when they learn I work with and study fairy tales. "Oh, how sweet!"  Sure, if matricide and other forms of murder are "sweet."  This isn't one you'll be reading to your child at bedtime anytime soon, I'm sure.)

I translated the tale from the German and it is included in Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World. as "29. Snow White from Albania." And I kept the term "dragons" in my translation.  It is such a wonderful word that I hated to change it to another less romantic term...

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 5: Snow White: Illustrated Reinterpretation by Jana Haitarova

 

Snow White: Illustrated Reinterpretation by Jana Haitarova (Illustrator & Author), Jacob Grimm (Author), Wilhelm Grimm (Author) uses a lightly modified version of Margaret Hunt's English translation of the Grimms' tale juxtaposed against illustrations that tell a parallel story. I recently discovered this newly published book and although I haven't seen the full book yet, what I have seen is very compelling and already qualifies as a favorite rendition of the tale for me. The dwarves are game pieces and a doll house is included, too. I'm sharing just a few of the 44 illustrations below.

Book description from the publisher:

Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs: Illustrated Reinterpretation (Grimm's Original Story)

This beautifully illustrated picture book offers a psychological retelling of Snow White, presenting the classic tale through a realist lens. Staying true to the original text by the Brothers Grimm, the story is uniquely retold solely through its illustrations, creating a dynamic interplay between image and text.

With a focus on the emotions of a young child, the book delves into the deeper layers of the narrative, encouraging readers to reflect on fantasy as a coping mechanism. Featuring 44 exquisitely hand-drawn watercolour illustrations, this book brings new depth and perspective to a beloved fairytale.

A perfect addition to any collection for readers who appreciate timeless stories reimagined with emotional and artistic insight.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 4: The Unnatural Mother and the Girl With a Star on Her Forehead

This is an edited repost from from 2010 when I first published Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World:

I've read many variants of both Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Snow White ended up being much more interesting than I anticipated, since I've made no secret of my previous lack of favoritism for the tale. 

One of the tales that swayed me is "The Unnatural Mother and the Girl With a Star on Her Forehead" from Mozambique. This was perhaps the spunkiest and most vengeful of all the Snow Whites although there were some strong ones in the mix. In this one, the Snow White character faces her mother (not a stepmother) at the celebratory banquet at the end of the tale. She then describes her horrific experiences at the hands of her mother, who is feeling somewhat ashamed. 

Here is an excerpt:

When they had finished eating, the young wife addressed them: “Silence!” said she. “I am going to tell you a story!” They all applauded. She added: “It is not a very long one. Listen, princes and subjects. When you give birth to a beautiful child, do you dare to kill it?”

The chiefs were astounded at such a question! “We never thought such a thing possible.”

“Well, I have known such a thing,” she said. “Look at my finger!” Then she began, and told them all the story; how her mother had killed her with the slippers, had put her eyes out and cut off the nipples of her breasts. The mother was there, in full view of everyone. Finally the young woman said to her husband: “I wish my mother to be killed today!”

The husband said: “No, leave her alone.”

“No,” said she, “she must be put to death.”

She had a small gun of her own, and with that she shot the mother right before them all. The people picked up the body, and went off to bury it. As for the young woman, she gave a piece of land to her father, who said to her: “You have done quite right; I did not know who you were.”

She gave him a certain sum of money with which to procure another wife, and he settled in her village.

That’s the end.

And, no, this would not be a children's version of the tale with those horrors enacted by her mother.

Usually the new husband metes out the punishment in the Snow White tales, but in this one he refuses and Snow White takes matters into her own hands.  Obviously the story isn't as old as other variants with the inclusion of the gun, but it is a fascinating variation of a tale, an uncommon variation at that. 

