New Book: Original Bavarian Folktales: A Schönwerth Selection: A Dual-language Book by M. Charlotte Wolf

Do you remember the media hype a few years ago about the lost German fairy tales? I posted about the story at Five Hundred New Fairytales Discovered in Germany and Maria Tatar Discusses Franz Xaver von Schönwerth if you need your memory jiggled.

Well, now 150 of the tales have been translated for your reading pleasure by Dr. M. Charlotte Wolf. Better yet, they are offered side-by-side with the original German for those of you who enjoy that sort of thing. I do. I have a few other books in the dual-language series by Dover. The other great news is that Dover is a thrifty publisher so the book is well-priced for just about everyone--no academic pricing here although the book is a fine academic tome--don't let the price let you think otherwise. It should entice you to pick up this collection since it is about the the price of a lunch at a sit-down restaurant.

I asked Dr. Wolf to share some insider information about the book with us along with her favorite tales in the collection. Thanks to her for sharing with us! I have a review copy of the book to peruse and will share more later, but wanted to share this now with you.

From M. Charlotte Wolf:

I would like to announce the upcoming publication of my book, Original Bavarian Folktales: A Schönwerth Selection: A Dual-language Book. The Kindle version is already available (March 2014) and the print version will be published in May.

The book contains 150 fairy and folk tales culled from a three-volume scholarly work by Franz von Schönwerth and published in the 1850s. In the introduction to Original Bavarian Folktales, readers will find footnoted critical material on the German and East Bavarian stories as well as Schönwerth and his legacy. The tales of giants, witches, death, mermaids, dwarfs, the wind, the sun and the moon, and other subjects are grouped thematically.

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth collected a treasure trove of material, traditions and tales, about the people of the East Bavarian region known as Upper Palatinate. In folklorist circles he is mainly known for his 3-volume work Aus der Oberpfalz: Sitten und Sagen, 1857 – 1859 (From the Upper Palatinate: Traditions and Tales, 1857-1895). Schönwerth’s famous contemporary Jacob Grimm, one half of the famous Grimm Brothers, was much impressed by Schönwerth’s work, and his all-around positive review in a letter he sent to the Bavarian folklorist in late September of 1858, may have been based on the realization that the much younger man was indeed a kindred spirit. While both the Grimm Brothers and Schönwerth collected tales during the 19th century, there is a distinct disparity between the different set of tales. This may also be because the Grimm Brothers frequently softened the message of tales they thought too violent for children, whereas Schönwerth had tried to preserve the tone and flavor of the Upper Palatinian stories along with their simplicity. These differences become most evident in tales that appear both in the Brothers Grimm and the Schönwerth collections, such as the widely known tale “The Gallant Tailor” (German, „Das tapfere Schneiderlein“), published in the 1857 edition of the Grimm Brothers' Kinder- und Hausmärchen (KHM). In Original Bavarian Folktales, Schönwerth’s version is called “The Tailor and the Giants” (German, „Der Schneider und die Riesen“).

In the Grimm version, the story begins with a detailed description of the purchase of sweet compote, tells of the flies that “landed on it in droves” (KHM 111), relates the tailor’s win over the seven flies with one stroke (as the tailor tells it!), and ends with the following words, “You are such a [tough] guy?[…] The entire world shall hear of this!” (KHM 111).

In Schönwerth’s version, the tailor is a much humbler lad who one day finds in the forest a red silk sash on which appear the words, “Seven with one stroke; who can match that?” which he picks up and ties around his waist. The two stories then follow two obviously similar threads, but the Grimm version is more refined and built on much more dialogue, whereas the Schönwerth recounts it as it may have been told by a story teller to a group or crowd of listeners, in a much more narrative style and involving little dialogue. In the Grimm version, the tailor survives by using his wits and boasting of seeminlgy heroic deeds, while in the Schönwerth version we learn of the tailor‘s acts of true heroism.

But like Schönwerth’s Sitten und Sagen, the inspiration for the publication of Jacob Grimm’s Deutsche Mythologie and the Grimm Brothers’ Kinder- und Hausmärchen, was a shared focus on the importance of folk traditions. Schönwerth and the Grimm Brothers preferred the preservation of everyday culture of rural and small-town Germans, to keep alive traditions that reflected a Germanic folk-culture reaching back into a distant past.

As a true romantic, among my favorite Schönwerth tales is the story of a wager between King Solomon and the Devil (story 145). The story ends with the words: “Those who belong together will come together, even if the Devil has to gather them in his wheelbarrow.” I found the story appealing because not only is the Devil not depicted as the “bad guy” this time, but moreover, he even appears as an, albeit reluctant, matchmaker for two young lovers.

Another Animal Bridegroom: ATU 431: The Donkey

As I have mentioned before, the Grimms provided many different types of Animal Bridegroom tales in their collection, many the best know representatives of tale types in the ATU 425-449 Animal Husband range. Several of these appear in Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World.

