Synopses & Reviews
Fairy tales are alive with the supernatural - elves, dwarfs, fairies, giants, and trolls, as well as witches with magic wands and sorcerers who cast spells and enchantments. Children into Swans examines these motifs in a range of ancient stories. Moving from the rich period of nineteenth-century fairy tales back as far as the earliest folk literature of northern Europe, Jan Beveridge shows how long these supernatural features have been a part of storytelling, with ancient tales, many from Celtic and Norse mythology, that offer glimpses into a remote era and a pre-Christian sensibility. The earliest stories often show significant differences from what we might expect. Elves mingle with Norse gods, dwarfs belong to a proud clan of magician-smiths, and fairies are shape-shifters emerging from the hills and the sea mist. In story traditions with roots in a pre-Christian imagination, an invisible other world exists alongside our own. From the lost cultures of a thousand years ago, Children into Swans opens the door on some of the most extraordinary worlds ever portrayed in literature - worlds that are both starkly beautiful and full of horrors.
Review
Children into Swans provides an excellent overview of the history of fairy tales from Perrault to the nineteenth-century collectors/authors such as the brothers Grimm fascinating and accessible, it will be of great interest to a broad range of readers.” Joanne Findon, Department of English at Trent University
Review
Beveridge provides a concise, comprehensive, scholarly, and fascinating read on myths and fairy and folk tales from Europe, including Scandinavia, during the pre-Christian and Middle Ages through the 19th century. Recommended for mythology scholars and general interest readers alike.” Library Journal
Synopsis
A lucid exploration of fairy tales and the lore of ancient stories embedded in them.
About the Author
Jan Beveridge is an independent researcher. She lives in Elora, Ontario.