I'm continuing my "following folktales around the world" blog series with a spinoff: reading folktale collections from Hungarian Roma traditional storytellers.
First up: Jóni Ferenc, with talent for putting unexpected twists on well known tale types, and using elaborate cursing to color his tales for adults. His empathy shines through as well. I found many favorites in this book.
It's nice to read folklore from further north. In the Alps region women must not do chores of any kind during that time or the Truden (Wild Hunt) will pay them special attention.
For those long cold dark nights ... Spirits of the Season: Portraits of the Winter Otherworld written by Dr Bob Curran and illustrated by Andy Paciorek
This is the day to make or indulge in saffron buns for St Lucia Day as enjoyed in several Scandinavian countries. These buns - (Lussekatter) are supposed to resemble cats tails wrapped around each other. St Lucia is celebrated as a symbol of light in the dark of the year, with processions of girls in white dresses, the leader with a candle headdress.
@FairytalesFood@folklore@folklorethursday I think the buns are intended to resemble St Lucia's eyes. She lost her eyes as punishment for helping Christians. But the whole of the thirteenth is a glorious mess of old and new folklore, with Lussi and Lucia trasitions all mixed together.
For the #ArtAdventCalendar, a print I made for #FolktaleWeek23 Sea prompt. It’s a linocut of one of my favourite mythological creatures: the Zaratan, here in my print a giant sea turtle disguised as an island. There’s a small campfire on the supposed beach, and a sailing ship from the age of exploration nearby.
“There is a story that is told in all lands and throughout all history -
Hello, Myth Lovers! Join us for #Monday's theme: BONES. How are bones featured in mythology? Use the hashtag #MythologyMonday and write out a story. See you soon! 🦴🦴🦴
There is a Jewish tradition that the luz bone houses the soul, though scholars differ on exactly where in the spine the luz is located. It will not decay and will be the source of recreating the body at the time of resurrection.
In some European Christmas traditions the spirits of ancestors are remembered during the Christmas Eve meal, vacant places are set, a candle/light is kept burning all night, and the leftover food remains on the table overnight for visiting spirits. In the 8thC St Bede also wrote that the early Medieval English left food on tables overnight during the Christmas season so that visiting spirits could partake of the feast.
@FairytalesFood@folklore A Norwegian tradition I grew up with, riffing off Day 9, was that on the farms you had to leave part of the risgrøt (rice porrige) out for creatures known as nisser to keep them happy. They were mythic beings believed to either help with or sabotage farmwork depending on their mood, and what I heard from farm relatives was that they would turn the milk still in the cows sour if they didn't get their julegrøt (xmas porridge).
@FairytalesFood@folklore The folk tradition of nisser have increasingly been merged with the global Xmas traditions in later years, and the nisser themselves with Santa Claus, so I think in a hybrid tradition the Xmas porridge that used to be left out for the nisse creatures are now left out for this single being known as the Xmas Nisse (Julenisse, Norwegian name for Santa).