ATU 431: The Donkey is one such example. The description for the tale type is a synopsis of the Grimm tale, The Donkey. The tale is not widely distributed and is apparently sourced, according to Uther, from:

...a versified novella from southern Germany of ca. 1200, which was much read in courtly circles. The donkey with human sensibilities is traced to the ancient novelle of Psuedo-Lucian and Apuleius. Prose versions were popularized by the Grimms' text. Oral versions are often so much abbreviated that they are difficult to distinguish from Type 425A.

The tale is more recognizable in the Animal Bridegroom family because it contains many common elements, including the nightly changing from beast to human by removing the animal skin and the ultimate burning of the animal skin to end the enchantment. The beginning also starts with a childless couple wishing for a child, any child, and receiving a donkey child as a result.

And isn't it fascinating to see that some tales are old and kept a long life from ca. 1200 but still didn't gain the same popularity level of other tales. I have to admit, a donkey is less appealing or enticingly dangerous than many other animals. This tale even emphasizes more of this entertainment qualities--from playing musical instruments, etc.

The only representative of this tale in Beauty and the Beast Tales From Around the World is the Grimms' The Donkey. There are more variants, but few are available in English translation.

Maria Tatar Discusses Franz Xaver von Schönwerth

Remember my post a few weeks ago about the "newly discovered" fairy tales? And my slight exasperation with the media for portraying the find as brand new instead of forgotten since most of the tales have been on the internet for years? Well, Maria Tatar has chimed in and is better informed and even provides some analysis of the tales for all of our benefits. Thanks, Maria! Here are the first two paragraphs from Cinderfellas: The Long-Lost Fairy Tales by Maria Tatar at The New Yorker:

Bavarian fairy tales going viral? Last week, the Guardian reported that five hundred unknown fairy tales, languishing for over a century in the municipal archive of Regensburg, Germany, have come to light. The news sent a flutter through the world of fairy-tale enthusiasts, their interest further piqued by the detail that the tales—which had been compiled in the mid-nineteenth century by an antiquarian named Franz Xaver von Schönwerth—had been kept under lock and key. How astonishing then to discover that many of those “five hundred new tales” are already in print and on the shelves at Widener Library at Harvard (where I teach literature, folklore and mythology) and at Yale, Stanford, and Berkeley.

Schönwerth—a man whom the Grimm brothers praised for his “fine ear” and accuracy as a collector—published three volumes of folk customs and legends in the mid-nineteenth century, but the books soon began gathering dust on library shelves. In 2010, over a hundred of the fairy tales culled from the archive were published by the Schönwerth champion Erika Eichenseer, under the title Prinz Rosszwifl. So the Guardian’s news wasn’t exactly new. To be sure, those tales have not yet been translated into English, and many stories remain in manuscript form. But there are enough of them available now to satisfy our curiosity: are they radically different from the fairy tales we know?

As always, click through to read the rest....

Five Hundred New Fairytales Discovered in Germany

Spinning a yarn … King Golden Hair, one of the newly-discovered fairytales. Illustration: Barbara Stefan

From Five hundred new fairytales discovered in Germany: Collection of fairytales gathered by historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth had been locked away in an archive in Regensburg for over 150 years by Victoria Sussens-Messerer:

A whole new world of magic animals, brave young princes and evil witches has come to light with the discovery of 500 new fairytales, which were locked away in an archive in Regensburg, Germany for over 150 years. The tales are part of a collection of myths, legends and fairytales, gathered by the local historian Franz Xaver von Schönwerth (1810–1886) in the Bavarian region of Oberpfalz at about the same time as the Grimm brothers were collecting the fairytales that have since charmed adults and children around the world.

Last year, the Oberpfalz cultural curator Erika Eichenseer published a selection of fairytales from Von Schönwerth's collection, calling the book Prinz Roßzwifl. This is local dialect for "scarab beetle". The scarab, also known as the "dung beetle", buries its most valuable possession, its eggs, in dung, which it then rolls into a ball using its back legs. Eichenseer sees this as symbolic for fairytales, which she says hold the most valuable treasure known to man: ancient knowledge and wisdom to do with human development, testing our limits and salvation.

Von Schönwerth spent decades asking country folk, labourers and servants about local habits, traditions, customs and history, and putting down on paper what had only been passed on by word of mouth. In 1885, Jacob Grimm said this about him: "Nowhere in the whole of Germany is anyone collecting [folklore] so accurately, thoroughly and with such a sensitive ear." Grimm went so far as to tell King Maximilian II of Bavaria that the only person who could replace him in his and his brother's work was Von Schönwerth.

Von Schönwerth compiled his research into a book called Aus der Oberpfalz – Sitten und Sagen, which came out in three volumes in 1857, 1858 and 1859. The book never gained prominence and faded into obscurity.

