Maid of the North

The Maid of the North weaves together tales about a woman's right to freedom of will and choice. In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines successfully portray women as being spirited, courageous and smart. This type of heroine is not easily found in most collections; in most traditional folk and fairy tales we encounter women are portrayed as being good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful. These womenand girlsare resourceful; they take action to solve a problem and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve the dilemmas they face.

The tales themselves are part of an oral tradition that document a generation according to the values of the time. Phelps has given these older tales a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readers, young and old. She shapes each storyadding or omitting detailsto reflect her sense of a feminist folk or fairy tale.

The twenty-one tales collected represent a wide variety of countries; approximately seventeen ethnic cultures from North America to Europe to Asia tell a story in which women play a leading or crucial role in the story.

Ethel Johnston Phelps is the author of Tatterhood and Other Tales.

In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines are refreshingly spirited, courageous, and smart. This type of protagonist is not easily found in folk literature; most such tales simplistically portray female leading characters as good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful.

The Maid of the North, by constrast, gathers vivid and compelling stories concerning a woman's free will, free thought, and free choice. The women (and girls) in these tales are resourceful; they take action to address problems and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve their dilemmas. The tales themselves reflect an oral tradition in which a generation documents the values of its time, and Phelps has given these older narratives a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readersboth young and old. Thus she shapes each story, adding or omitting certain details, to create a bona fide feminist folk or fairy tale. These twenty-one tales represent a broad variety of countries and ethnic cultures: from North America to Europe to Asia.

"Ethel Johnson Phelps sought out these twenty-one folk and fairy tales featuring women as heroic, clever figures rather than the usual roles of docile maiden in distress or villainous ogre causing distress. They are delightful tales from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including Scandinavian, American Indian, Japanese, Celtic, East Indian, and Russian."American Library Association, Booklist

"Here the fables are turned: women rescue men, outwit demons, and fight like Cossacks . . . Phelps celebrates females who have brains and energy . . . A collection that turns the fablesand fits the movement."Time

"Worldly enough to keep adults awake; soothing enough to put children to sleep without nightmares."Elaine Kendall, Los Angeles Times

"The child hearing these stories will know that girls, like boys, can be active rather than passive, and grow up to be productive people. Any feminist parent will be glad."Carolyn Heilbrun, The New Times Book Review

The Maid of the North weaves together tales about a woman's right to freedom of will and choice. In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines successfully portray women as being spirited, courageous and smart. This type of heroine is not easily found in most collections; in most traditional folk and fairy tales we encounter women are portrayed as being good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful. These womenand girlsare resourceful; they take action to solve a problem and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve the dilemmas they face.

The tales themselves are part of an oral tradition that document a generation according to the values of the time. Phelps has given these older tales a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readers, young and old. She shapes each storyadding or omitting detailsto reflect her sense of a feminist folk or fairy tale.

The twenty-one tales collected represent a wide variety of countries; approximately seventeen ethnic cultures from North America to Europe to Asia tell a story in which women play a leading or crucial role in the story.

Ethel Johnston Phelps is the author of Tatterhood and Other Tales.

Introduction

The Maid of the NorthA Finnish Tale from the Kalevala

Fair ExchangeA Celtic Tale

Gawain and the Lady RagnellAn English Tale

The Monkey's HeartAn African Tale

The Twelve HuntsmenA German Tale

The Old Woman and the Rice CakesA Japanese Tale

The Tiger and the JackalA Punjab Tale from West Pakistan

East of the Sun, West of the MoonA Norwegian Tale

The Hunter MaidenA Zuni Tale from the American Southwest

The Giant's DaughterA Scandinavian Tale

MulhaA South African Tale

Elsa and the Evil WizardA Swedish Tale

Maria MorevnaA Russian Tale

Duffy and the DevilA Cornish Tale

How the Summer Queen Came to CanadaA Canadian Indian Tale

The Stars in the SkyAn English Tale

Lanval and the Lady TriamorA Breton/Celtic Tale

Bending WillowAn American Indian Tale

Finn MagicA Scandinavian Tale

The Husband Who Stayed at HomeA Norwegian Tale

Scheherazade RetoldA Persian Tale

Bibliography