Dark and Twisty Tales: folk stories and fairy tales for the unafraid. (Julia Norton)

A very clever and vengeful sparrow gets his own back after his buddy the dog comes a cropper. Many things get chopped with an axe by accident and many other things get pecked out ... corks and eyes mostly. The moral? Please feed your dogs yummy things ... and don't underestimate a sparrow! 

Ok, so if you build a house made of gingerbread and sugar in the middle of the woods in an attempt to lure children to be baked in the oven so you can eat them...you better hope you don't meet Gretel!

I am very excited to say that this is episode number 10 of Dark and Twisty Tales, I really hope you've been enjoying them. If you'd like to support my efforts, please rate and review at itunes and share with all your friends. Thank you so much! Julia

A short story by Hans Christian Anderson about a little girl dying of cold in the streets on New Years Eve. This was another favorite of mine as a child, I think it gave me the opportunity to have a little cry in the midst of a season that was as dark as it was candle filled.  Back then I couldn't even fathom how people could walk past her and not help? Is it possible we can go into 2019 taking better care of the children at home and around the world?

https://www.savethechildren.org/

When the moon gets curious and snagged on a branch and then dragged into the bog by witches and bogles ... yeah that.

This Grimm's tale again has little to recommend it from a feminist standpoint, so I won't. However I think it's my third story in a row where I get to use my beheading sound effect and the first time I've added a dash of Bossa Nova as well as a celtic folk song snippet!

Happy Halloween you lovely creepy people!

If you like this podcast, pretty please write me a review! xxo 

or Trusty John. In some variants, a king on his deathbed orders his servant, Trusty John, not to let his son see a certain room, which holds a portrait of a princess.

In all variants, when the new king comes to power, he forces his way into the room. Instantly, he falls in love with the princess.  To win her. Trusty John tells him to prepare a ship with all manner of rich treasure, and then either sails with it himself, or has the king sail with him, to her country. The princess is lured aboard by the goods, and the ship sets sail, carrying her off.

While they travel, John hears three ravens. One says that as soon as they reach shore, a horse will come; if the king mounts it, it will carry him off or dash him and the princess to pieces. The solution is for someone to kill the horse, but anyone who reveals this by stating it out loud would have his legs turn to stone up to the knees. The second raven says (with variations in different tellings) that the king would be killed by wine at the wedding feast if it were not dashed to the ground, or that he would be burned up by a wedding garment if it was not burned, etc.; in all variants, whoever says so would turn to stone to his waist. The third raven says, again in different variants, that the princess would faint and die unless someone draws three drops of blood from her right breast; or a dragon would attack their bridal chamber and unless driven off, kill them. True to form, whoever states this would turn entirely to stone.

John prevents all three fates. For the first two, the king trusts that John has acted in his service; but for the third, the king decides to execute him. At the place of execution, John tells the story of the ravens and turns progressively to stone.

In time, the queen bears twin sons. The king and queen learn that if they kill the boys and rub John's statue with their blood, he would come to life again. When the queen agrees to the sacrifice, Faithful John immediately comes back to life, the curse broken, and as a reward for the king's loyalty, the two children are restored to life as well. The king and queen live happily until their deaths.

A mean spirit and a quick tongue are a tricky combination, you may just find yourself married to the first beggar that comes along...that old chestnut.

The third and final installment of The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs.

Seriously, be careful what you wish for.

Independently wealthy senior citizen robbed by teen and locked in oven. Harsh.

"The Monkey's Paw is a supernatural short story in 3 parts by WW Jacobs first published in England in the collection The Lady of the Barge in 1902."

Part 1 (part 2 and 3 will follow shortly).

A darker version of the well known Cinderella story was recorded by the German brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm in the 19th century. The tale is called "Aschenputtel". This version is much more intense than most others in that Cinderella's father did not die and the stepsisters mutilate their feet to fit in the golden slipper. There is no fairy godmother, but help instead comes from a wishing tree that the heroine planted on her mother's grave. The stepsisters suffer a terrible punishment for their cruelty.

