Briggs Katharine Libri

A high-spirited girl tries to shield her innocent stepsister from a witch's wrath during the turbulence caused by the 17th-century wars between the Scots and English.

In 1970 Katharine Briggs published in four volumes the vast and authoritative Dictionary of British Folktales and Legends to wide acclaim. This sampler comprises the very best of those tales and legends. Gathered within, readers will find an extravagance of beautiful princesses and stout stable boys, sour-faced witches and kings with hearts of gold. Each tale is a masterpiece of storytelling, from the hilarious 'Three Sillies' to the delightfully macabre 'Sammle's Ghost'.

In a land troubled by witches and feuding clans, step-sisters Kate and Katherine form an unlikely friendship over a shared love of fairies. This does not go down well with everyone . . . Grizel Maxwell may be Kate's mother, but she is also a witch, and jealously plots to get rid of Katherine with a curse, forcing Kate and Katherine to leave their homeland to escape the evil witch and seek a cure for her terrible spell. First published in 1963, Katherine Briggs' wonderful re-casting of the classic fable of friendship conquering all is a rare and beguiling mix of folk-lore and fantasy. The author's own fascination with the English folk-lore tradition imbues the telling with seriousness and beauty that transcend its generic roots.

Wenn Wundermärchen in England nicht reichlich vorhanden sind, gedeihen andere Arten von Volksmärchen: lokale Traditionen, historische Legenden, humorvolle Anekdoten. Viele der Lieblingsgeschichten, die englischsprachige Menschen aus ihrer Kindheit mitbringen, stammen aus einer langen Tradition – Geschichten, die Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Spenser und ihren vielen Zeitgenossen ebenso vertraut waren wie uns.

Hrsg. Briggs, Katharine ; Michaelis-Jena, Ruth 345 S.