Posts by Juan Artola Miranda
The Snake, the Farmer and the Heron: A Dark African Fable
The Snake, the Farmer and the Heron is an old African folktale from the Hausa tribe, told throughout the northern regions of Nigeria and the southern areas of the Niger. It picked up even more popularity after being featured in 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. It’s a story about how water doesn’t flow uphill. That won’t make much sense yet, but I’ll explain it at the end.
It’s one of my favourite fables. I’ve retold it in my own words, sticking to the classic story beats. Then I’ll give you my own version.
I’m a real person, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. That’s the fun of fables like these. Drop a comment after reading, if you can.
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The Barbaric Pin-Up Art of Shane Glines
Shane Glines is mostly known for his pin-up illustrations, but he cut his teeth working on animated shows like Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Harley Quinn. He worked under Bruce Timm for a while, and you can see the similarity in their art styles, as well as how they draw a mix of superheroes and pin-up art. I found him when I was looking for Conan the Barbarian art.
With comic artists like Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, and Shane Glines, it’s fun to pay attention to how they alternate between curving swoops and straight lines. If the triceps bulge, then the biceps are often flat. If the upper arm is straight, then there’s probably a curvier lower arm. If a woman is curvy, she’s probably contrasted against a more angular man.
Glines is still alive and posting. You can follow him on Instagram here. His old Cartoon Retro website isn’t active anymore, so I think Instagram is the best place to keep up with him.
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The Art of Erté
Erté was the professional name of Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990), a Russian-born French artist known for his fashion design and illustration. Most of the illustrations below are costume designs, but they look like they could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. You can find even M.S. Rau Erté collection.
Erté’s illustrations are aristocratically erotic. Plenty of nude and topless women, but in an elegant way, not a raunchy way. If you compare it against pin-up artists like Shane Glines, you’ll see what I mean. Part of it is the way they’re posed, but it’s also where he draws the eye. The figures are drawn simply, while the fashion is big, vibrant, and detailed, pulling the gaze away from the nudity and towards what little clothes the women wear. That makes sense. After all, these are costume designs.
I’m a big fan of ligne claire, and this art style has a similar sort of feel to it, but with more Art Deco, glamour, fashion, fairy tale, and cabaret.
Read MoreThe Frogs & the Ox (Aesop’s Fables)
The Lion-Makers, An Old Indian Fable
The Lion-Makers is a fable from the Panchatantra, a collection of Indian folktales dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The story warns those who create without having a full understanding of what they’re unleashing upon the world. It was written thousands of years before the invention of nuclear bombs and the growing opportunities (and dangers) of artificial intelligence, and yet still it warns us.
I’ll go deeper into the implications at the end.
Read MoreThe Best (and Darkest) Dark Fantasy Novels
I’m a huge fan of fantasy. I read all the books, watch all the movies, play all the games, and spend my evenings arguing about the best fantasy books on Reddit. I’m especially fond of the truly dark tales—the ones heavily infused with horror.
I took a break from fantasy in my twenties. When I came back in my thirties, I asked my sister for recommendations, I asked around on Reddit, and I read all the reviews. I was looking for darker, more mature fantasy books. Some of those recommendations were good. I’ll include them all here.
Three dark fantasy novels stood out to me. I try to push them from my mind while I’m awake, but it does little good. They always find me in my dreams. Maybe if I share them with you, they’ll finally leave me be.
Delve DeeperIvan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf (Russian Fairy Tale Explained)
Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf is the most famous of all the Russian fairy tales. It’s as beloved as Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Mermaid are here in the West.
Ivan is the classic name for a Russian protagonist. Tsarevich translates to “tsar’s son,” so this particular Ivan is a prince. I’ll explain what the story means at the end.
This is based on the classic version of the fairy tale published by Alexander Afanasyev between 1855 and 1863. He wrote it in Russian. I’ve translated it into English.
Read MoreThe Crane and the Heron (Russian Fable)
The Crane and the Heron is an old Russian folktale. It’s an Aesopic “beast fable” with animal characters. I’m not sure exactly how old it is or who first wrote it down.
The Fable
A long time ago, there was a Crane who lived in the marsh. It was a quiet night, and he was feeling lonely, so he went to see the Heron that lived in the branches of a nearby tree.
The Crane said, “Dear Heron, I live all alone down here, and I think we would make a good pair. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
The Heron had been dreaming of someone with a taller neck and a larger nest, so she turned him down, saying, “No, Crane, I cannot marry you.” The Crane, hurt by the rejection, flew back to his nest.
After some time passed, the Heron thought, “Perhaps I was too hasty in my decision. The Crane is kind, and I am lonely too. I should accept his proposal.”
So the Heron flew to the Crane’s marsh and said, “Crane, I have changed my mind. I will marry you.”
But the Crane remembered how the Heron had rejected him. And besides, in truth, the Heron was getting a little old to be starting a family. He replied, “No, I have changed my mind. I do not want to marry you.” The Heron flew back to her home, furious.
Soon, there was another quiet night, and the Crane felt lonely again. He went back to the Heron to propose once more. The Heron was still angry, so she refused him.
And so it went, back and forth, until they both died bitter and alone.
The Moral
The moral of The Crane and the Heron is that pride and indecision can lead to missed opportunities and regret. Most people have been in a situation like this, where you don’t want something when you can have it, but then you change your mind when it stops being available. It’s easy to get lured in by people who play hard to get, but sometimes it’s best to appreciate what’s right in front of you.
The second part of the moral lesson is that you mustn’t cut off your nose to spite your face. At a certain point, both the Crane and the Heron realize they want to be together, but they both feel wronged, so they punish themselves to punish the other.
If you liked this fable, there’s a totally different fable about a heron that’s just as good. If you like fables about doomed romances, try The Scorpion and the Turtle. Or, if you want a fable with the exact opposite moral lesson as this one, try The Fox and the Grapes.
A Review of Fairy Tale by Stephen King: The Fairy Tales Are Wrong
I give Fairy Tale a 2/5 rating, not because it’s a bad book, but because it gets the fairy tales wrong, fizzles out towards the middle, and doesn’t leave much of an impression. There are far better interpretations of fairy tales, much better dark fantasy books with horror elements, and far better Stephen King books to pick from.
I’m a tepid fan of Stephen King. I’ve read some of his short stories and novels, and I’ve liked them. He’s clearly a talented writer, especially when writing about substance abuse and alcoholism. That talent shines through in the first 1/3 of Fairy Tale.
Read MoreJack and the Beanstalk (The Original Fairy Tale Explained)
Jack and the Beanstalk is an old British fairy tale with roots that date back over 5,000 years (study). It’s an archetypal story about a boy who steals treasure from a giant. It’s also the story of a tower so tall it reaches heaven (similar to the tower of Babel, Jacob’s Ladder, and Yggdrasil).
There are a few different versions. In 1734, Benjamin Tabart wrote down the folktale, but he sanitized it to make it less morally dubious. For example, he added a fairy who told Jack that the giant killed his father, setting him on a quest to avenge his father’s death and reclaim his birthright. This transforms Jack from a scoundrel into a gallant hero. Stephen King prefers this version and references it in his fairy tale book, Fairy Tale.
Most folklorists and writers (including JRR Tolkien) preferred the original fairy tale that was still being told in hushed voices on dark nights. It’s darker, and Jack is less heroic, but it’s also a poignant story that has survived for thousands of years. Joseph Jacobs wrote that version down in 1890, and it’s now considered to be the classic version. That’s the version I prefer.
This is a retelling in my own words. I’ll explain everything at the end.
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