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На восток от солнца, на запад от луны
Из сказок и преданий, собранных и обработанных норвежским писателем и ученым Петером Асбьёрнсеном, в данный сборник включены двенадцать. Норвежская народная жизнь и природа получили в них яркое самобытное воплощение.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1845
175 people are currently reading
3225 people want to read
About the author
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
448 books94 followersPeter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
November 18, 2022
My edition with art by P. J. Lynch has one of the best and most gorgeous illustrations I've seen for this tale, which makes this picture book the best so far in this re-read.
Of all the Beauty & Beast/Animal Bridegroom types of fairy tales, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is my absolute favourite by a wide margin. I'm always amazed at how well the original storytellers were able to adapt this most Greek of myths as Eros and Psyche to their Nordic culture and idiosyncrasies. The winged monster that Eros was is made into a polar bear; the controlling and domineering Aphrodite is made into the Troll Queen, the tasks of Psyche with the grain, the Styx and the descent to Hades are made into the tasks of the girl and the Four Winds, the castle on top of the world, the trolls, etc., with the one big difference (thematically speaking) between myth and fairy tale being that it's the girl who rescues the prince, which doesn't happen in the Greco-Roman myth. Quite the subversion, isn't it? The damsel saves the prince.
(Marquise wonders what's the masculine of Damsel in Distress? Dude in Distress?)
Another little detail I've always liked here is that it's the North Wind, the cold breeze every living being on the planet hates and hides from, who knows where the mysterious castle east of the sun and west of the moon is, because the other Winds are useless. I've always seen the humour and the irony in this detail, and I'm surely not the only one.
By the way, although the artwork here is stunning, and the translation and adaptation by Dasent is perfect, I don't recommend you choose this edition to read to your child. The reason being that this picture book has one . . . ah, passionate kiss between maiden and prince that, unless you're ready to explain the flowers and bees business to your little one, makes it very obvious where it's gonna lead (they're on the bed). I personally love that Lynch went there, and this scene definitely earns this picture book extra points from me, because many other picture books make the tale more child-friendly and eliminate any traces of implied sexual tension for the sake of the young audience.
Of all the Beauty & Beast/Animal Bridegroom types of fairy tales, "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" is my absolute favourite by a wide margin. I'm always amazed at how well the original storytellers were able to adapt this most Greek of myths as Eros and Psyche to their Nordic culture and idiosyncrasies. The winged monster that Eros was is made into a polar bear; the controlling and domineering Aphrodite is made into the Troll Queen, the tasks of Psyche with the grain, the Styx and the descent to Hades are made into the tasks of the girl and the Four Winds, the castle on top of the world, the trolls, etc., with the one big difference (thematically speaking) between myth and fairy tale being that it's the girl who rescues the prince, which doesn't happen in the Greco-Roman myth. Quite the subversion, isn't it? The damsel saves the prince.
(Marquise wonders what's the masculine of Damsel in Distress? Dude in Distress?)
Another little detail I've always liked here is that it's the North Wind, the cold breeze every living being on the planet hates and hides from, who knows where the mysterious castle east of the sun and west of the moon is, because the other Winds are useless. I've always seen the humour and the irony in this detail, and I'm surely not the only one.
By the way, although the artwork here is stunning, and the translation and adaptation by Dasent is perfect, I don't recommend you choose this edition to read to your child. The reason being that this picture book has one . . . ah, passionate kiss between maiden and prince that, unless you're ready to explain the flowers and bees business to your little one, makes it very obvious where it's gonna lead (they're on the bed). I personally love that Lynch went there, and this scene definitely earns this picture book extra points from me, because many other picture books make the tale more child-friendly and eliminate any traces of implied sexual tension for the sake of the young audience.
January 7, 2018
"He lives in the castle that lies East of the Sun and West of the Moon, and thither(there) you’ll come, late or never..."Reading this didn't feel refreshing. I thought changing the writer would get me something new. And new it was, but not upto extent I would have loved. It seems like a very loose mixture of Beauty & The Beast and Cinderella.
Regardless, I liked it even though it's little lengthy for the plot. But not a bad read at all. And worth reading for fairytale lovers. ^^
6 January, 2018
August 21, 2020
An interesting folktale that many children may not be aware of. My Grade 3 students enjoyed this story and loved the illustrations!
