British Legends: The Mabinogion – The Dream of Macsen Wledig
The Dream of Macsen Wledig from the Mabinogion tells the story of how the Emperor of Rome experienced a dream in which he travelled to Wales.
Children’s Teeth and the Mice That Take Them
When I was a child I knew that every time I lost a tooth, the tooth mouse (or tandemuis) would come and swap my baby teeth for cold hard cash.
Survival in the Wild: ‘The Fear of Tiptipwa’, a Folktale from Bihar
‘The Fear of Tiptipwa’, a folktale about survival in the wild, first appeared in The Greatest Folktales of Bihar, published by Rupa India in October 2019.
Fire and Fur: The Many Guises of the Grimms’ Fairy-Tale Witches
The fairy-tale witch is a compelling, frightening, and reliable stock character in our contemporary society. Mention “witch” and the hag of fairy-tale picture books for children comes to mind far more frequently than any other, more nuanced image.
Trolls, Hulders and Nisses: The Preternatural Creatures of Norwegian Folklore
Despite a great many people knowing that Norway is awash with folklore, many would be hard-pressed to name a Norwegian folk narrative beyond the folk tales “The Three Billy-goats Gruff” and perhaps “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”