This classic Hans Christian Anderson Folk Tale is certainly darker than I remember. What's with all the stealing the sleeping princess? Not to mention feeding her family to the dogs...enjoy.

So there's a narcissistic cannibalistic witch Queen, a Prince who thinks it would be cool to have a pretty dead girl in a glass coffin for a trophy and 7 little people who, while kind at heart, should get an education on domestic labor stereotypes. Nothing to see here.

A not very dark or twisty episode this week, but a favorite of mine since childhood. The darkness I suppose lies in the fact that all these animals were going to get starved, drowned or decapitated because they had been deemed to old to be useful. I love the fact that they decide to start a band in their golden years...they're not the first and they won't be the last!

Youngest son rides fox, gets girl and gold.

Belching up toads, paper dresses, beheadings and murder, this story has them all. I love this Grimm fairytale from the Philip Pullman collection, and I hope you do too?

This is the last episode in Season Three, so please write me a review and remember, storytelling is thirsty work!

https://ko-fi.com/voxchops

Whether it's a telltale blue beard, horns, webbed hands or whatever...listen to your intuition. Sometimes there's more to a rave in the countryside than meets the eye.

This story has it all, beheadings, cannibalism, and my favorite, deep appreciation of a good dark folk song. Enjoy and I'll see you all again in September when the nights start drawing in.

This story was suggested by Rose Lewis. Excellent choice Rose! I hope I did it justice :)

Reynard the Fox is a bit tricky and tricks his wife that he's dead to see if she'll marry again ... never a good plan.

About a boozy cook who dupes her master after she's eaten dinner for two! No carving knives necessary. 

Who are you going to believe? Me, or your own lyin' eyes?

Less frog kissing and more frog splatting really and then at the end a weirdly obsessed servant has been to the blacksmiths...

A folk story where the gal saves the day, including fighting a Dragon, flying a Griffin and utilizing some very special chickens...really.

Come on, who can resist a story about a half boy, half hedgehog, who rides a cockerel and plays the bagpipes? 

Credit must be given to my husband, son and his friend for providing pig noises in this episode and to 'FreeSound' and 'digifishmusic', 'Inchadney' and 'luis-audp' for their various piping recordings. xox

A very dark story about jealously, murder and a magical instrument being made out of the corpse! For me the song came first, this version I'm singing is different to any other I've come across, although this is a great link for some backstory:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-2-sisters-and-1-murder-inspired-500-songs

I learned the version I'm singing from an old cassette tape recording from a library archive when I was researching women and folk songs 30 years ago. It has always been a favorite, although the melody I know is pretty repetitive, the magical and macabre hopefully keep your attention. I'd love to hear what you think.

Season Two begins with some pretty harsh treatment of horses and self inflicted punishments.

Not for the squeamish! Or kids...definitely not for kids.

A 'lucky' boy escapes death is helped by two old ladies (because he was so polite and good looking) is very courageous ... and also a bit of a know it all.

The second season of Dark and Twisty Tales is releasing at midnight in California! Be there or miss out! lol.

Thank you SO much for listening and tolerating my madness. xoxo

Feeling broke and exhausted...I know, make a deal with the devil, what could possibly go wrong? 

There are so many versions of this story, which is weird because it's so horrible. But is has some really poetic images too and a lovely happy ending to redeem it. I saw a theatrical version of this a few years back called 'The Wild Bride', by Knee High Theatre. I LOVEd it.  http://www.kneehigh.co.uk/show/the-wild-bride.php

I didn't use as many sound effects for this one because I didn't think it needed them as much, but I did improvise some little song bits for the middle. I hope you like it :)

Julia

by Mikhail Aleksandrovich Maksimovich 1874.

I found this in a collection of English folk tales. Wow, it could totally be the storyline for any current violent serial killer show, the accusatory pointing bejeweled finger at the end though...Lol.

You might look like a snowman on the outside, but it's what's holding you together on the inside that really counts.

A festive snow tale.