On the other hand, the tale is far from satisfying all the same since the mother was beginning to show remorse when she saw her daughter again. Is it remorse over her actions themselves or being called out on her actions? We won't know since she is shot dead. Still, the death by gunshot would have been much more understandable in another tale, "The Magic Mirror" from Romania, in which the mother kills her daughter's newborn babe, a permanent death that is not magically reversed. That was perhaps the most depressing Snow White tale. Although most of the tales describe terrible murder attempts, it is far from a happy ending since there is a real, permanent loss of an innocent baby to overshadow the end.

And that's just two of the 41 Snow White variants included in Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World. 

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 3: Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan

 

Snow White: A Graphic Novel by Matt Phelan was recently listed in The Wall Street Journal as The 20 Best Children's Books of the Past 20 Years by Meghan Cox Gurdon. I was grateful for the reminder. This, like Fiona French's Snow White in New York, is set in New York City, but this time the timeline is centered more around the stock market crash and the tone is classic film noir. The dwarves are street urchins. Phelan's illustrations bring beauty and grace to a dark story filled with bravery and endurance.

Book description from the publisher:

“Phelan’s noir-esque adaptation of the classic fairy tale is atmospheric, clever, and touching. . . . A stunning, genre-bending graphic novel.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

The curtain rises on New York City. The dazzling lights cast shadows that grow ever darker as the glitzy prosperity of the Roaring Twenties screeches to a halt. Enter a cast of familiar characters: a young girl, Samantha White, returning after being sent away by her cruel stepmother, the Queen of the Follies, years earlier; her father, the King of Wall Street, who survives the stock market crash only to suffer a strange and sudden death; seven street urchins, brave protectors for a girl as pure as snow; and a mysterious stock ticker that holds the stepmother in its thrall, churning out ticker tape imprinted with the wicked words: “Another . . . More Beautiful . . . KILL.”

For more about Favorite Snow Whites in this blog series:

Favorite Snow Whites, Part 1: Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World

Favorite Snow Whites, Part 2: Snow White in New York by Fiona French

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 1: Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World

 

Today is the official release date of Disney's live action/CGI film of Snow White in the United States, accompanied by all of its controversies. There's plenty of coverage of the new movie just about everywhere right now in the media machine. I don't really want to tread there myself. So I won't!

But while everyone is paying attention to the tale of Snow White, I would like to share other versions that I enjoy, both modern and traditional. I plan to do that over the next week or so, and this post serves as a brief introduction.

I have always had a strong push/pull with the Snow White story. Disney's rendition is my least favorite of the Disney versions of fairy tales if I am forced to choose. However, the more familiar traditional versions are often problematic for me, too. I was taught by loving parents of stranger danger from a young age, so Snow White accepting gifts from strangers was always disturbing to me. Her trusting innocence felt like pure stupidity to my immature black and white thinking brain. Her domesticity and physical beauty weren't compelling for me either. Consequently, I often ignored Snow White in favor of other tales that resonated with me more.

Then I edited and translated a collection of Snow White tales as part of my Sleeping Beauties: Sleeping Beauty and Snow White Tales From Around the World. During that process of researching and reading about Snow White variants from around the world, I gained a much deeper affection for the tale. And I discovered some gems that are included in that book. I will discuss some of those in the coming days. 

I shared 41 variants of Snow White in Sleeping Beauties. They are from Italy, Turkey, France, Germany, England, Mozambique, Libya, Morocco, Gabon, Algeria, Iceland, and so many other interesting places. It is closely tied to Sleeping Beauty in some versions, especially the earliest published versions. Those 41 tales (and more that I couldn't include in the book) provide a much larger scope for the imagination, and some don't include many of the more controversial elements of the tale. And occasionally, Snow White more actively rescues herself, too. She is innocent and naive, but she is also sympathetic. I have great affection and compassion for Snow White these days and don't want her to be lost in the giant media machine, defined by the most popular version carefully crafted for corporate profit. So please check back in the coming days as I share some of her interesting varieties.