January 24, 2023
This book has beautiful illustrations and mystical stories from the North.
East of the Sun and West of the Moon has elements of Eros and Psyche.
The Blue Belt has elements of Samson and Delilah; also, Hercules' tasks.
Prince Lindworm has elements of Beauty and the Beast... with the prince being enchanted.
The Lassy and her Godmother has elements of Rapunzel and Bluebeard. The Widow's Son also has elements of Bluebeard.
The Husband who was to mind the house reminds me of "el Ratoncito Pérez se cayó en la olla por la golosina de una cebolla." lol I'm sure a lot of feminist men will be offended by the tale. xD
In The Three Princesses in the Blue Mountain, the princesses not being able to come out under the sky until the age of 15 reminds me of the story of The Little Mermaid.
A lot of these stories resemble each other and other beloved stories.
September 6, 2016
Dating back to 1910, this nordic tale was translated by Sir George Webbee Dasent. In this story, you will find likeness to Beauty and the Beast and also to Cupid and Psyche.
In the forest lives a poor couple with many children. The youngest daughter is by far the most beautiful. As the winds and the snow shake the cottage, bringing additional cold winds, at night a large white bear appears to the peasant and asks for his youngest daughter. In return, the peasant and his family will be very rich and want for nothing.
She is whisked off to a beautiful castle while her parents also live way beyond what they had ever imagined. In reality, the white bear is a man who lies beside the daughter at night. She never sees him.
She is very homesick and asks the bear to allow her to visit her family. Her wish is granted with the condition that she will never be alone with her mother who will attempt to mislead her daughter. When the mother tells the daughter to light a candle so that she may see what is sharing her bed at night, the daughter returns to the castle and follows her mother's instructions.
The daughter sees a most beautiful price, spilling three drops of melted wax on him. Upon his awakening, he explains that if she had only waited one full year, the curse placed upon him by the trolls would have been broken.
Now, all return to the original state of poverty and the handsome man must marry a very ugly troll who has a long crocked nose. Transported to the castle far, far away, located east of the sun and west of the moon, he must accept his fate.
Searching for her beloved handsome man, she must now journey far, far away to a destination near impossible to find. Soliciting help from old women she finds along the way, she is given gifts of a golden items -- an apple, a carding comb and a spinning wheel.
Taking these items with her, she must obtain help for the East Wind, the stronger West Wind and then the more powerful South and finally, the North Wind.
When she arrives and seeks access to the castle, the horrific troll princess refuses. Gradually, the daughter gives her items, one by one, to the troll princess. One night, the handsome man does not drink the poison sleeping potion given to him be the troll lady. And, discovering that the beautiful lady has sacrificed and steadily made the trek to find him, he tells her that the only thing that can save him from his fate of marriage to the troll lady, is that he will marry any one who can wash away the three drops of melted wax.
Alas, the troll princess is not successful, but the beautiful daughter is able to clean the shirt, thereby breaking the spell. And, stealing all goods and money from the castle, they impoverished family, the beautiful daughter and the handsome man escape from the castle that was located East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
This is a book I will purchase and add to my special library of illustrated books. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful, and the tale is magical.
In the forest lives a poor couple with many children. The youngest daughter is by far the most beautiful. As the winds and the snow shake the cottage, bringing additional cold winds, at night a large white bear appears to the peasant and asks for his youngest daughter. In return, the peasant and his family will be very rich and want for nothing.
She is whisked off to a beautiful castle while her parents also live way beyond what they had ever imagined. In reality, the white bear is a man who lies beside the daughter at night. She never sees him.
She is very homesick and asks the bear to allow her to visit her family. Her wish is granted with the condition that she will never be alone with her mother who will attempt to mislead her daughter. When the mother tells the daughter to light a candle so that she may see what is sharing her bed at night, the daughter returns to the castle and follows her mother's instructions.
The daughter sees a most beautiful price, spilling three drops of melted wax on him. Upon his awakening, he explains that if she had only waited one full year, the curse placed upon him by the trolls would have been broken.
Now, all return to the original state of poverty and the handsome man must marry a very ugly troll who has a long crocked nose. Transported to the castle far, far away, located east of the sun and west of the moon, he must accept his fate.
