Returning to Once Upon a Time: The Importance of Letting Yourself Believe in Happily Ever After
Introduction
“If I’m honest, I have to tell you: I still read fairytales, and I like them best of all.”
~ Audrey Hepburn
Fairytales have been part of the childhood experience since Walt Disney released the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, in 1937. Following Snow White’s success, Disney became a staple of children’s lives, providing us with tales of beautiful princesses, dashing heroes, and vanquished villains. The stories gave us high-flying adventures, couples that were ride-or-die for each other, diabolical schemes, and nail-biting clashes of unlikely heroes (and heroines) against the forces of evil. And at the end of each movie, the characters (and the audience) finally went off into the sunset to begin their much-deserved and well-earned happily ever after.
But, of course, what Disney provided us were adaptations. The original source material is a bit…different.
The Lessons of the Fairytale
The majority of us are probably closest acquainted with the plethora of stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and the writings of Danish author Hans Christian Anderson, but most if not all cultures around the world have fairytales embedded into their folktales. Vasilisa the Beautiful from Russian folklore tells of the titular character who, while performing an impossible errand on the orders of her wicked stepfamily, finds herself face-to-face with the cannibalistic witch Baba Yaga. Egyptian mythology holds claim to one of the earliest versions of the Cinderella-esque stories with the tale of Rhodopis. The Celtic countries alone have a plethora of fairytales, from Brittany’s Enori, the problem daughter to the Scottish tales of Tam Lin and Katherine Crackernuts.
Many of the Disney films we grew up watching are fondly infamous for delivering some brutal life lessons and a few unseemly death blows to the villains, both of which can be attributed (however loosely) to their original stories. Most fairytales have the main characters endure grueling, soul-wrenching tasks before they ever reach their happy ending, and stories like the Grimm brothers’ Cinderella and Snow White are well-known for taking bloody retribution against the antagonists. However, the ways in which original fairytales utilized harsh imagery, moments of intense despair, and physical damage to the characters had a different purpose than their film adaptations. Similar to the old boogeyman tales from their respective cultures, fairytales were designed to teach lessons.
✨Little Red Riding Cap and The Wolf and the Seven Kids taught children to be wary of strangers and their intentions.
✨ Snow White provided a warning against vanity.
✨ Rumpelstilskin and Puss in Boots demonstrated the value of cleverness and utilizing your resources wisely.
✨ Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, The Juniper Tree, Snow-White and Rose-Red, and Katherine Crackernuts are just a few of many stories that illustrate the value of compassion and how kindness is rewarded while wickedness is ultimately punished.
So, is that why we should still read fairytales–why we should still write fairytales? To learn simple lessons?
Well, I would personally argue that we could benefit from a few reminders on how to be kind, how to be clever and resourceful, and to keep our vanity in check. But, more importantly, but I believe the fairytale serves an even greater purpose for our modern world:
To believe in happily ever after again.
The Joy of Escapism
“Everything you look at can become a fairytale and you can get a story from everything you touch.”
~ Hans Christian Anderson
Disney films, however departed they may be from the source material, retain one key element of their fairytale origins: escapism.
One of the greatest pleasures from rewatching a Disney film–either with your kids or by yourself–is the opportunity to suspend disbelief for an hour or so and let yourself fall into a completely different world from reality. You live in a world where small woodland animals make splendid housecleaners, a harmonious love ballad is performed by fish and a flamingo chorus, and a great golden eagle flies a wide-eyed youth to the heavens. You laugh as the heroine explores a new world with intense fascination, shed a few tears at the hero’s moment of despair, hold your breath as the forces of good violently clash with evil, and finally cheer at true love’s first kiss.
In a world that is not always kind–often dark, cold, and suffocating–you sometimes find yourself longing to be anywhere else. Watching an old Disney film offers an easy escape route, but written stories shouldn’t be counted out. Fairytales offer the same level of escapism, and do so while inviting your imagination to create a movie in your mind, rather than watching it play across a screen.
So then, I encourage you to let yourself go into that place: the movie in your mind that brings fairytales to life as only your imagination can. Return to the foamy shores of the sea and try to glimpse the little mermaid’s devoted spirit finally ascend to Heaven. Follow Bearskin’s weary travels, admire his promised bride’s resilience and unwavering compassion, and celebrate their union. Reflect on the lessons embedded in Katherine Crackernuts’ devotion to her sister, her diligent care for a sick prince, and cheer the moment that her selfless deeds bring royal rewards.
Conclusion
“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”
~ G.K. Chesterton
Blood, sweat, and tears are shed on the road to happily ever after. We shed much of the same in our daily life. These lived experiences lend to the visualization of each character’s journey. We’ve felt the blisters forming on our skin after days and weeks of hard labor. We’ve dragged ourselves to another night, knowing a new day is going to bring the same-old struggles. We’ve gritted our teeth through unfair circumstances and unforeseen obstacles, and we’ve shed tears when a sudden blow from life shatters our heart. Spending time in the realm of fairytales can help you breathe again. Sometimes it can make you feel like a companion, walking alongside the protagonist, and other times it can make you feel like you’re the one with a friend joining you for the journey.
References
Children's Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter (Lerer, Seth. 1955)
The use of enchantment: The meaning and importance of fairytales (Bettelheim, B. 1989)
