Profs and Pints DC presents: “Wintery Fairy Tales,” an evening among ghosts, snow queens, and friendly bears, with Brittany Warman, former instructor at Ohio State University and co-founder of the Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic.
As cold winds whip through your hair, and winter’s chill bites your skin, there is little more inviting than a warm cup of tea, a cozy blanket, and a good fairy tale.
Join an engaging folklorist, Brittany Warman, for a magical evening exploring the fairy tales and folklore set during winter. You'll explore realms known only to the winds, search for a kingdom of ice, and ride a polar bear. You also might find strawberries in the snow and, perhaps, encounter a ghost or two.
You’ll learn how winter folklore often serves the dual purpose of emphasizing the dangers of the season and offering hope and possibility in the midst of darkness. In Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” for example, a young girl survives fierce winter magic and rescues her best friend. Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe’s “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” features a romantic quest through ice and snow, while the Japanese stories of the Yuki Onna warn of the perils of wintery love.
Brittany will guide you through these tales and more, demonstrating the cultural power of these stories that teach hope and caution in a frozen landscape. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)
Image: A Kay Nielsen illustration from a 1922 edition of the Norwegian fairy tale collection East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North.