Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches, and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga

by Icy Sedgwick, Melissa Jarram (Ilustrator)

Rebel Folklore gathers 50 of the darkest and most complicated folktale characters from around the world, showing readers why we should care about the rebels and misfits of ancient stories.

Folktales were humble stories, passed down generations by those on the fringes of women, peasants, outcast groups. Across the world, these ancient stories are filled with strange characters, complicated figures who hold up a mirror to the world that dreamt them up. From outspoken women cast as witches to anti-authority figures denounced as criminals, flawed heroes to relatable villains, Rebel Folklore celebrates 50 of these misfits and what they mean for us today. 

Whether it’s Muma Padurii, the Romanian forest witch who terrorizes trespassers to protect the environment, the Churel, who stalks unfaithful men on her backwards feet, or Robin Hood, everyone’s favorite lawless activist, we can learn a lot from the rebels of days gone how to speak out, embrace our flaws, and be unashamedly ourselves – even if that means being a cannibalistic swamp witch.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Audiobook, Feminism

192 pages, Hardcover

Published September 7, 2023

About the author

Fantasy with a Folklore Twist

Icy Sedgwick is a writer based in the north east of England. She writes Gothic-tinged not-quite-YA fantasy novels and Gothic short stories. Icy is also working on a series of experiments in historical fiction with Australian composer AJ Moon, combining spoken word stories with originally composed music. When she's not writing fiction, she's blogging about folklore and the supernatural.

Elsewhere, she's working on a PhD in Film Studies, looking at the use of set design in contemporary supernatural films. She also knits up a storm, enjoys poking around old buildings, and takes more photographs than she probably should.

Reviews

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and informative book about the more obscure, worldwide and indigenous figures and creatures of myth and folklore, that are rebellious; meaning, highly unconventional, morally grey and ambiguous, anti-Disneyfication, and can be interpreted and reimagined in various ways.

There are so many of them, and they are so interesting! Fascinating! Their influences are felt around the world.

The world, and human history, imagination, and the power of storytelling - they are amazing. We have to keep them. We have to preserve and respect and keep telling these stories and legends. We have to pass them on, for generations.

For we are a species of storytellers. We need stories to live, to survive.

They are powerful. And so are we. They influence us, and can help make change. So can we.

'Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches, and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga' can be read in a whole free day. My favourite figures of rebellious folklore included are:

Robin Hood (I was seriously never interested in him until now, and he is a social justice warrior!), Jenny Greenteeth, the Cailleach (the ultimate snow and ice queen), banshees, selkies, Pesta (like a female Grim Reaper, and a Norwegian plague-bringer), Grýla (an Icelandic ogress who is like a female Krampus), Baba Yaga (of course - she is the most famous witch of all time! and the ultimate anti-patriarchal icon!), Rusalka, Lorelei (a legendary German water soul sister), Melusina (a tragic mermaid - is there any other type of mermaid? - who is also a serpent, and may have inspired the Starbucks mermaid?!), the Bell Witch (a feminist poltergeist), La Llorona, La Diablesse (what a giant, hoofed, fiery devil woman of the Caribbean, and an avenger of women and colonised communities!), Scheherazade (needs no introduction), Churel (a South Asian feminist vampire), Okiku (an inspiration for the 'Ringu' books and films, and is the ultimate F-U to classism and capitalism and the power imbalances that stem from them), the huli jing (a silver nine-tailed fox woman who is like a Chinese version of a Japanese kitsune, or fox spirit), Aida (a teenage feminist rainmaker, and like a Senegalese Scheherazade, ending a murderous, misogynistic, patriarchal monarchy), Anansi (I love spiders!), a mamlambo (a South African mermaid and snake goddess who says F-U to capitalism and whitewashing), Mami Wata (a West African mermaid, snake, and wealth and fertility goddess), Yemanja (mother of the Orishas in the Yoruba religion, and a creator goddess and queen of the ocean, water, moonlight, motherhood and fertility), and Huayramama (a Peruvian air and weather snake goddess).

There are a lot of legends around the world about women in water who drown children, aren't there? And mermaids and sirenic women who lure men to their doom in water.

And female shapeshifters trapped and abused by mortal men.

Trickster fairies and demons are the best characters. The most dual, complex, ambiguous, and nonbinary.

Also, don't f%&* with nature.

And f%&* the patriarchy.

