Rebel Folklore: Empowering Tales of Spirits, Witches, and Other Misfits from Anansi to Baba Yaga

Meet 50 of the darkest, strangest and most complicated folktale characters and discover how these flawed heroes and relatable villains of ancient stories remain relevant to our lives today.

Rebel Folklore gathers 50 of the darkest and most complicated folktale characters from around the world, showing readers why we should care about the rebels and misfits of ancient stories.

Folktales were humble stories, passed down generations by those on the fringes of society: women, peasants, outcast groups. Across the world, these ancient stories are filled with strange characters, complicated figures who hold up a mirror to the world that dreamt them up. From outspoken women cast as witches to anti-authority figures denounced as criminals, flawed heroes to relatable villains, Rebel Folklore celebrates 50 of these misfits and what they mean for us today. 

Whether it’s Muma Padurii, the Romanian forest witch who terrorizes trespassers to protect the environment, La Cegua, the horse-headed woman who haunts unfaithful men, or Robin Hood, everyone’s favorite lawless activist, we can learn a lot from the rebels of days gone by: how to speak out, embrace our flaws, and be unashamedly ourselves – even if that means being a cannibalistic swamp witch.