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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Little Red Riding Hood is a nuanced story that has been told and retold in nearly every medium. With Laurie Gilmore's latest book, I was recently reminded just how extensive the scholarship is on Little Red.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Today is Book Lovers Day and since yesterday was Cat Day and it also happens to be Women in Translation Month...that means the stars have aligned perfectly for us to talk about Japanese Cat Lit - arguably one of my favourite sub genres of the cosy/ healing fiction.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Practicing some cryptic crosswords and came across this enchanting clue! - try to solve it on your own and then check the linked post for clues to solve it step by step!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Another Women in Translation month highlight is Hiro Arikawa and her cat-based stories including "The Travelling Cat" and "The Goodbye Cat." Prepare to cry and laugh as these books all carry harder themes of loneliness, grief and societal expectations. What are you reading for International Cat Day?

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Happy International Cat Day! Cat fiction reminds me constantly that pets have a healing power not to be understated. Case in point: Syou Ishida's "We'll Prescribe you a Cat" and "We'll Prescribe you Another Cat." It's also international Women in Translation Month, so the perfect series to enjoy!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Ishtar opened her mouth and said again, "My father, give me the Bull of Heaven to destroy Gilgamesh. Fill Gilgamesh, I say, with arrogance to his destruction; but if you refuse to give me the Bull of Heaven I will break in the doors of hell and smash the bolts..." #WyrdWednesday 🎨 Marco Lorenzetti

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

She wishes to go to the New Year festival and is granted a beautiful dress and golden slippers. After the party, she leaves quickly, losing one of her shoes in the process. The Emperor starts looking for the woman with the golden slippers and eventually finds Ye Xian. Art by Stephanie Pui Mun Law

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

-Ye Xian befriends a golden scaled fish but her stepmother finds out and cooks the fish, leaving nothing but bones in the fire for Ye Xian to clean up. In despair, the maiden cries for her only friend and the fish spirit tells her to worry not and wish upon his bones.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Fishbone Cinderella (pub. July 28th) weaves itself along with the story of Ye Xian from 850 CE (Yeh Shen as named in the book), a poor maiden who was abused by her stepmother and sister. Historically, the first iterations of the cinderella archetype come from China! Instead of a fairy god mother-

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

@denisegallagher.bsky.social joins us in the Enchanted Forest tomorrow to share all things folklore, seasonal myths, art, kidlit and her process with "How to Calm a Rain Bull" out in September! Stay tuned for a special reading of "The Candle Dragon" as well!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

And finally, I read Glenn Dixon's "Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances" around the same time as the Artemis II Space Mission and I can't stop thinking about how and why humans create. Also made me very vary of smart homes. What are you reading for Book Day?

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Nell O'Dell Hates Quests by Emily B. Martin is a fun middle-grade adventure following a reluctant heroine who just wants to tend to her chickens- NOT go on a quest. Denise Gallagher's How to Calm a Rain Bull features seasonal myths from all over the world coupled with gorgeous illustrations.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Happy World Book Day! What are you currently reading? I just finished Aicha by Soraya Bouazzaoui which is based on Moroccan folklore of Aicha Kandicha and the Siege of Mazagan (later El-Jadida) in 1769. While the world was lush, unfortunately the pacing and depth was lacking.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

..but my favourite has to be the story of Amu Nowruz (Uncle Nowruz) and Nane Sarma/ Bibi Barfi (Grandmother Winter or Snow). How are you celebrating?

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Eid and Nowruz fall on the same day so whichever you are celebrating, we hope you have a healthy and happy year! We have covered many Persian tales in the past from the Shahnameh to the Poor Prince: An Afghan tale... #EidMubarak #Nowruz

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

It's almost SPRING! While we are escaping the clutches of jackets worn for a cold morning, a goddess is escaping the underworld! But which one? Persephone? Or are the Oak King and Holly King gearing up for a fight? What is your favourite seasonal myth?

