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Author
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Comment
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candlelit
Unregistered User
(3/4/05 2:55 pm)
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Fairy tales with horses and other beautiful animals
Hello all! (What a splendid site!)
I am an illustrator searching for fairy / folk tales to illustrate. In particular, I am looking for tales where horses / birds (falcons/eagles/etc) / wolves play a central role, because these animals are my favorites to paint, and they say a painter should paint what he or she loves to paint.
I am not looking for fables (ie stories with no human beings). Also, I know that every prince rides a horse, so that isn't what I am looking for either - the magnificent animals should appear as important characters in many scenes, so that I can paint plenty of them. :)
I'd be thankful for any ideas! So far, I've found some Russian folk tales (ie Vasilisa the Beautiful), but I am not sure I want something quite so dark - perhaps I do, as I said, I am not sure. Above all, I am looking for something quite lyrical and beautiful.
Thanks again for your time & inspiration!
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/6/05 7:19 am)
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Re: Fairy tales with horses and other beautiful animals
I prefer folktales to fairy tales and I like different animals to you Candlelit so I'm not the right person to answer your question but, as the board often goes a bit quiet at the weekend, I thought I'd offer you some less popular tales.
For horses what about Black Elk's vision? I seem to recall that there were at least four different horses in it (and versions of it are sure to be available on the web).
For hawks and eagles I thought of two related stories but the first version doesn't have any people in it.
There's an Irish folktale called "The Hawk of Achill" in which the hawk kills an eagle chick (or whatever baby eagles are called?) and takes it's place but accidentally gives himself away to the mother eagle who then goes to find the oldest animal with the longest memory so she can ask a question: first she tries a blackbird (who is also a blacksmith), then either a bull or a stag (depending on the version of the story), and lastly a salmon (who answers the eagle's question). The eagle flies home but the hawk has escaped.
A similar tale occurs as part of the story "Culhwch And Olwen" which is in the Cymric/Welsh Mabinogion. As one of Culhwch's tasks (number 21ish maybe?) he has to find and free the abducted boy Mabon. The task begins with a description of a wolfhound/hunting dog. Then there's a quest to ask the oldest animals with the longest memories if they know where Mabon is: first a blackbird, then a stag, an owl, an eagle, and lastly a salmon who answers the question. There are other tasks with animals in the same story too (and I know it's on the web).
I don't like most wolf tales but I seem to recall that a wolf-headed God called Upuaut (?) steers the falcon-headed God Ra's sun-boat through the underworld each night in Egyptian mythology. Upuaut is a guide in other myths too.
That gives you a few ideas and maybe some different illustration styles to play with. Have fun.
Edited by: Black Sheep at: 3/6/05 7:20 am
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DawnReiser
Registered User
(3/7/05 11:57 am)
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illustration
Also see animal bride/bridegroom tales such as The She-Wolf (Croatian) or The Woman Who Became a Horse (Pawnee) or tales of the selkie (Scotland) or ronan (Ireland). Of course, there's always Beauty and Beast and its many versions (Cupid and Psyche or East of the Sun West of the Moon). The Beast has often been reinterpreted in many different mammalian forms.
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/7/05 2:34 pm)
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Re: Fairy tales with horses and other beautiful animals
:)
I see that my attempt at editing my previous post utterly failed. I really shouldn't be allowed to operate machinery when my blood caffeine level has dipped below 98%.
It should have said:
"I don't like most wolf tales but I seem to recall that a jackal-headed God called Upuaut (?) steers the falcon-headed God Ra's sun-boat through the underworld each night in Egyptian mythology. Upuaut is a guide in other myths too."
That looks better!
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LilyAyl
Registered User
(3/9/05 9:30 am)
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Re: Fairy tales with horses and other beautiful animals
Stories about swan maidens would give you plenty of birds to paint.
One story involves peahens instead of swans, but also includes some
really magnificent horses and a dragon. www.pitt.edu/~dash/swan.html#mijatovies
In 'The Crystal Casket,' a Snow White sort of story, a giant eagle
has a couple scenes.
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Crceres
Registered User
(3/10/05 10:59 am)
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Dapplegrim
Dapplegrim is a bit dark, but the horse is the main character and there may be a part towards the end where he deals with a pack of wolves...some sort of ravenous woods creature, anyway.
Scandinavian mythology is full of horses (Grani, Svadilfir, Sleipnir, Loki in one of his forms...), wolves (Fenris...there must be some others, too), and eagles (Freya's falcon cloak, the eagle at the top of yggdrasil, etc.).
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redtriskell
Registered User
(3/12/05 10:57 am)
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animals
Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but what about Puss in Boots? I recall many dashing poses for the cat, especially with the ogre. Or maybe the Breman Town Musicians? Though that one might not be to your liking as it is primarily about the animals. I can't even remember if there are people in that one at all. Of course, a donkey, a hen, and a dog aren't exactly mythically beautiful, but it is a fun story.;)
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Jan
Unregistered User
(3/18/05 5:28 pm)
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deer and gazelle
Since a recent question on another fairy tale led me to review the Lang rainbow fairy books, thought I'd mention a couple from those that have some great roles for animals: In the Lilac Fairy Book, there's The Enchanted Deer that contains not just the deer of the title but also horses, a falcon, a dog, an eagle, and miscellaneous birds. The Violet Fairy Book contains The Story of the Gazelle "from the Swahili" in which the gazelle is like a tragic hero of the tale. The Orange Fairy Book has The White Doe which includes a crab-fairy and this delightful account of a parade of fairy coaches that someone with your interests might have a ball illustrating:
"...everybody inside ran to the windows to watch the fairies' carriages, for no two were alike. One had a car of ebony, drawn by white pigeons, another was lying back in her ivory chariot, driving ten black crows, while the rest had chosen rare woods or many-coloured sea-shells, with scarlet and blue macaws, long-tailed peacocks, or green love-birds for horses. These carriages were only used on occasions of state, for when they went to war flying dragons, fiery serpents, lions or leopards, took the place of the beautiful birds."
Overall, I find the rainbow books chock full of fairy tales where people are transformed over and over again through various enchantments into animals or birds of all kinds and/or receive help from magical beasts. Frequently, the horses or eagles that take the heros/heroines on magical journeys play a bigger role than you might typically think compared to the horses that are mere mentions in a typical Arthurian legend, for instance. Have fun searching! --Jan
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