Searching for her beloved handsome man, she must now journey far, far away to a destination near impossible to find. Soliciting help from old women she finds along the way, she is given gifts of a golden items -- an apple, a carding comb and a spinning wheel.
Taking these items with her, she must obtain help for the East Wind, the stronger West Wind and then the more powerful South and finally, the North Wind.
When she arrives and seeks access to the castle, the horrific troll princess refuses. Gradually, the daughter gives her items, one by one, to the troll princess. One night, the handsome man does not drink the poison sleeping potion given to him be the troll lady. And, discovering that the beautiful lady has sacrificed and steadily made the trek to find him, he tells her that the only thing that can save him from his fate of marriage to the troll lady, is that he will marry any one who can wash away the three drops of melted wax.
Alas, the troll princess is not successful, but the beautiful daughter is able to clean the shirt, thereby breaking the spell. And, stealing all goods and money from the castle, they impoverished family, the beautiful daughter and the handsome man escape from the castle that was located East of the Sun and West of the Moon.
This is a book I will purchase and add to my special library of illustrated books. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful, and the tale is magical.
January 1, 2018
من جميل ما قامت به هيئة أبوظبي للثقافة والتراث
وماتزال تقوم بالكثير وهذا يحسب لها
قامت وترجمت مجموعات من الحكايا الشعبية المختلفة من دول العالم خصوصًا تلك التي
تمتاز بثقافات وموروث شعبي مختلف
منها مشرق الشمس ومغرب القمر .. من النرويج
من سوف يقرأ كامل المجموعة الصادرة من كل الثقافات سيجد مدى التشابه
في الكثير من الحكايا ومصدرها مع إختلاف بسيط في طريقة السرد ومسميات
الأشخاص والأماكن
مثل قصة الأميرة التي لا يمكن اسكاتها
العملاق
وغيرها من قصص الحيوان
في غالب هذه القصص بصفة عامة أنها كتبت لتقرأ من قبل الكبار على الصغار
وماتزال تقوم بالكثير وهذا يحسب لها
قامت وترجمت مجموعات من الحكايا الشعبية المختلفة من دول العالم خصوصًا تلك التي
تمتاز بثقافات وموروث شعبي مختلف
منها مشرق الشمس ومغرب القمر .. من النرويج
من سوف يقرأ كامل المجموعة الصادرة من كل الثقافات سيجد مدى التشابه
في الكثير من الحكايا ومصدرها مع إختلاف بسيط في طريقة السرد ومسميات
الأشخاص والأماكن
مثل قصة الأميرة التي لا يمكن اسكاتها
العملاق
وغيرها من قصص الحيوان
في غالب هذه القصص بصفة عامة أنها كتبت لتقرأ من قبل الكبار على الصغار
March 6, 2022
Here are a lot of Norwegian folk tales, all compiled in one book. While some of them may already be known, most aren’t, which made it an interesting read. This is a Dover reprint of the original edition from 1859, so Norway has certainly changed much since then. Most of the tales deal with poverty and herculean efforts to climb the societal ladder. North Sea oil and its resulting uplift in home comfort was not known then, so I can see why many of the characters in these stories had to work hard to overcome the trolls and witches throughout Norway.
The basis for most of the fifty-nine stories revolve around:
1. Three brothers. The two older ones usually fail while the youngest succeeds, wins a princess, and usually half-a-kingdom.
2. Seven brothers. They might turn into swans or some other animal.
3. Boots. Not the footwear, this is usually the name of the youngest son.
4. Trolls. They seem to have an endless supply of kidnapped princesses as their servants.
5. Bored kings. They make the young heroes complete extraordinary tasks to win the princess and the kingdom.
6. Nasty mothers. One burns out her son’s eyes and sets him adrift on the water. Nasty.
7. Helpful wildlife. They usually provide clues to hidden puzzles that must be solved.
8. Poverty. This is the abiding theme for almost all the tales, which tells me most Norwegians lived hardscrabble lives until the twentieth-century turnaround.
9. Be careful who you turn away. Those who give up their last cent to help a downtrodden octogenarian get rewarded. Those who refuse to help, based on how someone looks, get killed.