Yet for a feminist text, why does 'Rebel Folklore' not emphasise how Scheherazade fell for and married a king who murdered multiple women out of spite and pettiness, and would have murdered her too if not for her having to rack her brain every night for an interesting story?

Oh well.

'Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches, and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga' talks about themes of feminism, disabilities, environmentalism, the climate crisis, slavery, whitewashing, cultural appropriation, and colonialism (plus animism).

Most of the book's figures and "monsters" that are listed are in fact social outcasts, and therefore "threats" to the "natural" order of things. Yet where would we be without them, eh? They represent us, after all, and how different, complicated, contradictory, and complex each of us truly are; not archetypal, not stereotypical, no matter what society, conformists and conservatives like to tell us. These scary "monsters" are us, and we, as humans, project ourselves onto them, like personifications of our worst fears and insecurities, consciously or not.

"Rebellious" folklore and fairy tales, aka the "freaks" of nature - even though, in reality, nothing is "safe" and "normal", and no one is "safe" and "normal". There is nothing natural about putting people in a box, and in binary lines, for "order", in social rules set in place to oppress us, and to protect the powerful on top in the hierarchal system. Nothing can protect us from ourselves. Our true, uninhibited, free selves. No matter how much we are broken by oppression, lies, violence and tragedy.

'Rebel Folklore' shows us that, among other things, maybe these complex figures in stories, these figments of our collective imagination, are not so scary. Instead they are, again, interesting. Fascinating. Delightful. Deliciously intriguing.

Embrace change and difference! In the world and in stories! Let yourself yearn for it - for something more! No limits and constraints! Let yourself desire! It's exciting! Life is more exciting and liberating that way.

Then cherish it, and never take it for granted.

Westerners, read 'Rebel Folklore' and learn about the mermaids, ghosts, shapeshifters, psychopomps, gods, and tragic women and ordinary people you've never heard of!

Keep telling stories to each other, around a campfire, and elsewhere. As a living, breathing, and free community of folklorists and modern mythologists.

Knowledge, stories, they have power. Real power. They hold truths, about ourselves more than anything.

Stories are pro-intellect.

Stories are rebellion.

Keep at it. Keep learning. Keep rebelling.

Final Score: 4/5

[Farnz · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been listening to Icy’s podcast for a few years now and love her enthusiasm. This book moves out of her comfort zone of the folklore of the UK to bring to life characters from the folklore of other parts of the world. It was informative and relevant with its links to some of the issues we face today such as the climate crisis and toxic masculinity. A fun read though with unusual and thoughtful illustrations.

[Luce McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Folklore is such a beautiful and important part of cultures all around the world. This book combines a great mix of different stories and tales that evaluates how a lot of beliefs have travelled, or gifted or even stolen throughout history. The illustrations and descriptions are gorgeous and bring beauty to even the darker deities and spirits. I absolutely loved reading this book and will definitely be venturing back to re read it every now and then! The author also adds funny, relatable, and understandable modern and historical contexts that bring deep and complex meanings to the origins of each creature.

[India · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might actually get this as a coffee table book, really interesting

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introductions into folklore tales from around the world. Gorgeous illustrations!!
I really enjoyed the analysis of each figure through the lens of colonialism and feminism.

[Fae · Rating 3 out of 5]

The depth, breadth, and thoroughness of the information in this book swings wildly from one folkloric figure to the next. It's an interesting problem--this is a person who spends a lot of time in folklore and is getting a PhD, but their summaries are very inconsistent. Some characters get one page, some characters get three pages, some characters I barely understand, and some characters I know what culture they come from and the various forms that they take in different regions. I found the interpretations of these figures questionable and without good context. Accessible--but not what I'm looking for. This book is a good way to appropriate lore from a culture you don't understand, and I could more generously say that it's useful as a list. To that end, the book includes a list of "further reading," but many of those resources are popular literature rather than academic or own-voices resources. I will likely do my own research before I reference the provided list.

The title is misleading. Although some descriptions attempt to paint a figure from folklore as a "rebel," it's not a consistent theme throughout the book. I picked up this book because I was hoping for a deep dive into figures of folklore that act against the social norms or question the values of the culture that they come from, for a culturally-relevant purpose. (Tricksters, for example, and the ways that they actively thwart others, or search entirely for their own fulfillment, or are simply a force of unpredictability.) Some of the figures referenced in this book are outcasts, villains, symbols of oppression, metaphors for consequences or uncertainty, and it varies wildly from one story to the next. There is no commentary that helps to link or contrast these figures, there's very little commentary that helps to ground the figures in the cultures that they come from, and there are regrettable attempts to link a few of the characters to modern-day values.

