In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will explore the Grimm tale, "The Girl Who Lost Her Hands." It's a story that packs a punch and leaves listeners quaking in the dust. Well, maybe that's a bit extreme. You can judge for yourself! We'll look at several versions of the story, its derivation and multiple interpretations. And finally, and perhaps most importantly, there will be an interview with the Handless Maiden herself. Who will give the interview? Why the wise crone, that's who!
Story: from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, "Das Mädchen ohne Hände," Kinder- und Hausmärchen, gesammelt durch die Brüder Grimm [Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales], 7th edition, vol. 1 (Göttingen: Verlag der Dieterichschen Buchhandlung, 1857), no. 31, pp. 162-68. Found at: (https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm031.html).
"Vasilisa the Beautiful" found in Wheeler, Post. Russian Wonder Tales. New York: The Century Company, 1912. (https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/books/russian/russianwondertales/vasilissa.html)
Cover photo: Fairy Tales from Grimm. Illustrations by Gordon Browne (1858-1932).
Music: The Snow Queen Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Copyright 2023 Kathy Shimpock.
For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).