Death! What an excellent choice! What could possibly go wrong?

#parentingfails

"The Tell-Tale Heart" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843. It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed.

The Elves and the Shoemaker" is an often copied and re-made 1806 story about a poor shoemaker who receives much-needed help from elves.

The original story is the first of three fairy tales, contained as entry 39 in the German 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' under the common title "Die Wichtelmänner". In her translation of 1884 Margaret Hunt chose The Elves as title for these three stories.

Welcome to the first episode of Season Three!

Mom, needs a nap, hero can't stop snacking and a bewitched Princess can't stop spinning around and around her glass mountain... hmmm sound familiar?

Did he fall or was he pushed? Will he ever make it through flood and fish to get back to his true love? You'll have to listen to find out. Classic Hans Christian Anderson for the festive season.

When a little girl is just not satisfied unless she has the stars in the sky to play with...what could possibly go wrong?

Like the earlier story I read Binnorie from the British Isles, this story also has a magical singing bone involved which identifies it's killer. Who could it be I wonder? I improvised a little tune for the poem in the story, one of my favorite things to do. It feels appropriately dark and plaintive. Enjoy!

Apparently this was the story that inspired Robert Bly to start the Iron John movement back in the 90's.  Now, however you might feel about hairy men lost in the woods this story is very weird...indeed.

A friend recently gave me Philip Pullman's 'Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm', I can't recommend it highly enough. This story is from there.

He says "As quite often in Grimm, we have two separate story types sewn together here. Once the hunter has the bird's heart and the wishing cloak, he could in theory go on to any kind of adventure. The story of the cabbage (sometimes translated as lettuce) which turns whoever eats it into a donkey has no logical connection with the first part of the story, but they fit together very well."

The second installment of this macabre tale about wishing for more, when you already have all you want. What could possibly go wrong?

Chanticleer a canny rooster and his wife Partlet, have adventures, that usually involve nuts, carts, deceit, slavery, violence, cannibalism and death. I also have no idea what Mr. Korbes did to deserve that. Do you?

Catskin is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs, in More English Fairy Tales.^[1] Marian Roalfe Cox, in her pioneering study of Cinderella, identified as one of the basic types, the Unnatural Father, contrasting with Cinderella itself and Cap O' Rushes. Indeed, some translators of Allerleirauh titled that story Catskin despite the differences between the German and English tales.

This is a story about not reaching or getting ideas above your station. Or perhaps it's a story about not traveling without your identity card, or swimming in hot soup? You decide. 

Playing with fairies and fires...hmm that sounds like a plan.

From Joseph Jacobs 'English Fairy Tales'

The song at the end is called 'Fairy Frolic' from my album 'Lullaby Island' which you can download on amazon or itunes or here https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/nortonjulia

My Own Self

In a tiny house in the North Countrie, far away from any town or village, there lived not long ago, a poor widow all alone with her little son, a six-year-old boy.

The house-door opened straight on to the hill-side and all round about were moorlands and huge stones, and swampy hollows; never a house nor a sign of life wherever you might look, for their nearest neighbours were the “ferlies” in the glen below, and the “will-o’-the-wisps” in the long grass along the pathside.

And many a tale she could tell of the “good folk” calling to each other in the oak-trees, and the twinkling lights hopping on to the very window sill, on dark nights; but in spite of the loneliness, she lived on from year to year in the little house, perhaps because she was never asked to pay any rent for it.

But she did not care to sit up late, when the fire burnt low, and no one knew what might be about; so, when they had had their supper she would make up a good fire and go off to bed, so that if anything terrible did happen, she could always hide her head under the bed-clothes.

This, however, was far too early to please her little son; so when she called him to bed, he would go on playing beside the fire, as if he did not hear her.

He had always been bad to do with since the day he was born, and his mother did not often care to cross him; indeed, the more she tried to make him obey her, the less heed he paid to anything she said, so it usually ended by his taking his own way.

