In Naomi Pfefferman’s review of Tim Burton’s 2005 stop-motion film Corpse Bride, she notes that the story has its origins in Jewish folklore. Said review also name drops Howard Schwartz, who is the author of the book Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural. Looking through the book, one will find not one, but two folktales that are variations of the story Burton adapted in his own film. In many ways, the film combines elements of both stories, as most folk and fairy tale adaptations tend to do.
The first story, “The Finger” (of Palestinian origin), is about a man named Reuven, from the city of Safed. One night while out with some friends, he walks through the woods and finds a finger sticking out of the ground. As a joke, Reuven— who is to be married the next day— places his wedding ring on the finger and says his marriage vows; much like how Victor in the 2005 film places his ring on Emily’s bony finger, mistaking it for a tree branch.
Of course, this turns out to be a bad idea, as the finger belonged to
the corpse of a dead bride, who rises out of the ground, proclaiming
that Reuven is now her husband.
The men run, ignoring the unearthly howl of the corpse, until they are back home safe. The next day, they all promise to take the horrible event with them to their graves. Reuven then goes to prepare for his wedding, and the ceremony commences, but just as the ceremony is underway, the corpse bride crashes it, proclaiming that she is wed to Reuven, causing everyone except Reuven and the Rabbi to flee in fear.
Anyway, to make a long story short, the Rabbi and his colleagues are able to declare Reuven’s accidental marriage invalid, because 1.) Reuven was engaged to be married before he wed the corpse, 2.) the vows to the corpse bride were unintentional, and finally, 3.) the bride is dead, and living beings cannot marry the dead. As soon as she hears this verdict, the bride utters an inhuman shriek, before becoming a corpse once again.
This version is arguably the one that Burton’s film closely resembles, particularly the plot point about the corpse’s marriage to the man being invalid due to her already being dead.
The second story included in Schwartz’s collection is a German tale called “The Demon in the Tree.” This variation of the story opens with the son of a Rabbi living in the city of Worms. One day, while out playing with a friend, the son sees a finger emerge from a tree and puts a ring on it as a joke. The finger, however, belongs to one of Lilith’s daughters, and she proclaims the young boy her husband. In fear, the boy and his friend run away from the demon.
Years pass, and the boy, now a man, is arranged to marry a young girl. But the demon in the tree kills the bride on their wedding night by pulling a tree branch back and striking her with it. This happens one more time, and the man suspects that he is cursed. The third bride, however, manages to avoid getting killed, and instead is able to appease the demon by striking a deal to “share” her husband.
This story puts more emphasis on the love triangle between the man, woman, and supernatural creature. Whereas the living bride in the first story was mostly on the side, the bride here plays a role in calming the restless spirit. The film echoes this in how we have scenes showing how Victoria is coping with Victor being trapped in the Underworld with Emily. The demon eventually releasing the man from their marriage also echoes the film’s end.
Schwartz’s book has many other tales of Jewish folklore; many involve demons, and witches, and are a very interesting read, especially during the month of October. He has also worked on other books, such as the children’s anthology Ask The Bones: Scary Stories From Around The World. I recommend it to anybody who knows any children who want to read scary stories; or, if you just want to find some interesting folktales, pick up a copy of itand Lilith’s Cave for yourself. They’re both entertaining reads.
“I’m wearing a jacket by Junya Watanabe, underneath a jacket by Uniqlo, trousers by Martine Rose, shoes Converse*clot, a Nike hat and a Balenciaga bag. My style inspirations: street style, menswear, layering, something that can show my personality. My current favorites are Comme des Garçons, Vetements, Simon Rocha, Vivienne Westwood, Dilara Findikoglu, late Victorian vintage, embroidery, the 70s.”
“I’m wearing two jackets, one by Playboy and another one by Supreme. My pants are Dolce & Gabbana, and the shoes Polo Sport rain boots. I love people watching on the subway. I get on a train, switch from a car to car until I find interesting people and sit in front of them. Maybe I’m a weirdo but I don’t care because people watching inspires me a lot. My latest inspiration: my mom sent me an old photo of my sister wearing all yellow clothes from head to toe. I loved it, and now I just wanna do the same.”