You can read the rest at The Guardian's site. You can also read one of the tales, The Turnip Princess.

So, not really lost, just forgotten which is somewhat different. They were published in German and they are around, just not highlighted. As a researcher, not a member of the media proper, I distinguish. After all, Aus der Oberpfalz: sitten und sagen, Volume 1 By Franz Xaver von Schönwerth is available online at Google Books in full text. The other two volumes were not fully scanned but there may be ones soon. Of course, a full English translation of all three volumes would be wonderful. (Someone get right on that for me, okay?)

And don't think I am not happy about this news item if I sound less enthusiastic about the idea of lost treasures. These do deserve some much needed attention, no doubt, especially if they were much less edited than the Grimms. (I am unversed about Von Schönwerth's work overall, so don't know at this point.) I am thrilled whenever fairy tales get coverage in the media, except when I weary of the "don't read fairy tales to children" articles. I could muster through life with less of those....

The Truth About Germany: Fairy Tales

No, I haven't forgotten that I have not finished my Grimm Legacies coverage. I have a few papers yet to cover and hope to do that in the next few days. (I have been swamped with some other projects the last few weeks since I returned.) However, I wanted to share this video about fairy tales in Germany that Jack Zipes shared during his keynote at Grimm Legacies, demonstrating both the kitsch and ongoing legacy of the tales in Germany.

Here's a description, too:

In this installment of roving reporter Michael Wigge's quest for the truth about Germany, he explores why Germans are so good at fairy tales. Just look at the Brothers Grimm whose book on fairy tales is the most widely read German cultural book in the world and translated into more than 160 languages and dialects. Wigge visits the Fairy Tale Park "Frau Holleland", and goes to Polle, the alleged home of Cinderella.

Fairy-tale feast rewards Black Forest trekkers by Susie Woodhams

From Fairy-tale feast rewards Black Forest trekkers by Susie Woodhams:

“So you want to make ‘Tischlein deck dich’?’’ the clerk said.

“Uh, I was talking about the hike and lunch. The one that starts at your hotel and happens only on Tuesdays,’’ I replied uncertainly in English.

To quell my confusion, the clerk explained that “Tischlein deck dich,’’ which translates to “Little table, cover yourself,’’ is the title of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale known in English as “The Wishing Table.’’ In it, a young man receives a simple table, which produces a feast on command.

Only in this case, after snaking three hours through the forest backdrop of many Grimm tales, hikers stumble upon a feast at 3,200 feet. The idea is to reward participants with a three-course, sit-down lunch as they take in views of the Rench Valley and verdant highlands – and on a clear day, even Strasbourg’s cathedral 30 miles northwest in France. Refreshed, they then complete their 8-mile journey down to the five-star hotel.

For 45 euros, or $62.55, could this be my dream hike?

That's just the beginning of the two page article, a lovely description of Woodmans' trip and hike to the Black Forest.  Enjoy!

Another Article About the Fairy Tale Route

Well, some of the major newspapers appear to be on the same wavelength since The New York Times also just published an article about traveling along the Fairy Tale Road in Germany: On the Trail of Hansel and Gretel in Germany by David G. Allan.

I think it is a plot to torture me that I am not traveling far from home this year...but it is another great article with recommended sites for touring and lodging.

An excerpt:

Or you could do what I did, accompanied by my wife, Kate, and our 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Alice: drive the Fairy Tale Road in Germany, an official but unmarked route designed by local tourism officials to promote sites, some authentic, some imaginary. The 350-plus-mile route between Frankfurt and Bremen snakes past locations that include the actual homes of the Grimms and the fantasy ones of Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, and Hansel and Gretel, along with a mix of foreboding forests, striking towers and even some genuine castles.

Alice’s introduction to the world of the Grimm tales began on our flight, as I read to her from the brothers’ version of Cinderella. “Once upon a time there was a girl named Isabella whose mother had died,” I started, immediately rediscovering how much death, vice and fear is woven into the Grimms’ stories. (Their first volume included a gruesome story titled “How Some Children Played at Slaughtering.”) As I continued, I did some on-the-spot Disney-fication, glossing over hungry wolves and murderous stepmothers to get to the happy endings. But even sugar-coated, the stories hooked Alice. Over the week, our car rides featured her backseat-spun yarns that began, “Once upon a time there was a girl named Alice ...“

And this article also reminds us that the bicentennial of the Grimms's first publication of their fairy tales is in 2012, not that far down the road. Now I have to start pondering how we'll celebrate that one on SurLaLune.

Fairy Tale Travel Article in Wall Street Journal

Today in the Wall Street Journal we are given a great article: On Germany's Fairy-Tale Trail by Rhea Wessel.  I occasionally share travel articles like these and this is a particularly strong one.

