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Author
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Comment
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La Reine Noire
Registered User
(3/3/05 7:42 pm)
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Mélusine
I know this isn't a fairy tale, per se, but does anyone know of any modern retellings of the Mélusine legend? I'm considering writing something based on it and I wanted to see if there was anything already out.
I know it shows up in multiple countries (i.e. France, India) at different times, and that it's a minor subplot in A.S. Byatt's Possession.
Anything else?
Cheers,
~Kavita
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tlchang37
Registered User
(3/3/05 10:20 pm)
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Re: Mélusine
I just read a brand new retelling by Claire Delacroix in a collection called "To Weave Web of Magic". I really liked her version (as well as the Patricia McKillip story. Heck, I liked all of the stories....)
Tara
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Heidi Anne Heiner
ezOP
(3/3/05 10:53 pm)
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Re: Mélusine
Also look at some of the titles on Modern Interpretations of Little Mermaid. I have Ondine and Melusine novels and short stories listed there, too.
Heidi
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Terri Windling
Registered User
(3/4/05 9:31 am)
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Re: Mélusine
The Wandering Unicorn, a novel by Argentinian writer Manuel Mujica Lainez, is a fabulous version of the Melusine legend.
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/4/05 11:06 am)
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Re: Mélusine
Yes, lots of Melusines and Melusinas. From Charlotte Haldane's to Lynne Reid Banks' (both) "Melusine" and that's only in English. There are many more in other European languages and then there are related stories such as A.S. Byatt's "A Lamia in the Cevannes" from her collection "Elementals".
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aka Greensleeves
Registered User
(3/4/05 12:19 pm)
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Re: Mélusine
In the same note, can anyone point out a traditional version of the tale? I recently read Lynn Reid Banks's beautiful novel, and it left me with a few questions....
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RebeccaM
Unregistered User
(3/4/05 3:14 pm)
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Melusine
A really great book of critical essays is _Melusine of Lusignan: Founding Fiction in Late Medieval France_, edited by Donald Maddox and Sara Sturm-Maddox, if that's of any interest.
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La Reine Noire
Registered User
(3/5/05 6:17 am)
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Re: Mélusine
Well, the original versions are two medieval French poems, either called "Mélusine" or "Le Roman de Mélusine" by Jean d'Arras and Coudrette. One is derived from the other, but I don't recall which is which. My hunch is that Jean d'Arras was the first. There should be translations lying about. I know I've seen them but I don't remember offhand.
Thank you everyone!
~LaReine
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/5/05 10:50 am)
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Re: Mélusine
Greensleeves, I don't have time to recheck now but, these three sites made it into my bookmarks:
www.pitt.edu/~dash/melusina.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melusine
www.endicott-studio.com/r...Magic.html
You might find something there. Try the pitt.edu site first.
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Black Sheep
Registered User
(3/5/05 1:31 pm)
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Further Dragon Ladies
There's also the whole theme of kissing the Dragon Lady. These are only a couple of examples from many in European literature:
www.lib.rochester.edu/cam...ibeaus.htm
(Arthurian canon)
www.skell.org/explore/text/kempT.html
(ballad related to "The Laily Worm" and "Allison
Gross")
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redtriskell
Registered User
(3/12/05 11:17 am)
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Re: Further Dragon Ladies
This is probably not terribly helpful, but I read a short story that put this legend into the bayous of Louisiana as a family curse. That occasionally women born into the family were part snake, with amazing abilities to sing. The story was about a folklore student tracking down the origin of a folk song called Melusine. Now that I have the darn thing in my head, I'm of to see if I can locate the story in my collection so I can say the title and author.
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