Various fairytales are regular subjects of discussion on this blog! These tales are very important to the development of our psyches (as we grow up) and to the development of culture (as they have influenced culture). I believe that fairytales teach us a lot.
Some of my favorite fairytales are Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid, and Snow White! Any fairytale that contains transformation and true love has my attention. There are so many layers to these age old stories, and when you trace them back to their oldest versions they are often incredibly dark.
Sleeping Beauty likely began with the story The Sun, The Moon, and Talia which is a much darker tale than any of the tales of Sleeping Beauty to follow. It contained rape as a main component, and giving birth to twins, all while still asleep! Later tales will go on to speak of true love’s kiss breaking the spell. The names of Briar Rose and Aurora were used long before Disney chose to name the princess Aurora, and Briar Rose being the name she was raised under (to protect her identity).
Beauty and the Beast is often seen as the most French of all the tales. The tale of the beautiful and loving daughter taking her father’s place in a beast’s castle is timeless. The story was given a fun twist in the television series Once Upon a Time where Belle and Rumpelstiltskin are in love!
Rapunzel is the story of a young woman held prisoner by a wicked witch to atone for the sins of her parents. In Disney’s Tangled the added layer of Rapunzel being a princess with truly magical hair is highly interesting! This is also one of the most fun Barbie doll fairytale characters to be made, as her hair actually grows!
The Little Mermaid was originally a tragic fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. Of course, the Disney version took the original tale and gave it a typically happy spin! Ariel was a free-spirit looking for love (much as Disney’s Rapunzel is a free-spirit)!
I hope you enjoy reading my fairytale centric blog posts, and I always welcome any and all comments! Thank you for visiting White Rose of Avalon!
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