The writing style I found dull. I slogged through though, and at the end, I thought I could possibly use this visually striking book as a "coffee table ornament" and use it to quickly remember a name.

My copy is from the library, however, and I am not likely to spend my money on this book anytime soon.

3 stars because the art worked on me, despite the red flags in the book description. And I would gladly display it in my living room for the art, honestly. So fair enough--3 stars.

[Ronel Janse van Vuuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s one of those folklore books you read cover-to-cover while making notes of what would make a great story. I liked how each folklore figure is introduced with an evocative description, followed by their origins, and how they still play an important part today.

Though I knew most of these figures from my own foray into the realm of folklore, the way the author presents them makes me want to re-read everything about them.

A great resource and a fun read for a rainy day.

[Cassandra Marie Darling · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a book I feel you need to read in person physical form. I read it on kindle and think it lost some of its magic! really love all the different folk tales and stories behind all the different legends.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did the audio book and the stories were a bit hard to follow. After seeing the book and the gorgeous illustrations, I think I would have rated this higher if I had read the book.

[Amelia Marz · Rating 4 out of 5]

These kinds of books are always engaging because I get to see how folklore compares and contrasts across time periods and cultures.

There are many similarities, as humans have always had a need to explain our natural world, spirituality, disease, relationships, emotions, and the traumas of colonialism.

A few things that stuck out to me:
1. never trust beautiful women
2. things that go bump in the night could be something more sinister
3. don’t walk in the forest with ill intentions
4. men trying to control women will anger the goddesses in fatal ways
5. Psychopomps exist in every culture and are usually neutral figures
6. stories will always find a way and they are usually more than what meets the eye
7. Mischief makers have always been a source of great stories and wit

The illustrations were great, and my favorites were:

The Cailleach
Tlazolteotl
Barong
Zankallala

I think there is something to be said for the human condition and folklore; something our logical selves try to explain, but our primal brain takes over.

Sometimes the easiest explanation is that a monster took your baby, or a shapeshifter killed your unfaithful husband.

I think in the modern world, we spend a lot of time trying to hide the fact that we are, innately, animals. We wear fancy clothes and put on expensive perfume. We spend time creating infrastructure and philosophizing our existence; we try to replace the animal within us with diets and utensils and air conditioning and the internet. Slowly but surely, we are almost trying to lose our humanity through these fake enterprises, shiny new cars and silicon shoes. The age of influencers and Botox and masks of every sort- the kinds that detract from the fact that, at our core, we are but feral beings. We can dress it up any way we want to, but humans are animals, and we battle every day with mitigating those responses. We are not meant to be corporatized, capitalized, and cornered into pelotons and emails and cubicles without personality.

I think that connecting with folklore brings us back to our roots, and helps us connect with each other. The stories are old yet new, and they value real human traits- the good, the bad, the primal, the thoughtfulness- instead of a boxed-in, faux version that keeps people lonely and exhausted, confused on what their purpose is. Folklore is magic in many ways; it connects us to our true selves, our shared pasts and our ancestors. It gives us reasons to hope and to worry, and it covers age-old troubles like love, children, death, and strangers.

Connecting with these figures feels like connecting to a greater truth- these stories feel more real to me than glossy magazine covers and trends on the internet. The world we live in is so manufactured and fast-paced, to the point of over-exhaustion and burnout. People aren’t meant to constantly produce and consume, and these stories, at least for me, remind me that I am more than a cog in a machine. Not that these stories are all “happy,” because most of them definitely have a darker theme or edge, but they are original and just make me feel more … alive. Connected. Real.

In a world where I am constantly faced with my feelings of unreality, disillusionment, and rage at the powers that be, these stories help to ground me. To remember where I come from, and the people who have walked before us with their own problems and interests and loves - we all have a life to live and it’s important to remember where we come from to move forward, and live our humanity in the process through respect for all living things and neighbors.

[Emily Dalske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebel Folklore is a beautifully illustrated and captivating collection that breathes new life into legendary spirits, witches, and misfit figures from around the world. I’d recommend it to anyone drawn to larger-than-life characters and striking visual storytelling.

