HIDDEN INSTINCTS Below the surface of folklore and fairy tales hides the forgotten instinctual soul of the wild woman archetype, and while the morality of these tales may be questionable, I believe they are the trigger in bringing the forgotten instincts to the surface. The stories can bring empowerment as we interpret them to understand why we have lost our instincts and guide us in our transformation back to this forgotten self. This paper will discuss the connection between the wild woman and the tales, along with some of the stories (Estés, 1992). Fairy Tales and Folklore We are all aware of the Disneyfied versions of fairy tales and folklore; however, long before Walt Disney, the stories were much darker with sex, violence, murder and …show more content…
Sadly he hides her sealskin. Therefore, she has to stay with him. In Estés version, it is their son who eventually finds the sealskin and gives it to his mother. His mother is thankful as she has begun to wither away after being away from the protection of her sealskin for so long. Upon her return to her sealskin and the sea, she once again becomes full of life and vitality, which shows that you cannot ignore what your soul needs to thrive (1992, chap. 9). I feel we can all locate that home when we find whatever it is that puts us into that state of mind where we are free and fully alive. At the same time by keeping the things that take our “sealskin” away from us to a minimum while encouraging what makes us feel alive is what I believe the hidden meaning is in this story. In the long run, if you do not answer that restlessness or find ways to nurture your spirit, you will be suffocating yourself slowly until you wilt away, much as the Selkie does when her sealskin is …show more content…
Because of the violence, they have been modified to be used for entertainment purposes, essentially stripping them of the evilest parts. Tales that contained lessons about the ordeals and misfortunes of everyday life were changed to fit the morals suitable to current periods. As an example, in the Grimm’s original version of Cinderella the stepsisters chose to each cut off parts of their foot to attempt to fit into the shoe (Carnegie Mellon, n.d.) though you will find nothing about this in the current stories. Researching any fairy tale or folklore story will show you many different versions as they change to fit the morality of each generation. While the viciousness of the original stories would never be allowed in today’s culture, the fundamental meanings behind them stay the same and will continue to guide us if we enable ourselves to understand the hidden symbolism in
She feels constricted to her husband and feels as if she is restrained by him. She also feels isolated to herself because she feels finally free. She does not want to escape the happiness and freedom that is building up inside of her. In the passage, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a mariner, stranded on a boat, has to find hope and redemption through being isolated. After taking the time to dwell on his wrongdoing, the mariner finally understands he must pray to rid of his pride.
In his evaluation of Little Red Riding Hood, Bill Delaney states, “In analyzing a story . . . it is often the most incongruous element that can be the most revealing.” To Delaney, the most revealing element in Little Red Riding Hood is the protagonist’s scarlet cloak. Delaney wonders how a peasant girl could own such a luxurious item. First, he speculates that a “Lady Bountiful” gave her the cloak, which had belonged to her daughter. Later, however, Delaney suggests that the cloak is merely symbolic, perhaps representing a fantasy world in which she lives.
In order to appeal to today’s audience, Disney had to change aspects of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales to fit the audience’s modern day ideals. Any form of entertainment is written for a specific audience. The time period between when the Grimm Brothers were writing to now has seen many changes which alter the way stories are told. In the 1800s, when the Grimm Brothers wrote their fairy tales, people passed down stories through word of mouth. It was a simple time,”They continue to live in such a way that nobody ponders whether they are good or bad, poetic or crude… And they take pleasure in them without having any reason” (Grimm Brothers page xxvi). People absorbed what they heard which did not require reading deeply into each story. Each
For centuries, the tales that capture the youth of society or the adult 's mind are continually under speculation. To whom do the fairy tales of our literature belong, and have they been disassembled from their true meanings? Jack Zipes ' Breaking the Disney Spell and Donald Hasse 's Yours, Mine, or Ours? essays focus on the answers to this pressing question.
The Grimm’s fairy tales, however became their most famous piece of work. The Brothers never intended the stories to be for children, “The Grimm’s thought the stories and their morals emanated naturally from the German people in an oral tradition, and they wanted to preserve them before the tales were lost forever. In gathering the tales, the Grimm’s made a unique contribution to folklore.” (Zipes). The stories routinely included sex, violence, incest, and copious footnotes.
