Extra Week Post: Fairy Tales from Around the World*

Hello, Collectors!

This is an extra week post. For more information, click here. (The second paragraph under the first picture explains extra week posts.)

Previously, I have mentioned a few fairy tale collectors, as well as multiple fairy tales. Now, however, let's continue by talking about fairy tales from around the world.

1) Russian Fairy Tales

Famous for Baba Yaga, the witch who is known to eat human flesh, but has also been known to help others. . . You may have heard of her hut, the hut on chicken legs. I haven't read very many Russian fairy tales, which is something I hope to change. :) You may have also heard of the tale "Ivan and the Firebird," and multiple fairy tales are similar to their counterparts from other countries. Russian fairy tales are wonderful, beautiful, and have their own set of tropes.

2) Norwegian Fairy Tales

I've talked about "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" before, and sadly, that's pretty much the only one I've read. Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe are the two most famous fairy tale collectors of Norwegian fairy tales. As always, I can never have enough fairy tales, so I'll have to start reading Norwegian fairy tales soon. . .

3) Irish Fairy Tales

Irish fairy tales, of course, have the most stories about children getting carried off by fairies. The fairies are a big part of Irish fairy tales, sometimes mischievous, and others more sinister. I know Joseph Jacobs, who collected English fairy tales, also collected some Irish ones, but I'm not sure who else collected Irish fairy tales. I've talked about Irish fairy tales somewhat here, and I included links to Irish fairy tales.

4) Tales of the Arabian Nights

Tales of the Arabian Nights are mostly Middle-Eastern and Indian fairy tales. The main story is the story of Scheherazade, who becomes the wife of the sultan to save other women from suffering the wrath of the Sultan: every night, he marries a new wife, and every morning, he cuts her head off. Scheherazade cleverly asks the sultan if she can tell her son one last story before she dies, but she doesn't tell the whole story. The sultan keeps her alive the next morning so he can hear the rest of the story, then the night after to hear the end of the new tale she's started. . . This continues for 1,001 nights, and this is where the fairy tales come from. It is uncertain which of the tales considered to be from the Tales of the Arabian Nights now were in the original volume, or even if the original volume was complete. Many scholars think multiple authors wrote the Tales because of the variety of styles, traditions, and cultures seen throughout Tales of the Arabian Nights. In any case, these are all wonderful fairy tales, from "Aladdin," to "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves." 

What fairy tales from around the world do you enjoy?

Spruce Nogard

*Actually posted on June 1st. See here for details.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Thousand-and-One-Nights

Attributions:

https://www.amazon.com/Russian-Fairy-Illustrated-Alexander-Afanasyev/dp/1908478683/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496436188&sr=1-2&keywords=russian+fairy+tales
https://www.amazon.com/dAulaires-Norwegian-Folktales-Ingri-d-Aulaire/dp/0816699321/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496436381&sr=1-2&keywords=norwegian+fairy+tales
https://www.amazon.com/Celtic-Tales-Enchantment-Scotland-Brittany/dp/145215175X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496436559&sr=1-2&keywords=irish+fairy+tales
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Arabian-Nights-H-Dulcken/dp/089009800X/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496436754&sr=1-12&keywords=tales+of+the+arabian+nights