I’ll admit the constant repetition of the similar stories made it harder to read, but there were a few surprises toward the end. This edition is part of the Dover Fairy Tale series and there are occasional illustrations to perk up the reader. I just wonder where all the Trolls have gone and why Norway seemed to have so many of them.
Book Season = Summer (new shoes)
The basis for most of the fifty-nine stories revolve around:
1. Three brothers. The two older ones usually fail while the youngest succeeds, wins a princess, and usually half-a-kingdom.
2. Seven brothers. They might turn into swans or some other animal.
3. Boots. Not the footwear, this is usually the name of the youngest son.
4. Trolls. They seem to have an endless supply of kidnapped princesses as their servants.
5. Bored kings. They make the young heroes complete extraordinary tasks to win the princess and the kingdom.
6. Nasty mothers. One burns out her son’s eyes and sets him adrift on the water. Nasty.
7. Helpful wildlife. They usually provide clues to hidden puzzles that must be solved.
8. Poverty. This is the abiding theme for almost all the tales, which tells me most Norwegians lived hardscrabble lives until the twentieth-century turnaround.
9. Be careful who you turn away. Those who give up their last cent to help a downtrodden octogenarian get rewarded. Those who refuse to help, based on how someone looks, get killed.
I’ll admit the constant repetition of the similar stories made it harder to read, but there were a few surprises toward the end. This edition is part of the Dover Fairy Tale series and there are occasional illustrations to perk up the reader. I just wonder where all the Trolls have gone and why Norway seemed to have so many of them.
Book Season = Summer (new shoes)
November 9, 2020
Storytelling has changed so much since the days we've been telling such cautious tales to each other, so it's hard to judge them objectively, which makes the only thing I can say that I didn't enjoy them very much.
As expected from Western fairytales as much as from Northern ones, we've got a lot of princes saving princesses, trolls to be defeated and everything turning out well as long as you do what that eerie witch told you to do from the beginning. Meaning while all those ideas feel worn down nowadays, there's also not the greatest variety to be found here.
Either the writing or the translation were a bit too stiff to create any sort of atmosphere, and while it's common for the genre to be told in a straight-to-the-matter way, this only left Kay Nielsen's illustrations to stand out as lovely. I guess this can only be read as a sort of peek into the past today, if you're curious how values and morals have changed and how countries seem to have their own versions of the same story: the title-giving East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon has strong similarities to the Beauty and the Beast tale, and if you're really willing to dig deep you can extract some good themes such as the dominance of the female in this particular one and how the princess transforms from a timid girl to finding "success" by overcoming her fears.
As expected from Western fairytales as much as from Northern ones, we've got a lot of princes saving princesses, trolls to be defeated and everything turning out well as long as you do what that eerie witch told you to do from the beginning. Meaning while all those ideas feel worn down nowadays, there's also not the greatest variety to be found here.
Either the writing or the translation were a bit too stiff to create any sort of atmosphere, and while it's common for the genre to be told in a straight-to-the-matter way, this only left Kay Nielsen's illustrations to stand out as lovely. I guess this can only be read as a sort of peek into the past today, if you're curious how values and morals have changed and how countries seem to have their own versions of the same story: the title-giving East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon has strong similarities to the Beauty and the Beast tale, and if you're really willing to dig deep you can extract some good themes such as the dominance of the female in this particular one and how the princess transforms from a timid girl to finding "success" by overcoming her fears.
September 5, 2011
What a delightful little fairy tale! This is my first time reading this fairy tale classic by Peter Christen Asbjornsen and I was not disappointed. I did find myself enjoying it quite a bit. I'll be honest, the main heroine got on my nerves. At first, I though she was a bit shallow but seeing all the trouble she went to find the prince, it really shows how caring and deep of a character she really is. I am in awe at how this fairy tale ended. It was beautiful and the message even better! To think I wasn't going to read it at first because of how the heroine was annoying. However, now I see that was the point. It's to show how she grew by meeting this prince and striving for what she wanted most! Truly amazing! The prince was very gentle and even though he took (Not really. He asked permission from her father) her from her home, he did whatever he could to make her happy and comfortable. The trolls were disgusting creatures. No wonder the prince didn't want anything to do with them! It's a great fairy tale and I thank Asbjornsen greatly!
