Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas Book Notes on FairyTaleChannel


To help you navigate the various Christmas links on this blog, sort through the many different Christmas themes and perhaps provide impetus for further reading, here are some book notes from FairyTaleChannel.org. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Much has been written about the themes addressed in Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Many critics see it primarily as a condemnation of social injustice and poverty. But few have identified the many fairy tales, folk traditions and popular beliefs much of the story is based on. The whole notion of ghosts and spirits haunting the Christmas season comes from the world of the fairy tale, as does the idea of three spirits from the past, present and future illuminating and interpreting one’s destiny. See the links on this website to read more, in particular, the links for Ghosts, Ghost Theory and Norns.

Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie

The story Peter Pan shares the major themes and plot points of the Doomed Prince, a tale from ancient Egypt. Hit the link Doomed Prince to read an original translation of this tale.

Too Much Happiness, by Alice Munro

So what does ghost theory have to do with this latest book of short stories by Alice Munro? The title story of this collection is based on the life of 19th century Russian mathematician Sophia Kovalesvsky, the first woman elected to the Russian Academy of Sciences and the great-great granddaughter of Johann Ernst Schubert, the Lutheran theologian whose ideas about Ghost Theory are featured on this blog. See link to find out more.

Christmas Carols relating to the fairy tale themes explored on this Blog can be heard sung in German and English if you hit the Christmas Carols link.

Christmas Fairy Tales on this Website Featuring Christmas Hauntings:
The Advent Flibbertigibbet (Flibbertigibbet link)
Hille Bingel’s Wedding
The Troll’s of Winter
Marriage of King Wilt and Lady Lee
Ghosts of Christmas Past (Christmas Ghosts link)

The Lives of the Christmas Saints:
Saint Joseph in the Forest
Child of Mary
Saint Andrew, the Protocolete (Saint Andrew’s Eve link)
Saint Nicholas
Saint Lucy (Christmas Saints link)

The season is also a popular time for auguring one’s future, especially in regard to the New Year and designing your own New Year Celebration. See the links about

St. Andrew’s Eve,
The Lover Invited to Dinner
Augury/Text
Augury for the 21st Century

And finally, who would have thought the Christmas Season would be such a good time for Nose Fairy Tales? A Nose Trilogy appears on this blog, the links are:

Nose Fairy Tale
Hille Bingels Wedding
St. Joseph


Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

The Wild Way / Vicentine and Veronese Alps

From a remote area of the Italian Alps, a fairy tale about Christmas spirits haunting the Wild Way (place known as the Wildbahn mountain region).
Grimm’s Saga No. 151: The Wild Ghosts of Christmas

Among the Vicentine and Veronese Germans (who inhabit the Italian Alps), it is widely known that from the second half of December until mid-January it is ill-advised for even the most daring hunter to visit the Wildbahn. All fear the Wild Man and Wild Woman. During this time shepherds do not drive their cattle. Instead children fetch water in containers from the nearest available source and water their herds in the stable. The women spin a piece of their hair onto spindles to appease the wild woman or woods wife, as she is known. Then they throw it into the fire to placate this spirit. On Christmas Eve, every place in the house with a chimney or an opening, through which air enters, is spread with ash. In the morning the footprints in the ash are carefully studied to see their position, size and whether they are moving into or out of the house. This tells which good or bad ghosts are visiting the dwelling.



Another Christmas story:

http://www.fairytalechannel.com/2009/12/trolls-of-winter-for-dark-days-of.html

Translation FairyTaleChannel.com

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Tree Tales and Christmas Carols for the Bleak Midwinter



