Status
Available
Local notes
398.2 Cli
Collection
Genres
Publication
HarperCollins (1997), Edition: 1st, Hardcover, 80 pages
Description
Plunge into the Deep Beneath the sea, off the shore of Scotland, there waits a beautiful princess cursed to live her life as a seal, except for one night each year. In Japan there lives a sea maiden who can change shape at will to become any underwater creature. And in Switzerland, in the Lake of Zug, there is a mermaid who falls so deeply in love with a human man that she will do anything to keep him beneath the water with her. Discover an underwater kingdom where these, and many other mermaids from around the world, are waiting to meet you. But be careful--not all mermaids can be trusted...
Physical description
80 p.; 11.31 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
Shirley Climo, whose thematic folktale collections include A Treasury of Princesses: Princess Tales from Around the World and Monkey Business: Stories from Around the World, here turns her attention to the world of underwater creatures, from the Irish merrow to the Japanese ningyo. Presenting eight
Mrs. Fitzgerald the Merrow, an Irish tale in which a young Dingle man, coming upon a beautiful merrow (or mermaid) by the seashore, captures her red cap, thereby preventing her from escaping back into the sea. A long and happy marriage follows, but - as is so often the case in this tale type - the captive sea-bride eventually stumbles upon her cap (carefully hidden by her husband), and sets out once more for her native element.
The Legend of Aymee and the Mermaid, a native Alaskan story in which the eponymous Aymee, worried about her village's low food stores, as winter approaches, spreads her nets in a quiet inlet where her people rarely fish, and catches something most unexpected. This Inuit tale of nuyaqpalik was taken from Lela Kiana Oman's Eskimo Legends.
Odysseus and the Sirens, a classical Greek myth taken from an episode in Homer's Odyssey, in which the hero Odysseus and his shipmates, on their homeward journey from the Trojan War, encounter some deadly sea sirens intent on luring them to their deaths. With their ears plugged by wax, in order to mute the sirens' songs, Odysseus' crew tie him to the mast of the ship, in order to prevent him from jumping overboard.
Hansi and the Nix, a Swiss folktale concerning a nix (sometimes known as a 'neck' in English) - a freshwater mermaid said to inhabit the lakes of Switzerland - and the cowherd whose yodeling enchants her. This story, which purports to explain how an entire town was relocated beneath the waters of Lake Zug, is atypical, in that it is the nix who is enchanted by the human's song, as opposed to the other way around.
And Then the Merman Laughed, an Icelandic tale in which a Norseman named Tor, newly settled in Iceland with his wife Gudrun, finds that none of his efforts - at farming or fishing - prosper, until he brings an injured merman home with him. The merman's laughter, when explained, offers Tor some insight into his dog, some weeds on his land, and his wife's character. This tale, taken from Jacqueline Simpson's Icelandic Folktales and Legends, is the origin of the Icelandic folk saying "and then the merman laughed," used in response to particularly foolish statements.
The Listening Ear, a Japanese story in which a young man named Jiro spares the life of Tamayori, the daughter of Rin Jin, the Dragon King of the ocean, and is rewarded with the magical "Listening Ear" as a consequence. This seemingly ordinary shell allows him to understand the speech of the birds, and he soon learns what has caused Osada - a local nobleman's daughter - to fall ill, and what can cure her, leading to an unexpectedly brilliant match for this younger son.
The Sea Princess and the Sea Witch, a tale from the Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, which follows the story of a sea princess whose wicked stepmother turns her into a seal. Cursed to remain a seal, save for one day of the year, the princess encounters a fisherman on the island of Staffa (while in human form), where they reunite once a year. Although it does not have the same happy ending, this story reminded me of other tales about jealous stepmothers, from Snow White to The Children of Lir.
And finally, Pania of the Reef, a Maori tale from New Zealand, in which a beautiful mermaid falls in love with the warrior and chief's son, Kari-toki, and marries him in secret. Unfortunately, his desire to keep her on land, together with their young son, and to show his fellow villagers that he does indeed have a beautiful wife, leads to tragedy.
