X is for SeX positivity

(I know, I know. Sue me.)

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

*** ADULT CONTENT ***

Today, I'll be selecting traditional stories that are sex-positive - and by that I mean they portray sex as something to be enjoyed, something that is natural, and not a deed that is shameful or dangerous. It's not an easy topic; folklorist Dr. Jeana Jorgensen wrote an amazing blog post about why sex-positivity is a particularly underrepresented theme. Still, I wanted to pick a few stories that have some interesting, sex-related themes.

(I am excluding stories where sex is a means to an end - world folklore is full of seductresses who are not to be trusted, and I am not very fond of that trope. I am also excluding tales where sex is a secret, illicit affair.)

Contest in repartee
A folktale type (ATU 853) that relies heavily on symbolic sexual banter between a princess and her suitors. She will only marry a man who can match her in "banter" (and, by implication, in other skills as well). The contest is eventually won by a "foolish" boy who is more observant and empathic than his brothers. The level of symbolism in the banter depends on the version of the story, but some are fairly explicit:
"You have pretty white legs, princess!"
"There is also fire between them!"
The banter usually ends with mutual laughter and marriage.

The princess that became a man
This one depends on the version, but the Hungarian text focuses a lot on the sexual relations between the princess and her female-turned-male husband. First, the disguised husband doesn't have sex with his wife on the wedding night, which angers the princess; when the husband returns, in a fully male body, he immediately initiates sex with the princess, who is incredibly happy about this development, so much so that she "even takes her husband's tongue into her mouth," and they immediately "play" five or six times in a row.
(Read my translation of the Hungarian text here)

The troll that thought he was pregnant
I heard this straaaange Norwegian folktale from Heidi Dahlsveen at the Mysteries of Europe conference. In it, a peasant girl learns what sex is from a handsome young farm hand (he calls it "brushing"), and she likes it so much that when her father chases the guy away, she goes out to find someone else to "brush" her some more. She comes across a bridge troll, pushes him down, and thoroughly has herself "brushed" (yes, this is a folktale in which a girl rapes a troll). The story then goes on to tell how the troll thinks he is pregnant (because, according to troll logic, whoever is on the bottom is the one that gets pregnant).
While rape is not a positive thing regardless of who it happens to, the story relates to sex education (or lack thereof), and the girl's enjoyment of sex.

**Note: There are several folktales where a girl is tricked into sex by calling it something else, and doesn't really know what is happening to her. This is clearly problematic, and sadly, does happen in real life as well. I included the tale above as an example for discussion, but I am not including all the others.**

Adam, Eve, and the dishes
In this Hungarian folktale based on biblical themes, Adam and Eve make a bet about who can last longer without talking (loser does the dishes). Eve breaks her stubborn silence when she sees a kitten trying to attack Adam's fig-leaf-covered man parts, declaring that "THOSE ARE MINE!" The future of humanity is saved.
(Read the story here)

**Additional confession: There are several collections of "bawdy folktales" from various parts of the world, including Hungary. Most of those tales always made me cringe. While they do talk about sexuality, they often involve the above mentioned trope of 'losing virginity without knowing it' as well as rape, slut-shaming, and other questionable themes (not to mention just plain bad jokes). I have yet to find a "bawdy folktale" that I'd like to tell. Also, personally I would not count everything that is sexually explicit as automatically "sex-positive" too.**

Phatman
I encountered this very likable female character in the Panher Skin Knight, the national epic of Georgia. She keeps young lovers and is not ashamed of it one bit; she also helps the two lovers who are the heroes of the story.
(Read about her and the epic here)

Any other sex-positive stories that come to mind?...

W is for Warriors of all genders

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

I already posted about balance and equality in marriages; today I wanted to present a selection of stories where male and female warriors fight shoulder to shoulder, instead of against each other. Many times female warriors are presented as lone characters or enemies, instead of allies, and I think it benefits people to hear more stories of warriors of all genders standing side by side - and the women don't have to be disguised as men to do so.


Scáthach
Scáthach is a female warrior who appears in the Irish Ulster Cycle; she runs a school for heroes on a remote island, and trains Cú Chulainn in the martial arts (and also, according to some stories, in... other skills). She also leads her select group of warriors into battle against her sister and rival Aoife, whom Cú Chulainn ends up defeating in single combat. She is a formidable woman.
(Read about her here)

Gulaim
I already mentioned her earlier, but I am putting her on this list too, because Gulaim does not only lead an army of girls into battle, but she also fights side by side with the man she loves, and they help each other save their respective kingdoms.
(Read about her here)

Camilla
While she has her own backstory, Camilla also takes part (and dies) in the battle against Aeneas on the side of Turnus, the king of the Rutuli. The war breaks out between the Italian tribes and Aeneas' men arriving from Troy; the excuse for the conflict is the hand of Lavinia, daughter of King Latinus, but it really is about conquest and resistance, which is probably why Camilla supports the Italian side against the Troyans.
(Read about here here, and in the Aeneid)

Water Margin
Out of the 108 heroes of this amazing Chinese epic (also often known as Heroes of the Marsh, or All Men Are Brothers) 3 are women: Hu Sanniang ("Ten Feet of Blue"; she fights with two sabers and a lasso), Sun Erniang ("Female Yaksha"; she is a martial artist who runs a tavern with her husband), and Gu Dasao ("Female Tiger"; excels at using spear and staff). They all get their own storylines, and they are numbered among the 108 Stars of Destiny.
(Read about the epic here)


Penthesilea
The Amazon Queen Penthesilea participates in the Troyan War on the Troyan side, attempting to kill Achilles on the battlefield. She brings twelve women with her to join the war, ready to prove that they can hold their own alongside male warriors.
(Read about her here)