Christmas: a Time of Carols, Trees and Hauntings

Christmas trees figure prominently in modern celebrations of the season. However the custom of illuminating a fir tree and bringing it into the house is probably based on a pre-Christian tradition that extends deep into the distant past. Before Europe was widely Christianized, pagan celebrations marked the winter solstice in December. Many of the traditions from these long-forgotten celebrations were subsequently absorbed by the Christmas holiday which displaced them. Legends and fairy tales contain remnants of these long-forgotten pagan customs but they have been blended with the gospel narrative and are barely recognizable today. There are common markers of these older traditions in fairy tales, saga and even Christmas carols, which include a reverence for fir trees and also branches, in particular blossoms or fruit springing forth from dead wood often during the deep midwinter or at time near the winter solstice; the offering of gifts; miracles or legends associated with animals in forest or field; processions and lighted candles; strange lights and spooks; hauntings of all sorts and augering the future; but most importantly accounts of incredible transformations when linked to one of the saints but especially the Virgin Mary. (to read more, hit the Christmas Saints link at right). At this time of year the fir tree, hazel branch and lily became associated with Saint Mary and all three appear in many tales of the season (see Grimm’s Saga, the Hazel Branch). It is assumed that the Virgin was replacing an older pagan deity who was similar to her in temperament and importance and that the plants themselves were believed to have certain powers. German Christmas carols may also reflect this blending of Christian and pre-Christian sentiment and I think the carol Oh Tannenbaum is a good example. Provided below is a more literal translation of the popular song that was written around 1820, which has a slightly different emphasis than the more common version:


Oh Christmas Tree (Oh Fir Tree) (Text ca. 1820)

(The evergreen as symbol of life continuing on during the harsh winter months.)
Hit the following link to hear this carol sung in German and English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56FnDj-_bJI


1. Oh fir tree, Oh fir tree
How true are your leaves!
You not only bloom in summer,
But also in winter when it’s snowing.
O fir tree, Oh fir tree,
How true are your leaves.

2. Oh fir tree, Oh fir tree
How you please me! (Or: How I love you!)
How often at Christmas time,
Oh tree, have you delighted me!
O fir tree, Oh fir tree,
How you please me.

3. Oh fir tree, Oh fir tree
Your leaves shall teach me:
Hope and constancy
Give me comfort and strength always.
Oh fir tree, Oh fir tree,
Your leaves shall teach me.


Saint Barbara is also one of the saints mentioned at Christmas time. Her feast day is December 4th and in the following German song, the miracle of winter transformation is celebrated in the form of dead twigs (for another “dead twig legend” see Grimm’s Saga No. 349: Image of Mercy in the Larch Branch at Waldrast provided under the link Three Legends of the Virgin Mary).

German Christmas Carol: I broke off three barren branches. (Ich brach drei duerre Reiselein)


1. I broke off three barren branches
from the dead hazel bush,
I placed them in an earthen jar,
warm was the water, too.

2. On Saint Barbara’s Feast Day,
I broke the twigs away.
Christmas, it came,
and with it the miracle.

3. Soon two little branches burst into bloom,
and they blossomed on Christmas Eve.
I broke off the third twig,
and my heart also blossomed anew.

4. I broke off three barren branches,
from the hard hazel bush.
God let them turn green, it thrives,
just like our own lives.

Another favorite German tree carol, or rather, life-springing-forth-from-stump carol (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen):

An older arrangement of the same tune, capturing the mystery but perhaps even the spookiness of the season:

Perhaps the most poignant story of all is the Singing Fir Tree, my favorite tale for the Christmas season, which features the Virgin Mary and a sort of transformation in reverse, the mystery of going from something living to something seemingly dead, but ultimately still living on.
And here is a carol of Mary (Maria durch ein Dornwald ging), the setting is a thorny forest landscape. it is hauntingly beautiful and I think a wonderful backdrop for reading the legend of the Singing Fir Tree:


The Singing Fir Tree, a Swiss Fairy Tale
In Switzerland, a story is told about a man named Hans Kreutz, who lived with his wife on Thun Lake in Ralligen. In the year 1555, a thick black fog descended on the village and it would not dissipate. The alarmed villagers retreated to their homes, closed doors and sealed the windows tightly. But a light blue vapor crept under the window sill and the wife breathed in this vapor and in the evening she lay in bed motionless. Hans looked into her eyes and saw no reflection there and in the morning she was dead.


Many villagers died that year and the survivors buried their loved ones in the church yard at the outskirts of town, where the mountain and forest swept down abruptly into the valley. While the bells in the church tower were ringing, Hans buried his wife and returned home. For days he did not leave his house. He neither ate nor slept but could not forget the vacant stare of his beloved wife and the sound of the church bells as he lowered her into the grave.

