Title search results
Showing 1 - 20 of 199 items
The annotated African American folktales (The Annotated Books #0)
By Maria Tatar, Henry Louis Gates. 2018
A collection of over a hundred stories, essays, folktales, myths, and legends from African American history. Includes well-known classics, such…
as Brer Rabbit and Anansi, as well as lesser-known traditions. Includes information about how these tales were sometimes hijacked or misappropriated and contains numerous annotations and illustrations. Some strong language. 2018Toil and trouble: 15 tales of women & witchcraft
By Nova Ren Suma, Brenna Yovanoff, Elizabeth May, Andrea Cremer, Zoraida Córdova, Jessica Spotswood, Brandy Colbert, Robin Talley, Lindsay Smith, Emery Lord, Tess Sharpe, Shveta Thakrar, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Kate Hart. 2018
Compilation of fifteen feminist tales of women embracing their magical powers and witchcraft. In Tehlor Kay Mejia's "Starsong," sixteen-year-old Esperanza,…
a bruja, surprises herself when she connects on social media with a skeptic, a NASA-loving girl. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2018Mythic journeys: retold myths and legends
By Paula Guran. 2019
A collection of twenty-eight stories that reexamine and reinterpret ancient myths and legends. The cultural roots of the stories come…
from around the world, with contributors including Neil Gaiman, Ken Liu, Rachel Pollack, Yoon Ha Lee, and Ann Leckie. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2019The Oxford companion to fairy tales (Oxford Companions)
By Jack Zipes. 2015
A reference source containing over one thousand entries exploring the Western fairy-tale tradition, from medieval to modern. Includes information about…
stories, authors, artists, and many related topics. Entries address fairy tales' roles in film, art, opera, ballet, music, and advertising. Also features articles highlighting countries with strong fairy-tale traditions. 2015How the wise men got to Chelm: the life and times of a Yiddish folk tradition
By Ruth Von Bernuth. 2016
An examination of the Eastern European Jewish literary tradition of stories about a town called Chelm, which was meant to…
be a town of fools. Discusses the dual identity of Chelm in reality and folktale tradition. The author places Chelm literature in a historical context and discusses its precursors. 2016The starlit wood: new fairy tales
By Navah Wolfe, Dominik Parisien. 2016
Fantasy authors reimagine eighteen classic fairy tales. Includes Daryl Gregory's take on Hansel and Gretel, "Even the Crumbs Were Delicious."…
Other authors in the collection include Seanan McGuire, Garth Nix, and Naomi Novik. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2016Classical mythology: a very short introduction (Very Short Introductions)
By Helen Morales. 2007
Explores the psychologically important stories of ancient Greeks and Romans, still wielding cultural influence today. Dispels notion of comparative inferiority…
of Roman mythology, and discusses differences beyond deities' name changes. Describes the role of the mythic hero, and relationships between classical mythology and philosophy, Christianity, psychoanalysis, and New Age spirituality. 2007The Celtic twilight: faerie and folklore (Celtic, Irish)
By W. B. Yeats. 2004
Consists of stories recounted to the poet by his friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. All of the stories focus on the…
mythic and magical roots of Irish folklore, venturing into the world of fairies, ghosts, and spirits. Includes commentary based on Yeats's own experiences. 1902The hero: a study in tradition, myth, and drama
By Lord Raglan, Fitzroy Richard Somerset Raglan, Raglan. 2003
Analysis of mythology, folklore, and drama to derive a set of twenty-two motifs that characterize the qualities and actions of…
heroic figures in traditional and literary narrative. Disputes the historical actuality often claimed for many traditional heroes, including Robin Hood, King Arthur, and the warriors at Troy. 1936The white goddess: a historical grammar of poetic myth
By Robert Graves. 1999
Grevel Lindop, editor of this 1997 edition, describes it as "(among other things) an adventure in historical detective-work," in which…
Graves linguistically deciphers much of the world's mythology, explains the place in anthropology of goddess and god, and provides a basis for understanding his poetry and the modern world. 1952Greek myths: A new retelling
By Charlotte Higgins. 2022
