In this episode, we’ll look at three stories in which an old woman meets and outwits the devil. The first is “Devil’s Bridge,” a Welsh legend. The second, “The Devil and His Grandmother,” is a German folktale recorded by the Brothers’ Grimm. The last story, “Kitta Grau” is from Sweden. The old woman in these tales runs the course of characters from helper to hero and villain too. But no matter what her role, the wise crone knows exactly what to do to come out on top!
Story: Baring-Gould, S., A Book of South Wales (London: Methuen and Company, 1905), pp. 266-67. Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, "The Devil and his Grandmother." no. 125. Margaret Hunt, trans. Grimm's Household Tales, Volume 2. 1884. Martens, F. H., Stroebe, K., & Hood, G. (1921). “The Evil One and Kitta Grau.” In The Swedish Fairy Book. Project Gutenberg. Sikes.W., British Goblins: Welsh Folk-Lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends, and Traditions. 2nd ed. (London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington, 1880), pp. 205-206.
Cover Image: Three Bridges of Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion, Wales and Devil (Pixabay).
Music: The Snow Queen Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles" and from Pixabay.
Copyright 2023 Kathy Shimpock
For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).