The Fairy Tale Feminista
Answering life’s questions one fairy tale at a time.
The First Story
While we have no concrete evidence, it’s safe to assume that the first story told was a warning from one homo sapien to another.
“Hey, in a time before now, I went in that direction with a hunting party and something with teeth and claws ate half of them. Be careful.”
Forgotten Fairy Tales
Did you know that there's a story that may have inspired The Legend of Zelda? That it includes a precursor to the Sanderson Sisters (in my opinion)? Skelator? A furry, kind version of Smiegel? And best of all, a clairvoyant pig? Have you guessed the story?
Birth of the Coqui - HH story
We’re still in Hispanic Heritage Month and it felt appropriate that I continue my retelling of Latino fairy tales from my particular corner of Latin America, Puerto Rico.
Another story related to the coquí dates back to the time of the Tainos, the indigenous people of the Caribbean. Admittedly, I took a few liberties with the details, but the conclusion is the same.
Happy Hispanic Heritage Halves
In the US, September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs until October 15th. Having half of one month and then another month makes for odd celebrations—it sneaks up on you and then leaves almost silently. Sometimes I don’t remember it’s Hispanic Heritage Month until I see a commercial wishing me a happy one.
My Weird Obsession
Back when I hosted a monthly Meet An Indie Author Monday (MAIAM, I love a good palindrome), the first interview I posted was my own. And this was one of the questions:
Writers keep their eyes open for inspiration, which makes us notice a lot more than most. What random piece of everyday beauty do you love?
The Stories We Learn
In past posts I’ve mentioned my love of mythology. I knew more about Greek, Norse, Egyptian and Roman mythology than a child of eight should know. I loved the idea of goddesses and gods who were like us, but writ large. I didn’t know it then, but they were the original superheroes and arch villains. And I’m a sucker for a good origin story.
Minding my Mythology, part II
Here’s the problem when mythology is collected from an interrupted culture: the stories are left partially incomplete. The Greeks thrived for centuries recording their mythology for posterity in a written language. It proliferated throughout the ancient world allowing it to become further etched in the culture. Even after the arrival of Christianity there were folk beliefs that remained.
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