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Favorite Snow Whites, Part 2: Snow White in New York by Fiona French

One of my favorite renditions of Snow White is Snow White in New York by Fiona French, now a classic, first published in 1987. It won the Kate Greenaway Medal for good reason. It is a clever rendition of the tale. My favorite element is the appearance of the famous magic mirror as The New York Mirror, a newspaper, which declares Snow White the belle of New York City. What a perfect and apt modern rendition of the mirror's function in the story, very poignant in our day of media and social media impact.

I also love the art deco illustrations and style. It's a unique take on the story, beautifully illustrated. I've included a few illustrations below.

Book description from the publisher:

Pulsating with the rhythm and vibrancy of the Jazz Age, this dazzling picture book is set in New York City in the 1920s. The story may be familiar, but the cast of characters will surprise you. Snow White is a beautiful jazz baby, protected by seven hot jazzmen. Instead of a wicked stepmother, her arch-enemy is the Queen of the Underworld. And her Prince Charming is a crack reporter from the New York Mirror. The breezy and clever text complements the style and color of the art deco illustrations, making this a picture book of astonishing originality. 

Yes, that stepmother loves to see herself in the newspaper!

Bargain Ebook: Black Thorn, White Rose (Fairy Tale Anthologies) by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor)

 

Black Thorn, White Rose (Fairy Tale Anthologies) by Ellen Datlow (Editor), Terri Windling (Editor) is on sale as a Daily Deal for $2.99. This series of short story anthologies are great. I have the original editions in hardcover.

Book description from the publisher:

“Enchanting, witty” fairy tales for adults from Peter Straub, Daniel Quinn, Nancy Kress, Patricia C. Wrede, and other modern-day Grimms and Andersens (Publishers Weekly).

World Fantasy Award–winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling return with another superb collection of wonders and terrors. In Black Thorn, White Rose, the magical tales we were told at bedtime have been upended, turned inside out, reshaped, and given a keen, distinctly adult edge by eighteen of the most acclaimed storytellers ever to reinvent a fairy tale. Our favorite characters, from Sleeping Beauty to Rumpelstiltskin to the Gingerbread Man, are here but in different guises, brought to new life by such masters as Nancy Kress, Jane Yolen, Storm Constantine, and the late, great Roger Zelazny.

These breathtaking tales of dark enchantments range from the tragic and poignant to the humorous to the horrifying to the simply astonishing. The story of an aging woodcutter persuaded to help a desperate prince make his way through the brambles to save a sleeping beauty twists ingeniously around like the thorny wall that impedes them. The fable of an all-controlling queen mother who faces her most fearsome adversary in a sensitive princess who appears mysteriously during a storm is a dark, disturbing masterpiece. And readers will long remember the exquisite tale of Death, his godson, football, and MTV.

Anyone who has ever loved or even feared the old tales of witches and trolls and remarkable transformations will find much to admire in this extraordinary collection—happily ever after or not.

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Bargain Ebook: The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne for $2.99

 

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne is on sale in ebook format for $2.99 for a limited time. This one is a retelling of Rapunzel from Mother Gothel's perspective. I haven't read this one but I am always fascinated by this subgenre of Rapunzel retellings.

Book description from the publisher:

Everyone knows the story of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there? Mary McMyne's spellbinding debut, rich with historical detail and forbidden magic, reveals the truth behind the fairy tales—the truth only a witch could tell.

"Smart, swift, sure-footed and fleet-winged, The Book of Gothel launches its magic from a most reliable source: the troubled heart. Mary McMyne is a magician."—Gregory Maguire, NYT bestselling author of Wicked

Germany, 1156. With her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, young Haelewise has never quite fit in. Shunned by her village, her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, and of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.

When her mother dies, Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother spoke of—a place called Gothel, where she meets a wise woman willing to take Haelewise under her wing. There, she discovers that magic is found not only in the realm of fairy tales.

But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It's also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles, behind the world Haelewise has always known.

Praise for The Book of Gothel:

"A sprawling epic, full of magic, love, and heartbreak." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A luscious origin story." —Booklist (starred review)

"A sweeping, sharp story of how history twists into fairy tales and back again." —Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author

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