Midsummer Magic: A Garland of Stories, Charms, and Recipes

by Ellin Greene (Editor), Barbara Cooney (Illustrator), Helena Nyblom (Contributor)

A compendium of fairy tales and folklore that relate the magic and enchantment associated with the summer solstice festival of the British Isles and other parts of Europe.

160 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

Reviews

[Talia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow it was just like the movie (joke)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storyteller and author Ellin Greene gathers folk and fairy-tales set during midsummer in this lovely anthology, pairing the stories from various sources with brief descriptions of folk practices related to this time of year, as well as midsummer recipes. The latter include such delicacies as Swedish creme, fruit soup, Irish currant cake, heart-shaped cookies and Midsummer cake, while the former covers customs such as the Midsummer tree, various forms of divination (usually to determine a future husband or wife) done at that time, love charms, and magical herbs and flowers. The stories themselves include:

The Girl Who Met the Witch of the Woods by Helena Nyblom, originally included in her collection, The Witch of the Woods: Fairy Tales from Sweden , and translated by Holger Lundberg. In this story, a young named Maria is kidnapped by the titular witch on her way to deliver milk to her grandmother on Midsummer's Eve, and lives with her in her mountainside home, playing in the forest below, as time passes.

The Golden Bird by Sven Grundtvig, originally included in Danske Folkeeventyr, translated by Phyllis Rasmussen, and adapted by editor Ellin Greene. This Danish folktale follows youngest son Alexander as he seeks the golden bird needed to cure his ailing father, accepting the help of a cunning fox as his quest eventually involved a golden horse and a beautiful maiden as well.

Cledog and the Ceffyl Dŵr by Ellen Pugh, originally found in More Tales from the Welsh Hills , tells of how a humble woodcutter agrees to pay any price in order to obtain the services of the enchanted horse known as the Ceffyl Dŵr, which lives in a nearby lake. Little does he realize however, that the price will not be a possession, but something (someone) he treasures far more.

Wee Meg Barnileg and the Fairies by Ruth Sawyer, taken from The Way of the Storyteller . This Irish folktale concerns a rude, destructive and lazy young girl named Meg, who is eventually kidnapped by the fairies, made to work, and (having been reformed) returned to the human world.

Diccon and Elfrida by Barbara (Leonie) Picard, originally found in The Goldfinch Garden , is an English folktale about the love between a human man and fairy woman. Having lost his beloved Elfrida, Diccons longs for her for the rest of his life, little knowing that she is always nearby, in the form of certain objects, animals and people around him.

Maid Lena by Sven Grundtvig, retold by Ellin Green from content in Fairy Tales From Afar , translated by Jane Mulley. This is another Danish folktale, and follows the love between a human man named Esben and an enchanted princess name Lena. When their marriage is interrupted, Esben must seek his beloved in a castle south of the sun, west of the moon and in the center of the earth.

Count Alaric's Lady by Barbara(Leonie) Picard, taken from The Faun and the Woodcutter's Daughter . This second English folktale from Picard tells the story of the eponymous Count Alaric, who meets and falls in love with a beautiful young maiden who recalls nothing of herself or her history. Saddened by the fact that his beloved always seems to have her gaze fixed on something beyond, and determined to make her fully his, Alaric learns she is a fairy woman. But can he make his love perfect—the only thing said to be able to win such a woman?

I enjoyed all of the stories here immensely, particularly those by Nyblom and Picard, and also appreciated the folk beliefs, customs and recipes that were presented. I was familiar with all the authors whose stories were included, except for Sven Grundtvig, whose work I am happy to discover. The accompanying illustrations here are done by Barbara Cooney, whose artwork is always worth perusing! All in all this is a wonderful thematic collection, one I would recommend to folk and fairy-tale enthusiasts, and to anyone looking for story collections set at Midsummer.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little treasure needs to be re-done with color illustrations for today's children, who are so accustomed to dazzling presentation. Barbara Cooney's illustrations are a delight, notwithstanding.

Can't wait for an opportunity to share some of the stories to a group. The story I most want to tell is the Irish "Wee Meg Barnileg", but it will have to be a memorized presentation.

There is a story included that is similar to Red Riding Hood, very haunting -- The Girl Who Met the Witch of the Wood. Reading it the same week that newscasts were full of the rescue of three girls who had been stolen and kept in a house for ten years made it all the more horrifyingly real as it paralleled this story. It made me feel that stories of yore really were devised as warnings to children and parents alike of those who would steal and harm tender children.

[Alethia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After so long, I now retutrn to reading. It's probably much shorter than it feels like.

I like the last story the best. The man loved her but also respected her; he did not tell her that she needed to sew or bake, he didn't tell her she needed to make friends with other women, and he didn't tell her she needed to dance. He respected her distance and loved her all the same. He still loved her as one of the fairy folk, and he tried so hard to hold onto her. It was then he realized that even though he loved her, but especially because he loved her, her happiness came first. If he truly loved her, then he had to let her go. I think I would've been happy had she chose him or her kin, but slightly happier if she chose her kin. In the end, I'm just happy that both were happy.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but didn't find it very useful for celebrating Midsummer. The recipes are a little outdated and didn't appeal. The stories are awesome but they are really a little too long to read aloud, especially since the illustrations are few. (They were also pretty gory, in true old-school fairy-tale fashion. The Swedish story about the witch who steals a girl away was terrifying!)

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the stories, they were stories that I was not familiar with. The last story was similar to Tamlin, except it was a king trying to save a fairy woman from the fairies. Includes several recipes that looked good from the description, but I didn't try them.

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not what I was loooking for.