If children or adults think of the great classical fairy tales today, be it Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella, they will think Walt Disney. Their first and perhaps lasting impression of these tales and others will have emanated from Disney film, book, or artefacts (Zipes 72)
Fairy tales were a big part of my childhood. I started my research on fairy tales written by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm. Fairy tales often have a character that goes on a journey or an adventure. During his journey he encounters mystical beings that help or hurt the characters success. When I was a child, my grandparents would tell my sister and I stories like “Jack and the Bean Stalk” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. My grandfather would always act out the part of the wolf or the giant, while my grandma told the story. The fairy tales by the brothers Grimm were very popular and some were retold by Disney. But Disney’s versions were much less graphic than the original tales.
While we are all aware of the Disneyfied versions of fairy tales and folklore, however, long before Walt Disney, the stories were not so
When the word “fairytale” is mentioned, nearly everyone thinks of light-hearted stories with friendly characters and happy endings. However, these are not the ideas that classic fairytales originally sparked. In fact, numerous modern Disney movies were based off stories that were not so sugar coated. In the 19th century, the Brothers Grimm were responsible for multiple of these popular children’s tales. The Disney remakes of classic fairytales such as Cinderella, Tangled, and Snow White exclude the dark, twisted themes that are significant in the Brothers Grimm fairytales, because society tendencies continue to evolve toward sheltering and overprotecting young children.
In Feminism and Fairy Tales, Karen E. Rowe asserts that “popular folktales” have “shaped our romantic expectations” and “illuminate psychic ambiguities which often confound contemporary women.” She believes that “portrayals of adolescent waiting and dreaming, patterns of double enchantment, and romanticizations of marriage contribute to the potency of fairy tales” makes “many readers discount obvious fantasy elements and fall prey to more subtle paradigms through identification with the heroine.” As a result, Karen Rowe contends “subconsciously women may transfer from fairy tales into real life cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues suggest that culture’s very survival depends upon a woman’s acceptance of roles which relegate her to motherhood and domesticity.” It is undeniable that numerous folk tales implant male chauvinism into women’s minds and thus convey an idea that woman should obey and depend on men. However, Rowe neglects the aspect that many other folk tales, on the contrary, disclose the evil and vulnerable sides of man and marriage and thus encourage women to rely on their own intelligence and courage other than subordinating to man. The Fairy tales “Beauty and Beast” and “Fowler’s Fowl” challenge Rowe’s thesis to some extent and exemplify that some fairy tales motivate women to be intelligent and courageous and to challenge patriarchy.
At this point the Grimms were starting to edit the stories to do away with the violence and sexuality that was part of the original tales. For example, in the original version of Rapunzel, an evil witch holds Rapunzel captive in a tower. One day, a prince visits her in secret. He later escapes without alerting the witch, but Rapunzel reveals the secret when she innocently asks why her dress doesn't fit anymore. For some reason, it's now too tight around the belly.
Over the years, fairytales have been distorted in order to make them more family friendly. Once these changes occur, the moral and purpose of the stories begin to disappear. The tales featured in the many Disney movies - beloved by so many - have much more malignant and meaningful origins that often served to scare children into obeying their parents or learning valuable life lessons.
Tatar, M. (1987). Sex and Violence: The Hard Core of Fairy Tales. The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy tales (p. 3). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
The Grimm brothers were motivated to change the stories up a bit as their tales captivated more people. They incorporated a softer side with a primary moral of the story for the readers (GrimmFairytales.com). It is from these original Grimm versions that modern fairytales, such as Cinderella, originated from. The original version, published in 1812 portrays Cinderella as a poor child who lost her beloved mother; she lived a life of misery as a result of this death. Her father remarried and took on a new life, letting the evil stepsister torment Cinderella.
...s, J (1988) a scary thought considering that most of us believe that these Fairy Tales are wholesome moral messages crucial for a child’s development. Which brings me to my next point.