Speaking of, I wish I could read Norwegian because then I can comment of Asbjornsen's writing style. But, alas, I cannot. I read the English version and, at times, it felt a little choppy the translation. But, all-in-all, it was still a very great read. If you like fairy tales with a romantic element and religious undertones then I highly recommend you pick this one up! It's not the greatest fairy tale ever told. I feel like there are a lot better ones out there, but it's still worth the read. I first picked this one up so that I could read Ice by Sarah Beth Durst. I wanted to see what the main story was originally like then check out Durst's book. Now that I have, I can look forward to reading a novel adaptation of the tale. I'm sure it's going to be just as great. Well, I can't say much more about fairy tale because I'll give it away. Just know it's awesome and I think you should definitely go pick it up some time!
Speaking of, I wish I could read Norwegian because then I can comment of Asbjornsen's writing style. But, alas, I cannot. I read the English version and, at times, it felt a little choppy the translation. But, all-in-all, it was still a very great read. If you like fairy tales with a romantic element and religious undertones then I highly recommend you pick this one up! It's not the greatest fairy tale ever told. I feel like there are a lot better ones out there, but it's still worth the read. I first picked this one up so that I could read Ice by Sarah Beth Durst. I wanted to see what the main story was originally like then check out Durst's book. Now that I have, I can look forward to reading a novel adaptation of the tale. I'm sure it's going to be just as great. Well, I can't say much more about fairy tale because I'll give it away. Just know it's awesome and I think you should definitely go pick it up some time!
August 14, 2011
A lovely older translation of the fairy tale, not too mushy or sanitized. The heroine is honorable rather than infatuated, expressing her determination to rescue her husband in terms of keeping her promise rather than finding her true love.
The illustrations are very pretty, if not 100% in line with the text (for instance, she is described as the youngest, but appears much older than several of her siblings, who are shown as children). I found this image particularly interesting:
I guess there is no realistic way to make a strange man standing over a girl's bed whilst she sleeps unawares not at least slightly creepy!
The illustrations are very pretty, if not 100% in line with the text (for instance, she is described as the youngest, but appears much older than several of her siblings, who are shown as children). I found this image particularly interesting:
I guess there is no realistic way to make a strange man standing over a girl's bed whilst she sleeps unawares not at least slightly creepy!
September 22, 2018
I remember reading the Sinhala translation of this story when I was around 10. The illustrations were lovely. Though I am not sure, I think they were Kay Nielsen's. I remember being awestruck. I used to stare at the pictures for a long time, trying to read every inch of it so I wouldn't miss a thing. But of course I didn't own it back then nor now. I only wish I did.
October 5, 2017
An less popular fairy tale, but still familiar. I wish that the writing had been as beautiful as the illustrations.
September 14, 2018
An abridged version of six of the original tales accompanied by the beautiful Nielsen illustrations.
April 17, 2023
✩ 4.75 stars
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[read for my independent studies of folklore & mythology]
~
i loved this fairytale as a kid and it’s still really good! <3
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[read for my independent studies of folklore & mythology]
~
i loved this fairytale as a kid and it’s still really good! <3
September 4, 2019
This is a decent collection of Norwegian folklores and fairy tales. Some tales I really enjoyed, but some others didn’t really make sense to me. Either they were too short, or they tried too hard to be funny. There were some problems with the translation, too. Some paragraphs sounded weird. The famous tale “East of the Sun, West of the Moon”, also the one that I was looking forward to reading the most, turned out to be not very well retold. But overall, most of the stories did keep me interested. So 3 stars.
June 29, 2023
حكايات شعبية متنوعة تعبر عن ثقافة المكان و تشترك في ثيماتها مع باقي الثقافات .
November 20, 2022
THIS WAS LITERALLY MY FAVORITE FAIRY TALE GROWING UP OMG!!! i read it so many times and i just happened upon it again. reading it now as i’m older and wiser, the charm is gone a little but it was still enjoyable.
December 21, 2024
The illustrations by PJ Lynch are gorgeous (minus the terrifying troll people) but the story itself didn’t end up being as interesting as I hoped. Sometimes I find it hard to enjoy certain fairytales because the repetition and stilted writing (might just be a translation thing). I understand these stories are a product of their time so I try to be fair and read them with an open mind. Side note: I just realized that a book I read years ago (Once Upon a Winter’s Night by Dennis McKiernan) is a retelling of this fairytale.
