query: fairy tales

[tigriswolf]

If you could have me retell any fairy tale (in poem, drabble, or ficlet length), which would it be?

Comments

[averzierlia.livejournal.com]

the old coyote and wolf stories.

[tigriswolf]

I'm not sure what you mean.

[averzierlia.livejournal.com]

I used to have an old book about how Coyote and Wolf created the world and Coyote kept getting in to trouble.

Or just, stories about Coyote, unless those don't count as fairy tales. I was a little out of it when I posted.

[tigriswolf]

I've always thought that stories about gods are myths. I'd rather stick to fairy tales, at least right now, though I have written about Greek myths before.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Diamonds and Toads!

[tigriswolf]

Oh, yeah. Have you read the short story (I can't remember the author, but I think I own the collection, so I'll look it up later) from the toad sister's pov? It was really good. I think I read another from the diamond sister's pov, too. I might be getting them confused.

I'll check when I get home.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

No, I've only read the traditional tale. I think of this one like I do "Beauty and the Beast"-what gives you people the right to go around transforming/punishing random passers-by like this? For some rudeness? Who invited you to the castle in the first place? Get your own damn water!Even the reward isn't one that's really all that swell, when you consider the poor girl's likely life, after.

~glares

[tigriswolf]

Even the reward isn't one that's really all that swell, when you consider the poor girl's likely life, after.

That's what the short stories are about. I was explaining the tale to my mom and she didn't see how having rocks fall out of your mouth can be a reward.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Not just rocks, but ~precious, highly valuable rocks! And flowers with thorns on, ouch! And given the way that certain flowers were valued, like roses and tulips, they'd be almost as prized. So you've got different reasons people would be battling to get their hands on this girl.

The toad sister might not be very popular, but at least you can eat what comes out of her mouth, if you had to. She could hook up with a cook or a witch and be well-paid. Though I bet she'd learn sign language. I bet both of them would!

[tigriswolf]

... she hooks up with a witch? Dude, that may be what I write for this. I love it!

[lelaro.livejournal.com]

princess and the pea

[tigriswolf]

*hee* I kinda wanna do that with humor, but I think it'll turn out angsty.

[sweill.livejournal.com]

Beauty and the Beast.

[tigriswolf]

I'll probably do a new one, but have you seen this?

[lizzie-marie-23.livejournal.com]

Rapunzel

[tigriswolf]

I was about to point you this way... and then I saw who the lone commenter was. *hee*

[csi-vixen.livejournal.com]

Little Red Riding Hood

[tigriswolf]

Have you seen this? I'll probably do something new, too.

[anidawehi.livejournal.com]

Snow White and Rose Red (One of my favorites) or The Boy Who Learned What Fear Was (Or whatever most people call it).

[tigriswolf]

What happens in The Boy Who Learned What Fear Was?

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

A boy who doesn't know fear goes on several dangerous adventures to learn what it is like, but is unsuccessful (but successful at the adventures, of course), until he returns home to find that his girlfriend is very ill. She recovers, but this teachers him what fear is.

Adapted into the Jim Henson's The StoryTeller episode "Fearnot" (1.02).

[tigriswolf]

That does sound interesting.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

God, I love that platypus!

[anidawehi.livejournal.com]

Exactly what Noybuisness said! It's always been one of the more interesting fairy tales to me, because it isn't about the rewards and adulation the boy gets from his adventures, it's about true, simple love, (The girl he loves isn't a princess or a cursed fairy or anything, she's just a merchant's daughter and he's just a farmer's son) and the boy's lack of fear is seen as a dangerous thing, not a gift.

[tigriswolf]

What? No one gains a crown or throne? How odd.

(*hee*)

[clovrboy.livejournal.com]

The wild swan, or the swan lake

[tigriswolf]

What is 'the wild swan'?

[clovrboy.livejournal.com]

The Wild Swans is a fairy tale about a princess who rescues her eleven brothers from a spell turned them into swans cast by an evil queen that married their father by knitting them shirts or thorns I think and taking a vow of silence till the shirts are finished, along the way she meets a prince, gets accused of being a witch and almost burned at the stake but is saved by her bother the she breaks the spell and marries the prince. I'm probably forgetting lots of thing but that's the most of it. I think I have the story somewhere in case you want to read it let me know.

[tigriswolf]

I know the story; I just didn't recognize the name.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Nicholas Grey did a great version of this, called "The Seventh Swan".

[maldeluxx.livejournal.com]

Little Red Riding Hood

[tigriswolf]

Have you seen this? It's old, so I'll probably write something new.

[ravelqueen.livejournal.com]

little red riding hood

because I think there is a lot of potential there seeing as the characters are very much a blank slate and it hasn't really been adapted a lot

[tigriswolf]

Have you seen this?
About the blank slate, that is true. It could be interpreted or changed quite a few ways.

[gypsy-atavari.livejournal.com]

I was going to say Swan Lake but someone already suggested ... but in lieu of that: (hope these count)

The Last Unicorn or Flight of Dragons :-)

If traditional fairytale, then: The Little Mermaid :-)

[tigriswolf]

Okay, so I wrote a fairy tale version of the little mermaid story a while back, but apparently I never posted it here. I'll rectify that when I get home.

Is Flight of Dragons a book?

[gypsy-atavari.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Looking forward to The Little Mermaid! :-)

The Flight of Dragons was an old animated film actually (based on a "speculative" natural history book).

I thought it was pretty awesome. :-)

You can find a summary of the plot here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flight_of_Dragons

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

The Six Swans: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Six_Swans

or Allerleirauh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allerleirauh

[tigriswolf]

Oh, I've read haunting books based on both of those. I'll see what I can do.

[fictionalfemme.livejournal.com]

I'll second Allerleirauh (The Coat of Many Furs) and also suggest The Twelve Dancing Princesses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Dancing_Princesses) (the version where they go to dance with demonic princes)

[tigriswolf]

The Twelve Dancing Princesses! I can't believe I've never written anything for that before.

[realpestilence.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read Tanith Lee's retelling stories, collected in "Red as Blood"? If you look in my lj under her tag, there's a couple of them-Wolfland and Paid Piper. :)

[tigriswolf]

Oh, I remember Tanith Lee! I'll check it out.