[Exit, Pursued By A Sloth]

ericandsookielovers: Anna Paquin in Redbook Magazine! Find out what she says in this issue here: View Post shared via WordPress.com I like this picture for many reasons, not the least of which is that Valkyries were often referred to as swan maidens. Part of the mythos surrounding the Valkyries was that they could shift into swan form with the aid of a swan feather cloak or shift (although there were some mythical swan-maidens who were not Valkyries). It was said that if a man stole the cloak while she was bathing, the woman would be bound to him as his wife. Although such tales nearly all have the same ending, with swan-maid eventually escaping, often with the aid of the children she had with her captor-husband. The “My Wife Is Secretly An Animal I Tricked Into Marrying Me/Tricked Me Into Marrying Her” is not an uncommon trope in folklore across all cultures. Dudes were just marrying foxes and doves and buffalo and cranes all the goddam time, back in the day.

ericandsookielovers:

Anna Paquin in Redbook Magazine! Find out what she says in this issue here:

View Post

shared via WordPress.com

I like this picture for many reasons, not the least of which is that Valkyries were often referred to as swan maidens. Part of the mythos surrounding the Valkyries was that they could shift into swan form with the aid of a swan feather cloak or shift (although there were some mythical swan-maidens who were not Valkyries). It was said that if a man stole the cloak while she was bathing, the woman would be bound to him as his wife. Although such tales nearly all have the same ending, with swan-maid eventually escaping, often with the aid of the children she had with her captor-husband.

The “My Wife Is Secretly An Animal I Tricked Into Marrying Me/Tricked Me Into Marrying Her” is not an uncommon trope in folklore across all cultures. Dudes were just marrying foxes and doves and buffalo and cranes all the goddam time, back in the day.

  1. midnight828 reblogged this from ohiogurl
  2. ohiogurl reblogged this from snugglydean and added:
    Those motifs (slightly less earthy) continue all the way to post-Renaissance Europe. Puss-in-Boots (in which a cat helps...
  3. there-is-irony-everywhere reblogged this from tempella
  4. snugglydean reblogged this from exitpursuedbyasloth and added:
    All this norse mythology popping up is actually killing me. Can you imagine how much we would’ve missed out on if...
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  6. exitpursuedbyasloth reblogged this from ericandsookielovers and added:
    I like this picture for many reasons, not the least of which is that Valkyries were often referred to as swan maidens....
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