Questions tagged [fairy-tales]
For questions relating to the origin or meaning of Fairy Tales
14 questions
4
votes
1
answer
68
views
Is there a Donkeyskin variant that involves a tunneling magic bed?
Wikipedia reports that Griechische und Albanesische Märchen contains a Greek Donkeyskin variant that involves a burrowing bed.
In a Greek variant from Epeirus collected by Austrian consul Johann ...
- 933
1
vote
3
answers
302
views
When did many kinds of Fairies become small statured or tiny?
In popular culture and folklore, many species of Fairies are said to have a small true form (but can alter their size whenever they see fit)
I was wondering when did this occur? Did the original myths ...
- 397
3
votes
0
answers
210
views
Why does the witch invoke "Zachiel" in "Jorinde and Joringel"?
In the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale "Jorinde and Joringel", the witch who has captured Jorinde and Joringel seems to cast a magic spell, as seen in the following excerpt:
Joringel could ...
- 161
2
votes
1
answer
155
views
How should "Bensiabel" be pronounced?
Bensiabel is the son of the witch and an instrumental character in the fairy tale Prunella (Andrew Lang, "Grey Fairy Book").
I've been trying to figure out how his name is meant to be ...
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
84
views
Which version of Little Gold Star or the Three Fairies involved a donkey tail?
I'm trying to find a version of The Three Fairies (or it may have been a retelling of Cinderella) in which an evil sister gets a donkey tail placed on her forehead. By contrast, the kind protagonist ...
1
vote
0
answers
102
views
What's the most accurate translation of Sneedronningen, a.k.a The Snow Queen?
What's the most accurate translation of Sneedronningen, a.k.a The Snow Queen? I'm seeing conflicting details in the translations I've seen. But it seems that versions which call the mirror-maker the ...
- 933
8
votes
1
answer
522
views
Are there tales where people are turned into rats?
In Cinderella, the fairy godmother turns a rat into a coachman, but while I have read many tales where people are turned into other kinds of animals -- crows, wolves, swans, bears, frogs -- I haven't ...
- 996
4
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Myths/folktales/fairytales of areas/buildings/objects that disappear and reappear at fixed intervals?
I remember back when I was young that I saw an episode of Smurfs featuring a castle that disappears and reappears each few centuries and when, more recently, I thought about the whole concept of ...
user5459
2
votes
1
answer
197
views
Folktales or Fairy Tales in Native Language (if any exist anywhere)
Wondering what the languages are where there do exist resources of folktales / fairy tales written down in the native language. I think I may have found some in Celtic here, such as this:
I am not ...
- 445
9
votes
4
answers
394
views
Original Celtic, Old English, Old Norse, or Gothic Texts Online
Wondering if there are any original-ish documents in the original Celtic, Old English, Old Norse, or Gothic (or other related languages), telling of any of the myths or fairy tales or stories that ...
- 445
4
votes
0
answers
876
views
What is the folkloric origin of "el príncipe azul"?
In Spanish, the folkloric character who would in English be called "Prince Charming" is known as Príncipe Azul, the Blue Prince.
The Spanish Wikipedia claims that the origin is from a Romanian ...
- 1,266
6
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Was Rumplestiltskin intended as a Jewish caricature?
In a reworking of the Rumplestiltskin folktale, novelist Elizabeth Bunce notes the following:
The anti-Semitic overtones of the Grimm version are deeply disturbing to
me—and should be to any modern ...
- 1,266
4
votes
0
answers
330
views
What is the original version of "Little Red Riding Hood"?
There is a certain version of "Little Red Riding Hood" that some authors claim to be "the original" version. For example in the Sandman comic:
Or from the movie Jin Roh.
A quick search on ...
- 245
5
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Who and what are the winged "faries" that feature in fairytale?
Winged "fairies" often feature in fairytale, and a good example would be the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. However, as, this link points out, the term "fairies " does not necessarily refer to the ...
user1385