Lady Nart Sana
I mentioned before that the Nart sagas include several warrior women, and were probably responsible for the spread of the Amazon legends. This particular story features such a female warrior, who accidentally kills her lover in battle, and kills herself out of sorrow, turning into a fountain of medicinal water. I put this story on the list because it begins with how once upon a time Nart women rode into battle along with the men.
(Read the story in this book)

Atalanta
The only female hero on the Argo during its mission for the Golden Fleece, Atalanta could certainly hold her own along with blockbuster names like Hercules, Jason, Castor and Pollux, and several others. There is some debate about whether she is the same Atalanta that participated in the Calydonian Boar Hunt, but she is generally believed so. That story also features her as the only female hunter, and also the person who wounded the monster boar first.
(Read about her here)

The Sacred Band of Thebes
Historical rather than mythical, but definitely epic - a legendary troop of 300 men, composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. You only need to know one thing about them: They kicked the Spartans' ass in the Battle of Leuctra.
(The band had a long and illustrious history, until all 300 of them perished in the Battle of Chaeronea against Alexander the Great's father. They were praised as heroes even by their enemy, and a lion statue was erected over their grave)
While this is more about sexuality than gender, I wanted it on the list. For representation.
(Read about them here)

Just... mention any of these women next time someone says "you fight like a girl."

T is for Trickster women

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

I have a soft spot for tricksters. A huge, huge, huge soft spot. As a storyteller, no one sticks by you better than a good trickster story - kids love them, adults love them, I love them. And yet, when it comes to trickery and shenanigans, male tricksters are definitely in the majority in the world's folklore. Think Loki, think Hermes, think Coyote, think Ananse, think Monkey King, think Kanchil... So, since tricksters rock, I wanted to spend a post talking about the women.

Trickster women.


NOTE: I am very picky about what characters I'd consider a trickster - it is not enough to have tricked someone once, and not enough to trick someone just for survival (this is why Scheherazade did not make this list). Similarly, a lot of books call women who cheat on their husbands "tricksters," but I don't like that definition. Tricksters need a certain liminality and playfulness, a certain disrespect for rules mixed with innate curiosity - a trickster is someone that messes with the rules just for the heck of it.
For the sake of brevity, I am also excluding male trickster figures that sometimes shape-shift into female bodies (which is pretty common in tricksterdom)

Dalila and Zaynab
Probably the most badass female trickster mother-daughter duo out there. Their story is included in the 1001 Nights. Dalilah the Wily is a widow, living with her spinster daughter Zaynab the Coney-catcher. She is described as "mistress in all manner of craft and trickery and double dealing." Dalilah and Zaynab go toe to toe with some infamous male tricksters (with delightful names like Calamity Ahmed and Mercury Ali) and come out on top. Pretty epic stories.
(Read them here)

Aso
While the wives of tricksters are not always automatically tricksters themselves, Aso, the wife of Ananse the Spider, definitely fits the bill. She even tricks her own husband a couple of times - or calls him on his bluffs. Among others, she once catches him coming back from the grave and stealing food from their garden, by applying a tar scarecrow, the same trick used in stories of Br'er Rabbit.
(Read about her in Akan-Ashanti Folk-tales)

Kitsune
Probably the most famous female trickster figure in world folklore, Kitsune is a type of trickster, rather than one person. They are more commonly known as the "fox fairies" of Japanese folklore. They are almost always female, and deal mostly with seduction and illusions, in all kinds of genius ways.
(Read about them here)

Madame Malice
Apart from the awesome name, this lady is pretty cool too. She exists in Haitian folktales along with her male counterpart, Ti Malice. No one is exactly sure what they are, but they are said to have evolved from some kind of an African animal trickster - most likely a rabbit.
(Read about her and Ti Malice in The piece of fire)

The Princess of Tomboso
This is the French-Canadian version of a fairly popular folktale type, featuring three brothers who inherit magical items, and a princess that cheats them out of all three. While she is the "villain" of the story, she usually gets away with being taught a lesson in the end (by magically growing antlers and then losing them when she apologizes). In most versions of the story, she does not end up marrying anyone, and it seems like she was just swindling people out of their magical treasures for fun.
(Read the story in this book. I also included a version in my own collection of folktales about superpowers)

Wicked Girl
I have mentioned this Turkish lady before, talking about female friendships, but I am mentioning her again, because she is just cheeky, and goes out of her way to mess with men.
(Read her story here)

The old woman and Death
I also mentioned her before in detail, but she should be on this list - not many people cheat Death permanently, even among tricksters!
(Read about here in my previous post)

For more female trickster tales (in a broader definition than mine), read the wonderful book titled Scheherazade's Sisters.

Any other crafty women I should add to the list? :)

R is for Religious diversity

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Representing religious diversity, especially in Western legend and folklore, is something that either happens very rarely, or when it does, happens in very stereotypical ways (such as "Moors" or "Jews" being mentioned in German or Italian folktales with negative connotations). For today's post, I wanted to pick some tales that feature positive encounters, and even collaboration, between people of different religious backgrounds.

Ogier the Dane
I talked about this epic last year, but I am bringing it up because it features friendship and collaboration between a Christian knight and a Muslim knight, who save each other's lives and fight shoulder to shoulder for honor (without either of them converting to the other's religion).
(I wrote about the story in detail here)

The legend of the almond trees
Also mentioned this one earlier in the Challenge, but putting it on this list took, because it features a Norse, Christian princess falling in love with a young Muslim sultan.
(Read about the story here)

Sir Palomides
I know I know, I am repeating myself, and also, Palomides eventually converts to Christianity. And yet, I find it endlessly cool that King Arthur's court accepted a Muslim knight in the first place. Somehow a lot of sources don't talk about this part.
(Read about him here)

The honest neighbor
This Jewish folktale features a Christian and a Jewish merchant who are friends. When the Jews are banished for the kingdom, the Christian promises to take care of his friend's money until the law is overturned and he can return. Years later, when the new king invites the Jews back, the merchant finds his Chirstian friend in poverty - his shop burnt down, but he refused to use the money to help himself. They open shop together in the end.
(Read this tale in Stories for the gathering)

