Jürgen Hubert

I find it _interesting_ that most modern portrayals of fairy tales involve kings, knights, princesses and so forth - the privileged aristocratic classes on top of the social pyramid. Even if the protagonist of such a tale is poor, they are still secretly from privileged parents, and their story tends to be about reclaiming their "rightful" (i.e. privileged) place in society. Meanwhile, the _vast_ majority of German folk tales I have read feature peasant protagonists. Nobles _might_ appear, but they are the villains as often as they are a force for "good". Reframing fairy tales to focus on protagonists of privileged birth and relegating low-born characters to sidekicks and background characters was a _choice_. It's so pervasive nowadays that most modern-day storytellers don't even realize that they are making this choice, since they have accepted this as "normal". But it is a choice nonetheless. And if we are telling stories of our own, we need to ask ourselves what choices we are making when developing our protagonists. #privilege #storytelling #AmWriting #ClassStruggle

I could use some book recommendations. I am looking for folk tale collections which are

1. from cultures outside of Europe, and

2. were written by people from that culture.

Ideally, they should also be translated into English (or German) by people from that culture as well.

It would also be a plus if they contain a lot of "local legends" which incorporate local geography and history (as opposed to "fairy tales" which take place at indeterminable places and times).

#folklore #AmReading #Bookstodon

Important information on the "Knight in Shining Armor Saves the Girl" trope: This is actually pretty rare in actual folk tales - usually it is later addition when those tales were turned into literature in order to make them a better fit for bourgeois narrative tastes and preferences of gender roles. In actual folk tales, whenever a girl marries a prince, she usually has to save _him_ first. Typically he has been cursed into an animal form, and she needs to throw him against the wall or bite his head off or things like that so that he is saved and they can Live Happily Ever After. #folklore #GenderRoles

Remember, kids: In proper scientific terms, an attempt to explain observable phenomena is called a "hypothesis". It is called a "theory" when it fits all the observable facts, and there is no observable evidence to the contrary. We don't call it a "truth" because there's always a chance that it might be overturned by later evidence - but as far as science is concerned, a "theory" is as hard as it gets. This is often confusing to people who dismiss science they don't like as "it's just a theory". But this distinction should be kept in mind when discussing things like the "Theory of Evolution", "Theory of Relativity", "Global Warming Theory", and "Dead Internet Theory". #PSA #Evolution #GlobalWarming #DeadInternetTheory #Science #Theory

Thought of the day: We need more product testing teams consisting entirely of elderly people.

RE: https://mementomori.social/@juergen_hubert/117319625781954546 Question: Is it possible to buy the #Earthsea books (or other books by Ursula #LeGuin) somewhere in a DRM-free ebook format? I want to buy them, but I also really hate #DRM .

I want the #Fediverse to grow. But out of curiosity, how well would the Fediverse scale? What would happen if the current user base increased by a factor of 10, 100, or 1000? And if the answer is "bad things", what would need to be done to make the Fediverse cope with such an expanded user base? (For the purpose of this thought exercise, assume that each specific Fediverse software implementation would likewise multiply their user base by this factor, albeit spread out over more instances.) #FediHelp

In #Oldenburg sind bald #Kommunalwahlen . Und da wir #Grünen natürlich über den #Klimawandel reden wollen, haben wir uns diesmal was ausgedacht: Wir haben historische Wetterdaten aus dem #ERA5 - Datensatz _für Oldenburg_ ausgewertet, und die grafisch dargestellt. Wir dachten uns, daß "globaler Klimawandel" etwas abstrakt ist, aber wenn man sieht, wie sich das Klima hier am eigenen Ort verändert haben, dann nimmt man das vieleicht eher als relevant war. Und Temperaturdaten sind nur eine Möglichkeit von vielen - da gibt es Daten zu Niederschlägen, Windgeschwindigkeit, Bodenfeuchtigkeit, und viel mehr. Ich denke, andere Ortsgruppen der Grünen könnten vielleicht auch etwas mit diesen Daten machen. Was meint ihr? #Wahlkampfhttps://www.gruene-oldenburg.de/wahlen/klimazukunft/

There is often beautiful furniture at the places where witches gather. But things are rarely as they seem at such occasions... #MythologyMondayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Horse_Skeleton

The Pschiponza appears during the noon hours at harvest time, and is a danger to laborers who work instead of resting. #WyrdWednesdayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Pschiponza

#TTRPG #worldbuilding thought: How do religious institutions in your setting finance themselves? The most common answers seem to be "donations" and "tithes or taxes", because that's what most people today know. But looking at German history, quite a few monasteries actually specialized in some kind of trade. Brewing beer was popular, as was cultivating wine. And some even developed expertise in mining and construction, and hired themselves out as consultants! So, what else might your temples, churches, monasteries or whatever do in order to generate some extra income? #religion

Vielleicht kennt sich jemand hier mit #Sprachkunde aus und kann mir weiterhelfen. In dieser Sage aus Bayern wird eine "Lesslnacht" erwähnt, und ich konnte bisher nicht herausfinden, was es damit auf sich hat. Kann mir jemand weiterhelfen?