“I’m wearing an L’Enchanteur Watermelon Cycles Tee Shirt, L’Enhanteuer jewelry, an Ashya belt, Toga Pulla trousers, and Feit Sandals. I’m inspired by my upbringing, nature, natural process, surrounds, elders, spirituality, mystics, the craft, a bunch of things that tap into my speed force. My style philosophy: Transform Your Lifestyle. Do what makes you move closest to your highest you.”
Jul 21, 2018 ∙ Bedford-Stuyvesant
Oh j'aime trop trop cette silhouette il faut que je me trouve le même pantalon 😍
“I’m wearing faux snakeskin cowboy boots with a pair of mossy oak camo pants and a vintage tee. My bag was from the side of the street on Canal. My friends inspire my style as well as myself just trying new things. My favorite color is red so I’ve been obsessed with anything red. I also love a head scarf and anything made of silk. I love shoes that give me some (or a lot!) of height. I also love trying out different makeup looks on myself and just experimenting with my look.”
“I’m wearing a thrifted suit with a black Sunday hat adorned with fresh flowers. This outfit was inspired by the culture of the black church. I have the most clear memories of growing up and seeing the men in these clean bulky suits and women with their extravagant church hats and how much history and status these looks represented. And in a culture where we merge the roles of men and women, I decided to merge these two elements to serve a current and meaningful fit.”
“My outfit is mainly thrifted, the shoes are Melissa. I think I inspire my own style, my mood definitely decides. I don’t really follow anyone style-wise.”
“I’m wearing all vintage. A dirndl top, an Adelaar 70’s skirt, cowboy boots, Nine West faux mini purse. You happened to catch me at a very femme moment, this is one of two skirts I own. Mostly my style is how I feel. How I feel is typically inspired by music or films, and they’re usually old. Motown, Sam Cooke, period films, nihilistic movies, or anything with Natalie Portman is my go-to. The cowboy trend is cool, since I’m from a rural area, now what I’ve had for years looks super stylish. Right now I really enjoy everything Jacquemus, Bode and Hillier Bartley. Honestly, I think all the interesting fashion is coming from design students, such as Alix Habran Jensen and Daniela Geraci, I think they’re having more fun with it than the consumer brands and luxury houses.”
Aug 10, 2018 ∙ Greenpoint
OH MY GOOOOOOOD I WANT TO DRESS LIKE THIS EXACTLY LIKE THIS
i was looking at old photos and i wanted to show you how our story went, a little
bronwyn and i met at age 12 but i dont have any photos from then, really, but this is from grade 9 science class when we were being goofs and i was 13
this is from our first ever sleepover, we couldn’t stop laughing and we were sleeping on a mattress on the floor and we went to boston pizza and got plastic rings that we both still have (bronwyn kept hers on a necklace after that)
i went to bronwyn’s cottage for the first time in the summer after grade 9
we had our first kiss in grade 10 when i was 14 and were in a weird kind of dating limbo period
then i moved to the states and turned 15 and told bronwyn i was in love with her and we visited every chance we could and she sent me flowers and packages
then i went to junior prom with her and bronwyn cut her hair
then we had the most beautiful summer where i spent 5 weeks at her cottage and i cut my hair
then i went back to miami for 12th grade and turned 16 and bronwyn was 17 and we went to senior prom together
then i moved back to canada for university when i was turning 17 and we finally lived in the same place again and we loved each other so much and got breakfast together every day
then after a beautiful summer we started living together when i was 18 and bronwyn was 19 and we went to bahrain together and bronwyn dyed her hair brown and now i get to see her every morning and every night and we adventure in our city and have a coffee shop and love each other more than i could have thought. there were periods of scary intense darkness but we love each other so much and i’ve never been happier. i’ve known bronwyn since i was 12 and now i’m almost 19 and i love her more and more.
i’m never on here anymore, but i wanted to share that almost a month ago bronwyn and i got engaged!! under a beautiful tree on a perfect day and for the rest of my life i get to pursue her and care for her and make her laugh. i’ve said this so many times but now more than ever: if this is all i get, it’s so much more than i could have hoped for.
