Happily Ever After is not so Once Upon a Time

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." -C.S. Lewis 

When someone mentions fairy tales one of the first things that comes to mind is all of the Disney Princesses and their happily ever afters.  However, fairy tales, even today, include so much more than charming princes and magic potions.  They are stories of people that have extraordinary circumstances and overcome extreme obstacles.  And yes, of course, most of the time there is a love story involved.  In today's society these stories are uplifting and inspiring and maybe somewhat predictable.  Nonetheless, fairy tale endings were not always so expected.

Fairy tales have been around for centuries and centuries and even predate literacy.  In fact, the Grimm Brothers were possibly the most influential in the preservation and evolution of the fairy tale.  These men took the folklore that was circulation about the time and wrote them down, probably putting their own spin on them.  And as we know today, the stories written by the Grimm Brothers are gruesome and not everyone finds that happen ending that so characteristic of fairy tales.  In fact, some of the first tales were told not only to children but also to adults and were meant to teach a lesson. In ye olden days, these stories reflected the circumstances of the time.  As compared to now, the people in the fairy tales were more in control of their situations and their outcomes.  The good things that happened and the happy endings were earned rather than magically falling together.  The people of the times led rough lives and maybe through the stories found hope.  Hope is a common aspect of all fairy tales that circumstances will get better rather through cleverness and independence as in the old stories, or magic and luck as in the new stories.  In today's world there is less room for magic and extraordinary circumstances but yet we cling to fairy tales and retell them, see movies about them, buy princess merchandise, and visit theme parks.  There is the hope that life is more than what is seen and magical worlds with dragons once existed, possible still exist.  

The origins of these stories are unclear but maybe, once upon a time, there were real people and real events that inspired the tales and there trials and misfortunes were retold in order to serve as a warning for others.  One thing is clear, the more the stories were told the more they changed.  The more the times changed and the circumstances of the common folks changed the more the story altered to appeal to the audience.  Take for example the classic story of Cinderella.  There are many stories across many cultures across many centuries but one thing remains the same, Cinderella finds her prince.  

Fairy tales and magical endings are more important today than ever.  They hold so much history and culture from generations past to share with future generations.  Without fairy tales we would lose an important part of the inspiration for imagination.  Without imagination there is no hope and without hope there is no future.  Fairy tales are much more than Disney versions, they are everywhere in literature and all around in  every day life.  They are the bedtimes stories we tell, and the fantasy novels we read, and sometimes, the very lives we lead of adventure and yes, romance.  Everyone is affected by fairy tales rather they know it or not, no one can escape the magic, or the lessons learned.  Everyone deserves their happily ever after.  

"Why sometimes I've believed in as many as six impossible things before breakfast." -Lewis Carroll