January 29, 2018
This is included in the anthology Fairy Tales from Around the World by Andrew Lang.
I really enjoyed this story and I see how newer fairy tales may have taken inspiration/certain details from this story. It gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes as I read it. The writing doesn't always flow well, that I blame that more on translation than the writer.
I really enjoyed this story and I see how newer fairy tales may have taken inspiration/certain details from this story. It gave me Beauty and the Beast vibes as I read it. The writing doesn't always flow well, that I blame that more on translation than the writer.
October 25, 2010
I absolutely adore this tale and will certainly buy the book for my child someday. I highly recommend reading this, whether you are a child or an adult. Fair warning: the trolls look somewhat... horrifying.
Through beautiful imagery and descriptions, readers follow a young lassie who leaves her family in order to live with a white bear. Because the young lassie does not follow his advice, she must traverse all around the world in order to save her prince from his destined bride-to-be: an ugly troll with a long, crooked nose. This is a remake of a Norwegian folktale, so there is no emphasis on any major themes, nor is there much characterization involved, though readers do witness a contrast in lassie’s sizes during her adventures. The author who rewrote this tale, Naomi Lewis, uses repetition to make the story sound relaxed and conversational.
The abrupt ending of this tale is the only true letdown. I grew invested with lassie and her prince, so I feel there should have been a page or two more focus on what happened after the defeat of the trolls.
Through beautiful imagery and descriptions, readers follow a young lassie who leaves her family in order to live with a white bear. Because the young lassie does not follow his advice, she must traverse all around the world in order to save her prince from his destined bride-to-be: an ugly troll with a long, crooked nose. This is a remake of a Norwegian folktale, so there is no emphasis on any major themes, nor is there much characterization involved, though readers do witness a contrast in lassie’s sizes during her adventures. The author who rewrote this tale, Naomi Lewis, uses repetition to make the story sound relaxed and conversational.
The abrupt ending of this tale is the only true letdown. I grew invested with lassie and her prince, so I feel there should have been a page or two more focus on what happened after the defeat of the trolls.
Read
November 7, 2010P J Lynch is one of my favourite illustrators, and this is one of my favourite fairy tales. Parts of it sound like Cupid and Psyche, and others like the Russian fairy tale where the girl has to journey to find her lover the falcon. East o' the Sun is the Celtic version of the tale, and the one with my favourite ending: the girl and the prince get on a ship and sail off to have more adventures, together this time.
What sets this book apart is the illustration. P J Lynch and his glowing watercolours create a thoroughly engaging and sympathetic heroine, and a prince one could really fall in love with. The ogres are deliciously nasty (and gloriously dressed!), the candlelight glows like golden syrup and the lovers have a strong sense of intimacy that I did not expect to find in a children's book. This is one to collect and keep into adulthood.
What sets this book apart is the illustration. P J Lynch and his glowing watercolours create a thoroughly engaging and sympathetic heroine, and a prince one could really fall in love with. The ogres are deliciously nasty (and gloriously dressed!), the candlelight glows like golden syrup and the lovers have a strong sense of intimacy that I did not expect to find in a children's book. This is one to collect and keep into adulthood.
May 25, 2011
What can you say, besides read this book for the Norse version of several tales? Including one of the best versions of Beauty and the Beast ever!
May 24, 2018
This is a very charming book. There were several fairy tales I had never heard of before and I really liked Tom Vroman's illustrations.
November 19, 2017
East o’ the Sun and West o’ the Moon is a Norwegian folktale. The reader can easily identify the similarities in this tale with the famous folklore “Beauty and the Beast”. A young girl sacrifices for her poor family by agreeing to live with a bear in an enchanted castle and in return, the bear promises to make the family rich. He takes off his bear form and sleeps as a man at night but she is not allowed to light the candle. She feels homesick in the castle and goes to visit her family. Her mother insists that she should see who is coming to her room. She obeys and mistakenly wakes up the prince who is under a spell. He must go to his step mother now and marry the troll princess. Had she waited a year, the spell would have disappeared. Suddenly, the prince and the enchanted castle are no longer there and the young brave girl has to now muster up the courage and save the prince who is now in a castle east of the sun and west of the moon. The young girl saves the prince and they live happily ever after.
