Everybody who loves stories will probably have grown up with fairy tales. I know I did.
- A lot of the famous authors we know and love today are fans of fairy tales. This includes the likes of C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett, and J.R.R. Tolkien. In fact, Charles Dickens said that fairy tales kept him ever young!
- When Little Red Riding Hood first came out, it was used for the purpose of warning children about the dangerous wild animals that lived in the woods.
- While we are on the subject of Little Red Riding Hood, let’s talk about the Roald Dahl version. She was not as helpless as she was in the origibnal story. She strikes back at the wolf!
- The very first Cinderella tale was recorded around AD 850 in China. She was known as Yehhsien. Her shoes were made of gold and she wore a dress made of kingfisher feathers.
- A lot of original tales are gruesome. They have been toned down and rewritten to appeal to the masses. For example, in Snow White, the evil queen was after Snow White’s heart in the Disney version. However, in the original tale, which was published in the Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the evil queen wanted to consume Snow White’s liver and lungs.
- You will find many of the stories that we know and love today in a book called Grimm’s Fairy Tales. This includes Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. Published back in 1812 it is a compilation of traditional German folktales put together by a pair of brothers; Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm.
I wanted to have a go at writing my own fairy tale. The Power of Love tells about a mother’s love and there is nothing as powerful that. When her son goes missing, she tries to reach him through music.
Or find out details of the book here.
Courtesey of the original article for #mothergooseday.
Karen J. Mossman 