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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > Customs & folklore > Folklore
Elves and elf-belief during the Anglo-Saxon period are reassessed
in this lively and provocative study. Anglo-Saxon elves [Old
English aelfe] are one of the best attested non-Christian beliefs
in early medieval Europe, but current interpretations of the
evidence derive directly from outdated nineteenth- and early
twentieth-century scholarship. Integrating linguistic and textual
approaches into an anthropologically-inspired framework, this book
reassesses the full range of evidence. It traces continuities and
changes in medieval non-Christian beliefs with a new degree of
reliability, from pre-conversion times to the eleventh century and
beyond, and uses comparative material from medieval Ireland and
Scandinavia to argue for a dynamic relationship between beliefs and
society. Inparticular, it interprets the cultural significance of
elves as a cause of illness in medical texts, and provides new
insights into the much-discussed Scandinavian magic of seidr.
Elf-beliefs, moreover, were connected withAnglo-Saxon constructions
of sex and gender; their changing nature provides a rare insight
into a fascinating area of early medieval European culture.
Shortlisted for the Katharine Briggs Folklore Award 2007 ALARIC
HALL is a fellow of the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.
Dictionary of Chicano Folklore charts the rich religious, social,
artistic, and cultural heritage of Mexican Americans, who continue
to evolve the customs and rituals connected to their Spanish and
indigenous roots and the Spanish language. Entries cover specific
regions, genres of folk speech, folk narrative, cultural
traditions, artifacts, foods, ceremonies, rites, and define
contemporary Hispanic terms ranging from duendes, pintos, and las
posadas to pachucos, low riders, and Zozobra. The Dictionary of
Chicano Folklore is the perfect resource for high school and
undergraduate students interested in Chicano culture or for
scholars seeking bibliographic material. Over 200 A-Z entries
defining historical and contemporary terms, customs, legends, and
rituals 44 photos Extensive bibliography
In this wide-ranging and insightful analysis, Stephen Benson
proposes a poetics of narrative for postmodernism by placing new
emphasis on the folktale. Postmodernist fictions have evidenced a
return to narrative -- to storytelling centered on a sequence of
events, rather than a "spiraling" of events as found in modernism
-- and recent theorists have described narrative as a "central
instance of the human mind." By characterizing the folktale as a
prime embodiment of narrative, Benson relates folktales to many of
the theoretical concerns of postmodernism and provides new insights
into the works of major writers who have used this genre, which
includes the subgenre of the fairy tale, in opening narrative up to
new possibilities.
Benson begins by examining the key features of folktales: their
emphasis on a chain of events rather than description or
consciousness, their emphasis on a self-contained fictional
environment rather than realism, the presence of a storyteller as a
self-confessed fabricator, their oral and communal status, and
their ever-changing state, which defies authoritative versions. He
traces the interactions between the folktale and Italo Calvino's
Fiabe Italiane, between selected fictions of John Barth and the
Arabian Nights, between the work of Robert Coover and the subgenre
of the fairy tale, and between the "Bluebeard" stories and recent
feminist retellings by Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood. The
arguments presented will interest not only folklorists and scholars
of narrative but also readers in fields ranging from comparative
literature to feminist theory.
Nothing like some good ghost stories on a cool Florida evening
around a campfire (or at home in your favorite reading chair). And
nothing like a swamp as a good, scary setting, especially Florida's
famous ones--from the Everglades to Mosquito Lagoon. Mysterious
things just happen in swamps. Maybe it's because they are often
wet, shadowy places of wild beauty where few people go. Where else
but a swamp can you find a ghost who is obsessed with the ghost
orchid? Throw in a skunk ape or two and you've got the ingredients
for many entertaining hours. In writing tales for this book, Doug
Alderson drew upon many years of entertaining young people as a
summer camp counselor and storyteller, and also from decades as a
swamp explorer. He is a former associate editor of Florida Wildlife
magazine. To learn more about his writing and photography, log onto
his website at www.dougalderson.net.
Come nose around in the creepier corners of the Grand Rapids of
yesteryear. Discover why Hell's Bridge persists as such an oft-told
urban legend and what horrific history earned Heritage Hill the
title of Michigan's most haunted neighborhood. Mingle with the
spooky inhabitants of the Phillips Mansion, Holmdene Manor, San
Chez Restaurant and St. Cecilia Music Center. Meet the guests who
never quite checked out of the Amway Grand. Read the true stories
behind the Michigan Bell Building and the Ada Witch Legend. Nicole
Bray, Robert Du Shane and Julie Rathsack illuminate the shadows of
local sites you thought you knew.
