The Owl, the Raven, and the Dove:
The Religious Meaning of the Grimms' Magic Fairy Tales
The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm is a national treasure of the German people. Among its 210 stories there are a dozen or so which are such masterpieces that they have become a treasure that belongs to the childhood and the adulthood of the wholeworld. Ever since Bruno Bettelheim presented his psychoanalytic interpretation of the tales more than twenty years ago, scholars have been fascinated by the mysterious nature and continuing influence of these stories on the human imagination.One of the most intriguing suggestions originally made by Bettelheim was that underneath the psychological meaning of the stories he found hints of another, deeper layer of religious meaning, which he thought deserved serious attention. This suggestion has largely gone unexamined by contemporary scholarship. This book is an attempt to explore that fascinating challenge and delve into the religious roots of the tales' enchantment by studying them as the poetic expression of what the brothers Grimm thought they were—fragments of ancient faith.

The Jewish Fairy Book
by Gerald Friedlander
(Rare Book Collection)

Twenty-three authentic tales from ancient sources transport readers back to a land at the crossroads of folklore and religion. Stories include "The Magic Apples," "The Goblin and the Princess," "The Princess and the Beggar," "The Demon's Marriage," "The Magic Leaf," and many other delightful tales.

Japanese Fairy Tales
compiled by Yei Theodora Ozaki
profusely illustrated by Japanese artists
(Rare Book Collection)

This is a collection of 22 charming Japanese fairy tales, originally published in 1905, selected and translated by Yei Theodora Ozaki. Included are legends and fairy tales about peasants and kings, god and bad forces, princesses, animals, the sea, and the sky.