6/4/2015
Still have not located book but thank you all for trying to help. A special thanks to Hypnosifl and scary who have provided the best leads for this extremely elusive book.
Okay I'm going to just start off by saying it is not by The Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen or Andrew Lang. I have read through all of their works that I could find online, bought a supposed complete collection of the Grimm's books, so unless it is some obscure forgotten tale by any of them please don't point me there.
Some back story:
I was at a daycare where an older lady (50+ years) noticed I read a lot and asked if I would be interested in a old book of fairy tales. I said yes and she brought it in. She warned me to be careful, for it was very old. It was filled with dark illustrations and the tales where morbid, more morbid than any other fairytale book I have read, including all the authors listed above.
Now on to some stories from it that I remember:
The book contains a retelling or translated version of "The green mist" by Marie Clothilde Balfour
It also contains some version of "Catherine and her Destiny". I think this was also one of the stories in the book, a girl was visited by something I believe it came through her window she was most likely a princess or some other form of nobility anyway it asked her a question along the lines of "would you rather live a easy young life and a hard old one or a hard young life and a easy old one" she answered "well I suppose I would like a hard young life and a easy old one that way I have something to look forward to because I know the hard times won't last". That night her kingdom was attacked and her family murdered she somehow ended up in slavery or just working really hard somewhere, she lived a long time that way until she married a man I'm not sure if he was her owner or how they met but they fell in love and then she was reunited with her mother and maybe a sibling and they rejoiced for the hard times had come to an end.
There was a woman who would lie a lot and exclaim, "if I'm lying may the world open up and swallow me whole"; one day it did.
There was a girl who was dying and wished to live long enough to see some flowers bloom, and I think they where growing outside her window. A woman, her mother I think, told her not to wish that and was scared for her because she thought some evil things might hear her. Well I guess they did, and they made her better. She got well, fell in love, and one day her lover unknowingly picked the flowers growing outside her window and made them into a crown that he placed on her head. She freaked out and the next morning or shortly afterwards she was found dead in her bed and she was as dry and lifeless as the flowers she clutched in her hand.
I recalled another one of the short stories but please read carefully. I have found versions of the tale over and over but its not the same one. You've probably heard of this one A man cuts of a cat or some beasts paw and the next day he notices his wife is missing a hand. Except in this version I think there were two shecat/witch/beast/women. There also was a boat chase that led them to an island where the women died. There may have only been one woman I apologize for my hazy memory. I know for sure it contained the witch going across water fleeing on a boat.
There where many short stories in the book if I remember more I will update. The illustration I most remember was a forest or something. I remember this really creepy tree. I hope I provided enough information. Thank you for your time.
I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to view this though I really hope someone could give me answers soon as it seems I'll likely never find this book.
There is a possibility that it contained legends or myths in the title but I wouldn't put much credit in it.