All in all, this was an engaging collection of tales, beautifully complemented by the illustrations of Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng. I do wish, just as I did with Climo's A Treasury of Princesses, that there were more illustrations, but the painting which were included were quite appealing. The tales themselves were fascinating, in their depiction of different types of sea being, and I appreciated the fact that source material was provided, at the rear. Recommended to young mermaid lovers (who might also want to check out May Pope Osborne's Mermaid Tales from Around the World), as well as to folklore enthusiasts in general!
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tales from diverse cultures, she explores the 'hidden magic' to be found in the waters of the world, and celebrates the elusive creatures who hold so much fascination for their land-bound cousins. Selections include:Mrs. Fitzgerald the Merrow, an Irish tale in which a young Dingle man, coming upon a beautiful merrow (or mermaid) by the seashore, captures her red cap, thereby preventing her from escaping back into the sea. A long and happy marriage follows, but - as is so often the case in this tale type - the captive sea-bride eventually stumbles upon her cap (carefully hidden by her husband), and sets out once more for her native element.
The Legend of Aymee and the Mermaid, a native Alaskan story in which the eponymous Aymee, worried about her village's low food stores, as winter approaches, spreads her nets in a quiet inlet where her people rarely fish, and catches something most unexpected. This Inuit tale of nuyaqpalik was taken from Lela Kiana Oman's Eskimo Legends.
Odysseus and the Sirens, a classical Greek myth taken from an episode in Homer's Odyssey, in which the hero Odysseus and his shipmates, on their homeward journey from the Trojan War, encounter some deadly sea sirens intent on luring them to their deaths. With their ears plugged by wax, in order to mute the sirens' songs, Odysseus' crew tie him to the mast of the ship, in order to prevent him from jumping overboard.
Hansi and the Nix, a Swiss folktale concerning a nix (sometimes known as a 'neck' in English) - a freshwater mermaid said to inhabit the lakes of Switzerland - and the cowherd whose yodeling enchants her. This story, which purports to explain how an entire town was relocated beneath the waters of Lake Zug, is atypical, in that it is the nix who is enchanted by the human's song, as opposed to the other way around.
And Then the Merman Laughed, an Icelandic tale in which a Norseman named Tor, newly settled in Iceland with his wife Gudrun, finds that none of his efforts - at farming or fishing - prosper, until he brings an injured merman home with him. The merman's laughter, when explained, offers Tor some insight into his dog, some weeds on his land, and his wife's character. This tale, taken from Jacqueline Simpson's Icelandic Folktales and Legends, is the origin of the Icelandic folk saying "and then the merman laughed," used in response to particularly foolish statements.
The Listening Ear, a Japanese story in which a young man named Jiro spares the life of Tamayori, the daughter of Rin Jin, the Dragon King of the ocean, and is rewarded with the magical "Listening Ear" as a consequence. This seemingly ordinary shell allows him to understand the speech of the birds, and he soon learns what has caused Osada - a local nobleman's daughter - to fall ill, and what can cure her, leading to an unexpectedly brilliant match for this younger son.
The Sea Princess and the Sea Witch, a tale from the Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, which follows the story of a sea princess whose wicked stepmother turns her into a seal. Cursed to remain a seal, save for one day of the year, the princess encounters a fisherman on the island of Staffa (while in human form), where they reunite once a year. Although it does not have the same happy ending, this story reminded me of other tales about jealous stepmothers, from Snow White to The Children of Lir.
And finally, Pania of the Reef, a Maori tale from New Zealand, in which a beautiful mermaid falls in love with the warrior and chief's son, Kari-toki, and marries him in secret. Unfortunately, his desire to keep her on land, together with their young son, and to show his fellow villagers that he does indeed have a beautiful wife, leads to tragedy.
All in all, this was an engaging collection of tales, beautifully complemented by the illustrations of Jean and Mou-Sien Tseng. I do wish, just as I did with Climo's A Treasury of Princesses, that there were more illustrations, but the painting which were included were quite appealing. The tales themselves were fascinating, in their depiction of different types of sea being, and I appreciated the fact that source material was provided, at the rear. Recommended to young mermaid lovers (who might also want to check out May Pope Osborne's Mermaid Tales from Around the World), as well as to folklore enthusiasts in general!
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Pages
80