Christmas Bestiary - Rosalind M. Greenberg, ebook, pobierz pdf

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Copyright © 1992 by Rosalind M. Greenberg and
Martin H. Greenberg.
All rights reserved.
Cover art by John Howe.
Introduction © 1992 by Stefan Dziemianowicz
A Compromised Christmas © 1992 by Jennifer Roberson.
Karaoke Christmas © 1992 by Elizabeth Scarborough.
The Raven Teaches the Professor A Lesson © 1992 by
Jack C. Haideman II.
The Rocking Horse Christmas © 1992 by Barb Jemigan.
The Abominable Snowman © 1992 by Laura Resnick.
A Bird of a Different Color © 1992 by Blake Cahoon.
Christmas Seat © 1992 by Jane Lindskold.
In This Season © 1992 by Harry Turtledove.
A Web for Christinas © 1992 by Karen Haber.
Babe and the Christmas Tree © 1992 by Lawrence Schimel.
Of Dust and Fire and the Night © 1992 by Barry N. Malzberg.
I'll Be Home for Christmas © 1992 by Tanya Huff.
Birlhnight © 1992 by Michelle M. Sagara.
Ox and Ass Before Him Bow © 1992 by Mark Aronson.
Fate © 1992 by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
The Last Sphinx © 1992 by Barbara Delaplace.
The Best Laid Schemes © 1992 by Jack Nimersheim.
The Gift of the Magicians, With Apologies to You Know Who
© 1992 by Jane Yolen.
The Blue-Nosed Reindeer © 1992 by Mike Resnick.
DAW Book Collectors No- 895.
First Printing, November 1992
123456789
DAW TRADEMARK REGISTERED
U S. PAT OFF, AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES
—MARCA REGISTRADA
HECHO EN U S A,
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
by Stefan Dziemianowicz
A COMPROMISED CHRISTMAS
by Jennifer Roberson
KARAOKE CHRISTMAS
by Elizabeth Scarborough
THE RAVEN TEACHES
THE PROFESSOR A LESSON
by Jack C. Haideman II
THE ROCKING HORSE CHRISTMAS
by Barb Jernigan
THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN
by Laura Resnick
A BIRD OF A DIFFERENT COLOR
by Blake Cahoon
CHRISTMAS SEAL
by Jane Lindskold
IN THIS SEASON
by Harry Turtledove
VI Contents
A WEB FOR CHRISTMAS 151
by Karen Haber
BABE AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE 163
by Lawrence Schimel
OF DUST AND FIRE AND THE NIGHT 167
by Barry N. Malzberg
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS 175
by Tanya Huff
BIRTHNIGHT 199
by Michelle M. Sagara
OX AND ASS BEFORE HIM BOW 219
by Mark Aronson
FATE 229
by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
THE LAST SPHINX 245
by Barbara Delaplace
THE BEST LAID SCHEMES 257
by Jack Nimersheim
THE GIFT OF THE MAGICIANS,
WITH APOLOGIES TO
YOU KNOW WHO 279
by Jane Yolen
THE BLUE-NOSED REINDEER 285
by Mike Resnick
INTRODUCTION
by Stefan Dziemiancywicz
The bestiary is a literary subgenre that enjoyed its
greatest popularity in Europe during the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries. Its origins, however, date at
least as far back as 2 A.D., purportedly to ancient
Greece. The prototype of all bestiaries, the Physiolo-
gus, was a compendium of forty-eight stories written
by an anonymous author. Each of the selections was
told in the form of an allegory derived from the natu-
ral characteristics of a real or imaginary plant or
animal (including the phoenix and the unicorn). Al-
though the stories of the Physiologus were tied to
biblical texts (in fact, the book's nearest rival in circu-
lation was the Bible) and intended to provide moral
instruction, today we might look upon this text as the
first collection of fantasy tales.
Although translations and adaptations of the Physi-
ologus abounded in early medieval times, one is not
likely to run across a copy in the modem bookstore-
The reason for this seems fairly straightforward: We
live in a more sophisticated world than our forebears
knew, and no longer depend on myths and supersti-
tions to guide us down the correct path of moral
conduct.
In truth, though, the bestiary is still very much with
us today in the form of fantasy literature. One can
trace a line of descent from the Physiologus to some
8 Stefan Dziemianowicz
of the most distinguished and beloved works of imagi-
native fiction of the past century: Rudyard Kipling's
The Jungle Books, Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of
the Apes, George Orwell's Animal Farm, J. R. R.
Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, Richard Adams'
Watership Down and The Plague Dogs, and John
Barth's Chimera. In fact, a reader from the Middle
Ages might find himself overwhelmed by the variety
of imaginary creatures that have been added to the
bestial register since his time: the leprechaun, the
pixie, the gremlin, the troll, the hobbit, the wendigo,
the werewolf, the vampire, and the golem are just a
few representatives of folklore and mythology from
around the world that have become a part of fantasy's
literary legacy.
The regard in which we hold the fantastic bestiary
is evident from the symbolic association some of its
members have with traditional holidays. In America,
for example, we still count on the instinctive wisdom
of the groundhog to forecast the approaching Spring,
while the rabbit and the turkey have become folk em-
blems of, respectively, Easter and Thanksgiving.
Christmas is a feast day particularly rich in beast lore,
ranging from the attendance of the ox and the lamb
in the traditional Christian manger scene, to the par-
tridge of popular song, and the folk myth of one very
specially-endowed reindeer. But the overwhelming
majority of fabulous beasts do not owe their renown
to a particular holiday or season. Thus readers of this
Christmas Bestiary will find the traditional animals of
Christmas lore mingling with some of their less tradi-
tional brethren.
To better prepare you for the winter's tales to come,
we present herewith a field guide for Christmas beasts.
Abominable Snowman: Reputedly half-man and
half-ape, the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas
INTRODUCTION 9
was once presumed to be the fabled "missing link" of
the evolutionary chain. He stands taller by several feet
than the average human being, is covered from head
to toe by a dense thatch of fine body hair, and pos-
sesses extraordinary strength. Although the legend of
the Abominable Snowman, or yeti, is kept alive by
the Sherpa tribe that inhabits the valleys of Nepal, it
parallels the legend of Sasquatch, or Bigfoot (so
named because it leaves a footprint one-and-a-half
feet in length) of the American Pacific Northwest.
Some have proposed that Bigfoot is just an American
cousin of the yeti who crossed the Bering land bridge
during prehistoric times.
Basilisk: Also known as the cockatrice, the basilisk
is a small snake of Libyan origin supposedly bom of
a cock's egg that is hatched by a serpent. A fierce
killer whose name translates from the Greek as "little
king," its breath is said to scorch grass and burst
rocks. Its gaze is fatal, but can be turned back upon
it with a mirror. It is also vulnerable to the venom of
the weasel and the crow of the cock. A basilisk's dried
skin is prized for its power to repel snakes and spiders,
but the reckless adventurer who tries to kill one with
a spear will find its venom preternaturally endowed
with the ability to travel the length of the spear and
destroy its attacker.
Dragon: The dragon is a beast of variable shape and
disposition, A serpentine behemoth, it is frequently
portrayed as bat-winged, fire-breathing, and some-
times possessing many heads and/or lion's claws. Al-
though dragons can be found in the mythologies of
many different cultures, beneficent representations
tend to be Asian in origin. In China, for example, the
dragon is a symbol of power, fertility, and heaven (the
yang that balances the yin of Chinese cosmology). In
Western culture, the dragon is almost always associ-
10
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