The Star Money

Book excerpt: The European Fairy Tales Series Vol 4 This series explores a different fairy tale in each volume. Every book begins with a discussion exploring some of the history, culture, and mythos that influenced the fairy tale, followed by the author's rendering of the story. "The Star Money" discusses a European version of the concept of Karma. In order to understand the connection, ancient Indo-European cultural history is discussed. The Germanic concept of "Wyrd," (fate or destiny), was already discussed on Volume I of this series. This volume builds off of that and explores the view of fate and harmony within the indigenous Baltic belief system. This, like the others in the series, is richly illustrated throughout.