One evening when Hans sat by the fire, he heard the church bells ring out the Ave and they rang and rang and he lost track of the time. He raised his head, for he thought he heard wonderful and sweet singing up high in the Hohlbach Forest near the tree line. But when the church bells stopped ringing, he heard it no more. The next day he sat with longing and waited for the evening church bells to ring out the Ave. At first he heard only the faintest sound of distant singing, but then the melody grew stronger until there could be no mistake. A woman’s voice sang a mysterious and beautiful song, the words of which he could not quite decipher.

But Hans spread word among the townspeople. At night the entire village listened while the church bells rang and soon everyone heard the wonderful singing daily. The singing was soothing and the villagers listened at the edge of the village until the snow began to fall and then they returned to their homes. All but Hans, who wanted to know where the singing came from. The next night when the church bells were ringing, the villagers assembled in the church yard. Hans lit a torch and climbed the mountainside, following the mysterious melody. He did this every evening until one night he finally found a giant fir tree, and its voice was sweet and clear. He shyly gazed upon the tree and in amazement listened to its gentle song.

But Hans could find no rest. The singing fir tree occupied his waking and sleeping hours and he wanted to be in the presence of its song always. In secret he climbed up the mountain during the day and spent long hours near the tree. Some time passed and Hans was called away to visit his family in the next valley.

While he was away, a wood carver from among the villagers, who had seen the beautiful fir tree, decided he needed it to make a wood carving. Because the tree was so magnificent, tall and straight, with perfectly formed branches and trunk, he had it felled and brought down to the valley. From the wood, he selected an enormous block of the trunk that had no scars or branches. From this piece of wood he began to carve an image of the Virgin Mary. He worked day and night on this carving and saw nothing more beautiful than the image of the Virgin growing out of the wood. And after some time, the villagers came to his workshop and marveled at the beauty of the image, its heavenly countenance and mild authority.

When Hans returned to the village after some months, he climbed the mountain and went directly to where the singing fir tree had stood. In its place was only a stump and Hans was gripped by such melancholy, that a loud moan issued from his lips. It was like the howling of a wounded wolf or the shriek of an eagle flying overhead. The loud cries filled the valley, echoing off the cliffs and rocks. When the villagers heard the loud cries from above, they gathered below near the church. And soon in the distance they heard the beautiful, long-missed song. They turned and saw the woodcarver, carrying his statue and saw that it was singing. He placed the statue in the church, where it stands today. And some say, they have heard it singing when a loved one dies. The place where the tree once stood is now called Marienstein. There is a smaller rock nearby, where Hans once gazed upon the fir tree. It is said that in his grief, Hans turned to stone and the place is now called the Kreutzantisch.



The Singing Fir Tree Copyright FairyTaleChannel.com
(Please read, enjoy, link to or pass this story on to friends.
Please do not plagiarize, copy or pilfer. Thanks!)

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Christmas Fairy Tale: Child of Mary



Grimm's Fairy Tale No. 3: Child of Mary

There was once a woodcutter, who lived with his wife outside a deep forest. He had only one child, a little girl three years old. They were so poor, they had neither crust nor crumb nor did they know what they would feed the child. 

One morning, the wordcutter went into the forest with a heavy heart. As he chopped his wood, a beautiful and tall woman suddenly stood before him. She had a crown of twinkling stars on her head and spoke to him: “I am the Virgin Mary, the mother of the Baby Jesus: you are poor and needy. Bring me your child. I will take it with me, be its mother and care for it.”

The woodcutter obeyed, fetched his child and gave it to the Virgin Mary, who took it with her to heaven. There the child prospered, ate sugar-cake and drank sweet milk. Its clothes were made of gold and angels were the child’s playmates. When the girl turned fourteen, the Virgin Mary called her and spoke “Dear child, I have a long journey ahead of me. Take the keys to the thirteen doors of the Kingdom of Heaven: you may open up twelve of them and view the splendor within. But the thirtheenth door, to which this small key belongs, is prohibited: take care, that you do not open it, otherwise you will become unhappy.”

The girl promised to be obedient, and when the Virgin Mary had departed, she began to view the rooms of the kingdom of heaven: each day she opened one door, until she had gone around to all twelve. Behind each door sat an apostle, who was enveloped by a brilliant light and the child delighted in their splendor and magnificence. The angels, who always accompanied the girl, rejoiced with the child.

