“While the written fairy tales may have emerged as late as the 17th century, some of the stories date back to as early as 4,000 years ago! Back then, people had no hesitations about violence in tales for young people, in fact it was written for a mature audience.” // HEADER PHOTO: The Fairy Woods, Henry Meynell Rheam, 1903.

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essay, may 24



Long before textbooks and lectures, fairy tales weave themselves into the fabric of our consciousness. They act as blueprints, shaping our understanding of good, evil, and the roles we play in society. The magical characters become our tutors, teaching us the social and moral codes. The prominent theme is inducing fear and submission: if we do not become good, then evil will destroy us; we need to grab the first option to be happy (“once in a lifetime” opportunity), otherwise we will drown in chaos. As we grow up, we forget the terror—the wicked witches and their malice—and instead remember the romantic archetypes, the heroic prince looking to save the princess from her distress. We grow up romanticizing these tales, forgetting the primal fear they once instilled. Let’s begin with the basics, shall we?

What are the bones of a fairy tale?

The cliche beginning “once upon a time/a long time ago.” An array of mixed characters: good, wicked, and wise, the royal subjects and the plebeians. Magic, a desire for change, a journey, a rescue and the ending, a happily ever after.

Most of us growing up have read fairy tales as bedtime stories, classroom texts or just friends sharing interesting stories. I have loved so many myself. When my daughter turned two, I decided to buy Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales (1904). Holding the book at the bookstore felt quite adventurous; I was holding a book of 700-plus pages, and I knew I hadn’t read even a quarter of these tales. Few days later when I sat to read it, the happy and satisfied feeling dialed down after every page, to the point that I could not continue.

What was so awful that I couldn’t bring myself to read anymore?

All the stories have dark elements: murder, betrayal, treachery, lies, and more. Trying to understand the reason behind this sobriety in the tales for young minds, I started with my online research to at least try to get to the bottom of this. Firstly, the simplest explanation is these short tales were not meant for children. Secondly, even if it was, the reality for our children is not the same as it was back then. In today's world, we are trying to create a sanctuary for our children, in the process we are hiding all the unpleasant and scary stuff, attempting to protect our children’s fresh, fragile minds. Now, we tend to focus more on the educational side of it. We read stories about anthropomorphic animals or things that teach us about all the good and the bad traits.

While the written fairy tales may have emerged as late as the 17th century, some of the stories date back to as early as 4,000 years ago! Back then, people had no hesitations about violence in tales for young people, in fact it was written for a mature audience. Sleeping Beauty has a variety of versions, in which the story is darker than Disney’s, some filled with rape, ordering the staff to kill the children and cook their flesh.

No matter the version we read, the gender disparity is obvious. American radical feminist writer Andrea Dworkin, in her book Woman Hating: A Radical Look at Sexuality (1974), discussed how the major female characters in the fairy tales are portrayed differently. For instance, the powerful, strong-willed females were the wicked, villain ones, the master of manipulation and trickery. Whereas the soft-hearted protagonists like Snow White and Cinderella are naïve and can only be rescued by their prince. In other words, the half-dead characters are revived by a true love’s kiss. Women with strong personas tend to be oppressive to the good, kind ones. Men are one-note heroes and conquerors.

In adapted and abridged versions of the fairy tales in movies, texts and books, the stories were toned down over successive editions to make them more suitable for children. Grimm Brothers played a pivotal role in collecting and preserving German folklore, even modifying them to tone down the violence. This trend of revised storytelling is evident in fairy tales from all across the globe. Aesop's fables, Andersen's fantastical creatures, the enchanting Arabian Nights, the folklore of Norway, Japan, Russia, and historical Bengal—all have gone through a similar transformation.

If you have read Blake’s Song of Innocence and Experience, published in 1794, you will know about the fragile, young boys employed as chimney sweepers. It was considered a more viable option (because they had small hands, and it was easier for them to clean) to keep their chimneys clean. Fairy tales and fables were written to shake the morality tales among those industrialists. Hence, the tales of fairies, kings, kingdoms, and naughty children going on adventures were for everyone, not just children. It was a depiction of how childhood’s obliviousness to adult realities was being ruined.

The past encultures our souls and minds over generations, through these fairy tales. Dworkin rightly pointed out that, “We ingested it as children whole, had its values and consciousness imprinted on our minds as cultural absolutes long before we were in fact men and women. We have taken the fairy tales of childhood with us into maturity, chewed but still lying in the stomach, as real identity.” Another theory is that fear has been a strong and powerful parenting tool for ages. As a ‘90s kid, I have grown to fear things which make no sense. Nowadays, children are not scared of being inquisitive anymore. Or maybe, we were the same as well. The only difference being, we were encouraged to fear things, whereas they are encouraged to explore.

Fairy tales have been used to both entertain and instill fear among the children to keep them out of certain situations or places for their own safety, at times to make them obedient. The question remains: Are they suitable for children? Do they lose their power to teach and entertain when we strip away the darkness? Perhaps the answer lies in finding a balance, where children can explore both the light and the shadow, learning valuable lessons while still enjoying the magic of these timeless stories. Fairy tales have undergone a remarkable evolution, from cautionary tales for all ages to fun bedtime stories. Their appeal lies in the enduring human struggle with good and evil, love and loss, and the desire for a happily ever after. Perhaps learning about cannibalism and scary creeps can be both traumatizing and insightful. As elders, we can help in navigating the children through this complex maze. This is where true learning begins—who we must be, our ethics and morals, and act out the roles we encounter.