I only remember one story in this book, George MacDonald's "The Day Boy and the Night Girl". A classic fairy tale of opposites, it stood out to me because "dark" didn't necessarily mean "evil" and "light" didn't necessarily mean "good". It was refreshing and has stuck with me for years. ( )

In The Philosopher’s Stone (Wieland, 1789) we see the true power of a magical gift to transform one’s perspective on life, even if it means a complete physical transformation. The story revolves around King Mark of Cornwall, and his wife, Queen Mabille, whose hedonistic lifestyles led their kingdom (not to mention their marriage) to the brink of destruction and betrayal. In his quest for the world’s ultimate treasure and power, King Mark befriends an adept of Hermes, Misfragmutosiris, who eventually guides King Mark into the possession of the philosopher’s stone, which transforms him into a donkey. Similarly, Queen Mabille is also magically transformed into a goat. Both eventually return to being human, although with a radically different and simple life, and they encounter and fall deeper in love with one another through the experience, free from their royal life of debauchery and insatiable desires.
This may be the most magical gift of all, to change one’s life so dramatically that one reaches a greater truth. It is this story I have found to have the best lesson, and the most profound truth.

The story of Cupid and Psyche has been retold by many, but Apuleius is my favorite teller. The story goes that Psyche was the most beautiful of three princesses. Venus, the goddess of beauty, became jealous of all the praise she received, as people had begun comparing the beauty of the two. In order to get back at this usurper, she sent her son Eros or Cupid to do mischief to her. Venus wanted Cupid to use one of his magic arrows and shoot her, causing her to fall in love with the next person she saw, and it was to be a horrible beast of a man.
Meanwhile, the king was distraught by how the men worshipped her, so he went to the Oracle to find whom Psyche should marry. The answer was a poem from Apollo, that Psyche was to be left on a mountaintop alone, and her husband would find her. He was to be immortal and evil. The king and queen sadly did as they were told. Psyche is left alone, weeping atop the hill until she cried herself to sleep.
When she awoke, the place was happier, and as she walked along, she came to a beautiful palace. There, she found her husband, whom she could never see, but who spoke to her kindly and loved her tenderly. He told her to never look upon him, and only came to her at night, and left early in the morning.
The kingdom feared Psyche dead, and the king sent her sisters to seek her out. Her husband warned her never to speak to them, but her tears make him relent. Psyche and her sisters rejoice at seeing each other again, but soon their happiness turns to jealously, for their sister seems to have a better life than they do. They convince her to sneak a peek at this husband, frightening her with thoughts that he might be a monster. That night, she lights a candle and gazes upon none other than Cupid, the most handsome of all the gods, but she awakens him. He abandons her, and she travels the earth looking for him. She meets many gods and has many adventures, all of them more depressing than the next. Finally, Cupid begs Jupiter to make her immortal. She is made a goddess and they are properly married.
This is a very long story, like most classical myths, and it involves a lot of great characterization. I have always liked the Edith Hamilton version, and this one is even better. I feel sorry for Psyche, even though she goes against what she is told. She is easily led, and her name has become a word describing the mind/ deeper soul. I love stories that give background to language and the Classical Myths do it in spades. Morally, I find this story to be weak, but then, the gods of the Classics were weak, and so like humans. Perhaps it was a way for the Greeks and Romans to feel better about all of the terrible things they did. They were simply imitating the gods!

Jack Zipes has edited many excellent “fantasy” anthologies. This one takes a slightly different tact than most, pulling from a variety of cultures over a long history. You won’t find many modern fantasy authors within. Only Jane Yolen, Tanith Lee and Robin McKinley stand out as outstanding recent authors. Zipes reaches all the way back to the Second Century for the first tale, “Cupid and Psyche” by Apuleius, and continues on with well known classic authors like Goethe, Hawthorne, Hans Christian Anderson, Oscar Wilde, Yeates and even Mark Twain. There are 67 tales included spanning the Second Century to the 1980’s. Great authors from nearly every literary movement appear and give the reader a tour of the genre.

Readers will find well known tales like “Sleeping Beauty” and “Rumpelstiltskin,” but also some lesser known gems like “The Seven Wives of Bluebeard” and “Spiegel the Cat.” This collection is a great way to get a young fantasy fan to enjoy the work of classical authors that may have a stigma attached to them (I have to read that for school!) Readers should note that the language of the tales has been altered to the vernacular. So, Cupid and Psyche is told in a straightforward manner without the archaic structures used by the original author. Purists may gasp at the audacity, but new readers will be grateful for the translation! The tone and heart of the stories remain intact. This is a huge work with something nearly everyone can enjoy. Overall, a very well done anthology that is more than worth the price of admission.

http://www.iblist.com/book15489.htm ( )