Each entry opens in an imaginative first-person encounter with the creature at hand—an approach that feels delightfully reminiscent of rolling for initiative in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, as the Dungeon Master paints a vivid scene of what stands, swims, or slithers before you. This framing makes the lore feel immediate and alive.

Sedgwick skillfully connects these figures to their cultural contexts and contemporary relevance, exploring how myth and folklore help us interpret natural phenomena, death, and the mysteries of the afterlife. I particularly appreciated the inclusion of stories beyond North America, with fascinating depictions of Asian and African folk figures that often go underrepresented in popular mythology collections.

The book’s modern design and full-page illustrations are nothing short of stunning—bold, graphic, and full of personality. The artwork alone could easily grace any wall. Together, the words and visuals create a vibrant homage to the power of storytelling and the enduring allure of the supernatural.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Fascinating Premise, But Lacking Depth

Rebel Folklore by Icy Sedgwick offers an intriguing look at 50 of the darkest and most complex folktale characters from around the world. I really appreciated the concept—shining a light on rebels, misfits, and outcasts from ancient stories and exploring how their tales still resonate today. The book does a great job highlighting lesser-known figures alongside familiar names like Robin Hood, showing how these characters reflected the values (or challenges) of their times.

That said, while the subject matter is fascinating, the format felt a bit rushed. With 50 characters packed into a relatively short book, each entry felt more like a brief introduction than a deep dive. I often found myself wanting more—more context, more cultural background, more nuance. In fact, I’ll likely be looking up several of these characters on my own just to learn more.

Overall, Rebel Folklore is a fun, quick read with a strong theme and lots of potential, but if you're hoping for in-depth folklore analysis or storytelling, you might come away wanting more.

[Sarah AF · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the range and very deliberate effort from Sedgwick to source folklore from different parts of the world and different cultures. There was a level of respect there and appreciation for the way shifting historical values impacted how many of these tales of folklore were passed on over time. In the introduction, Sedgwick noted that this is an introduction to the figures from folklore and that the idea of this book was to pique an interest in the reader to go on and read more about these figures in greater depth so I can only assume that the one issue I had with this book was at the behest of the publishers. The tagline "empowering tales" felt like it was tacked on to appeal to a wider audience and Sedgwick's writing attempts in trying to find empowering elements in some of the figures felt really laboured and unnecessary.

For all that though, I really enjoyed learning about some lesser-known figures (and even one from my neck of the woods!) and the illustrations were just flawless in drawing on the traditional but with modern lines and colours.

[Laura Latham · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

I really wanted to love this - the forewards from authors & academics were really interesting but I felt like the prose of the rest of the book fell a bit flat... But equally I think that could be my taste of book changing! I would have preferred to read more about fewer folktales and didn't always see the link back to "rebel". I also felt that the sections dedicated to South America & Africa felt a bit lacking towards the end of the book, and I couldn't help but find it an odd choice to cover the entirety of Asia, the Middle East & Oceania all in one section when the cultures differ widely in such a huge geographical area. Also some of the sections kept referring to how the tales could relate back to the Western world and something about that just made me feel uncomfortable? (That said I really don't know enough about the topic to comment, but I just felt these asides were unnecessary)
But the illustrations were stunning - really brought this to life (and made me really want a Kindle Coloursoft!)

[Hwee Goh · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8⭐️

Rebel Folklore is an inventory. Read it, observe it, absorb it, and delight in it. Then, if you feel like it, respond to it. To make art born of wonder defies the darkest threats of war. And today’s stories are tomorrow’s lore.”

And here we have a gritty collection of folklore around the world, not of highbrow histories and heroes but of anti-heroes, misunderstood misfits just as integral to our cultures.

Each feature starts with a narrative, as the reader meets the “rebel”, and then goes on to explore the history and legends surrounding them, and then looks at modern interpretations and their relevance to the modern world.

There is Robin Hood, Baba Yaga and there is Scheherazade, Jeoseung Saja and Pleiades. But there are many, many stories the authors have unearthed that are now as well known, in all forms and colours.

“To ‘rebel’ is to make war and to be ‘a rebel’ is to be a warrior. Rebel Folklore is, by its very title, a battle cry for stories.”

