Spotlight: Fairy Tales

Have you ever seen a plant that bears fruits of god? Have you ever seen dragons and knights? Have you stumbled upon dwarves and fairies in the forests? Or have you even seen the romantic story of a princess and prince? In the wonderful world of fairy tales, all of these things exist.

A fairy tale is a child’s first memory. Just the term ‘Once upon a time…’ takes us back to our childhood. Using characters that continuously delight us, they teach us lessons like how to be humble and to be brave. Moreover, fairy tales are timeless classics. These books were our bedtime stories for years and the theme of birthday parties even until today! Fairy tales, in general, are perfect examples of what one can produce with his or her imagination.

Some people may have asked, “What is a fairy tale?” G.K. Chersterton once said, “Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” Whereas Max Luthi said, “Fairy tales are experienced by their hearers and readers, not as realistic, but as symbolic poetry.” The origin of the word ‘fairy’ is from the Latin word ‘fatum’ meaning ‘to enchant’ and the French word ‘fee’ or ‘feerie’ meaning ‘illusion’. The origin of fairy tales is a matter that hasn’t been settled and what made scholars busy. Although there is still no origin to fairy tales, what has been discovered are four different theories on the origins of fairy tales:

1. Fairy tales are detritus of myth, surviving echoes of gods and heroes.

Scholars have noted that fairy tales have incidents that are quite similar to myths and legends.

2. Fairy tales are myths of Sun, Dawn, Thunder, Rain, etc.

This is also called the Sun-Myth or Aryan theory promoted by Max Muller and the Grimm. According to the theory, fairy tales were primitive man’s experiences with nature. They were poetic and had underlying messages. The fairy tales were orally transmitted to generations until it spread to different countries. Since fairy tales were orally transmitted, the tellers had the power to change the story without the audience knowing.

3. Fairy tales all arose in India, they are part of the common Aryan heritage and are to be traced by the remains of their language.

This theory is somewhat similar to the Sun-Myth theory except in this theory, fairy tales come from the Vedas, the sacred Sanskrit books of Buddhism. This theory, like the Sun-Myth theory, was promoted by Max Muller and Sir George Cox.

4. Fairy tales owe their origin to the identity of early fancy

Man had very little control of the world. The world gradually changed and so did fairy tales. Ideas and motifs were borrowed from distant lands and as people changed, so did their stories. It wasn’t just passed on to a person to another but also to different generations and cultures.

Fairy tales are the stories that touched thousands of lives years and years before. They became a means of understanding the distant lands, hopes, fears, dreams and thoughts that touched thousands of lives. These stories helped people go through unimaginable poverty. These stories tell the history of cultures and humans in a way that we can’t. They connect us to each other without us knowing it. While the Europeans may seem to have little to do with Asia, they can still pass the Cinderella story between them.

There are so many interpretations of fairy tales today. This is what makes it interesting actually. Because of those many interpretations, it almost seems like a puzzle piece that has so many parts that were created and added by different people.

Thanks to bella heart shawnee and harry styles. for editing this piece!