children's literature Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Bone and Sickle

Dark Fairy Tales I: The Girl with No Hands

July 1, 2022 boneandsickle children's literature, EPISODE, fairies, fairy tales, folk tales, folklore, gore, Grimm, history, horror, literature, The Girl with No Hands

“The Girl with No Hands” is the name of a a folk-tale motif shared by a number of gruesome fairy[…]

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The Lover’s Head

February 12, 2021 boneandsickle Arthurian, ballads, Black Death, books, children's literature, crime, death, Decameron, decapitation, EPISODE, execution, fairies, fairy tales, folk music, folk tales, folklore, ghost stories, ghosts, gore, history, horror, legends, literature, madness, Middle Ages, murder, murder ballads, punishments, renaissance, Romanticism, seduction, skulls

The motif of lovers retaining the head of a decapitated partner is surprisingly widespread. In this — our romantic Valentine’s[…]

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Terrible Tales for Terrible Tots

December 20, 2020 boneandsickle cautionary tales, children's literature, Christmas, Der Struwwelpeter, Edwardian, England, EPISODE

Books of cautionary stories for children were a popular Christmas gift in Victorian times. These tales of misbehaving children and[…]

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