Telling children's and household fairy tales

What significance do fairy tales have today?

The original meaning of fairy tales

In their original form, fairy tales were told among adults – as accounts of events that were said to have really happened. In doing so, the fairy tales served not only as entertainment while people sat together, but also reinforced the ideas of morality and proper behavior – in fairy tales, after all, everyone who does wrong receives their just punishment. At a time when illnesses or failed harvests often meant a death sentence, fairy tales provided comfort and also helped to make the inexplicable comprehensible.

Are fairy tales still relevant today?

The idea that every problem in the world ends in a happy wedding at the king's castle may seem a bit unrealistic to many parents. But that's exactly what fairy tales are about – not the familiar, but the inexplicable and magical make up the appeal of fairy tales. Children create their own images of the story and find many motifs in them that also play an important role in today's society: Friendship and civic courage, respect for nature and "proper" behavior regardless of what others do. This characteristic – the combination of the fantastic with the everyday – makes fairy tales timeless for children and adults.

Grimm's Fairy Tales – the best-known German fairy tale collection

Grimm's Fairy Tales are a household name in the German-speaking world and far beyond. To this day the brothers Jacob Ludwig Grimm (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786–1859) are regarded as the creators of the tales. In fact, however, they did not compose the tales themselves that they published in their "Collection of Children's and Household Tales" in three volumes between 1812 and 1822, but painstakingly gathered and wrote down orally transmitted narratives. The two brothers were not only concerned with fairy tales and German and international legends. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were, first and foremost, linguists who published important works on linguistics and the development of the German language. To this day the Brothers Grimm are counted among the founders of German studies as it is taught today.

Kinder Hausmärchen | Image | Märchensammlung

Are Grimm's Fairy Tales suitable for children?

Fairy tales for children? Only with the Brothers Grimm and their famous "Collection of Children's and Household Tales" did the orally transmitted tales become children's tales. Before the 18th century they were primarily told among adults. Even today many parents doubt whether fairy tales are really suitable to tell to children. Many scenes seem too gruesome and too brutal: the wolf has his belly slit open and filled with stones, the prince who wanted to free Rapunzel gouges out his eyes on sharp thorns and wanders blind and miserable for years – this and similar things happen in most of Grimm's tales.

Personal conception of the fairy tale: When children hear fairy tales, they do not picture the action in realistic images as adults might. They create their own, fairy-tale–inspired world of images in which the seemingly scary details of the story are not frightening. This is the major difference between orally told or read-aloud fairy tales and fairy-tale films, in which the wicked witch suddenly seems very realistic and frightens many children.

Fairy tales fit into children's everyday life:The Children's and Household Tales not only address the magical and unexpected but also emotions every child knows: fear and bewilderment, courage, joy and relief. Moreover, the stories are easy to understand because good and evil are generally clearly separated. All this makes the fairy-tale world easy for children to grasp and encourages them to form their own image of a story.

More fairy tales: tips for enjoyable children's fairy tales

Andersen's fairy tales: The tales of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen are world-famous. Among the best-known are "Thumbelina", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid" and "The Snow Queen".
Russian fairy tales: Many Russian fairy tales became known through the legendary fairy-tale films of the GDR, for example "Father Frost". Russian fairy tales often have animals or nature as their theme.
Fables: The short animal stories also appeal to children who do not yet fully understand the moral behind the fable.