# fairytaleflash book darkgreenweek love bear bears

In "Loathly Lady," one of King Arthur's knights marries a woman cursed to be ugly. Her curse is broken when he realizes she should make her own choices in the marriage instead of him dictating terms. This focus on the wife's choices is unusual in a medieval tale

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Ancient Swedish tradition may have dictated that brides "sewed garlic, rosemary and cloves into their wedding garments" because the smell would keep away trolls who were interested in stealing women.
Source: https://t.co/y7RUvTrFOu
🎨John Bauer, 1915

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This stunning illustration is from An Urban Sketcher's Galway by , a beautiful illustrative portrait of the City of the Tribes! Find it on our website!

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A wise woman counselled the hunter's wife to summon her husband back when a nixie had drowned him in her pool: with a comb, a flute & a spinning wheel. A success, but the pond's waters rose, almost drowned them, were they not turned into toads

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Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance, & increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings upon you.
–Shakespeare, The Tempest, A4, S1

Juno, Roman goddess of marriage. This month named in her honour, is an ideal time to wed.

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is a key ingredient in the stereotypical fairy-tale ending in which everyone lives happily ever after. This romantic formula continues to influence contemporary ideas about love and marriage for the best ... and the worst.

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Japanese fairytale Bunbuku Chagama, where a priest sets a kettle on a temple hearth. The kettle sprouts a head, tail & legs, becoming half-badger/half tea-kettle. It is sold to a peddler who agrees to never put it over hot flames as long as it performs for coin.

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Valentine & Orson is a tale of twin brothers. Valentine is brought up at King Pepin's court, while Orson is abandoned in the forest, brought up by a & becomes a wild man of the woods. The twins later meet & discover their true history. 🐻

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Apotheosis of St Villain Fox. Own IMG.
“You should never turn down the offer of another man’s story,’ the fox persisted, moving off a little further into the trees ahead. ‘Stories are the only thing that separates us from the animals after all.”
― T.B. McKenzie

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We often think of bears in folklore as strong warriors and terrible gluttons, but they are also healers, too. Among the Oneida, among many others, the Bear Clan are the keepers of medicine, history, and herbal lore, which all go hand in hand.

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Kamaitachi or sickle weasels are a yōkai from the mountains of central Japan. They ride on chilling mountain whirlwinds and slash people with the sickle-shaped claws on their paws. For some reason you can ward off their attacks by carrying an old calendar.

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"The history of fairy-stories is probably more complex than the physical history of the human race, and as complex as the history of human language."
--J.R.R. Tolkien
(Art by Barbara C. Freeman)

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For this here are three pieces of mine that feature Wolves, Bears, and other beasts of the forest! 🐺 🐻 🌲

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"There were badgers here, long before that same city ever came to be. And now there are badgers here again. We are an enduring lot, and we may move out for a time, but we wait, and are patient, and back we come. And so it will ever be."
- Wind in the Willows

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Foxglove gets its name from the legend that the Fae gifted the fox with the blossoms to pad its paws so it would be a more silent hunter.
🖼️ Jessie Barber
Artist's site: https://t.co/CT9HTIHjek

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The Brown Bear, an educational illustration by Josiah Wood Whymper, 1843

In Greece, the bear is connected with St Andrew. The night before his celebration day, women leave food in a basket and chant a prayer to help the soil grow fertile.

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In came the little girl in red.
She stopped. She stared. And then she said,
“What great big ears you have, Grandma.”
“All the better to hear you with,” the Wolf replied.
“What great big eyes you have, Grandma.”
“All the better to see you with.”
–Roald Dahl.

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In Finnish Shamanism, the bear is an intelligent and soulful creature. It is no ordinary animal but some sort of human being living in the forest. It can count to at least nine and can understand the language of man


art: Rebecca Solow

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Bears play a prominent role in American mythology. They are often symbols of strength, wisdom and healing. Bear appears in many stories as a moral figure who dishes out punishment to animals and humans for improper or disrespectful behaviour.
🎨Lucy Campbell.

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