Category: Fairy Tales
The Handless Maiden - the pattern of initiation and descent
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2025-06-24 19:12:31
In The Handless Maiden, a Brothers Grimm tale, a poor miller is approached by the devil-in-disguise who offers wealth in exchange for “what stands behind your mill.” Believing it to be an apple tree, the man agrees, only to discover that his daughter was standing there.
Moon Slayer: In the grip of an archetype
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2024-04-04 17:00:48
But what happens when the stories we choose to live by lead us down dark and treacherous paths? The Netflix series “The Last Airbender" offers a compelling example of this question through the character of Admiral Zhao and his unrelenting pursuit of becoming a legend by slaying the Moon Spirit.
The Handless Maiden: A father's brutalization of his daughter
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2020-05-19 06:26:02
The horrific image of a father cutting off the hands of his daughter belongs only in fairytales, or does it? To be without hands is to be disempowered, helpless and dependent on others...