I would use this book for ages 7-10, grades 2-4. I took an online course on folklore from The Great Courses by Dr. Hannah Blevins Harvey who is a professional storyteller with a Ph.D. in Communication Studies. She chose this folktale in her collection of stories for that course. I found her theatrical, dynamic and engaging storytelling and analysis of this folklore to be pretty amazing. We know from our readings that read alouds can help children in a variety of ways. Retelling helps with comprehension. This is a little longer version of The Beauty and the Beast and there are many details in the adventure how the young girl reaches the castle that is in the east of the sun and west of the moon to save the prince. I would use this book to teach the students about folklore and how the story is passed down from one generation to another. This book will be great for discussions and reading workshop conferences.The dominant female role saving the prince and her bravery can be a good start. Her transformation from a young girl who is afraid of the challenge in the beginning to somebody who goes on this dangerous adventure and becomes successful would be very interesting. Overcoming fear and trying something new in real life would be great take-always from this story.
I would use this book for ages 7-10, grades 2-4. I took an online course on folklore from The Great Courses by Dr. Hannah Blevins Harvey who is a professional storyteller with a Ph.D. in Communication Studies. She chose this folktale in her collection of stories for that course. I found her theatrical, dynamic and engaging storytelling and analysis of this folklore to be pretty amazing. We know from our readings that read alouds can help children in a variety of ways. Retelling helps with comprehension. This is a little longer version of The Beauty and the Beast and there are many details in the adventure how the young girl reaches the castle that is in the east of the sun and west of the moon to save the prince. I would use this book to teach the students about folklore and how the story is passed down from one generation to another. This book will be great for discussions and reading workshop conferences.The dominant female role saving the prince and her bravery can be a good start. Her transformation from a young girl who is afraid of the challenge in the beginning to somebody who goes on this dangerous adventure and becomes successful would be very interesting. Overcoming fear and trying something new in real life would be great take-always from this story.
March 10, 2024
Beautiful illustrations--I could look at Nielsen’s art all day.
Several of the stories are intriguing (“East of the Sun, West of the Moon”; “The Widow’s Son”; “The Three Princesses in the Blue Mountain”) and several are just chaotic (“The Blue Belt”; “The Lassie and her Godmother”), but what else can you expect from a collection of fairy tales?
4.5 stars.
Several of the stories are intriguing (“East of the Sun, West of the Moon”; “The Widow’s Son”; “The Three Princesses in the Blue Mountain”) and several are just chaotic (“The Blue Belt”; “The Lassie and her Godmother”), but what else can you expect from a collection of fairy tales?
4.5 stars.
Want to read
January 17, 2025This rating is for the edition adapted and translated by George Webbe Dasent, and illustrated by Kay Nielsen.
June 17, 2021
This rating is for the version illustrated by P.J. Lynch, translated by Sir George Webbe Dasent and with an introduction by Naomi Lewis.
June 28, 2022
Книга "На восток от солнца, на запад от луны" - это сборник норвежских сказок. Всего их там восемь: собственно "На восток от солнца, на запад от луны", "Голубой пояс", "Принц-линдворм", "Лэсси и ее крестная", "Три принцессы с Белого острова", "Сердце великана", "Сын вдовы" и "Три принцессы Голубой горы".
Прочитав эту книгу, я поняла, как же сильно я отвыкла от настоящих народных сказок! Я много читаю детской литературы, но все это авторские произведения, а тут такой мощный народный колорит... Производит колоссальное впечатление! Это невероятное ощущение - закрываешь глаза и видишь, как какая-нибудь норвежская старушка при свете лучины поздним вечером рассказывает внукам сказки. И такая искренность в этом всем чувствуется, такая сила... Очень интересно подмечать различия в менталитетах народов, сранивать русские сказки и скандинавские. Однако некоторые моменты меня почти шокировали. Во-первых, жестокость героев. То лошадь свою волку на съедение добрый молодец отдает, то вообще ведет себя неадекватно :)
Калека оказался не так уж и хитер... Тут уж солдат стал старика бить и пригрозил, что голову топором вредному старику снесет, если тот не скажет, где находятся принцессы.
Вот очень явственно представляю слезы: "Мама, зачем волк лошадку скушал?!" По крайней мере, я бы в детстве ревела бы.
