For today’s post, I have decided to do an analysis of why my favorite fairytales appeal to me personally! I will be going over my five favorites Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, and The Little Mermaid. My first two favorite fairytales have long been my favorites, not to change places on this list. The other three are always on the list, but sometimes trade positions with one another. But for now, it is this ranking of my favorite fairytales!
Sleeping Beauty: The plot of Sleeping Beauty involves the primary character being put into a sleeping curse. This deathlike sleep allows the young woman to go through necessary changes by going deep into the subconscious and confronting deep emotions. It is this journey into the personal Underworld that will allow one to confront our inner traumas and do the needed Shadow Work. The inclusion of Faery energy, both in the more light and darker aspects, with both the nurturing figures and the villainous one being faeries!
Snow White: The plot of Snow White also involves this journey into the Shadow Self and personal Underworld via a sleeping curse. The power of magical mirrors as portals of faery energy also brings bonus points for me. The inclusion of apples, the sacred fruit of knowledge and sexuality are important to help with the transitions from one phase of life to another, the awakening of sexuality, and the confrontation of innate truths!
Beauty & the Beast: The appeal of Beauty & the Beast is something that I have already gone over in great detail during my recent Beauty & the Beast-themed Love Week. But I will note that although each of these is a romantic fairytale, this is the only one of my favorites that I adore for its romantic plot line. The relationship between Belle and the Beast is one built on the balance between the masculine and feminine and on seeing past the facade and into the heart of the matter! This is the most romantic of fairytales, as it is also the basic inspiration for many of the best love stories, with its roots in Greek mythological romance at its finest. The appeal is one of true love and true passion, love, and sexuality abound with this type of partnership of true soulmates and cosmic mates!
Rapunzel: The appeal of Rapunzel is like most of the tales on this list rooted in the evolution of the character. The release from bonds of restraint and conquering of fears is so impactful here. She is freed from her imprisonment and grows into the knowledge of the self that is required. The truth of her own inner strengths are presented by her overcoming major traumas when she is thrown out of her tower. In the original tale, she has to deal with raising children alone in the wilderness after having her hair cut until she finds her lover and heals his wounds. The happy family is reunited after she has become a fully formed woman!
The Little Mermaid: The appeal of The Little Mermaid is in the importance of going after your desires. She is willing to lose her own life in order to go after the life she desires, which in the original tale she does. Her loss of life in the original is not just because of her loss of love, but also because of her loss of the chance at an immortal soul. However, in the epilogue, she gets a chance to earn an immortal soul due to her morally upright actions. She becomes this spirit of the air who can earn a soul over time by doing good deeds for the living, kind of acting as a guardian angel. It is this drive to go for your desires and never give up that makes this tale truly evocative!
~I hope that you have enjoyed this analysis of the appeal of my favorite fairytales. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Further Reading
- Spinning Straw into Gold: What Fairy Tales Reveal About the Transformations in a Woman’s Life by Joan Gould
- Beauty and the Beast: Classic Tales About Animal Brides and Grooms from Around the World edited by Maria Tatar
- The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen
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