Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil

by | 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...
Xbalanque

Xbalanque

by | 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....
Wood Woman

Wood Woman

by | 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...
Verdandi

Verdandi

by | 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...
Uncle Wolf

Uncle Wolf

by | Apr 24, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore

The story of Uncle Wolf begins with a greedy little girl who was upset when she didn’t get any pancakes at school because she fell asleep in the privy. She goes home to her mother and cries. Her mother, taking pity on her, says she will make her some pancakes....
Tereshichka

Tereshichka

by | Apr 23, 2014 | A to Z Challenge, Fairytales and Folklore

The story of Tereshichka is a Russian tale of an old man and wife who mourned their childless existence. So they cut a block of wood, bundled it in swaddling clothes, put it in a cradle, and rocked it and sang lullabies to it. (Creepy…) Lucky for them, the little...