This book offers an unusual yet effective approach to the subject of mythology by stressing the universal rather than national themes. Leeming collects a wide array of narrative texts from the Bible to English literature to interpretations by Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung and others, which illustrate the stages of the universal hero. The arrangement of texts by themes such as "Childhood, Initiation and Divine Signs" and "The Descent to the Underworld" help readers strip mythic characters of their many national and cultural "masks" to reveal their archetypal aspects. Real figures such as Jesus and Mohammed are also included to underline the text theory that myths are real and can be applied to real life. Changes to the third edition include additional heroine myths (including Navajo, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese and African tales) and an updated bibliography.
Most of today's familiar fairy tales come from the stories of
Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen,
but this innovative study encourages us to explore the marvelous
tales of authors from the early modern period Giovanni Straparola,
Giambattista Basile, Madame Marie-Catherine D'Aulnoy, and others
whose works enrich and expand the canon. As author Jo Eldridge
Carney shows, the queen is omnipresent in these stories, as much a
hallmark of the genre as other familiar characteristics such as the
number three, magical objects, and happy endings. That queens
occupy such space in early modern tales is not surprising given the
profound influence of so many powerful queens in the political
landscapes of early modern England and Europe. Carney makes a
powerful argument for the historical relevance of fairy tales and,
by exploring the dynamic intersection between fictional and actual
queens, shows how history and folk literature mutually enrich our
understanding of the period.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the
1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly
expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable,
high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the
1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly
expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in
affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text
and artwork.
Each chapter of the book takes as its starting point a myth, a
legend, a story or a fable and explores its contemporary relevance
for a world of globalization, organizations and consumerism. Each
contributor is inspired by a relatively short but rich text which
is then used as a springboard for an analysis of contemporary
social and organizational realities. The idea behind this book is
that by looking at contemporary society through the prism of
pre-modern narratives, certain features emerge in sharp relief,
while others are found to be entrenched in societies across the
ages. The texts that have inspired the authors of this collection
differ-some are myths, some are stories, one is a children's tale.
The origins of these texts differ, from the scriptural to the
folkloric, from high art to oral tradition. What all the texts have
in common is a distinct and compelling plot, a cast of recognizable
characters with an ability to touch us and speak to us through the
ages, and above all, a powerful symbolic aura, one that makes them
identifiable landmarks in storytelling tradition. The driving force
behind this project was each author's love for their narratives. It
is not an exaggeration to say that the book is a true labor of
love. The chapters are introduced by the editor and are arranged in
four parts, each with its own introduction. The chapters in each
part spring from stories that share a narrative character, and are
labeled as Knowledge Narratives, Heroic Narratives, Tragic
Narratives and Reflective Narratives. The book offers a set of
probing, original and critical inquiries into the nature of human
experience knowledge and truth, the nature of leadership, power and
heroic achievement, postmodernity and its discontents, and emotion,
identity and the nature of human relations in organizations.
Different chapters deal, among pother things, with the nature of
leadership in the face of terrorism, friendship, women's position
in organizations, the struggle for identity, the curse of
insatiable consumption and the ways the hero and heroine are
constructed in our times.
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the
1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly
expensive. We are republishing many of these classic works in
affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text
and artwork.
There are far fewer publications on the ethnology of Micronesia
than for any other region in the Pacific. This dearth is especially
seen in the traditional religion, folklore, and iconography of the
area. Haynes and Wuerch have located 1,193 relevant titles. For the
first time, these mostly scarce or unpublished materials are now
accessible in this essential research tool. The focus is on
tradition, which became modified after contact with the West--the
adaptation and persistence of these traditions are included in this
bibliography.
Traditional Micronesian iconography is largely religious in
nature, as is the case with most tribal or preliterate societies.
There is also a large corpus of Micronesian myths, legends,
beliefs, and practices that may not fit the Western concept of
religion, but would be classified under folklore. That distinction
cannot be consistently made in Micronesian cultures, nor in most
other preliterate, thus prehistoric, societies. The overlap of
religion and folklore is pervasive, so the scope of subjects
included is broad. The subject matter encompasses magic, sorcery,
ritual, cosmology, mythology, iconography, iconology, oral
traditions, songs, chants, dance, music, traditional medicine, and
many activities of daily life. Only those works that directly treat
these subjects in the context of religion or folklore are included
in this volume.
Originally published in 1913. Author: J.G.Frazer, D.C.L., Ll.D.,
Litt.D. Language: English Keywords: Religion / Magic / Folklore /
Mythology Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating
back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and
increasingly expensive. Obscure Press are republishing these
classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using
the original text and artwork.
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