Akyazili Baba and St. Athanasius
There is an Ottoman era türbe in Obrochiste, Bulgaria that is a place of pilgrimage both for Christians and Muslims - it is said to be the resting place of both Muslim saint Akyazili Baba, and Chirstian saint Athanasius. Local legend claims that they were great friends in life. One of them (depending on the version) fell in love with a girl from the other religion, and since it was forbidden, they got executed for it. Before they died, however, they asked their friend to build a grave site for them in one night, and the surviving friend fulfilled the wish with the help of magical powers (in some cases, they had to lie and say it was to be their own grave, since burying the executed would not have been allowed).
(Read about the story in this book, and this article)

Kanchil, the Mouse-Deer
Okay, so Kanchil stories are from Southeast Asia (mostly Malaysia and Indonesia), and since Indonesia hosts 12% of the world's Muslim population alone, it makes sense that Kanchil is usually portrayed as Muslim as well. Nothing out of context. BUT I am putting him on the list anyway, because as a storyteller, I want to pay attention to likable folktale characters that just happen to be Muslim, and Kanchil is a rock star. I have had parents in the US clutch their pearls when Kanchil happened to say "Allah" instead of "God" in a folktale. That is exactly the reaction why we should pay attention to these stories. For less pearl-clutching.

In addition, check out amazing storyteller Pam Faro's story CD "Andalusian Trilogy: Stories of Jews, Christians, and Muslims of Medieval Spain"

What other tales of religious coexistence should I add to the list?

O is for Old heroes

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

And by that, obviously, I mean "senior" or "elderly" or "not a teenager", but I needed the letter O...
Generally, I was trying to collect stories where the hero is not young. People, regardless of age, have the potential to be the hero of their own story. In order to combat ageism, here are some stories that prove just that:

The old woman and Death
In this folktale type, popular all over Europe, and old woman (sometimes man) attempts to avoid Death knocking on her door, because she loves living so much. She manages to convince Death to come back the next day, asking him to write "TOMORROW" on the door frame. The next day, when Death returns, she points out that the sign says "tomorrow" and sends him away. Getting away on a technicality this way she continues to live, until Death erases the sign. The next day, trying to hide from her fate, she first hides in a barrel of honey, and then in the bed, turning into a honey-and-feather "monster" - when Death shows up to take her, he is so scared he never returns.
I like this story because 1. It features a female trickster, and 2. It shows that the love of life and living (and the right to fight for it) does not solely belong to the young.
(Read this story in Dan Keding's Elder tales)

By the way, Elder tales is an amazing collection of traditional stories that feature elder protagonists. Dan Keding has pretty much done my job for this post, so I'll just mention some that I particularly like.

Old woman returns fire to people
I heard this Greek folktale at the FEST conference last year, on the island of Kea. It said that God took the fire away from people for their sins, and then an angel appeared, selling burning embers for outrageous prices - years of life, eyesight, other things people were not willing to give up, even if they suffered without fire. Finally an old woman showed up, asking the angel about the prices of embers, poking at them with her walking cane. What the angel didn't know was that the cane was hollow, with straw inside, and this way the old lady managed to steal fire back to the people. This is clearly a version of the myth of Prometheus - although it is questionable which one came first, the titan or the wise old woman...

Old Rinkrank
In this unusually dark Grimm tale, a princess falls into the depths of the Glass Mountain, and is imprisoned by a little old man, who threatens to kill her if she does not do his household chores. He leaves every day, and comes back with gold, but never lets her leave. The princess grows old, and the man named Old Rinkrank starts calling her Mother Mansrot. Finally one day she figures out how to set a trap for him, and rescues herself.
(Read the story here)

Old Man's Wisdom Saves the Kingdom
This is a folktale type, ATU 981, popular in several parts of the world. In it, a king orders to kill off all old people in the kingdom, either because of a famine, or just because he is crazy. One young man saves his old father/parents and hides them in a secret location. Later, when the kingdom is in trouble, the solution is provided by the elders to the young man, who manages to save the kingdom, change the king's mind, and/or become a just king himself.
(Read one version in Latin American Folktales)

Ilya Muromets
Not "old," but still unusual in the world of tales - this Russian legends tells about a hero that lived at home with his parents, doing nothing, until he was thirty (or forty) - when one day he finally decided to go out into the world and be a hero. It is never too late to start out on one's hero's journey.
(I included part of his story in my book, Tales of Superhuman Powers)

What other tales should I add to the list?

N is for Neurodiversity

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Neurodiversity is a fairly new term (my spellcheck doesn't even recognize it yet) for the concept that neurological conditions like autism, ADHD, etc. are variations in the human genome, rather than "mistakes." Here is an excellent rundown on how the concept works.
I used neurodiversity for N, but today I also want to post some examples of traditional tales that handle mental illness. Part of the topic of representation is how these things are presented and handled, and while traditional tales are not usually very sensitive to them, there are a few interesting examples.