Now only the forbidden door was left unopened and the child felt such a huge desire to know what was hidden behind it. The girl spoke to the angels: “I won’t open the door completely and I don’t want to go inside, but I do want to open it so that we can see just a little bit through the crack.” “Oh no,” said the angels. “That would be a sin: the Virgin Mary forbids it and it could easily result in your unhappiness.”

The child was silent but the desire in its heart would not diminish. The yearning gnawed and pecked and would not leave the child in peace. When the angels had all left, the child thought “now I am entirely alone and can look inside. No one will even know that I did it.” The girl took out the key and felt it’s cold metal in the palm of her hand, she then placed it in the latch. And when she had inserted it, the lock turned over. 

The door sprang open and inside the child saw the Trinity seated in fire and brilliance. The girl stood still for a while and considered everything with astonishment, then held out her finger a bit and touched the brilliant glow. Her entire finger was turned to gold. Immediately the girl was gripped by fear. She slammed the door shut and ran away. The terror would not subside and try as she may, her heart raced and raced and would not be calm: the gold stayed on her finger and would not wash off, no matter how much she washed or rubbed.

It was not long before the Virgin Mary returned from her journey. She called the girl and asked her for the keys to heaven. When she held up the key ring the Virgin Mary looked into her eyes and said “Did you open the 13th door too?” “No,” the girl responded. She placed her hand on the girl’s heart and felt how it raced and raced and noticed that she had violated her command and had indeed opened the door. She asked again “Are you sure you didn’t do it?” “No,” the girl said a second time. Then the Virgin Mary looked at her finger, which had become golden from touching the heavenly fire. She saw that the girl had sinned and asked a third time: “Did you do it?” “No,” the girl replied a third time. The Virgin Mary spoke “You have not obeyed me, and what’s more you have lied. You are not worthy to live in heaven.”

The girl sank into a deep sleep and when she awoke, she was lying below on earth, in the middle of a wilderness. She wanted to call out, but she could not bring forth any sound. She jumped up and wanted to run away, but wherever she turned, she was held back by a thick rose bush and the girl could not break through. There was an old hollow tree in the wilderness, where the girl sought shelter. The tree had to be her home. She crept inside when night fell and slept there. And when it stormed and rained she found protection inside: but this was a wretched existence and when she thought how beautiful it had been in heaven and remembered how the angels had played with her, the child cried bitter tears. Roots and wild berries were her only sustenance. The girl searched for these as far as she could go. In the fall, she collected fallen nuts and leaves and carried them to her cave. The nuts were her food in winter and when snow and ice came, she crept like some poor animal into the leaves so that she would not freeze. It was not long before she tore her clothes; one piece after another fell from her body. As soon as the sun shone warmly, the girl went out and sat in front of the tree and her long hair covered her on all sides like a coat.

She sat there one year after another and felt the pain and misery of the world. Once, when the trees stood in their green foliage again, the king of the land went out hunting in the forest and pursued a stag. Because the animal had fled into the bush, which enveloped the woods, he dismounted his horse, tore away the undergrowth and with his sword hacked out a path. When he had finally gotten through, he saw a beautiful maid sitting under the tree. She sat there and was covered from head to foot by her golden hair. He stood still and gazed upon her full of wonder. Finally he spoke and said “Who are you? Why are you sitting here in the wilderness?” The maid only nodded a bit with her head. The king picked her up in his arms, carried her to his horse and rode home. When he arrived at the royal castle, he had the finest clothes made for her and gave her everything in excess. And although she could not speak, she was still beautiful and charming so that she won his heart. It was not long before he married her.

About a year went by and the queen bore a son. In the night when she lay alone in her bed, the Virgin Mary appeared and spoke “Will you not say the truth and admit that you opened the forbidden door. If so, I will open your mouth and return to you the gift of speech: but if you persist in your sin and stubbornly continue to lie, I will take your new-born with me.” The queen was embarrassed to answer, she remained stubborn and said “No, I have not opened the forbidden door,” and the Virgin Mary took the newborn child from her arms and vanished.

