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Author
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Comment
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desireofsilence
Registered User
(2/13/03 2:14:32 pm)
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East of the Sun, West of the Moon
hey! Im new here, as well..but Im curious...does anybody have a
clue to where "East of the Sun & West of the Moon"
Scandinavian myth/legend is at on the net? So I can print out the
story and read it?
I read it today at school and I found it to be very very beautiful...there seems to be more than just one version, but the one I read was about a son of a farmer being met by swan-maidens and falling in love with one. he stays with her for awhile, but learns that he misses home in norway and is returned where he came from. she promises that they will meet again if he doesnt tell anybody about her..he becomes depressed and impatient and calls for her many times, she finally comes to him on christmas night and stays...but that very night she leaves him and tells him to come find her if he truly loved her...and he does...and he has to go to a place "east of the sun, and west of the moon" ... if you have any idea of what Im talkin about..please let me know!! thank you very much!
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Kerrie
Moderator
(2/13/03 3:11:33 pm)
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Re: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
I was looking for the tale titled "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" until I finished reading your post re: swan maidens. Here's a link to swan maiden tales, which mentions living "East of the Sun, West of the Moon":
www.pitt.edu/~dash/swan.html
Here is "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" for referrence as well:
www.pitt.edu/~dash/norway034.html
Hope these help.
Sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
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desireofsilence
Registered User
(2/13/03 6:31:59 pm)
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Re: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Ive been to the first site you posted...that's not the stories...but its okay! my friend Mike was reading a book called Myths/Legends and it had that story in it, but it didnt contain a white bear ...
the swan-maidens were just dancing in a field and they had skins
to transform or something, and the man John stole the one of which
the girl he loved...its a real cute legend, and I immediately fell
for it, but thank you Kerrie for your help!
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Kerrie
Moderator
(2/13/03 8:18:45 pm)
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Re: East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Well, the second link does contain the white bear, but no swans, which are in the first, but no bear. Did your story contain both the bear and swan maidens?
Sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(2/14/03 4:18:36 am)
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Cute
I'd like to protest the word "cute" when applied to legends. Cute is for round-faced babies or yapper dogs.
As to "East of the Sun. . ." that is the classic bear story. But perhaps you were reading a collection of that name in which another story, the swan maiden story (or "resulkas) was also retold. There are any number of swan maiden stories, many of them tragic (not cute) and the basis for the Swan Lake ballet. Most are Russian, or German.
Try the collection East of the Sun, West of the Moon, collected and illustrated by Kay Nielsen. Try any good translation of the Russian fairytales collected by Afanasev.
I have a new picturebook out, The Sea King, which has both resulkas and a happy ending. It also as the Morskoi tsar (the sea king) and Baba Yaga.
Jane
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Kerrie
Moderator
(2/14/03 4:32:23 am)
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Collection...
"But perhaps you were reading a collection of that name in which another story, the swan maiden story (or "resulkas) was also retold."
I first read the story in a collection of feminist tales, I want to say it was of the same title, but cannot remember the author/editor. The collection was of tales that all had strong female leads, though if they were the original tales or adapted in any way I could not say. Does anyone else remember such a collection?
Sugarplum dreams,
Kerrie
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lmallozzi
Registered User
(2/14/03 6:43:15 am)
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Cupid and Psyche variant?
I could be mistaken, but I do believe that the "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" story containing the bear and the maiden is in fact a variant of the Cupid and Psyche story, where a maiden discovers that her lover is a prince transformed into a beast by a spell and she must undergo many trials to rescue him. It's the original basis for the Beauty and the Beast story. I am by no means an expert, but I did a short paper on that subject when I was in college and I thought it was fascinating.
You might try researching the Cupid and Psyche myth and looking for parallels. I hope that helps you a little.
Luciana
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desireofsilence
Registered User
(2/14/03 7:26:56 am)
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sorry!
I didnt mean to say "cute" for the stories...but I am only 16 years old, I did find the myth very beautiful indeed, but I havent been reading myths as long as most you guys have in here, I only started friday, and I really do enjoy reading them! Im not tryin to make an excuse that Im young and don't know any better..
"East of the Sun, West of the Moon," the version I read, was without the bear and with the swan-maidens. The farmer had three sons and the youngest was whom had fell in love with the swan-maiden and was the one as well who wasn't respected by the family.
but thank you for all your help everyone...Ill try the Cupid and
Psyche variant that you offered me...
Edited by: desireofsilence at: 2/14/03 7:34:46 am
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