The tale of Ivar Ingimundarson
This old Icelandic story tells of a bard who loses the love of his life (she marries his brother in secret) and falls into depression. His king, who likes him a lot, tries to drag him out of it by offering all kinds of things - money, lands, a bride, etc., but nothing works. In the end, the king offers the only thing left: He sits down with Ivar every night, and listens to him talk. I love this story, because it shows the importance of listening, instead of simply trying to "fix things" for someone else.
(Read the story in The complete sagas of the Icelanders)

The Sleepy Lady
Yet another folktale collected from Pályuk Anna. A rich girl sleeps all the time, and is always too tired to live her life. Her father is worried about her, but doesn't know what to do - in the end, three sisters from a poor family volunteer to help, and by spending time with the girl, they figure out ways to keep her awake until she can go on with her life.
(I will include an English translation of this tale in my upcoming folktale collection)

The tiger's whiskers
I already mentioned this tale twice, but I am putting it on this list too, because it is often used by storytellers to illustrate how family members might deal with someone they love having PTSD.
(Read it in this book)

The white disk
This Maldivian folktale tells about a girl that cries every night, and her family is at a loss of how to cheer her up. They try kindness and all kinds of tricks, and the father gets angry and scolds her, but nothing stops her from being sad. One night her sister notices a glowing white disk above her bed, and she and their father try to figure out a way to break the spell.
(This story equates the "sadness" with the influence of a spirit, but it can also be read symbolically. Also I am including it because it starts with a very good description of how the girls "sadness" affects the rest of the family)
(Read it in Folk-tales of the Maldives)

Contest in repartee
This is not one story, but a folktale type, ATU 853, which seems to exist all around the world. A princess wants to marry a man who can defeat her in banter. Three brothers set out to try - the youngest one is mocked and bullied by his brothers for being "slow" and "simple." He keeps falling behind on the road, picking up useless objects like dead birds, rusty nails, etc.,which only earns him more mockery. But when they get to the princess, the "simpleton" boy floors everyone with his quick and witty answers, using the "useless" items as props, and wins her hand in the end. The story shows that seeing the world differently is not necessarily a bad thing.
(You can read a Norwegian version here, a Russian version here, and an Appalachian version here)

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship
This is the title of the Russian version of the extremely popular folktale type ATU 513, the Extraordinary Helpers. In it, three brothers set out to win a princess whose father requires a flying ship. The youngest is mocked and left behind by his brothers for being a "fool," but he demonstrates traits the others don't: Kindness, patience, and trust. With it, she does not only win a flying ship, but also makes friends with people who have superpowers and become his companions.
There was an old Hungarian term used for mentally challenged people: "Good with others." I always liked it, because it referred to how, as long as the community supported them, they were just as "good" as anyone else.
(Read about the Russian tale here. I also included several version of this folktale type in my book about folktales and superpowers)

The boy who wanted to walk on the clouds
Yet another folktale from Pályuk Anna, about a boy who daydreams about walking on the clouds, and everyone labels him "lazy" and "good for nothing." After his mother dies, he sets out to make his dream come true, and achieves it by never showing fear in front of anyone.
(This story will also be included in my upcoming folktale collection)

There are many folk- and fairy tales about people labeled "fools" or "simpletons" who become heroes in the end. Which ones should I add to the list?

M is for Minority heroes

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Once again, a very important part of representation - offering stories that feature heroes from minority groups. For this post, I focused on stories where these heroes appear as a minority in their social context - because all too often those are the situations where they are portrayed negatively (think of the "False Bride" fairy tale type, ATU 533, where the real bride is usually blonde and beautiful, while the fake bride is often either black-skinned or a Gypsy - see the illustration on the left). I also focused on ethnic minorities, over other kinds that will be (or have been) represented elsewhere in the challenge.

The clever girl
In this Hungarian Roma version of the well known "clever maiden" folktale type, a Gypsy girl is seen bathing by a king, and he demands to marry her. She first gives a mathematical riddle to the king to solve (he fails to do so), and then solves all the king's riddles, including the classic "come to me not clothed but not naked, walking but not walking, etc." She becomes queen in the end.
I especially like this story because girls, especially girls from marginalized groups, are rarely ever portrayed as, or encouraged to be, good at things like mathematics. By the way, the riddle says: "I am as old as I am. My mother is twice as old as I am. My father is two years older than my mother, and together the three of us are 100 years old!" Can you solve it?
(Hungarian text here)

The stolen bairn and the Sídh
A Scottish folktale about a mother whose baby is taken by the fairies. She goes to search for him, and she is helped by an old Gypsy (not clear if Roma or Traveler) grandmother who instructs her on how to get the baby back.
(You can read this story in Thistle and Thyme)

Antarah
Once again, I am referring back to the Romance of Antar, because while Antar is accepted into his Arab tribe, he is also referred to as a "raven" for being born from a black African (slave) mother.
(I blogged about this epic here)

The King, the Vizier, and the Clever Jew
In this Moroccan Jewish folktale, a jealous vizier tries to turn a king against the Jewish community and the rabbi he respects. The rabbi is tasked with counting the stars in the sky and measuring the water of the ocean. When all seems lost, a drunkard from the community volunteers to give a clever answer to the king, and save his people from punishment.
(This tale type, about counting stars and water, also exists in other cultures.)
(Read the story in this book)

The servant's dream 
A very famous Peruvian folktale, collected by writer José Maria Arguedas. In it, an indigenous servant is humiliated and tortured by his master, who takes enjoyment in his power. In the end, the servant claims he had a prophetic dream about what will happen after death, and the master demands to hear it. The dream portrays the master treated well by angels and covered in honey, and the servant covered in excrement. And then, just when the master is most satisfied with the "prophetic dream," comes the surprise ending: "... and then we were told to lick each other clean."
(If he had a mic, he probably would have dropped it)
(Read the Spanish text here)

Uncle Monday
Florida legend about a powerful medicine man that leads his fellow slaves to freedom, and then turns into a giant alligator that is still said to haunt the swamps in Florida. Sometimes he turns back into a man, and rewards or punishes people according to their deeds.
(Read his story in this book)

The Metlicani and the Gypsy
This folktale from Slovenia tells about a Gypsy sentenced to death for theft who tricks the baronass that sentenced him, and gets away alive. I am including it for two reasons, one, because the story highlights that he stole the goose out of hunger and to provide for his family, and two, because he wins his life and freedom with ingenuity against power.
(Found the English translation in the Journal of the Ohio Folklore Society I/2, 1972)

Coyote and the anthropologist
I am including this story here because it says a lot about the relationship between "researchers" and indigenous communities. According to this story from the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, an anthropologist comes across a trapped Coyote (who is a famous indigenous trickster figure) and offers to free it in exchange for money and a long story. Coyote forks over the money and tells a story until the recording tape runs out. But once he is free and away, and the researcher returns home, he discovers that the money turned to leaves and the tape recorder is full of Coyote droppings...
(Read the story, and many other Coyote tales, in this book)

What other stories should I add to this list?

