A Warning About Swans
A Warning About Swans

Author: R. M. Romero

Publisher: Holiday House

Published: 2023-07-11

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 1682634833

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Swan Lake meets The Last Unicorn by way of the Brothers Grimm in a dreamy, original fairytale. Acclaimed author R.M. Romero spins an enchanting tale in elegant verse about the search for belonging, and ultimately, empowerment. Perfect for fans of Uprooted and The Bear and the Nightingale. "Dreamy, melancholy, and pensive. . . ."—NPR Bavaria. 1880. Hilde was dreamed into existence by the god Odin and, along with her five sisters, granted cloaks that transform them into swans. Each sister’s cloak is imbued with a unique gift, but Hilde rejects her gift which allows her to lead the souls of dying creatures to the afterlife. While guiding the soul of a hawk, Hilde meets the handsome Baron Maximilian von Richter, whose father left him no inheritance. Hilde is intrigued by Richter’s longing for a greater life and strikes a deal with him: She will manifest his dreams of riches, and in return, he will take her to the human world, where the song of souls can’t reach her. But at the court of King Ludwig II in Munich, Hilde struggles to fit in. After learning that fashionable ladies are sitting for portraits, she hires non-binary Jewish artist Franz Mendelson, and is stunned when Franz renders her with swan wings. The more time she spends with Franz, the more she feels drawn to the artist’s warm, understanding nature, and the more controlling Richter becomes. When Hilde’s swan cloak suddenly goes missing, only Franz’s ability to paint the true nature of souls can help Hilde escape her newfound prison. A Warning About Swans weaves poetry into myth with spellbinding verse. Familiar as a Grimm tale and beautiful as a fairytale, but darker and more lyrical. The perfect fantasy to cozy up with and be whisked away to real-world enchanted castles. A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book!

Children into Swans
Children into Swans

Author: Jan Beveridge

Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP

Published: 2014-10-01

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 0773596178

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Fairy tales are alive with the supernatural - elves, dwarfs, fairies, giants, and trolls, as well as witches with magic wands and sorcerers who cast spells and enchantments. Children into Swans examines these motifs in a range of ancient stories. Moving from the rich period of nineteenth-century fairy tales back as far as the earliest folk literature of northern Europe, Jan Beveridge shows how long these supernatural features have been a part of storytelling, with ancient tales, many from Celtic and Norse mythology, that offer glimpses into a remote era and a pre-Christian sensibility. The earliest stories often show significant differences from what we might expect. Elves mingle with Norse gods, dwarfs belong to a proud clan of magician-smiths, and fairies are shape-shifters emerging from the hills and the sea mist. In story traditions with roots in a pre-Christian imagination, an invisible other world exists alongside our own. From the lost cultures of a thousand years ago, Children into Swans opens the door on some of the most extraordinary worlds ever portrayed in literature - worlds that are both starkly beautiful and full of horrors.

The Celtic and Scandinavian Religions
The Celtic and Scandinavian Religions

Author: J. A. MacCulloch

Publisher: Cosimo, Inc.

Published: 2005-11-01

Total Pages: 185

ISBN-13: 1596054166

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There is some evidence that certain women had priestly functions, perhaps a near relation of the gthi, and occasionally acting for him. Such a woman was called gydja and might even own a temple. The god Frey had a young priestess in his temple, regarded as his consort... -from "Scandinavia: Worship and Its Accessories" Highly readable and densely informative, this general survey of Celtic and Scandinavian mythology and its beliefs and practices, first published in 1948, remains an excellent resource. The author, a well-regarded expert on the subject, explores: .nature worship .deities and lesser supernatural beings .mythical heroes .magic and divination .creation stories .magic and morality .and more. Readers in comparative mythology and fans of Arthurian, Celtic, and epic fantasy fiction will find this book a delight. British scholar JOHN ARNOTT MACCULLOCH (1868-1950) wrote numerous books on ancient mythology, including Religion of the Ancient Celts, The Childhood of Fiction: A Study of Folk Tales and Primitive Thought, Mythology of All Races, Religion: Its Origin & Forms, and Medieval Faith and Fable.

Old Norse Images of Women
Old Norse Images of Women

Author: Jenny Jochens

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2016-11-11

Total Pages: 344

ISBN-13: 1512802816

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Working from the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and Old Norse prose narratives and laws, Jenny Jochens argues for an underlying cultural continuum of a pagan pantheon and a set of heroic figures shared by the Germanic tribes in Europe, Britain, Scandinavia, and Iceland from A.D. 500 to 1500. Old Norse Images of Women explores the female half of this legacy, which involves images both divine and human. In a society marked by sharp gender divisions, women were frequently portrayed as one of four conventional types. The warrior woman was exemplified by the valkyrie, sheildmaiden, or maiden king. The wise woman was a prophetess or sorceress. The avenger is best seen in Gudrun, whose focus of revenge shifted from husband to brothers. Last, there were the whetters or inciters, who appear both in the Continental setting as Brynhildr and as ubiquitous figures in medieval Icelandic literature, ranging from Norwegian queens to humble milkmaids.

Gudrid the Fair
Gudrid the Fair

Author: Maurice Hewlett

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2019-12-13

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13:

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Delve into the tale of Gudrid the Fair in this novel by Maurice Hewlett. This enthralling story follows the journey of a beautiful woman, burdened with a prophecy of sorrow. With a blend of historical, mythical, and mystical elements, the narrative transports readers to a distant era. Gudrid's path intertwines with Viking exploration as she accompanies Erik the Red to Greenland. Witness her resilience in the face of hardships and her transformation from paganism to Christianity. From marriage to loss, adventures to settlement attempts in Vinland, Gudrid's life unfolds in an epic saga of love, tragedy, and the discovery of a new world.