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In this episode we’ll discuss a story from the “Arabian Nights” collection. It is entitled “Delila the Wily.” This is a long story, so long in fact, that we’ve covered it in two previous episodes. (Please listen to those episodes if you wish to hear the actual story. Here I will only share a summary.) Delila is a trickster figure who brings chaos wherever she goes. But she is much more than that. Her acts of cunning cause the listener to reflect on justice, law, morality and the ability of women to be the author of their own lives. In Delila’s world actions are not black or white, but a multitude of shades of gray. In this episode, we’ll discuss her world and why tricksters are needed now more than ever.

Story: "The Wiley Dalilah and Her Daughter Zaynab," in Arabian Nights: Volume I, trans. Jack Zipes (New York: Penguin Books, 1991).
Illustration: Edmund Dulac, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. National Library NZ on The Commons, No restrictions, via Wikimedia Commons

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2026 Kathy Shimpock.

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In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, shares a Scottish story about the changing seasons. It comes as we reach winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere. This is a story of the Cailleach Beira, the Queen of Winter. She may be frightening but she has much to tell us about our role as elders and how we should best approach the winter season. She’s a very wise crone indeed!

Story: Donald Alexander MacKenzie, "Beira, Queen of Winter," in Wonder Tales from Scottish Myth and Legend (London, Blackie & Son, 1917).
Illustration: "Beira" from a drawing by John Duncan (from book).

Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

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For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

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In this episode the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will continue reading from the Arabian Nights collection, “Delila the Crafty/Wily.” Delila is a trickster figure who brings chaos wherever she goes. In this episode, we'll discover how this wise old woman's story ends. Is she punished or rewarded for her acts? Her acts of cunning cause the listener to reflect on justice, law, morality and the ability of women to be the author of their own lives. In Delila’s world actions are not black or white but a multitude of shades of gray. Be ready to enter that world as you hear the story.

Story: "The Wiley Dalilah and Her Daughter Zaynab," in Arabian Nights: Volume I, trans. Jack Zipes (New York: Penguin Books, 1991).
Illustration: Edmund Dulac, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

Support the show

For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

Send us a text

In this episode the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will read a story from the Arabian Nights collection. It is entitled “Delila the Wily.” This is a long story that will be completed over the next three episodes: two for the actual story and one for our discussion of this tale. Delila is a trickster figure who brings chaos wherever she goes. But she is much more than that. Her acts of cunning cause the listener to reflect on justice, law, morality and the ability of women to be the author of their own lives. In Delila’s world actions are not black or white but a multitude of shades of gray. Be ready to enter that world as you hear the story.

Story: "The Wiley Dalilah and Her Daughter Zaynab," in Arabian Nights: Volume I, trans. Jack Zipes (New York: Penguin Books, 1991).
Illustration: unknown vintage etching.

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

Support the show

For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

Send us a text

In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will read to you a Russian folktale: “The Three Sisters and Their Glass Hearts.” It’s a poignant story, nonetheless, and one you’ll long remember.

Story: "The Three Sisters and Their Glass Hearts," in The Golden Fairy Book, H.R. Millar, illus. (London: Appleton & Co., 1894), 195-206.
Illustration: "The Three Sisters and Their Glass Hearts," illustration by H.R. Millar (1894).

Other Resources: Carterhaugh School of Folklore and the Fantastic

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

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For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

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In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will continue her discussion of the Danish folktale, “Prince Lindworm.” We began our analysis in the last episode, but there is much more to share. This story is filled with metaphors and symbols. It can be viewed in many ways. That fact alone emphasizes the power of folktales to bring understanding and healing to issues we deal with today.

Story: East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North, illus. Kay Nielsen (New York: George H. Dorwan Co., 1922). "Strong Fairy Tale Heroines #21: Prince Lindworm" in Seven Miles of Steel Thistles: a blog by Katherine Langrish (July 14, 2020).
Illustration: "She Saw the Lindworm for the First Time as He Came In and Stood by Her Side," illustration by Kay Nielsen (1922). Other Resources: "Prince Lindworm," "Tatterhood," and "The Handless Maiden."

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

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For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

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In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, will share the Danish folktale, “Prince Lindworm.” It’s a story of shadow and light, female agency and transformation. It’s also a story with a sequel. This mash-up or compilation of folktales is filled with metaphors and symbols. There is so much to discuss that will carry this on to the next podcast.

Story: East of the Sun and West of the Moon: Old Tales from the North, illus. Kay Nielsen (New York: George H. Dorwan Co., 1922). "Strong Fairy Tale Heroines #21: Prince Lindworm" in Seven Miles of Steel Thistles: a blog by Katherine Langrish (July 14, 2020).
Illustration: "The Maiden Amidst the Lindorm's Shed Skins," illustration by Henry Justice Ford for Andrew Lang's The Pink Fairy Book (1897).

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

Support the show

For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).

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In this episode, the storyteller, Kathy Shimpock, shares the story of "The Vampire Skeleton Corpse." This is a frightening tale from the Iroquois tradition. Although there is never a single meaning for any story, this one has an important teaching for the days ahead.

Story: This story is a conflation of early Iroquois variants and my version of the story as told by Joseph Bruchac. Iroquois Stories: Heroes and Heroines, Monsters and Magic as told by Joseph Bruchac (Freedom, CA: The Crossing Press, 1985).
Illustration: Birch bark longhouse. Fungus Guy, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. "The Subject and his Skeleton" in Magic: Stage Illusions and Scientific Diversions, 1897 (public domain worldwide).

This podcast is licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. Sound effects from my finch "Tweedles."
Copyright 2025 Kathy Shimpock.

Support the show

For more crone tales, visit the "Wise Crone Cottage in the Woods" (http://www.wisecronecottage.com).