The next morning when the child could not be found, a murmur went through the castle. The queen was a child eater and had killed her own child. She heard it all but could not say anything in her defense. The king would not believe it because he loved her so. After a year the queen bore another son. Once again at night the Virgin Mary appeared to her and said “Will you admit that you opened the forbidden door, I will return to you your child and release your tongue. If you stubbornly insist in your sin and lie, I will also take this newborn with me.” The queen spoke again “No, I have not opened the door.” And the Virgin took the child from her arms and returned to heaven.

The next morning when it was discovered that this child had also vanished, the people were quite bold and said the queen had eaten it. They demanded the king’s council be called and that she should be executed. The king loved her so dearly that he would not believe and ordered the councils not to speak about it upon bodily pain to death. The next year the queen bore a beautiful little girl. For the third time the Virgin Mary appeared and said “Follow me.” She took her by the hand and led her to heaven and showed her the two oldest children, who laughed and played with the terrestrial orb. When the queen rejoiced, the Virgin Mary spoke “Has your heart not yet softened? When you admit that you have opened the forbidden door, I will return both of your sons to you.” But the queen responded a third time “No, I have not opened the forbidden door.” The Virgin let her sink back to earth and took her third child too.

In the morning when this news was heard, all the people cried out loudly “the Queen is a child eater, she must be condemned.” The King could no longer rebuke his council. A court was called to pass judgment on her and because she could not answer and defend herself, she was carried away and tied to a pole and the fire began to burn all around her. The hard ice of pride soon melted, her heart moved by such remorse thatshe thought “If I could only admit before my death that I opened the door.” Then her voice returned and she cried out “Yes, Maria, I did it!” And as soon as this was said the heavens began to rain and put out the flames and a light broke over her. The Virgin Mary came down from heaven with both little sons at her side and the newborn daughter in her arm. She spoke to her in a kindly manner: “Whoever is sorry for his sins and confesses them is forgiven” and gave her the three children, released her tongue and granted her happiness for her entire life.


More fairy tales can be accessed by clicking on the link:

Translation: FairyTaleChannel.com
Please read and enjoy or link to this fairy tale.
Please do not plagiarize, copy or pilfer. Thanks!

Friday, December 11, 2009

A Nose is a Nose is a Nose: Christmas Legend of Saint Joseph in the Forest


Grimm’s Legend No. 1: a tale of guardian angels, porridge and noses with the Blessed Saint Joseph presiding in the forest.

Saint Joseph in the Forest

There once was a mother who had three daughters. The oldest was naughty and mean. The middle child was much better, although she, too, had her shortcomings. But the youngest was a pious and godly child. The mother was so peculiar that it was precisely the oldest daughter that she loved most and she could not suffer the youngest one. That is why she often sent the poor girl into the big woods to be rid of her. She thought the girl would get lost and never more return. But like every good child, this girl had a guardian angel, who did not desert her. The angel always brought her back to the correct path. However, one day it seemed that her guardian angel was not guiding her by the hand for the child could not find its way out of the forest. The girl ran and ran until evening fell. Then she saw a light burning in the distance, ran toward it and came to a small hut. The child knocked and the door opened. Behind it, she found a second door, where she knocked again. An old man with a snow-white beard and venerable appearance opened the door. It was none other than the Blessed Saint Joseph. He spoke kindly to her “Come dear child, sit next to the fire on my little footstool and warm yourself. I’ll bring you a little clear water if you are thirsty. I don’t have anything for you to eat here in the woods except a few roots. You must first peel and cook them.”

Saint Joseph gave her the roots: the girl scraped them clean, then she took a piece of the pancake and bread her mother had given her and put everything in a little pot on the fire and cooked porridge. When it was finished Saint Joseph said “I am so hungry, give me a bit of your food.” The child was obliging and gave him more than she kept for herself. But God’s blessing was there and so the child’s hunger was satisfied. After they had eaten, Saint Joseph said “Let us go to bed: but I have only one bed. You lay down in it; I will lie on the straw on the ground.”

“No,” answered the child, “you stay in your bed; the straw is soft enough for me.”