But one night, just at the fore-end of winter, the widow could not make up her mind to go off to bed, and leave him playing by the fireside; for the wind was tugging at the door, and rattling the window-panes, and well she knew that on such a night, fairies and such like were bound to be out and about, and bent on mischief. So she tried to coax the boy into going at once to bed:

“The safest bed to bide in, such a night as this!” she said: but no, he wouldn’t.

Then she threatened to “give him the stick,” but it was no use.

The more she begged and scolded, the more he shook his head; and when at last she lost patience and cried that the fairies would surely come and fetch him away, he only laughed and said he wished they would, for he would like one to play with.

At that his mother burst into tears, and went off to bed in despair, certain that after such words something dreadful would happen; while her naughty little son sat on his stool by the fire, not at all put out by her crying.

But he had not long been sitting there alone, when he heard a fluttering sound near him in the chimney and presently down by his side dropped the tiniest wee girl you could think of; she was not a span high, and had hair like spun silver, eyes as green as grass, and cheeks red as June roses. The little boy looked at her with surprise.

“Oh!” said he; “what do they call ye?”

“My own self,” she said in a shrill but sweet little voice, and she looked at him too. “And what do they call ye?”

“Just my own self too!” he answered cautiously; and with that they began to play together.

She certainly showed him some fine games. She made animals out of the ashes that looked and moved like life; and trees with green leaves waving over tiny houses, with men and women an inch high in them, who, when she breathed on them, fell to walking and talking quite properly.

But the fire was getting low, and the light dim, and presently the little boy stirred the coals with a stick to make them blaze; when out jumped a red-hot cinder, and where should it fall, but on the fairy child’s tiny foot.

Thereupon she set up such a squeal, that the boy dropped the stick, and clapped his hands to his ears but it grew to so shrill a screech, that it was like all the wind in the world whistling through one tiny keyhole.

There was a sound in the chimney again, but this time the little boy did not wait to see what it was, but bolted off to bed, where he hid under the blankets and listened in fear and trembling to what went on.

A voice came from the chimney speaking sharply:

“Who’s there, and what’s wrong?” it said.

“It’s my own self,” sobbed the fairy-child; “and my foot’s burnt sore. O-o-h!”

“Who did it?” said the voice angrily; this time it sounded nearer, and the boy, peeping from under the clothes, could see a white face looking out from the chimney-opening.

“Just my own self too!” said the fairy-child again.

“Then if ye did it your own self,” cried the elf-mother shrilly, “what’s the use o’ making all this fash about it?”—and with that she stretched out a long thin arm, and caught the creature by its ear, and, shaking it roughly, pulled it after her, out of sight up the chimney.

The little boy lay awake a long time, listening, in case the fairy-mother should come back after all; and next evening after supper, his mother was surprised to find that he was willing to go to bed whenever she liked.

“He’s taking a turn for the better at last!” she said to herself; but he was thinking just then that, when next a fairy came to play with him, he might not get off quite so easily as he had done this time.

An old man in velvet pantaloons is befriended by a little boy with a toy soldier, however the soldier is NOT happy about this, has a tantrum and finds himself lost in the cracks and buried in an open grave, only to be found years later.

A very short story about a boy called Jack, a bone bread eating giant and his favourite dog ... shame about the dog.

One strange obsession and death, followed by magical resurrection and betrayal. What more could you want for a Valentine's Day episode.

Childhood sweethearts Tamlane and Janet were all set until he 'disappeared' before their wedding day. He was off with the fairies (that's what you get for riding your horse 'widershins' around the hill), but it's OK, because she rescues him, by knocking him off his horse and holding on really tight while he changes into lots of things, then she chucks him in a pond. Perfect love story on so many levels. 

The actual Scottish story is as deep and dark and twisty as you like with green kirtles being lifted and babies born of fairy fathers etc, but this version is the one from Joseph Jacobs 'English Fairy Tales', so apologies to all my Scottish friends. 

As usual I improvised the melody over the verse, in this instance it was the Elfin Queen singing.  If you want to listen to a classic rendition of this story in song, have a listen to Fairport Convention's  Tam Lin.