A Fairy Godmother's Inner Life

When I first saw the Disney version of Cinderella, I was more interested in the Fairy Godmother than the girl who called her.

Let me quickly say, I have nothing against Cinderella. I know there’s a strong campaign out there against fairy tales in general because the romances are problematic. I think of them as more allegorical instead of aspirational. It’s how I’ve been able to write a blog called Fairytale Feminista without feeling my feminism is in any way questionable.

To return to the purpose of this post, I wanted to know what happened to the Fairy Godmother (I’m capitalizing her title because she didn’t have a name) after she sent Cinderella off to the ball. Or what about the three fairies that kept Aurora, the Sleeping Beauty, safe in the forest for all those years? Or the old man in the Golden Goose, for that matter, who told the Simpleton where to find his prize?

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We never learn more about the helpers in fairy tales. Whether the stories give them credit or not, the helpers are the reason many protagonists are able to realize their dreams. And yet we see them come into the story and just as quickly retreat from it. Movies and books seem obsessed with the inner workings of the villain. Where’s the interest in the secondary or tertiary characters who move the story?

Who would you like to see from fairy tales turned into a story? Are there any you can recommend?  

In the meantime, they say you should write the book you think is missing from the shelves. Stay tuned! 

Food & Fairy Tales

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I started to think about the relationship of food and fairy tales. Just a cursory look is a mixed bag. Food is a weapon, a threat, transportation, or an opportunity to change your life, just to name a few.

In Snow White, the evil queen’s last-ditch effort to rid herself of her stepdaughter is an apple. A poisoned apple. Hansel and Gretel is probably the scariest of the food references. After being abandoned by their father and mother, they come to a home made of candy and gingerbread only to be trapped by the witch inside who eats children!

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Cinderella needed a way to get to the prince’s ball and her fairy godmother created a carriage from a golden pumpkin. She also makes footmen and coachmen from various crawling animals. (Who knew there were lizards in France?) The Golden Goose never would have happened if Dummling (the youngest son) hadn’t shared his burnt biscuit and soured ale with a stranger, who used magic to improve the meal and find a gold egg laying goose for the generous young man.

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So what do we learn about food in fairy tales? Strangers offering food are suspect, but strangers willing to share your food might be magical. Gourds aren’t just for pie or cornucopias. And never, ever, eat someone’s house without expecting a hefty bill. Don’t know if these are rules to live by, but they’re a good starting point.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Fairy Tale Billing Switch

Ever wonder how fairy tales get their titles? Some make perfect sense like Cinderella or Snow White, but how about Jack and the Beanstalk? I understand Jack, but how does the vegetation get higher billing than say, the Giant? Or what about Rumpelstiltskin? He might be pivotal, but the woman (who they didn’t bother to name) has way more lines.

In 7^th grade I was enrolled in a performing arts middle school as a vocal music student. That year the drama department had students act out fairy tales. They had to write their own scripts, block movement, etc. It was their end of the year project. My boyfriend at the time was the lead in The Golden Goose. No, he wasn’t the goose, he was the simpleton who, after having read the story myself, seems to be simple only the sense that he was kind enough to share his only food and drink to a stranger after his brothers said no. My post isn’t about acts of kindness, although that could fill pages. It’s about a minor character—the princess.

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After hilarity ensues with people trying to steal the simpleton’s golden goose, he comes to a kingdom where the king has declared that the man who can make his daughter laugh can have her as his wife. Modern feminism aside, the far-fetched notion is typical of fairy tales.

(Keep in mind we’ve accepted a tailor who killed flies can fell a giant, a woman who has been kept in servitude only gets a reprieve when she asks for a dress to dance at a ball, and a small man who spins straw into gold thinks a first born is appropriate compensation for services rendered.)

No, what gets me is the fact that the princess wasn’t laughing until a man trailed by greedy people trying to grab a golden goose fell in front of her. What was going on in the kingdom? Was her home life bad? I assumed all sorts of things considering her father was willing to bargain her away if someone could make her chuckle. What did she suffer from? Personally, I think that’s the more interesting story. If anyone deserves a backstory, it’s the princess from the Golden Goose, a story that gives top billing to the MacGuffin.

Are there any fairy tales you've read where you wanted to know more about a secondary character? Do you wonder what kind of life the Giant lived before Jack pilfered his stuff? Why did we follow the spoiled princess who was forced to keep her promise to the frog when faithful Henry, his servant was the one who really loved him?

Simple Kindness is Golden

Ever get the feeling that rudeness in on the rise? I know it's not a new idea, but that doesn't mean it bears ignoring. Just like anything that requires correcting, it should be revisited.In fairy tales princesses and women who will be princesses are always praised for their quiet accommodation and politeness, which I have noted on more than a few occasions in the blog. However, I've been remiss. Civility isn't just a princess virtue.The story, The Golden Goose, by the Brothers Grimm tells the story of three brothers, the youngest of who is kind despite his family's scorn. Despite being given sour beer and a sooty biscuit, when he's approached by a stranger hoping to share, he does gladly. For his considerateness, he's given a golden goose. In the end, he wins the hand of an unhappy princess when he makes her laugh.It's rare when a gentle act from a man in fairy tales is rewarded. I'll admit that having to marry a man just because your father says the next man to make you laugh can have you is problematic at best, but it's one of the few instances I've found that has a male-centered story who doesn't have to kill or employ trickery to be rewarded. And he wasn't expecting a reward. He just wanted to help an old man in the forest. It's refreshing, in its way.I don't know if I have a conclusion for this post other than to state we should all try being a little kinder to each other. Happy Tuesday!