Final post for 2024
All of these, again, are from the Brothers Grimm.
212. Strong Hans. I really liked this one, mostly because I had no idea where this story was going. That can sometimes be a negative but in this case it's a compliment because the plot still came together well. It's just that I had no idea how things were going to turn out. That's rather unusual in these old fairy and folk tales. Here, a young mother and her son are kidnapped by a band of thieves. They eventually escape, and Hans goes on a series of adventures. Don't want to give any spoilers- part of the fun, as I said, are the surprises.
213. The Aged Mother. Still mulling how I feel about this one. Even for a Grimm Brothers tale it's pretty dark. One could have fun debating the morality and implications of this short tale. Here, an older mother who has lost her family and friends has become angry, especially with the loss of her two children when they were younger. Then one evening she is shown a vision of how things might have gone.
214. Sweet Porridge. This short story made me laugh. If there isn't a picture book adaptation for children somewhere, that is a shame. A little girl comes across an older woman in the forest (who is NOT evil, for a change). The old woman gives her an enchanted pot, which feeds the girl and her mother sweet porridge whenever they wish. But one day, the mother forgets how the spell works.
215. Stories about Snakes. There's actually three very short stories here, all of them concerning snakes. The first is rather sad but decent. The second and third are just odd. What's unusual is that none of the snakes are portrayed as evil- indeed, the first and second stories feature snakes that are actually quite benevolent. Different, but as someone who likes snakes, it's nice to see stories where they are not maligned, even if the tales are a bit weird.
216. St. Joseph in the Forest. A fairly predictable story, but a pleasant read (although the end is, well, typical Grimm). Three sisters, one at a time, venture into the woods and encounter St. Joseph. Each sister, who are all different from each other, meet different fates depending on how they have behaved.
217. Rumpelstiltskin. A very well-known tale. A miller brags to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The miller's daughter is distraught because she has no power to do this, but she is visited by a strange little man who offers to do the task for her in exchange for something. The third and final time, the daughter promises the odd man her firstborn child, but when that child comes and the man comes to collect, she cries until he relents and tells her that she must guess his name. Always wondered how this one might be adapted for today. I have read a couple of more modern adaptations, "A Curse Dark as Gold" by Elizabeth C. Bunce and "The Witch's Boy" by Michael Gruber, both very good.
218. Rapunzel. A familiar story. A sorceress takes a baby girl from a family after she catches the father stealing rampion (otherwise known as rapunzel, which I never knew) from her garden. The sorceress eventually locks the child up in a high tower, but her efforts to keep the child hidden away are thwarted when a prince happens by the tower and hears the girl singing.
Currently reading: Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals by William Ratigan, and The Hard Way on Purpose by David Giffels, both of which I'm about halfway through.