Actually, my last blog – scheduled before hand and posted July 16 – was after my beautiful daughter was born. And God got all the glory! They decided to induce me on the Thursday evening before my due date (which was July 17), and my daughter came into the world Read more…
“Guðríður’s remarkable story—of a common woman who survived nine years of slavery and returned home, becoming a respected pastor’s wife—is considered to bear witness to a woman of stronger character than most.”[1]
“She is considered to have travelled the road of suffering and the cross, but prevailed to gain a new lease on life and love.”[2]
Mermaids in our stories always return home, unblemished from their time on land. The real kidnapped women do not. Most of them never return; the ones who do are not considered “unblemished,” as Turkish Gudda’s story shows.
I don’t know how God will redeem all of her story, but it is a powerful testimony. Or should I call it a “mermaid tale”?
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ~ Ephesians 6:12 Laden with gold from the dwarves’ home, Vilfridr goes to Saxland with the Read more…
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness and speak kindly to her. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt. ~ Hosea 2:14, 15
Once again, this post contains spoilers from Disney’s 2014 Maleficent…
Again, this post contains spoilers of Disney’s 2014 Maleficent.
Like in the animated film, the three good fairies raise Aurora as a peasant girl. Although well-meaning, they’re a rather incompetent bunch. They have no idea how to care for a baby, and the poor thing is constantly crying because of their neglect.
Even Maleficent cannot withstand the heart-wrenching cries of a babe in true distress…
“And she reveled in the sorrow her curse had brought…”[1]
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” ~ Genesis 50:20
“But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol…” ~ Psalm 49:15
“For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ~ Romans 5:7-8
(Again, this post contains spoilers of Disney’s 2014 Maleficent.)
In my last post, Maleficent’s wings are brutally taken, but her heart is not yet hardened. That is about to change.
“Let us tell an old story anew, and let us see how well you know it…”[1]
This post contains spoilers…so if you don’t want Disney’s 2014 Maleficent ruined, you should stop reading and watch it before you continue. Otherwise, proceed.
I love this opening line from the movie. It evokes a timelessness as the disparate tales of the Sleeping Beloveds are woven together. And I don’t think man meant to weave it together, either…
Our Sleeping Beloveds have shown us how a heart awakens to love; our villainesses have shown us what happens when we disregard love.
Like our heroines, each villainess has a different story, but each is dealing with the same broken-hearted realization: they are not noticed, desired, or loved…
I’m not sure if Disney intended to make Aurora a second Zellandine. I like to think he did. He was a master storyteller, after all; and the fact that he sets the tale in the 14th century – the century in which Perceforest was written – hints that he was at least referring to Zellandine.
Six hundred years separate Zellandine and Aurora, and yet they are incredibly similar…
Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet debuted in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1890. The storyline follows the Brothers’ Grimm version of the tale (although Tchaikovsky gives a nod to Perrault by including characters from Perrault’s other stories). There are only two “significant” contributions the ballet adds to the Sleeping Beloved saga: the music and the name of the heroine, both of which are used in Disney’s 1959 animated feature.
By and large, the ballet is not considered a “major” rendition. It is, however, of major importance to me…