#WritersCoffeeClub – 9th Aug. What’s a subject you’d like to write about, but haven’t yet?

...let me check my list.

I am fairly confident that I could find enough material for books(*) on the following topics, which I have barely started to cover in my translations:

• City-themed folk tales
• Divine Judgment in all its forms
• Churches in folk tales
• A separate book on monasteries
• Castle-based folk tales
• Evil nobles (with parallels to our modern, moneyed would-be aristocrats)
• Omens and Prophesies (possibly to be split up into separate books)
• Saints and miracles
• Springs, rivers, lakes (separate from a book on water spirits)
• Fortean weirdness (like omens, but even stranger)
• Crime and punishment
• Bandits and outlaws
• War-themed folk tales
• A separate book on the Thirty Years' War (with a special focus on those Evil Swedes!)
• Paganism in German folk tales
• Folk tales about children (which doesn't necessarily mean for children...)
• Graveyards and burial
• Plant folklore
• Curses
• Otherworlds
• Tricksters and Fools

And to emphasize, these are the topics I am confident I could find enough material to write a book about right now - and I have only surveyed a fraction of all German folk tales in the public domain. I am sure that there will be more topics in the future.

Though I am curious - which of these topics is of particular interest to you?

(*) I.e. at least 100 tales to fill an entire collection.

#amwriting

Beware of free-roaming ovens! #MythologyMondayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Glowing_Oven_in_the_Forest

I wonder if a "folk tale collection" for #dnd / #pathfinder would sell. I.e. a collection of "folk tales" set in a fantasy world which would revolve around assorted supernatural creatures or phenomena that appear in such a setting.

@AwetTesfaiesus@mastodon.social Das würde ja Deutschland helfen, und dafür wird sie nicht bezahlt!

Many ghosts are bound to treasures, and can only be freed once the entire treasure is lifted. However, this task usually comes with its own hazards. #Germany #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststoryhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Glowing_Man_at_the_Zehntscheune

@ZDL@mstdn.social Germans had a choice. So have Russians.

The famous Doctor Paracelsus had a sweet tooth, and rewarded a woman handsomely when she gave him a Krapfen doughnut. #MythologyMonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Golden_Krapfen_Fork

Is suddenly falling asleep a simple case of narcolepsy - or something more sinister? #Germany #folktale #folklorehttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Unfortunate_Walrider

@JayJustice@blacktwitter.io Have fun! I'm tempted to get this game myself, although I should probably finish my replay of #Morrowind first.

Do not offend a witch, for their revenge can be terrible. #Poland #folktale #folklore #witch #witchcrafthttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Implanted_Hare%27s_Heart

#ScribesAndMakers July 13: Has a #bear ever featured in your work? If so, what sort of bear? Indeed they have. So far, I have covered three varieties. The witch-finding bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bear_in_the_Cow_Stables_as_Witch_Tracker The fire-breathing bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Bear-like_Forest_Creature The Devil-bear: https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/A_Black_Mage_is_Punished_with_Sores

Once, a cruel noble demanded that one of his serfs bring him a whole cherry tree up to his castle so that he and his guests could pluck the cherries as dessert. #MythologyMonday https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Fire-Spraying_Cherries

#WritersCoffeeClub 10/7: Share a bit of written word that drives you wild. What speaks to you about this? "It looks not quite like a spider, not quite like a scorpion, but it moves incessantly." Sounds like something by H.P. Lovecraft, but it was actually written by the Brothers Grimm. https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Spiritus_Familiaris

Once, a boy from Sabert saw a terrifying parade of specters in the forest at night when he was separated from his father. #CzechRepublic #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Procession_of_the_Irrlichts

You might be able to evade human witnesses, but night-time thefts come with their own hazards. #PhantomsFridayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Ghostly_Wagon_at_the_Three_Monks%27_Ponds

At midnight before Ember Sundays, the spirits of all people in a village will walk around the local church - but only few can perceive this procession... #Germany #folktale #folklorehttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Ember_Sunday_Children

@mhd@tilde.zone @HeyeBodo@rollenspiel.social Effectively, they would be a very special type of fiction,. although GMs would hopefully find them useful as inspiration. Player characters experience the world in a particular way, but how do ordinary people perceive the supernatural elements? (And what kinds of stories do they tell about adventurers?)

@proseandpassion@mastodon.social @futurebird@sauropods.win Fun fact: That "official rubberstamp" only arrived two weeks _after_ the racoons had been released, because the person releasing them lost his patience waiting for the reply from Berlin.

