Children into swans : fairy tales and the pagan imagination / Jan Beveridge.

Annotation Fairy tales are alive with the supernatural - elves, dwarfs, fairies, giants, and trolls, as well as witches with magic wands and sorcerers who cast spells and enchantments. Children into Swans examines these motifs in a range of ancient stories. Moving from the rich period of nineteenth-century fairy tales back as far as the earliest folk literature of northern Europe, Jan Beveridge shows how long these supernatural features have been a part of storytelling, with ancient tales, many from Celtic and Norse mythology, that offer glimpses into a remote era and a pre-Christian sensibility. The earliest stories often show significant differences from what we might expect. Elves mingle with Norse gods, dwarfs belong to a proud clan of magician-smiths, and fairies are shape-shifters emerging from the hills and the sea mist. In story traditions with roots in a pre-Christian imagination, an invisible other world exists alongside our own. From the lost cultures of a thousand years ago, Children into Swans opens the door on some of the most extraordinary worlds ever portrayed in literature - worlds that are both starkly beautiful and full of horrors.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Part one History. Early Storytellers -- The Oldest "Fairy" Tale -- The Manuscript -- Folk Tales and Fairy Tales.

Part two Characters. Fairies -- Elves -- Dwarfs -- Household Spirits -- Water Dwellers -- Giants -- Souls and Spirits.

Part three Stories from the Pagan Year. Festival Days -- Beltaine -- Samain -- Midwinter and Midsummer.

Part four Storytellers' Themes. Wishing, or Dreams Come True -- The Triple Form -- Shape-Shifting -- Omens and Prophecies -- Between Two Worlds -- Spells -- Trees -- The Invisible World -- A Fairy Tale Almost Forgotten.

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