The Maid of the North: Feminist Folk Tales from Around the World

In her introduction, Phelps notes that most heroines "are far from heroic...they are good, obedient, meek, submissive to authority....It is not my intention to delve into the psychological or social meanings behind the various images of heroines in folk tales, but simply to note that the vast majority are not particularly satisfying to readers today."

As an alternative (an antidote?), Phelps has collected twenty-one folk tales and fairy tales in which women are heroic. Mostly they are at the center of the tale, but sometimes they provide crucial assistance to a male hero; they are always active, not passive. Many of the tales are European or Scandinavian, but there is also one each from Japan, Pakistan, and two from Africa, as well as show more Canadian Indian and American Indian tales.

Some of these were familiar to me, or variations on familiar stories, but one was completely new: "The Husband Who Stayed At Home," from Norway, about a man who criticized his wife for never doing anything right in the house. "You think you could do the work of the house better than I?" she asks. He says yes, and she replies that tomorrow, they will switch tasks; he agrees. Naturally, she is successful at his job, and he makes an utter hash of hers. The upshot? They each work in the field and in the house three days a week. (With folk tales like that, is it a surprise Norway is one of the most gender-equal countries in the world?) The source of this tale is Popular Tales from the Norse (1859), Asbjornsen and Moe, trans. Dasent.

From "Gawain and the Lady Ragnell":
"If I can bring him the true answer to the question, 'What is it that women most desire, above all else?' my life will be spared." (Arthur to Gawain)

"Wait! I have one more answer. What a woman desires above all else is the power of sovereignty - the right to exercise her own will." (Arthur to Gromer) show less

The Maid of the North weaves together tales about a woman's right to freedom of will and choice. In this collection of mostly nineteenth-century folk and fairy tales, Ethel Johnston Phelps's heroines successfully portray women as being spirited, courageous and smart. This type of heroine is not easily found in most collections; in most traditional folk and fairy tales we encounter women are portrayed as being good, obedient, submissive, and, of course, beautiful. These women—and girls—are resourceful; they take action to solve a problem and use cleverness or shrewd common sense to solve the dilemmas they face.

The tales themselves are part of an oral tradition that document a generation according to the values of the time. Phelps has show more given these older tales a fresh, contemporary retelling for a new generation of readers, young and old. She shapes each story—adding or omitting details—to reflect her sense of a feminist folk or fairy tale. The twenty-one tales collected represent a wide variety of countries; approximately seventeen ethnic cultures from North America to Europe to Asia tell a story in which women play a leading or crucial role in the story.
Source: GoodReads show less

Overall a fun book of various tales from around the world where the female protagonists don't just sit back and wait to be rescued. Some of them are strong, others are clever, etc.

This book contains 21 folk tales from around the world (although with an emphasis on Northern Europe) that feature independent, strong women with roles central to the story. The accompanying illustrations of full-bodied (ala Rubens) women and men are perfectly fitting. Despite not usually being a big fan of folk or fairy tales, I was pleasantly surprised to find these stories all delightfully interesting. I would definitely recommend, for children or adults.

Phelps adapts 21 fairy tales about strong women. In some cases her adaptation is pretty much a new story that she wrote based on folklore, to which I have no objection. She explains what she's doing in the preface and her source material is listed in the back of the book. I found the tales very readable and interesting.

Later: comparing these to her sources, I found that she often changed substantial elements of the tale without explaining that in the preface. Also there are some egregious errors in the authors and titles in her notes on source material. The tales are still fine reading, but if you're doing scholarship, you'll have to do a bit of digging.

These read as if only inspired by tradition - the style of the retellings doesn't have the glamour and magic of the truly old tales. The book is designed to look like a scholarly text, to be used in Women's Studies programs, but the notes are much too brief. I, personally, didn't care for the artwork.

I'd be more likely to recommend a brand-new story about a kick-a* woman who makes her own way her entire life, instead of being satisfied with these stories about women who were admired simply because they cleverly or courageously chose their own husbands. So, it's a worthy addition to a collection for the widely read and the curious, but nothing I'd actually recommend to child, adult, or scholar.

An excellent anthology of fairy tales from around the world. I consider it a fine addition to my collection of fairy tale books. I recommend for anyone interested in good fairy tales or who is a fairy tale scholar.