Saint Joseph took the child in his arm and carried it to bed. The girl said her prayer and went to sleep. The next morning when she woke up, she wanted to say good morning to Saint Joseph but did not see him. She got out of bed and looked but could not find him in any corner. Finally she saw a sack with money behind the door. The sack was so heavy that the child could not carry it. On it was written that this was for the child who had slept there that night. The child took the sack and jumped away and returned happily to its mother. Because she gave her mother all the money, the woman had to be satisfied with the child.

The next day the second daughter also had an urge to go into the woods. The mother gave her a much larger piece of pancake and bread. The same thing happened to her. In the evening she came to the little hut of Saint Joseph, who gave the girl roots to make porridge. When the girl was finished the Saint said “I am so hungry; give me some of your food.” The child replied “Both of us can eat from the porridge.”

When afterward Saint Joseph offered his bed and wanted to lie down on the straw, the child replied “No, lay down on the bed, we both have enough room there.” Saint Joseph took the girl in his arm, laid her in bed and slept on the straw. In the morning the child awoke and looked for Saint Joseph. He was gone but behind the door the girl found a small sack with money. But the sack was only as large as the girl’s little hand. On it was written “For the child who slept here this night.” The child took the sack and ran home and gave it to its mother. But secretly the girl kept a few coins for herself.

Now the oldest daughter became curious and wanted to go into the woods the next morning. The mother gave her a pancake and as much bread and cheese as her heart desired. In the evening the girl found Saint Joseph in his little hut, just like the other two had found him. When the porridge was finished and Saint Joseph spoke “I am so hungry, give me some of your food!” the girl replied “Wait until I have eaten my fill.” Whatever I have left you can have.” But the girl ate almost everything and Saint Joseph had to scrape the bottom of the little bowl. The good man offered the girl his bed and wanted to lie on the straw. The child accepted this without hesitation, lay down in the little bed and left the hard straw for the old man. The next morning when the girl awoke, Saint Joseph could not be found. But the maid did not worry: she looked behind the door for the sack of money. She thought something was lying on the ground, but because she couldn’t really tell what it was, she bent over and hit her nose on the floor. Something stuck to her nose when she got up. To the girl’s horror it was a second nose sticking to her own. The girl began to scream and howl, but id didn’t help. She had to look at her nose and see how it protruded so very far from her face. She ran away screaming until she found Saint Joseph. She fell down at his feet and prostrated herself. Finally, in his mercy, he took away the nose and what’s more, gave her two Pfennigs. When the girl returned her mother stood in front of the door and asked “What presents have you received?”

The girl lied and said “A big sack full of money, but I lost it on the way home!”

“Lost it!” the mother cried. “We sure want to find it again.” And she took the girl by the hand and wanted to go out searching. First the girl started to cry and did not want to go. But finally she went along. On the way, the two were overcome by so many snakes and lizards, that they could not save themselves. They stung the child until she was dead, but the mother they stung in her foot because she had not raised the girl better.



To read more Nose Fairy Tales on this website, hit the following links:
Nose Fairy Tale
Hille Bingel's Wedding

To read about another saintly presence:

http://www.fairytalechannel.com/2008/08/fairy-tale-for-august-15-assumption-of.html

More fairy tales can be found by clicking on the link:

(Translation Copyright FairyTaleChannel.com
(Please read, enjoy, link to or pass this article on to friends.
Please do not plagiarize, copy or pilfer. Thanks!)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Trolls of Winter: for the dark days of December a Christmas Fairy Tale




The Trolls of Winter

In early December when the first winter winds blew down from the north, heavy snow fell on the Hall of King Wilt. As the days became darker and darker, the snow piled up. Soon the roads were impassable and the trees groaned under the heavy load of ice. One afternoon the light of day was completely obliterated by the storm. The entire household with servants and children stood at the windows of the hall looking out. Finally one of the maidservants remarked “It is the trolls of winter who bring this frightful weather. And now the mistress of the house, our Lady Lee, will not be able to return home! She will miss our Christmas celebration. There will be no yule log or toasting or dancing this year! No boar’s head or sweet wine! And no lady leading us in song and dance.” But it soon became apparent, the household had more to fear than the loss of their Christmas feast. The snow continued to blow, the wind howled for seven days and seven nights without ceasing. The servants were frightened and no one wanted to venture outside because they feared they would be lost in the storm. All huddled round the fire while the trolls of winter crept closer and closer. In the evening one could hear their whispering seep through the walls. First it was only a murmur, but then it grew into a ferocious roar.

