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Author
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Comment
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Carrie
Unregistered User
(1/26/03 9:03:43 am)
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stones
Good morning all. I recently finished the Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Stone Diaries -- not a fairy tale in the common sense, but still full of imagery that seemed in the tradition of oral folklore. The thing I enoyed the most was the stretched metaphor of stone -- which occurs in many different shapes and forms throughout the book. The author took this metaphor and then liberally sprinkled another common thread of flowers as a contrast. I then started thinking of the role of stones and flowers in fairy tale literature. I find the very idea of these two contrasting themes interesting. Of course the first instance in which I thought of where they both occur was in Sleeping Beauty -- the fair flower caught in time, cradled in a stone turret and guarded by a thorny gate. I can't think of any flowers in Snow White, but her little men worked in a quarry -- I wonder what if any significance there is to that? I'm trying to think of other stories in which one or the other occurs. Isn't there a tale where the protag keeps a smooth stone in her mouth to keep her grounded in the real world? -- Actually now that I think of it, that might have been from one of de Lint's stories.
Can anyone think of any other instances? I'm curious to see what comes up.
Carrie
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Helen
Registered User
(1/26/03 11:53:27 am)
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Re: stones
Dear Carrie:
In "Snow White," the quarry worked by the dwarves foreshadows her crystal coffin: her putative guardians are very literally "crafting" protections for her from the material of their daily lives. While there are many tales that use artifacts of one sort or another - magic rings, etc. - that undoubtedly take root in the myths attached to various gems, I can't think of too many that focus specifically on the "powers" of the natural object as opposed to the qualities that their makers have imbued them with (the dwarves or fairies or witches or what have you who decided that *this* would be a girdle to inspire lust - as with Freya or Aphrodite - while *that* would be a ring of invisibility, etc.). The ones that pop immediately to mind as being somewhat relevant are "Diamonds and Toads" and "The Twelve Princesses." Hope this helps!
Best,
Helen
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Judith
Berman
Registered User
(1/27/03 10:13:50 am)
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Stones
There are various indigenous North American traditions regarding the powers and animacy of certain stones, sometimes called medicine stones. These are mostly, I think, Plains, Woodlands, and Great Lakes traditions. There is a wonderful anecdote or two on this subject in an article by Irving Hallowell (reprinted in his collected essays) called something very roughly like "Ojibwa Concepts of Animacy."
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Nalo
Registered User
(1/28/03 2:18:57 pm)
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Re: Stones
There's always the lovely story of stone soup. Though it has no otherworldliness to it.
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(1/30/03 3:29:02 am)
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more stones
There's a Chinese story about an emperor who goes blind and a snake who brings him a stone that cures him. And an interesting story about one oif the Irish saints (am spacing on which) and a stone of great power.
Just back from Scotrland and jetlaggedly trying to catch up.
Jane
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Gregor9
Registered User
(1/30/03 10:49:44 am)
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Egg
In "Fitcher's Bird", the Bluebeard figure gives his wife a marble (stone) egg along with the keys to the house as a means of controlling her. She is required to keep the egg with her always, and it becomes the means by which he can tell she's violated his rules. The sexual iconography is certainly unmistakable, although various theories of its true meaning have done battle ever since. But it is a stone, and as with the one the girl puts in her mouth to keep her grounded, it's used to effect a certain control.
Greg
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Laura
McCaffrey
Registered User
(1/30/03 2:21:47 pm)
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Stone
Hey All -
There's a Chinese folk tale illustrated by Ed Young, I believe, and entitled The Hunter. He saves a snake and is given the gift of understanding animals but he can't tell his secret or he'll be turned to stone. He's put in an impossible situation and of course must tell and then pay the consequences. Heidi - help me out here, am I getting this right? I don't have the book in front of me.
There's also all those trolls turning to stone in daylight in Norse stories. I'm just reading de Lint's wonderful short story collection WAIFS AND STRAYS, with an intro by Terri. There's a lovely bittersweet tale in the collection about a half troll girl and turning to stone.
Take care,
Laura Mc
Edited by: Laura McCaffrey at: 1/31/03 6:06:06 am
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Jane Yolen
Unregistered User
(1/31/03 2:59:27 am)
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Grimms
That mentioned Chinese folktale is also in Grimm's. It's Faithful John, #6. He hears the birds saying that his master, the young king, will be killed and to save him, Faithful John has to explain what he's heard and turns to stone.
Jane
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Angel
Feather
Registered User
(1/31/03 10:36:15 am)
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Snow White & Rose Red
The mention of "Snow White" triggered a memory of a story "Snow White & Rose Red". It's a Grimms' fairytale that also contains a dwarf with jewels who is attacked by an eagle on a heath scattered with rocks. The names of the daughters come from 2 rose bushes at their home. The bear that they have befriended kills the dwarf, breaks his enchantment, and recovers his human form and treasure. Lots of symbolism there.
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Angel Feather
Unregistered User
(1/31/03 10:38:32 am)
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Snow White & Rose Red
The mention of "Snow White" triggered a memory of a story "Snow White & Rose Red". It's a Grimms' fairytale that also contains a dwarf with jewels who is attacked by an eagle on a heath scattered with rocks. The names of the daughters come from 2 rose bushes at their home. The bear that they have befriended kills the dwarf, breaks his enchantment, and recovers his human form and treasure. Lots of symbolism there.
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Kevin
Smith
Registered User
(1/31/03 2:33:45 pm)
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stone egg?
Gregor9,
Which version of Fitcher's bird specifies that the egg is made of marble? All version that I've read (including the Zipes edited one, and the Routledge version) don't say that the egg is made of stone at all.
Is this perhaps an error of translation (either omitting or adding this detail), or are you referring to another version?
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bielie
Registered User
(2/2/03 11:39:49 am)
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Water snake
In Africa the Water Snake carries a precious stone in her head.
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Elizabeth
Unregistered User
(2/3/03 8:28:41 am)
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Stone Soup
I love the stone soup story. I have it in a children's book and all the characters are animals. Its so sweet.
Liz
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Andrey
Bobev
Registered User
(2/4/03 12:02:56 pm)
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Stones
A guy here (In Bulgaria) a few years ago edited a hole book, entitled "Mythological gemology". In fact he collected everything he could find about mythological, astrological, medical, religious, etc., etc. beliefs about stones. It's very interesting - but it's in Bulgarian. In a few words, he started with the neolithic cultures, passed through ancient China, Greece, Rome, the Middle ages and finished with the resent superstitions. If anything more concrete interests You - well, I could check, but unfortunately it's too big to translate it entirely.
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Andrey
Bobev
Registered User
(2/4/03 12:07:43 pm)
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Oh, my Dear!
Well, I'm really sorry about my spelling. How could I write "hole" instead of "whole"?!?! I hope You will excuse my poor English. Spell Check surely doesn't help, when you don't know what you are writing... Sorry again!
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