Beastly: An Anthology of Shapeshifting Fairy Tales

by Jennifer Pullen

Everyone is familiar with the a man marries a woman, and she transforms into a crane. Or a seal. Or a bear. Or a woman marries a beast, who transforms into a man; or a man who transforms into a beast. Tales of shapeshifting animal spouses have long been a staple of folklore around the world.



In this collection, fantasy and fairy tale scholar Jennifer Pullen selects fourteen classic tales that explore the boundary between the human and the beastly, showing how their telling and retelling reflects a constant longing for–and terror of–what seems to be “other.”

320 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 16, 2026

About the author

Jennifer Pullen grew up in Washington State. She got her BA from Whitworth University, her MFA from Eastern Washington University, and her PhD from Ohio University. She is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Ohio Northern University.

Her fiction and poetry have been published in various journals and anthologies including: Going Down Swinging (AU), Cleaver, Phantom Drift Limited, Clockhouse, Prick of the Spindle, Defenestration, Blink Ink, Gravel, Off the Coast, Corvid Queen, F(r)iction, Psychopomp, Assay, and Behind the Mask (Meerkat Press), among others.

Reviews

[Harry Jahnke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been much of a fairy tale reader. I've always loved folklore and myth but for whatever reason, I never found my way to fairy tales. But I thought this was just delightful. I like the way that fairy tales are told, in the sort of dreamy, matter of fact way where things happen and characters understand that this is happening now, just go with it. And the footnotes make the entire thing fascinating to read. If you have any academic interest in folklore, this book is for you.