L is for LGBT+ representation

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

This post is an updated version of one that I did a year or so ago, so it might be familiar to some readers.

This is probably one of the most timely (and most discussed) topics in the realm of fairy tales and representation - because it is also one of the most underrepresented, especially in Western culture. For ages, LGBT+ identities were not something one could freely talk about, even in the form of story - and a lot of stories that do hint at them do it in outdated, stereotypical, or outright homo- and transphobic ways.

Before I get to the stories I collected for today, I'd like to give a shout out to storyteller Danielle Bellone, who guest blogged here not long ago about the importance of creating new traditions, and new stories, with the use of fairy tale elements.

Let's see some stories that do present a different perspective. In order to find most of them, we have to step outside the realm of fairy tales.

Same-sex love

Aristophanes' tale of love
Probably one of the most famous examples (courtesy of Gabrielle from Xena, who, fittingly so, is returning to us soon in her full lesbian glory, and also this song from Hedwig and the Angry Inch), this Greek story can be found in Plato's Symposium. It talks about how people originally had two faces, four arms, four legs, and two sets of genitalia, until they got split down the middle by the gods - ever since then, everyone has been looking for their other half. The story includes three kinds of "round people" - male/female, female/female and male/male, accounting for same-sex relationships.

Achilles & Patroclos
Never outright stated in the Iliad, but generally accepted by later Greek and Roman authors as a romantic relationship. Definitely a close and special connection, given how their story goes...
(Read more about it here)

Apollo, Zephyros & Hyacinth
Probably the most famous same-sex love triangle of classical mythology, but not one that really ends well for anyone involved.
(Read more about it here)

Nisus & Euryalus
Two Troyan heroes in Virgil's Aeneid who travel together, fight together, and even die together.
(Read about them here)

By the way, there is an entire Wikipedia page devoted to LGBT themes in Classical mythology.

Sex/Gender change

The Warrior Girl
This Spanish Gypsy folktale elegantly points out what happens when someone wants to decide someone else's gender based on what they wear, or what their interests are. It is quite entertaining.
(I blogged about it in detail here)

The girl who became a man
This is not one folktale, but an entire folktale type (numbered as ATU 514 - The Shift of Sex). It can be found in various cultures, including Hungarian, Norwegian, Albanian, Ossetian, and Portuguese. The basic story tells about a princess that sets out to war disguised as a man, rises to a high rank, lives as a man, marries another princess, and in the end, by a blessing or by a curse (depending on the variant), physically transforms into a man as well. Some variants are more sensitive to the topic than others. My favorite is the Ossetian one.
(Read the full Hungarian version in English here, and my blog about the Ossetian version here)

Iphis
A story from Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 9.666-797) in which a girl is raised as a boy to deceive her strict father. She falls in love with and gets engaged by her father to a girl who loves her back, thinking that she is a boy. The day before the wedding Iphis prays to the goddess Isis to grant her a wish for change, and the goddess turns her into a man, after which he happily marries the girl he loves.

The princess and the demon
This one is another favorite of mine, from India. Starts out similarly then Iphis, except in this version the prince(ss) meets a tree spirit/demon on the way to the wedding, and agrees to exchange sexes with him for a year. At the end of the year he returns to the site of the deal, and finds the tree spirit happily married and pregnant. They both agree they like their new sex better, and stay that way.
(Read the story in this book)

Tiresias
Another Greek classic. Remember the old blind prophet from the Odyssey? Well, according to legend, he spent seven years as a woman, in some versions of the story as a sacred prostitute in Corinth, while according to others as a wife and a mother. After seven years the spell got reversed, and Tiresias was a man again. This ties into him being blind: Apparently Hera blinded him after he was called on to decide a debate between Zeus and her about who enjoys sex more, men or women. Tiresias said women enjoy sex NINE times more (suspiciously accurate number), and was blinded by the goddess and given the gift of prophecy by Zeus as a consolation prize.
(Read about Tiresias here)

Caeneus
Another story from Ovid's Metamorphoses. It is a Greek myth about a girl that is "ravaged" by Poseidon, who then offers to reward her with a wish (how generous) (Poseidon's an asshole). Caenis asks to be turned into a man so she can never feel helpless again. This story speaks more to gender difference and sexism, but it is interesting to note that Caeneus then goes on to be a hero among the Greeks and the father of an Argonaut.
(Read the text here)

You can also read about LGBT themes in various mythologies here.

Are there any other stories that I should definitely add to this list?

H is for Hatred (or rather, against it)

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Today I am looking for traditional stories that describe (and condemn) hatred against another group of people - showing how it is harmful, useless, and stupid. While not a direct representation, it is an important topic linked to diversity.
Some people believe that the history of humanity has always been one of difference and prejudice, but some tales can attest tot he fact that there have always been people who spoke out against hate as well.