Some 60 cities are pinned to the Fairy Tale Route, a loose affiliation of villages and cities that claim a connection to a Grimm story or to the brothers.

We decided to focus on the trail within 100 kilometers of Frankfurt during a weekend trip in early June. With my husband and our 5-year-old daughter in tow, our tour began in Hanau, where the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in 1785 and 1786, respectively.

The city is home to a wide variety of fairy-tale productions during the Brothers Grimm Festival, the second-largest theater festival in the state of Hesse, which takes place each summer and draws some 75,000 attendees annually. This year, the festival features 90 plays, plus readings and speeches from historians about the lives and work of the Brothers Grimm. Children can choose from a variety of productions such as musicals, ballet renditions of Hansel and Gretel and a sing-along rock concert.

There's much more, of course, so click through to read it all. There are also some guides on places to stay and visit. Overall, a more detailed and helpful article than I usually find about the Fairy Tale Trail.

This is at the top of my dream vacation list these days.  Someday when the economy cooperates again, I will go on this journey...However, my parents are headed on a Baltic cruise next week and have been instructed to seek out anything fairy tale and share it with us.  They start out in Copenhagen, but since The Little Mermaid is currently in China, we won't be getting any pictures of her. 

Take a fairytale trip to Germany

Hello Magazine recently posted Take a fairytale trip to Germany as a short article about fairy tale themed travel in Germany, obviously. It's a nice piece and includes links to a Fairy Tale Route site. (If you click through to the site, note the animated Puss in Boots in the right column. At least Germany is quite happy to use a French fairy tale.... :)

From Hanau to Bremen, there stretches a trail of magic where childhood dreams come true. The Fairy Tale Trail, a journey of 600 kilometres on the map, but farther than that into the depths of imagination, leads back to the early nineteenth century to the palace where Sleeping beauty lay for a hundred years and through the forest where Little Red Riding Hood met the wolf. You can listen to the melodies of the Musicians of Bremen and perhaps Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will come out to greet you on your way.

It's ideal for a family trip, a journey full of magic, linking some 70 cities and towns from the marvellous stories of Jacob Ludwig Karl and Wilhelm Karl Grimm. The brothers were students of philology and folklore and their studies prompted them to travel around the country talking to the people. They talked to farmers, and wood cutters and women in the market, and they asked them to dig into their memories for the stories their grandparents had told them when they were young. First they collected the stories together in the book Tales of Children and the Home and then later expanded the collection in Grimms' Fairy Tales: the tales that are still so familiar to us today.

This is one of the trips I dream of taking someday, so I always notice articles about it and this one stood out as one of the better ones.

Once Upon a Fairy Tale Vacation by Disney

Here's a nice article about an unusual type of Disney vacation--a tour through some fairy tale inspiring parts of Germany designed for family groups, aptly dubbed The Fairytale Route.

First you can read about one woman's experiences on the tour here: A Storybook Vacation.

I'll admit I'm not one for planned tours or even Disney vacations. My family tends to plan freakishly for months and then leave opportunities to journey off the beaten path when we travel in the U.S. or outside of it. But if I were to choose a more regimented and vicariously planned vacation package--and more expensive--this would be a top pick for me. It would be rather fun with young children in tow, too. I have yet to travel to Germany despite a few trips to Europe but will surely go someday. When I go, the fairy tale oriented sites are a definite must.

I found the Germany Fairytale package information on the Disney Adventures site if you want more information. Meeting Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood as well as some others would be charming. I'm impressed Disney is also promoting more of the traditional sites in conjunction with their versions of the tales.

Watch This: Burger King Commercials (Germany)

I discovered a press release about a new campaign using fairy tales and marionettes to sell burgers to Germans. I wish they'd use the same campaign to sell to Americans... Alas, I really hope when this new Burger King advertising campaign begins showing in Germany that some kind souls post the commercials on YouTube or somewhere similar. Well, after a quick search, I found all three. I'll share them at the bottom.

Here's the first paragraph of the press release found on ShootOnline at MetaTechnik Gets Quirky for Crispin:

"Metatechnik, bicoastal music and sound producer, has produced all of the audio components for a new Burger King campaign (Crispin Porter + Bogusky), for the German market. The 3 spots, featuring puppet marionettes out of fairy tales placed in modern day Burger King restaurants, encompass an off beat, quirky and surreal musical score. The "real to life" sound design draws out the quirkiness in the juxtaposition of the spots. Metatechnik's own German, Georg Bissen, cast and produced the voice over talent out of Berlin, Germany."

The press release is rather lengthy so be sure to click through and read more about it. There's one image, too, and it is of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, of course. I'd be shocked if those characters weren't included in a fairy tale-themed campaign for Burger King. The other one appears to be the magic donkey who poops gold. Hard to imagine that one appearing on American television! The third is the hungry giant. I can't embed that one, but here's a link Burger King's Hungry Giant commercial.