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy! It was a delight and source of great inspiration for episodes ahead.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Gorgeous artwork by @anniestegg.bsky.social & @kristinkwan.bsky.social n.bsky.social ties it all together with a lovely, detailed introduction by @terriwindling.bsky.social dling.bsky.social that promises magic ahead.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman have done remarkable work with their compendium of faefolk, "Fairylore." It is divine to see a thoroughly researched collection that not only details different folk, but addresses their role in story-telling and legends while also adding tales for each section…

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

and the royal tailor was sent for to make a replica! However, when they took the dress off the girl, she sprang up to life, alive and well. They lived happily ever after! There is also a vengeful Eagle and the stepmother is obsessed with a basil plant...but that is for a different day #MorbidMarch

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

and as soon as Ermellina put on the dress, she fell dead to the floor. The fairies had revived her once before and had already warned the girl, so they placed her in a glass casket. A wandering young king fell in love with her and married the girl in the casket... #MorbidMarch

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

There was a time when young Ermellina was driven from her father's home by her wicked stepmother. She was so lovely that fairies took her in, but her stepmother would not let her rest and came to her with tricks most foul. Once, she arrived as a tailor.. #MorbidMarch

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

How many of these mythical lovers can you name? Search deep within your fairytale, folklore and legends to give us your Valentine's trivia answers!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Luo Tou Shi (落头氏) Also known as the wandering heads is a group of supernatural beings (sometimes ghosts) that can detach their heads that can then fly away. While we couldn't find a lot of information on the Luo Tou Shi, we did find this image from Elaine Chow and Mayura Jain! #WyrdWednesday

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

The fairy cattle (the crodh sith) would emerge from the waves to graze on the fertile soils of Scorrybreck before being recalled. However, if you wanted to keep them for yourself then all you had to do was toss some churchyard soil between them and the sea. 🎨 Stephen Reid 📷 Robin Dessens

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

...they rewarded his carpentry skills by giving him fairy powers so that he could stay with his wife forever and teach them his craft! So powerful is he now that when he walks across the sky-land, we hear his footsteps as thunder! 📙"Maoriland Fairy Tales" by Edith Howes #FairytaleTuesday #Fairytales

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Disguised as an old man, Tawhaki spent the days helping carry their tools & nights secretly working on the canoe. The fairies grew curious about the mysterious craftsmanship, so they hid one night and caught Tawhaki working on it! Except, instead of getting angry... 📙 Edith Howes #FairytaleTuesday

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

As he climbed to Cloud-land, he caused a flood on Earth, advised the eels to go down and pinched a mischievous Pukaki's birds nose so hard that nowadays all Pukaki's have red noses. When he finally arrived at fairyland, he found them busy making a canoe.... 🎨 Arthur Rackham #FairytaleTuesday

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

...until he came across an old woman holding a thread to the sky. She told him to find his wife, but if he lost courage or looked back then he would go plummeting to the Earth. Tawhaki did not hesitate & the old woman taught him a charm to sing if he felt afraid 📙 Edith Howes #FairytaleTuesday

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Tawhaki had a reputation so great that a curious Sky-Fairy came down to see him for herself and fell in love immediately. However, the other fairies did not want her to live on Earth so they came down and snatched her up to Tawhaki's dismay! He wandered around... #FairytaleTuesday 🎨 Arthur Rackham

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

As Guðrún prepared to celebrate Christmas eve with her lover, the Deacon, she did not know he had drowned a few days prior. So she had nothing to fear when he appeared at her door that night... "The moon glides, Death rides, Seest thou not the white place In the back of my head, Garun, Garun?"

