Happily ever after…
I am a lover of fairy tales…
The ones that were read to you when you were young. The ones that made you believe in magic. The ones that made you believe that there are fair maidens to be saved, dragons to be slayed, kingdoms to be won, quests to be embarked on, treasures to be found.
Fairy tales makes us believe we are all one with the world, that the angsana tree you pass on your way to school understands you when you speak to it, that the cat you passed in the streets might secretly be a witch in disguise, that all rivers lead to some hidden paradise, that there are civilized underwater empires, treasure filled underground caverns with bearded dwarves, magical kingdoms to be found… if you only know where to look.
That since everything was possible “once upon a time”, it can happen again… if you just take the bother to look.
But fairy tales have not always been this way. They were not written for children. They were meant to be told around fire places when travelling at night. They were meant to horrify and terrify, and the amusement they provided were strictly for adults only.
I’m talking about the tales of Snow Drop , Ashputtel , Rose-Bud and Rumpelstiltskin. Or as they are better known to us…. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and ermm… well, Rumpelstiltskin. Their tales are not of rosy sunsets, peace and forgiveness, Prince Charmings and all talking all singing animals. Not all the way, anyway. Their tales are tales of revenge and deceit. Of blood and tears and terrible vengence.
This is a wonderful link to the stories of Snow White and Cinderella…. The uncensored version
http://www.snn-rdr.ca/snn/june2001/fairytale.html
and here’s a great quiz that tests your knowledge of these fairy tales
So true. What would our days be like without a little touch of said magic? You, dear ears, have given me my very own fairytale to tell
*mush*
Indeed, fairy tales are hardy ever as simplistic as they are made out to be.
What’s also interesting to note is that – not only were the Grimms’ tales usually quite violent – but that many, like Cinderella, went through five or six versions under the Brothers Grimm until they reached us in the forms they are today.
Hi Dae! Nice to see a fellow lover of fairy tales too. Just got my hands on this book of “original” fairy tales. Great stuff. Watch this space!