The trolls sang:
“Tis fit one Flesh, One House, should have
One tomb, one epitaph, one Grave.
They that lived and loved together,
Should die and sleep together!”

No one approached the window for fear of seeing the frightful creatures who continued on with their song.

Huddle, lie up together,
Gray man, pink baby,
Green youth and young lady!
Hide if you can but now we sing:
They that lived and loved together
Should die and sleep together!

The roaring of the storm continued and no one wanted to leave the light of the fire burning dimly on the hearth. But on the seventh night, while the candles were flickering because the wind blew right through the hall, while the water was freezing in the cups, while the windows were frosting over with ice, a young maid ventured toward the window because it seemed to her the troll’s song was slowly abating. In the darkness she saw a faint flicker of light. Then it grew stronger and swelled in size and force. As the tiny speck of light grew larger, the darkness of night diminished, the frenzy of the storm subsided. The maid leaned forward toward the glass to get a better look. Finally she recognized a procession with Lady Lee at the forefront. The lady wore a wreath of lighted candles on her head and behind her a throng of villagers carried torches and garlands of evergreen. Walking peacefully behind the parade followed animals of the forest: deer and fox, rabbit and weasel, bear and wolf, all in peaceful procession. With that, the wind ceased entirely and the Lady brought in from the dark, her light that had been banished.

The winds blow fast,
But the stars are slow,
The moon rises,
But gloom hangs low.
Come sun, come star, come light,
Come our delight!



Copyright FairyTaleChannel.com
Please read, share and pass on to friends!
Do not copy, plagiarize or pilfer. Thanks!

Monday, December 7, 2009

St. Nicholas, Patron Saint of Bakers, Brides and Imperilled Sailors, Runs a Race in this Christmas Legend


Grimm’s Saga No. 134: Holy St. Nicholas and the Thief

At Greifswald in Pomerania an image of St. Nicholas hung in the Gertrude Chapel. One night a thief broke into the church, wanted to steal the offering chest but called out to the Saint before snatching the treasure: “O Saint Nicholas, is the money yours or mine? Come let us wager, whoever reaches the chest first wins!” The thief started to run toward the chest but the image of the saint also ran and passed the thief three times, who finally admitted: “My dear St. Nicholas, you won fair and square, but what use is money to you? You are made of wood and don’t need it. I will take the money and enjoy it!” -- Soon thereafter this thief died and was buried. The devils came from hell to retrieve his body from the grave, threw him next to the stolen money chest and finally hung him on a windmill outside of town. The sails of the windmill blew him around and around. This mill was still standing in the year 1633 and always blew contrary to the other windmills standing near by, which were driven by natural means.

According to other folks, it was the caretaker of the chapel that seized the offertory plate and ran a race with the Virgin Mary instead of St. Nicholas.

Legend has it that wherever the devil’s foot touched ground, the fresh grass there was always singed and deep footprints could be seen. When followed, these tracks abruptly stopped and the grass never grew there again. Finally the entire church and graveyard, which had always been a popular pilgrim’s destination, was buried and rebuilt, being incorporated within the fortress’s walls.

Feast Day of St. Nicholas: December 6
There are many legends concerning the saint and various observances. In particular he is venerated as the patron saint of sailors and children. As benefactor of children, he is especially remembered as one bestowing presents, especially on the eve of his feast day, December 6. The number of churches dedicated to him and the many different Nicholas images rendered by artists across the centuries attest to the popularity of this saint.


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Friday, December 4, 2009

Strange Fairy Lights Seen at Advent: Flibbertigibbets



Grimms' Saga No. 277: The Advent Flibbertigibbet

On the mountain road to Haenlein, but also in the area around Lorsch, people call the ignis fatuous or phosphorescent lights that can be seen there flibbertigibbets. Purportedly they only appear during advent and a funny rhyme has been composed about them:

“Flibbertigibbet, ho, ho,
Burn like straw, oh, oh,
Strike me like lightening if you will!
Flibbertigibbet wisp-o-will!”