Anniko
A folktale from Senegal, adapted by amazing storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston. An orphan girl wanders into a village of Longnecks, who accept and grow to love her despite her short neck - except for one woman, who thinks short necks have no business in their community. The woman chases Anniko away... and all the Longnecks in the village band together to find her and bring her back.
(Read it in Ready-to-Tell Tales)

Bikkhu Sok
Cambodian folktale. I mentioned this one under Adoption, but I am mentioning it again, since the boy's family is massacred out of prejudice for a different group of people.
(Read the story in this selection from the Gatiloke)

Lianja
I wrote about this Mongo/Bantu epic last year - it is an epic about a hero that is prophecised to bring peace between two tribes who had been at war for a long time, and he achieves it without either side being conquered or killed.
(Read about it here)

Black and Yellow
An old Spanish pourquoi tale about two neighboring villages, one where everyone is stern and works all the time dressed in black, and one where everyone is cheerful and parties all the time dressed in yellow. Both villages have a horrible opinion about the other, calling them good-for-nothing, until a magician decides to bring them all together, and create a new mixed community, better than the sum of its parts.
(Read it in New World Tales)

Ekalavya
This story from the vast legends of the Mahabharatha tells about a young archer from a forest tribe who wants to apprentice with a famous master - but when they find out his background (he was born outside the caste system) he is turned down. He practices alone, until he becomes the best archer in the land... but now that he has proven the master wrong, the master decides to punish him for it.
(I included this story in my book, Tales of Superhuman Powers)

A drop of honey
In this chain tale (ATU 2036) an accidental drop of honey sets off a series of accidents and events that results in two villages (or factions) going to war. The formula tale illustrates what minor, dumb events feuds can start with, and how fast they escalate. In the Burmese and Thai versions of the story, the entire decline is observed by the king who originally dripped the honey, and who keeps stubbornly claiming "it's not my problem!" A fitting political allegory.
(Read the Burmese version of the tale here)

If you are interested in more tales of conflict and resolution, read Margaret Read McDonald's Peace Tales. It's a wonderful folktale collection.

Are there other tales that should be on this list? Let me know!

G is for Girl teams

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Following my train of thought from yesterday: On top of female friendships, I would also love to see more stories about teams of women. Girl heroes. Marvel is doing it, right? There are several amazing brotherly team-ups in world folklore and mythology, but not so much on the female side.

But, fear not! I managed to rustle up a few.






The Nakhi creation tale
This matrilinear minority from China tells a story about an evil serpent, and four women - Wisdom, Doer, Thinker, and Seer - who made a plan, tricked it, and destroyed it so people could live in peace. Talk about an epic teamup.
(Read in in Tales from Within the Clouds)

Seven sisters
I already mentioned this Miao folktale in my post about elder and middle siblings, but I am mentioning it again because it features four girls defeating seven wolves together.
(Read it in Seven sisters)

The water-splashing festival
(Chinese minorities seem to be the theme of the day)
In this story, twelve women are kidnapped by a demon who is seemingly invincible. The smartest girl coaxes his secret weakness out of him, and kills him, but the head of the demon cannot be put or buried anywhere without causing destruction. Because of it, the twelve wives take turns carrying the head to keep it from hurting anyone, until the curse is broken. People splash water on them to help clean off the blood - a rite that is reenacted every year.
(Read the story in South of the Clouds)

How the women saved Guam
In this Pacific legend a  giant fish is devouring islands and no one is able to stop it. Men don't allow women to help them hunt it, claiming they know nothing - but they themselves fail at stopping the threat. Finally the women get together, make a plan, weave a net from their own hair, and manage to capture the beast and save their homes.
(Read it in Pacific island legends)

The army of women
The Ossetian Nart sagas are regarded as close relations to the Greek Amazon myths. In one of the sagas, the Nart village is attacked while the men are away on a raid, and the Nart women put on armor and weaponry and ride out to defend their homes together.
(The Ossetian Nart sagas will be published in English for the first time this July!)

Gulaim and her warrior maidens
I wrote about her last year for Epics A to Z. Instead of getting married at the age of fifteen, Gulaim gets her own fortress, and forty like-minded girls that she trains in the martial arts. They end up saving their homeland from an invasion, defeating the leader of the enemy, and liberating another kingdom as well in the process.
(Read about the epic here)

The Rebel Princess
In this amazing Jewish folktale, the persecuted heroine recruits a crew of clever maidens, steals a ship from pirates, and goes on to become a queen by her own right until her lost fiance finds her again.
(Read the story in The serpent slayer)

The Giant Caterpillar
(Adding this one by Sharon's recommendation in the comments. Thanks!)
In this folktale from the Ivory Coast, a giant caterpillar swallows an impertinent boy. After the men of the village fail to save him (and run away), the women go out together to beat the monster to death and rescue the boy.
(Read the story in this book)

The Amazons
Obviously.

Are there any other girl hero teams I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments!

F is for Female Friendships

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

We all know stories about a hero and his friends setting out to seek their fortunes together - but where are the strong female friendships? Where are women helping and supporting each other, not because they are sisters or mothers and daughters, but simply because they like one another? Compared to the number of evil stepsisters, sibling rivalries, and fake brides, the number of strong female friendships in tradition is depressingly low.

Here are some of the exceptions:


Wild Goose Lake
A Bai legend from China about a girl who befriends a dragon's daughter. The two girls figure and carry out a plan to end a drought; the dragon daughter is exiled by her father for helping the humans, and the two girls end up living happily together.
(Read the story in South of the Clouds)

The wicked girl
This Turkish folktale features friendship between a Turkish girl and her Arab slave. They are locked in together while the adults of the house are away, but the Arab girl figures out a way to sneak out and bring home whatever they need. She repeatedly tricks a restaurant owner until he decides to take revenge - but all is well in the end.
(Read the story here)

Gold-tree and Silver-tree
A strange, enchanting, polyamorous Snow White story for Scotland, in which a king's second wife saves the life of the almost-dead first wife, not once, but twice, and they all live happily together.
(Read it here)

Snow White and Rose Red
Okay, so they are sisters, but at least they like each other (it is even stated in the text) despite their personalities being different, and they go through adventures together. One of the less often quoted Grimm fairy tales, but a really good one. I hear Disney is about to get their hands on it.
(Read it here)

Katie Crackernuts
Again, step-siblings, but at least they like each other? One saves the other, and both end up happy.
(Read it here)

Camilla
I already talked about Camilla earlier, but she fits this theme as well, since she is the leader of a group of female warriors who are all very attached to her, and take revenge for her death.
(Read about her here)

There are also teams of girls that act together... but I'll talk more about them tomorrow!