RE: https://mementomori.social/@juergen_hubert/117069979654280964 Als Ergänzung: Die #ERA5 -Daten sind über eine #API erreichbar, und in unserer lokalen AG Klimaschutz hat auch jemand Skripte zum Auslesen entwickelt. Theoretisch sollte es also für die #Grünen möglich sein, mit relativ überschaubaren Aufwand lokalisierte Klimadaten für #Kommunalwahlen im großen Stil zu erzeugen. Und für Umweltschutz-Verbände wie #BUND , #NABU etc. wäre das vielleicht auch interessant. #Klimawandel

@hackbarth@ursal.zone Not exactly. This would be less about introducing real world folklore to fantasy settings (although that would be a worthwhile project, too), but to write folk tales as they might appear in a fantasy setting. So what kinds of folk tales would be told about elves, dwarves, etc. in a #DnD setting?

@futurebird@sauropods.win I still remember the first time I saw a raccoon "in the wild", back when I lived in Kassel. (Raccoons are not native to Germany, but they are spreading quickly.)

The Lost City of Vineta slumbers at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. But there is still strange life in the sunken city... #MythologyMondayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Vineta

The "Wailing Woman" is a terrifying specter of doom that appears during stormy nights on the Lüneburg Heath. #WyrdWednesdayhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Wailing_Woman

Can someone identify this #bird for me?

Once, a Venetians turned three sisters into stone as a sacrifice to the Devil. #Austria #folktale #folklore https://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Three_Sisters

The Morgenbrodstal valley was one of many spots in the Harz mountains where Venetians made their fortunes. #Germany #folktale #folklore #Venicehttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Morgenbrodstal

@mhd@tilde.zone Besten Dank!

The ghosts of the old Noricans fled into the depths of the mountains when they longer wanted to witness the shame of their descendants losing to the forces of Napoleon. #Austria #folktale #folklore #ghost #ghoststoryhttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/The_Ghosts_of_the_Old_Noricans

Well, let's see what has accumulated in my work emails during my vacation. Wish me luck!

RE: https://wandering.shop/@mythologymonday/117065983234591258 If you haven't followed @mythologymonday@thefolklore.cafe yet, follow them for fascinating themes like this one. They are the only #folklore -themed "Hashtag Day" organizer who has fully committed to the #Fediverse !

@staringatclouds@mstdn.social If you want a decent product, pay your quality testers!

@onemanrpgstudio@mastodon.social @hackbarth@ursal.zone That's certainly an interesting question - how do human folk tales perceive their non-human neighbors?

As a reminder, when criticizing #Israel , please do not delve into #ConspiracyFantasy . For example, when reading the story "Israel shared intelligence with US of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, sources say", it's perfectly okay to be doubtful if there was truly such a plot, or speculate that Israel is pushing such a narrative to get the US government to attack Iran. However, to pick an example unfortunately not at random, saying: "Israel is planning to try to assassinate Trump themselves, and blame this on Iran" verges into "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" shit. Jews have been the target of innumerable conspiracy fantasies during the last two millenia. And Israel, as the sole nation ruled by Jews, has likewise been the focus of innumerable, lurid conspiracy fantasies. So please stick to the facts. They are bad enough. https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/politics/trump-assassination-plot-iran-israel

There seems to be a subset of Americans who get actively offended if you admit that you actually prefer to get around in a local area in other ways than using a private car.

As far as the USA's former allies are concerned, #Trump and #MAGA is what the #USA stand for. Sure, the USA might put a non-MAGA president back in power, but for how long is that going to last? We thought that George W. Bush was an aberration, and thought we might repair this relationship once Obama was elected. We were wrong. As far as the political world stage is concerned, MAGA is what the _USA_ is, in all ways that matter on that level. And the Republicans are utterly committed to that movement, so any progress made by hypothetical Democrat presidents will be undone by the next Republican president. There is no fixing this relationship from outside. Thus, we need to divest ourselves of any and all American influence in our politics and economy for the foreseeable future. Pretending that the USA are not utterly hostile to us will only cause us suffering. My sympathies go out to the Americans who fought against Trump and MAGA. But we need to deal with the reality as it is, not as we want it to be.

I've shared all sorts of translations of German folk tales around here. But I am curious: What are your favorite aspects, themes, or stories from German folklore? And what topics interest you the most for future exploration? Please share for greater reach! #Germany #folklorehttps://wiki.sunkencastles.com/wiki/Main_Page

RE: https://mastodon.social/@sixtus/117065047913611409 Aus reiner Neugier: Wie ist denn so das sozio-ökonomische Gefüge der betroffenen Wohngebiete in #Berlin ? Bei sowas muss ich immer daran denken, daß in den USA die Highways oft bewusst so gebaut wurden, daß sie erfolgreiche Stadtviertel Schwarzer Amerikaner zerstörten. #A100 #Autobahnhttps://www.npr.org/2021/04/07/984784455/a-brief-history-of-how-racism-shaped-interstate-highways

@onemanrpgstudio@mastodon.social @hackbarth@ursal.zone More tricky would be the non-human folk tales about other ancestries, including humans. You'd need to put in a lot of effort to establish their cultural assumptions - while I have _plenty_ of examples for folk tales by humans.