Les Cabinets des Polytheistes

Homer. Snorri Sturluson. Marie de France. Elias Lönnrot. The Brothers Grimm. Fairy tales, fables, nursery rhymes, and myths are all part of the literature of awe and wonder, the literature of (re)enchantment. And this literature is, at its core, polytheistic. Such tales remind us that the world is beautiful and terrible, bloody and dangerous. They recognize that we are not alone, that we human beings are not the only power in the world. The tales and poems in this anthology are humorous, frightening, and awe-inspiring. Some are retellings of ancient folktales, while others bring the Gods into the modern world. Others are coming-of-age fables, reminding us that the Powers which still walk the world deserve our respect, while others make it clear that some of those Powers are as terrible as the world we all inhabit. Others interpret the old tales through a feminist lens, or with an environmentalist ethic, or from within the traditions of Heathenry, Wicca, Kemeticism or Hinduism. Some retellings invert the originals, changing heroes to villains and villains to heroes, or close with ambivalent endings - reflecting the ambiguous nature of our everyday, mortal, messy lives. Still others blur the indistinct line between "fairy tale" and "myth" even further, mixing princesses and glass slippers and briar-covered towers with ghosts and tricksters and Goddesses. Les Cabinets des Polythéistes has been a labor of love, for myself and the anthology's many talented contributors. We hope that it brings you just as much joy, and that it inspires you to write a few poems and tales in honor of the Gods, too.