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

#BookologyThursday I love the Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and how it weaves so many figures from Russian folklore and storytelling into the trilogy. Illumicrate special edition cover by @rudebeetle on Instagram Fanart by Rosiethorns88 on Instagram (@rosiethorns88.bsky.social)

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

She'll turn into a hare and haunt you, the baby you tried to murder will be saved and return one day, your wife will die, your legitimate son will spurn you and the witch-Lady of Godolphin you marry will try her best to sleep with said son...leading in lots of murder and magic at Pengersick Castle!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

What happens when you seduce a "far east" Princess, abandon her during her country's civil war, return home to your WIFE and son and then try to toss said Princess and her baby (your bastard child) off a cliff when she comes knocking on your door? Well... Pengersick Castle, Cornwall

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 23/10/2025

I love a good fireside spooky story telling (bonus points if its during a summer camp scene). Of course, we have Gravity Falls and What's New Scooby-Doo as our classic October rewatchs, and we've got The Sisters Grimm lined up, but any other good suggestions out there?

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Looking for a haunted house tale that isn't spooky? Well, Alee of Cairo chooses to spend the night in a house haunted by a Jinn, but instead of breaking his neck like it did to the previous dwellers, the Jinn gives him gold and solves all of his money problems. The end. 🎨 William Harvey, 1001 Nights

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

Just discovered Weird Tales magazine and I'll be in a spooky rabbit hole for the rest of the month!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Just look at all the different versions! How can each cover be so lovely? 🧚 Fairyloot 🦉 Owlcrate 🌸 US First Printing 🧚 Fairyloot

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Fiction Friday: I've just finished Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross and I gotta say, the myths and legends she writes are as gorgeous as the covers of her books. The concept of a Goddess coming into her own power and navigating the world of the Gods was enticing. Also can be read as a standalone!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

In Greek myths we have Theseus and Pirithous' attempt to kidnap Persephone, Heracles' labour to get Cerberus, Psyche's trials for Aphrodite and Odysseus' mission to get as much tea as possible. Then of course, Orpheus' journey to bring back his wife Eurydice by appealing to Persephone and Hades.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

In modern media, we have so many sources to pull from including Supernatural (what with the Winchesters journeying in and out of hell every other season), Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hadestown, The Good Place, and the games Hades I and II.

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

With R.F Kuang's Katabasis starting so much discourse around the concept of the journey to the underworld, naturally we had to jump on the bandwagon. Add in Supergiant Games' Hades II coming out today and what a perfect time to retell the story of Orpheus and Eurydice!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

And then I am also reminded of Achilles disguised as a woman on Skyros. Achilles dressed as a woman: 😇💖☺️🌸 *whoops*🤰 Thor dressed as a woman: 💥🍽️🐂🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🍺🔨

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Every now and then I remember the story of Thor dressing up as Freyja to trick-marry Thrym after the Giant stole his hammer and I am reminded of these glorious illustrations (including the SMITE Thor Valkyrie Bride skin)

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 29/08/2025

Food and Folklore in Children's Books: Recipes and Stories have a lot in common especially how they are transferred and transplanted as people move away from home. Just as every country has a dumpling recipe, they have a cinderella tale! Read more about food folklore on our latest blog post!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Nabeshima Naotaka after seeing a play about a Bakeneko terrorizing his ancestors. The Bakeneko, a cat yokai, turned vengeful after his owner committed suicide following the murder of her son by the ruler of the Nabeshima clan. The cursed story became a popular play & Naotaka did file a complaint!

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

This trope type also famously includes Shakespeare's King Lear since Cordelia is punished for saying she loves her father "according to her bond" and refuses to join her deceitful sisters, Goneril and Regan, in lavishing him with falsehoods. Cordelia's Farewell by Edwin Austin Abbey

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Have you listened to our latest episode? It features the "Love like Salt" Trope which is when a princess gets exiled for telling her father she loves him like salt. One of our inspirations came from @anooshasyed.com's retelling of the Pakistani version in her book "The Salt Princess."

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Tales from the Enchanted Forest @fromenchanted.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

It's in the same vein as Aisha Aseed's "Bilal Cooks Daal" and Toba Adina-Jao's "Me, Mommy, Mantu." Food is folklore and heritage and history. It is a way to connect not just through your own country but through entire continents. Just like Cinderella, every country has their own dumpling or daal.

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