Didn't the husband think it was wierd that his armless wife was writing him letters? posted by Wonderwoman at 5:07 PM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Interesting stuff; I didn't know about this particular myth. Thanks for the post. I did think the detour into Sierra Leone and the mutilations perpetrated there was ill advised and shows a distressing conflation of myth and reality; it's as if you were writing about Hansel and Gretel and decided to toss in a recent news story about a crazy person who burned children in an oven. posted by languagehat at 5:07 PM on April 11, 2007
I did think the detour into Sierra Leone and the mutilations perpetrated there was ill advised and shows a distressing conflation of myth and reality
I had a similar thought as well. It was a logical discontinuity and didn't match the metaphor, but I took to it simply as a kind of visceral edge to the rest of the story. posted by Burhanistan at 5:34 PM on April 11, 2007
Good post; I have never heard of this "family" of myths. Rich stuff. posted by everichon at 5:48 PM on April 11, 2007
Thanks for the interesting post.
I'm thirding the response to the inclusion of the Sierra Leone story -- it seemed like an over-reach to me, as it wasn't just women and girls who were victimized there. posted by tentacle at 5:53 PM on April 11, 2007
This story was completely new to me, too. Thanks! Recurring themes in folk tales around the world has been a longtime interest of mine. (Later, the study would shift from folk tales to hip hop, but that's an altogether different scholarly pursuit.)
I think that the section on Sierra Leone would have worked better if the author had discussed the photograph itself and related it to the folk tale. As evidenced by the other accompanying illustrations, and possibly as a general rule, it's easier to relate mythic archetypes to pictorial archetypes rather than historical fact. Although I do think she made a good point. Plus, it is probably difficult for someone to read a lot of folk tales and not see real-world parallels. posted by Benjamin Nushmutt at 6:18 PM on April 11, 2007
Count me in with the people who hadn't heard that story. I love folk tales and such, but I distrust the analysis that often comes with them when they are not simply being read for the story itself. I'll try to get ahold of a complete version of that story, it's just as gnarly as any of the Grimms'... posted by BlackLeotardFront at 7:19 PM on April 11, 2007
Wow, thanks for bringing this to my attention. I love mythic archetypes. Now I'm going to have to go through my library looking for more on the "Armless Maiden" story. posted by lekvar at 10:05 PM on April 11, 2007
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posted by Wonderwoman at 5:07 PM on April 11, 2007 [1 favorite]