The Return of the Light

The Return of the Light by Carolyn McVickar Edwards I’m a little late writing this book up, as the winter solstice has now been and gone. However, here is a nice little collection of folk tales from around the world for the winter solstice. Most of them don’t talk about the solstice per se, but about the sun. The introduction talks about historical solstice practices (including some of the saltier ones), but the stories are well suited both for adults and for telling to children of varying ages. Edwards helpfully provides a paragraph about the ethnic group that first told the story for each, so the stories aren’t as out-of-context as they often are in such international collections. It concludes with games and songs for people wishing to have family solstice celebrations. Read how the sun started as the wedding earring of a young Indian bride, how Loki killed Balder, the sun god, and how a young African girl married the sun.