Are there any other female friendship tales I should include on this list? Let me know in the comments!

C is for Caring fathers

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

While the most common complaints are aimed at evil (step)mothers in fairy tales, almost as many people protest absentee or abusive fathers as well. Caring, involved, likable father figures are a very important part of representation, and they seem to be somewhat lacking in tradition.
Not completely, though.

Zal and Rostam
The Persian legend of Zal wins at a lot of things - fatherhood among them. Zal does not only help his wife deliver their son (by C-section none the less), but also follows along the hero's entire journey giving him advice, support, and care.
(The legend of Zal is part of the Shahnameh, I recommend this edition)

Fionn Mac Cumhaill, Oisín, and Oscar
At the heart of the Irish legends of the Fianna there are three generations of men who do fatherhood right. Fionn raises Oisín alone after his wife is kidnapped; Oisín is usually shown raising Oscar alone as well, whose mother is barely ever mentioned. In some versions of the stories, Oisín is the only one who can keep his son from his battle frenzy. Because the Fianna legends are very temporally nebulous (and also because all three have some fae blood in them), the three are usually portrayed together in the Fianna's adventures. It is said that one of the two times anyone ever saw Fionn cry was at Oscar's death.
(For Fianna stories, read any of these books. For a Fionn-and-Baby tale, read Eddie Lenihan's book)

The robber and his sons
Some versions of this delightful folktale type (ATU 953) tell about a father who is a retired robber, and is trying to keep his three sons form following in his footsteps. He saves all three of them from execution by telling outrageous tales from his own criminal youth.
(I wrote about this folktale type in detail here)

Peter Carved-of-Wood
In this Hungarian folktale, a poor man carves the figure of a child from wood, and the boy comes to life (déja vu, anyone?). When he sets out to seek his fortune, he tells his father what signs to watch for to know if he is in trouble. When he gets killed on a quest, his father sees the signs and sets out to revive him.
(You can watch a gorgeous cartoon telling of this story here, with English subtitles!)

Metabus and Camilla

King Metabus and Camilla
One of my favorite Roman legends about the exiled king of the Volscii rescuing his newborn daughter by tying her to a spear and throwing her across a river before he saves himself. Don't try this at home.
(Read about it here)

A father's love
This adorable folktale from India features a minister who is always late for work because he is busy raising his six-year-old son. When the king questions him, the minister puts him through a test to see how good a father he would make...
(Read the story here)

Are there any father figures you think I should add to the list? Let me know in the comments! :)

B is for Beauty, Body, and Ideals

Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

Beauty is a very tricky subject when it comes to traditional stories. In most cases, it is symbolic - a character being "beautiful" is not as much a physical description as a general, personal, inner beauty. And even when there is physical description, it corresponds to their personalities. Therefore, looking for variety in beauty ideals and body images in tradition does not even make sense in most cases. Whatever culture is telling the story imagines their princes and princesses according to the ideals of their own era and culture.

BUT!

I did rustle up a few interesting examples. Because I am dedicated that way.

The Son of the Hunter
Okay, so this is a folktale about a hero going out with his companions who all have superpowers, fulfilling tasks given by the king, and eventually winning a princess who has dragon brothers. In one version of the story, the princess is called Dartane, the Fair One of the World. The collector notes that Dartane means "a woman of slow movements and plump." She is quite a capable lady, too.
(You can find a version of this story - and sources - in my own book, Tales of Superhuman Powers)

The girl who turned into a man
I will talk more about this folktale type (ATU 514) later in the Challenge, but I wanted to note that there is a Hungarian version where the hero(ine) is - appreciatively and repeatedly - described as "having good meat," meaning that s/he is definitely on the heavy side.
(I don't have a translation for this specific version, but I posted another Hungarian version in English here)

Three Strong Women
A Japanese folktale much loved by storytellers. It is about a sumo wrestler who is trained by three generations of exceptionally strong (and "round") women in the art of wrestling. He eventually falls in love with and marries the youngest one.
(Read a retelling of this story here)

Queen Virginal
I wrote about the epic of Dietrich in detail last year, but I want to mention it again because it is the only traditional story cycle I know where humans and Dwarves (who are described as extremely beautiful short humans) intermarry without it being deemed unusual.
(You can read about the legend here)

The secret of the fairy lake
In this Hungarian tale a girl attempts to bathe in a magical fairy lake in order to turn beautiful (because she is mocked by the other girls, and she never had a suitor). She almost drowns, but in the last moment she is rescued by a boy who tells her she doesn't need the fairy lake's magic because she is beautiful as it is.
(You can find the Hungarian text here, and if you are interested, I can help you with an English translation)

I am intentionally not mentioning stories where the hero/heroine starts out "ugly" and then magically turns beautiful. Also, body imagery is sometimes tied into the topic of disability, which will come up later in the Challenge.

Also, here is a statue of Aphrodite with glorious rolls, just because.

Can you think of any other tales that I didn't mention? Let me know in the comments!

A is for Adoption (and Stepmothers)

Welcome to the very first day of the A to Z Challenge! My theme this year is Representation and Diversity in Traditional Stories. I am looking for rare and interesting motifs in folktales, fairy tales, and legends that add variety to the well-known canon.

We are starting with a big one: It is a frequent complaint that alternative family models are not represented in a positive light in most traditional tales.
Stepmothers are almost always evil (even according to top folklore experts like Maria Tatar!), and adoption either happens with no biological family in sight (e.g. children just miraculously appear), or it is part of the happy ending that the child returns to his/her "real" family and fulfills his "true" destiny. While these motifs also have their symbolic meanings, they don't exactly sit well with adoptive- and step-parents who want to build a storytelling relationship with their children (or the other way around).

