by Sara C. Snider | Apr 30, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore
I had to Google this one, due to a distinct lack of any Z related people or creatures in my books at home. Plus, my brain feels fried after writing about Yggdrasil. So we’re going to wrap up this challenge with a nice “easy” one. “Zhulong” literally means...
by Sara C. Snider | Apr 29, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore
I find Yggdrasil to be somewhat confounding, but maybe that’s because the Edda isn’t exactly the clearest of texts. But I’m going to try to patch it all together in a way that I understand and, hopefully, you will as well. Simply put, Yggdrasil is the world...
by Sara C. Snider | Apr 28, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore
Xbalanque and his twin brother, Hun-apu, are described as “hero-wizards, warriors and mischief-makers, both the pride and torment of Guatemala.” (Garner p. 16) In one story, Xbalanque and Hun-apu take on Vukub-Cakix—a troublesome creature in the form of a great bird....
by Sara C. Snider | Apr 26, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore
The wood woman, or wood wife, is a fertility spirit that lives within forests. In Sweden, she is the skogsfru (or skogsrå)—a woman with a hollow back who couples with men and will sometimes bless their hunting endeavors. In Greece she is the hamadryad, and all the...
by Sara C. Snider | Apr 25, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore
Verdandi is a norn that is said to determine the fates of men. She is one of the three most important norns in Norse mythology: Weird (“happened”), Verdandi (“happening”), and Skuld (“future” or “debt”). What is interesting about norns is that they are said to be...
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