Children into swans
Subtitle: fairy tales and the pagan imagination
By: Jan Beveridge
Published: 2014
Language: eng
Number of pages: 279
ISBN-13: 9780773543942; 9780773596160; 9780773596177
Subjects: Contes de fées; Fairy tales; Thèmes, motifs; Classification; History and criticism; Histoire et critique
Description: "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."--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-270) and index.

Internet Archive - 2

Internet Archive 2
Table of contents: title: Part One: History; title: Early Storytellers; title: The Oldest "Fairy" Tale; title: The Manuscript; title: Folk Tales and Fairy Tales; title: Part Two: Characters; title: Fairies; title: Elves; title: Dwarfs; title: Household Spirits; title: Water Dwellers; title: Giants; title: Souls and Spirits; title: Part Three: Stories from the Pagan Year; title: Festival Days; title: Beltaine; title: Samain; title: Midwinter and Midsummer; title: Part Four: Storytellers' Themes; title: Wishing, or Dreams Come True; title: The Triple Form; title: Shape-Shifting; title: Omens and Prophecies; title: Between Two Worlds; title: Spells; title: Trees; title: The Invisible World; title: A Fairy Tale Almost Forgotten.