Во-вторых, о комментариях, которыми снабжена книга. Они, конечно, для взрослых, но их уровень застрял где-то по середине между ребенком и образованным взрослым читателем. Повеселил коммент о том, что "тролли различаются по степени волосатости". Да вы что? Никогда бы не подумала! Да и не только тролли! :)
А теперь о прекрасном и удивительном. Это невероятной красоты издание! Книгу хочется не только не выпускать из рук, а и гладить ее, гладить, гладить... Очень плотная бумага, потрясающая текстура обложки и невиданной красоты иллюстрации Кая Нильсена. Кстати в книге есть предисловие, где рассказывается о творческом пути этого мастера. Я влюбилась в его работы и это еще мягко сказано! Кумиром Нильсена был Бердслей, чьи иллюстрации к уайльдовской "Саломее" в свое время покорили мое сердце. А здесь что-то вроде помеси Бердслея с Билибином и Врубелем - товарищи, у меня просто закончились эпитеты в превосходной форме!
9 / 10
Прочитав эту книгу, я поняла, как же сильно я отвыкла от настоящих народных сказок! Я много читаю детской литературы, но все это авторские произведения, а тут такой мощный народный колорит... Производит колоссальное впечатление! Это невероятное ощущение - закрываешь глаза и видишь, как какая-нибудь норвежская старушка при свете лучины поздним вечером рассказывает внукам сказки. И такая искренность в этом всем чувствуется, такая сила... Очень интересно подмечать различия в менталитетах народов, сранивать русские сказки и скандинавские. Однако некоторые моменты меня почти шокировали. Во-первых, жестокость героев. То лошадь свою волку на съедение добрый молодец отдает, то вообще ведет себя неадекватно :)
Калека оказался не так уж и хитер... Тут уж солдат стал старика бить и пригрозил, что голову топором вредному старику снесет, если тот не скажет, где находятся принцессы.
Вот очень явственно представляю слезы: "Мама, зачем волк лошадку скушал?!" По крайней мере, я бы в детстве ревела бы.
Во-вторых, о комментариях, которыми снабжена книга. Они, конечно, для взрослых, но их уровень застрял где-то по середине между ребенком и образованным взрослым читателем. Повеселил коммент о том, что "тролли различаются по степени волосатости". Да вы что? Никогда бы не подумала! Да и не только тролли! :)
А теперь о прекрасном и удивительном. Это невероятной красоты издание! Книгу хочется не только не выпускать из рук, а и гладить ее, гладить, гладить... Очень плотная бумага, потрясающая текстура обложки и невиданной красоты иллюстрации Кая Нильсена. Кстати в книге есть предисловие, где рассказывается о творческом пути этого мастера. Я влюбилась в его работы и это еще мягко сказано! Кумиром Нильсена был Бердслей, чьи иллюстрации к уайльдовской "Саломее" в свое время покорили мое сердце. А здесь что-то вроде помеси Бердслея с Билибином и Врубелем - товарищи, у меня просто закончились эпитеты в превосходной форме!
9 / 10
March 28, 2008
Kirkus Reviews writes that this is the best edition of this story available, and I couldn't agree more. P.J. Lynch's watercolor and guache illustrations are perfection. He may be my favorite illustrator of all times. Lynch actually went to Norway to the National Gallery there to study the scenery and costumes of the story's time. The story itself is a bit of a Scandanavian Beauty and the Beast--which is my favorite fairy tale. Because P.J. Lynch lives in Ireland, some of his books are hard to find. But if you can find a book illustrated by him--any book--you are in for such a treat.
July 4, 2014
This beautifully illustrated Norwegian tale reminds one of Beauty and the Beast and Cupid and Psyche. It speaks of long road back from betrayal. Sometimes people betray the ones who have treated them the best. There is a failure to see the betrayed as they truly are. Once they are fully glimpsed, it is too late. The betrayal exacts a huge penalty on both the wronged party and the one who makes the mistake. In the end, redemption is possible only after a long, almost impossible struggle and if true love exists. As with all enduring fairy tales, there is a beauty and a darkness. A small mistake can have grave consequences. The reader can learn something about human foibles and recovery. Highly recommended to lovers of fables and fairy tales.
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