So, here are some stories with positive portrayals of adoption and stepmothers:

Hilde, the Good Stepmother
An Icelandic fairy tale about a princess who is cursed by her mother at birth - she is destined to get pregnant out of wedlock, kill a man, and burn her father's castle. After her mother's death, the king intends to marry again; Hilde, his new bride, befriends her stepdaughter, and helps her fulfill each point of the curse while avoiding disaster.
(You can read this story in All the world's reward here)

The Lion's Whiskers
An Ethiopian/Amhara tale. A mother hopes to win her stepson's love by asking a wise man for a potion. While gathering the ingredients for the potion - the whiskers of a ferocious lion -, she learns a valuable lesson about patience and persistence, and figures out how to gain her stepson's trust without any magic at all.
(You can read a re-telling of this story here, or read it in this book, or this one)

The Fishwife and the Changeling
A gorgeous Scottish folktale about a woman whose child is replaced by a changeling. When she figures out the swap, she forces the Fairy Woman to give her own baby back - but also keeps the changeling, and raises the two boys together! When the fae boy grows up he has to make a decision whether he goes back to the fairies, or stays with his mortal family. He chooses the people who raised him. One of my ever favorite tales, and also the only positive changeling story I know.
(You can find it in Folk tales from moor and mountain)

Taliesin
One of the most famous Welsh legends, the bard Taliesin's story begins with being fished out of a river and adopted by a chief's clumsy son and heir, Elphin. When he grows up, he saves his adoptive father's life and his mother's reputation.
(Actually the story begins way earlier than that, but it would be too long to summarize)
(Read the story here)

The Serpent Mother
A folktale from India about a poor girl who marries into a rich family, but has no relatives of her own. When it is time to celebrate her first pregnancy, she makes friends with the Snake Mother and her people, and they accept her as one of their own, and shield her from her in-laws' bullying.
(Read the tale in Folktales from India)

Kate Crackernuts
This Scottish fairy tale will also come up later - it features a mean stepmother, but also a kind stepsister who loves her sibling despite her mother's jealousy.
(Read about it here)

Bikkhu Sok
Cambodian folktale. A boy's entire family is massacred out of prejudice, and he only survives because a kind-hearted man hides him and a merchant adopts him. He grows up to be a famous scholar.
(Read the story in this selection from the Gatiloke)

N'oun Doaré
This gorgeous fairy tale from Brittany tells about a five-year-old boy found and adopted by a kind chief, and named "I don't know" (N'oun Doaré) because nothing is known about his origins. He grows up to be a hero, with a rusted sword and an unlikely mare for companions, rescues a princess, and marries his horse. (No, really.) (Okay, so the horse turns into a princess first. SPOILERS.)
At the end of the story, he is offered the truth about his birth parents - but he refuses, claiming that his adoptive family is the real one for him.
(Read it in Celtic myths and legends)

In addition, there are also several positive legendary and mythical adoptions one can think of: King Arthur being raised by Sir Ector; Persian hero Zal being raised and protected by his bird-mother the Simurgh; Fionn Mac Cool being raised by two women (and he turned out mighty fine); Aslög, Brünhilde and Sigurd's daughter, being saved and raised by her foster-father. I also found several adoption stories in this amazing collection of Thai folktales.

Rachel Hedman in the ETSU Storytelling program wrote her thesis on adoption folktales. You can check it out here!

Are there any stories you can think of that I didn't mention? Let me know! :)

(picture by Lucas Gama on Deviantart)

The Great and Powerful A to Z Challenge Theme Reveal!

Some of you might remember that I actually announced my A to Z theme way back in October. It was all neat and tidy and it was going to feature folktale collections. I was super prepared and on top of my pile of books.

SURPRISE!
I changed my mind.

The books I read and wrote about will be re-scheduled for other times. However, I decided to address a topic that currently intrigues me more - it is something I use for my teaching work in Culture Studies, as well as a workshop I am going to present at the end of April at the Northlands Storytelling Conference. With these things in mind, here is my actual theme (for real this time!):

Tales of Many Shapes and Colors:

Representation and Diversity in Storytelling

Representation and diversity are much discussed topics in relation to movies, comic books, literature, and the media. People have been speaking up about having more stories that feature characters that have not been featured before - or if they have, only sporadically, in minor roles, or as stereotypes. Projects like We Need Diverse Books and Miss Representation have proliferated all over the Internet, and rightly so.

As I see it, there is no reason why there shouldn't be a parallel discussion in oral storytelling as well.
Here are some things I believe:

Knights of color
in shining armor?

People want stories.
People want diverse stories.
You can't be what you can't see. (Or, in our case, hear about)
People want to see themselves in the stories they hear.
People want to see their experiences and problems represented in the stories they hear.
Storytellers have a responsibility towards their audiences.

Here is the thing: First and foremost, I work with traditional stories. Myths, epics, folktales, fairy tales, legends, that kinda stuff. And people have been pointing out that there are many things that you don't see represented in these stories - simply because they were written down in times when these issues and identities were not talked about (or have been erased since).
BUT.
This does NOT mean that:
- stories like that should not exist
- stories like that have never existed (you just have to dig for them)

I want this A to Z to be a resource for storytellers and people interested in stories. Each day, I will pick a topic that has been questioned in relation to traditional stories, such as:

How about female knights?

Why are stepmothers always evil? Are there any kind ones out there?
Can you name any folktales that feature female friendships?
Why are there so few traditional tales with LGBT+ representation?
Are there any stories where a male and a female hero fights side by side?
What about legends where heroes of different religions coexist?

And I will take a closer look at traditional stories to see what I can come up with. Of course, there will be topics that are truly hard to fill with any folktale or myth (this is why we need New Trad, as my colleague and guest blogger Danielle Bellone so eloquently explained). But it can often be surprising what you can find when you scratch below the surface.

Happy A to Z!

(My other theme, on the MopDog, will be Crazy Hungarian Cartoons! Check it out here)