📚: @times.reads

[Lirya Rigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, and quite interesting, considering how much I like morally grey characters, which this book is all about.
I have enjoyed the reflection that each myth brought to the contemporary problems in our world, and found them easy to remember, in part thanks to the beautiful illustrations that accompany each chapter (so much work!).
I wasn't sure about the inclusion of some characters that are found mostly in literature: for example I wouldn't consider Robin Hood a figure of folklore, but rather a literary character; but overall I found this to be a very well thought-out work in its analysis, considering how detailed and thorough the research was. I also very much appreciated the resources and pronunciation guide at the end, which show an ulterior care about the project.

[Olivia-Savannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good illustrated nonfiction about rebellious figures in folklore. I learned so much!

The illustrations were gorgeous.

It was truly international. There were figures from every continent and the research was clearly so thorough.

It did a good job of telling the stories, but also acknowledging where there is more than one version of a tale, and how sometimes colonialism has impacted the recounting and perception of these figures.

And it also respected boundaries. Acknowledging which Indigenous tales are allowed to be shared etc. So so good and I can use this as a reference in future when reading mythology / monster based books as well!

[Bookshire Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5 ⭐️ Rebel Folklore is a useful overview of selected folkloric figures from all around the world. It’s rather basic but it was intended that way, as a starting point. I liked the diversity and respect towards customs (for example not sharing stories without permission and presence of the legitimate storytellers). What I found incredibly annoying, however, is a moralistic ending of each profile - “this shows us that we should protect nature” - I’m reasonably able to gleam the meaning and implications myself, thank you very much. Note: I had is as an audiobook, so I missed out on the illustrations.

[Ada]

***Who sucked me in***
Olivia of Olivia's Catastrophe on YouTube in their September Wrap Up || Romance, Graphic Novels & More || 2023 [CC] video published on 29 oktober 2023

It looks gorgeous and the fact she enjoyed it so much makes me even more interested

[Ellen Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as an aside, the artwork is stunning and I want to buy all of the illustrations as prints.

Anyway, I loved this book. It almost serves to whet your appetite; piquing your interest enough to drive you to read more about each figure in greater detail. I want to look up each of these figures and learn more about the origins, locations, and cultures around them. I especially loved Jeoseung Saja, La Diablesse, and Tlazolteotl.

[Amy James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not only one of the most beautiful books that I own (I could look at the illustrations alone for hours) but was also very enjoyable to read. The explorations of the stories in their various guises and how they can speak to us today was interesting, as was seeing the echoes of characters and legends across the globe. I think my absolute favourite entry was Pleiades, Australia. Both the entry and the image were wonderful.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found that this started really well and I was enjoying learning about the origins if some folklore. But it quickly became samey, and then if felt rushed, as if the author was trying to cram in as many as possible.
I would have loved more in depth analysis with reference to modifications - the same detail as the author gave to Robin Hood to all the other folklore.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uniformly great art, somewhat uneven writing. There's a mix of entries with interesting and thought provoking analysis, entries with basically no analysis at all, and entries with labored and perplexing analysis. For me, it was the Bell Witch as exemplar of female agency that made me tilt my head in polite confusion.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting overview. I’ve read quite a few folk tales from my native British Isles but so little from anywhere else. I loved finding out about all these formidable characters and enjoyed Sedgewick’s take on them. The frame narrative of One Thousand and One Nights was an absolute highlight

[Shiv · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book showcasing folklore tales from across the globe and highlighting the history behind them and their links to topics such as the climate crisis, feminism, culture, colonialism. I always love learning about mythology and folktales but it was interesting to read about tales from different cultures. I really enjoyed it.

[Maia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super fun and informative! I think this did a great job at giving historical context for the lore provided in each character, as well. I enjoyed how it was organized and divided by area, and it had a lot of characters I haven't heard of before.

Fun trip overall.

[Madeline Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

the artwork is gorgeous, and the essays themselves are windows into so many fantastical figures that I feel inspired to learn more. I don't necessarily think that there was something "empowering" in every tale but I understand the sentiment and really did value the approach.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated folklore tales from all over the world with an emphasis on environment issues. I particularly liked the section on African folklore tales and I'll be doing some extra research into my favourites.

[Darian Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a cool way to get a brief run down of some of the most popular legends, myths, and tall tales across the world. I will definitely be looking deeper into the lore for some of them. The art was also incredibly well done.