Holding my lantern high, I ran out into the forest through the terrible storm. "My brother! My brother!" I called. I found an old temple, climbed the steps, and burst through the golden doors. 'Where are you, my brother?" I was soaked but I threw my long hair back and...
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Cold Lady
Themes: Betrayal | Death | Separation
One winter evening, I put my seven children to bed and tucked them in warmly. Then I went to join my husband in the next room. The charcoal glowed in the hibachi and all the doors of the house were tightly shut, for it was bitterly cold outside, and the first big...
Magpie of Heaven
Themes: Love | Separation | Sympathy
The Weaving Maiden was such a dutiful worker, she would never leave her loom. Her father said, "You should go out and have some fun!" She said, “Sorrow, age-long sorrow, shall come upon the Weaving Maiden when she leaves her loom." Her father put no stock in old...
Lime-Tree
Themes: Loss | Resolve | Separation
The hapless maiden sat at my foot and waited for her true love to return. He had gone into the world to get his father's blessing. I doubted that he would ever find his way back. The sun set and rose again, set and rose, and rose again. On the fourth day, the maiden...
Chief’s Dead Wife
Themes: Reunion | Separation | Underworld
I knew that he would follow me into the Land of Souls. He wouldn't be willing to let me die so quickly. I looked out for him after I crossed over. And there he was, riding on the great lake in his own stone canoe. How he had been able to leave his body behind, I did...
Militza in the Apple Tree
Themes: Crossroads | Love | Separation
I fell into the arms of the king's son Iwanich. He was awake when I arrived, so I could not hold onto my swan shape. Oh, I did love him and I wanted to cling to him, but it was time to leave. I was under the power of a witch who had put me far out of the reach of any...
Hunting Friend of Prince Ring
Themes: Confusion | Loss | Resolve | Separation
We were chasing a peculiar deer with a ring on its horns, and Prince Ring was determined to catch it. We chased it all day, until our horses began to founder beneath us. At last the prince's horse gave way, and a darkness fell upon us that was so black we could no...
Abandoned Sweetheart
Themes: Despair | Separation | Transformation
Roland went away to see his father and make arrangements for our wedding. I had nowhere to go, and so I decided to stay in the field. I used the magic wand to turn myself into a red stone land-mark. I waited and I waited for Roland to return. He never came back. At...
Toy Soldier
Themes: Love | Separation
I am one of twenty-five tin soldiers. We are all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. We shoulder our muskets and look straight ahead, splendid in our red and blue uniforms. We all look exactly alike. I am the only one who is different. I was the last to be cast...
Magic Horse
Themes: Guidance | Separation
I may live underground, but I can fly high into the air if I am ridden into battle. I can scatter the enemy in every direction and soar into the sky, making my rider look like a god. My very dear friend is a prince who doesn't mind working as a servant when he has to....
Shepherd Who Survived the Flood
Themes: Salvation | Separation | Transformation
How did we survive being overwhelmed by the flood? The good witch turned me into a frog, and my wife into a toad. We were carried on the water, but it tore us apart and carried us far away from one another. When the flood ended, we resumed our natural shapes, but we...