More than thirty years ago a young girl saw a flibbertigibbet in the evening and recited the old rhyme. But the flibbertigibbet ran after the girl pursuing her into the house of her parents. It followed quick on her heels and entered the room at the very same time that she did. It struck all the people assembled there with its fiery wings so that from that time forward her family was both dumb and blind.


To read about a Flibbertigibbet named Squire Ludwig, click on link below:

More fairy tales can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Gnomes' and Fairies' Christmas Feast



The Marriage of King Wilt and Lady Lee in the Great Hall

King Wilt married his bride, Lady Lee, on Christmas Eve 1444.
At the marriage feast, the wedding party made merry with music, dancing and especially toasts to the married couple. The crowd included both noblemen and servants. All feasted on boar’s head, goose and mince pie. While music played the tables were decked with sweet breads and wine, honey cakes, apples and gingerbread. One wedding guest after another raised his cup to praise the master of the house and his new bride. Finally a man of diminutive size and wizened face stepped forward to offer his toast:

Tonight, dear friends the fires burn brightly
Dancers dance and ghosts move spritely
While ice sheets form on evergreens nightly
Let us, wee folk, at this Christmas tide,
Lift our jugs and our mugs to Lady Lee
Mistress of the Roundelee!

With that the entire hall fell silent for every man, woman, child and beast in the hall had fallen into a deep slumber. Out of every corner the wee folk now emerged and danced their lovely roundelay. The sweetest harp music filled the hall and lovely singing could be heard out into the night, ringing merrily down through the valley. The cheerful celebration continued into the wee morning hours, by which time all the food and wine had been devoured. The candles burned until the last one burnt out.

On the morning of Christmas Day the guests awoke one by one. They rubbed their sleepy eyes and looked around. Each thought the wedding party had been a good one, for all the food had been eaten, all the wine and been drunk and there were vague memories of music and dancing. The lady of the house awoke wearing a wreath of fragrant mistletoe on her head and a necklace of silvery pearls round her neck. When the guests departed they threw open the doors of the hall and entered the bright, snow-filled courtyard. It is said that under the soft white flakes of the first snow, the wedding guests found new apples hanging from the apple tree.

The house and lineage were blessed from that time forward. Every year thereafter Lady Lee held a Christmas Eve feast for her household. The custom still continued after her death. On Christmas Eve the servants would deck the halls with mistletoe. It was said that the mistress of the house would always appear on that eve and dance her roundelay while the guests dined on sweetmeats and wine. Happiness and good fortune could be found on that night if a couple met under the boughs of fresh mistletoe and confessed their love for each other. Likewise a false heart could also be detected when a maid stood with her swain under the fresh herb. If he were not true it could happen that an unseen force would fling him through the doors and into the courtyard or the apple tree would stand dead and barren instead of blossoming and bearing fruit.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2009

On Christmas Eve, No Visions of Sugar Plums for These Fairy Tale Characters


The 16th century report of Martin Luther is perhaps an apt introduction to the following saga. He relates that “…young maidens stripped themselves naked, flung themselves to the ground and prayed: O God, my God, O St. Andrew, give me a godly husband, show me tonight what manner of man shall wed me. One girl, he adds, was nearly frozen to death, but no man came.” (Quoted from the Oxford Book of Days, Oxford University Press). The time from St. Andrew’s Eve (November 29) until New Year’s Eve was a time for young maids to receive visions of their future husbands. Here is another Grimm’s saga about this custom:

Grimms’ Saga No. 118

On Christmas Eve in Coburg several maidens gathered together. They had a burning desire to see their future true love. The day before they had gathered and cut nine different types of wood. When midnight came, they made a fire on the hearth with this wood. The first girl threw off her clothes, tossed her blouse in front of the chamber door and spoke these words as she sat before the fire:

“Here I sit, completely starkers,
If only my dearest would come
And throw my blouse into my lap!”



When the blouse was thrown back into the room, the maiden caught a glimpse of the face of the person who would later became her suitor. The other girls also stripped themselves naked. But they threw out their blouses tangled together in a clump. The ghosts could not separate the pieces and began to make noises and crash about until the girls were quite frightened. They quickly poured water on the fire and crept back into bed, where they stayed until early in the morning. When they awoke they found their blouses torn into many thousands of little pieces.


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