A brilliantly original, landmark retelling of Greek myths, recounted as if they were actual scenes being woven into textiles by…
the women who feature prominently in them—including Athena, Helen, Circe and Penelope &“Greek myths were full of powerful witches, unpredictable gods and sword-wielding slayers. They were also extreme: about families who turn murderously on each other; impossible tasks set by cruel kings; love that goes wrong; wars and journeys and terrible loss. There was magic, there was shape-shifting, there were monsters, there were descents to the land of the dead. Humans and immortals inhabited the same world, which was sometimes perilous, sometimes exciting. &“The stories were obviously fantastical. All the same, brothers really do war with each other. People tell the truth but aren&’t believed. Wars destroy the innocent. Lovers are parted. Parents endure the grief of losing children. Women suffer violence at the hands of men. The cleverest of people can be blind to what is really going on. The law of the land can contradict what you know to be just. Mysterious diseases devastate cities. Floods and fire tear lives apart. &“For the Greeks, the word muthos simply meant a traditional tale. In the twenty-first century, we have long left behind the political and religious framework in which these stories first circulated—but their power endures. Greek myths remain true for us because they excavate the very extremes of human experience: sudden, inexplicable catastrophe; radical reversals of fortune; and seemingly arbitrary events that transform lives. They deal, in short, in the hard, basic facts of the human condition.&” —from the Introduction  Witches, werewolves, and fairies: shapeshifters and astral doublers in the Middle Ages
By Claude Lecouteux. 2003
Professor of medieval literature analyzes the origins of several fantastic beings in the lore of Western Europe and examines their…
impact on the collective psyche. By exploring the concept of the soul and its "double," he posits ancient unifying themes across various cultures, including Celtic, Scandinavian, and Germanic. 2003Talking mysteries: a conversation with Tony Hillerman
By Tony Hillerman, Ernie Bulow, T. Hillerman. 2004
What were Jack and Jill really doing up that hill? Nursery rhymes carry more meaning than you might think. This…
book shows how apparently nonsensical verses are loaded with hidden meaning. Some descriptions of sexThe Wolfpen notebooks: a record of Appalachian life
By James Still. 1991
For fifty years, the author lived near Wolfpen Creek in Knott County, KY where he filled 21 notebooks with the…
everyday customs and happenings of the region. This compilation includes poems, sayings, a glossary of Appalachian expressions, and an interview with the author conducted by Laura Lee. 1991The Aeneid
By Virgil, Robert Fagles. 2006
Epic Latin poem composed by Virgil during the last ten years of his life, 29 to 19 B.C.E. Beginning with…
the legend of Aeneas, a Trojan hero who founded a settlement in Italy, celebrates the Roman Empire's expansion and the achievements of Emperor Augustus. Verse translation by Robert Fagles. 2006All the world's reward: folktales told by five Scandinavian storytellers (NIF publications #v. 33)
By Reimund Kvideland, Henning K. Sehmsdorf. 1999
Collection of tales from the repertoires of five traditional storytellers, one from each of five principal Scandinavian tradition areas: Norway,…
Denmark, Sweden, Swedish-speaking Finland, and Iceland. An introduction to each section places the tales and tellers in their cultural context, and short commentaries elucidate the ninety-eight individual texts. 1999The Annotated classic fairy tales (Annotated #0)
By Maria Tatar. 2002
The magical worlds of Harry Potter: a treasury of myths, legends, and fascinating facts
By David Colbert. 2002
Examines the link between the Harry Potter books' images, characters, and themes and their roots in myths and folklore--decoding Rowling's…
clues to reveal hidden meanings. Discusses magic spells, supernatural beasts, the origin of names, and facts about wizards. For grades 4-7. 2001No go the bogeyman: scaring, lulling, and making mock
By Marina Warner. 1999
Examines art, folktales, and myths for themes of terror usually manifest in male figures such as bogeys, giants, ogres, and…
cannibals. Develops into "a cultural exploration of fear, its vehicles, and its ambiguous charge of pleasure and pain." Spans material dating from ancient Greece to modern Hollywood. 1998