Fairytales (and folktales)

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I'm not sure this is the right place, but I'm not sure if there's a better one. I've seen barely any talk about fairy tales or folk tales. on the forum, but I'd think someone of 20,000 people would be interested.

If you are, what are your favorites? Why do you like your favorites, or fairy/folk tales in general? Do you write anything influenced by them?

For me, there are several. I like Godmother Death. The Grimm brother's version is Godfather Death, but my favorite is the first I read, Godmother Death, based on a Mexican version of the tale. I like it for the beautiful, mournful atmosphere, which scared me as a child. This gives it nostalgia factor. I also have my own sort of version in my head which I like.

I love interesting, vivid imagery, which is found in all of these, but Hans Christian Andersen's The Nightingale is one of the best examples. The Nightingale's also very emotional stirring and has wonderful atmosphere.

What I like is the room for imagination and changes fairy tales leave. I've come up with many of my story ideas based on them, particularly Cinderella since there are already so many versions of that around. (Unfortunately, like much of my writing, it's never well developed enough to write out more than just scenes of the story.)

That's about it, really. Your thoughts? (You may notice I focused more on fairytales. I have more to say on them, but I'm still interested to hear anything about folk tales.)

The Stinky Cheese Man.

I love fairy tales! Especially old Slavic ones.

My favourite story is the Velveteen Rabbit but I'm not sure if that counts as a fairy tale

I remember reading the Velveteen Rabbit as a kid!

I have Grimm's Fairy Tales but I'm not very fond of them. To me it seems like the same "lessons" rehashed over and over. I've only put a dent in it though so if someone can suggest a good one I'll read it and if it changes my mind..

Well, I wouldn't limit yourself to Grimm tales. I've only read a few, but I can't name any that made a big impression on me. I also get what you're saying about lessons - most fairy tales deliver lessons on virtue throughout the story. But they are somewhat subtle. I don't like heavy handedness at the end of stories either. They're also all German tales (albeit sometimes based on stories from outside the country), while there are many flavors of fairy tales across the globe. For example, I don't know much about Russian fairy tales, but I get the impression that they are bizarre. Especially Vasilisa the Beautiful - it involved a creepy animate doll, and a witch with a house on chicken legs who went around with a mortar and pestle. (I think there might be a pattern here - I like things bizarre and creepy.)

Anyway, a good site which offers many online is www.surlalunefairytales.com. I'll have to second what I already recommended, and add The Twelve Dancing Princesses. There you might also check out modern re-tellings on the site. Admittedly I've read less of these, but that might be more your thing.

Another thing to look for are fairy tales that intersect your interests or themes you like in writing. I've dug around for myself and managed to find ones involving snakes, angels, devils, the underworld and such which I tend to like. But if you want to do that, it might be a good idea to expand into folk tales.

Anyway, just curious what drew you to fairy tales? Boredom, nostalgia, expanding your horizons, hearing about their gruesomeness? But honestly, if you're not enjoying fairy tales I wouldn't force them on yourself.

Anyway, to Postures, can you recommend any slavic fairytales?

Hmmm. I have an interest in Scandinavia, do you like the stories that come from there?

This thread made me smile. I don't know many, though. Mostly the brownie story that was told in Girl Scouts. A play off of Grimms' elves.

I was visited by a Fairy when I was 5, does that count?
Its allways made me feel a bit special, though I still dont know why such a thing happened to me.

Harp and carp, Thomas, she said,
Harp and carp along with me.

i crave fairytales one great fav is Aladdin and the lamp! .. also not sure why i can't get enough of them .. they seem attuned to my mind somehow .. ??

Heh, me too, though I was seven when it happened.
I love the creepy horror storyness of Baba Yaga, the wicked Russian witch, who lives in a house with chicken legs that runs around the dark forests. She also flies on a metal dustpan, and steals children from their beds. She stalks their nightmares.

I also love the French "Renard the Fox" tales, and old Irish "fairy" tales like "the King of the Cats."

Anyone remember the name of a really cool film based on the story of Red Riding Hood? It was full of adolescent angst and prepubescent fears. Similar type of film, if I remember the name, to "Paper House."

Ginger Snaps is another film where fairy tale/nightmare takes that stride into horror.

I like Kipling's Just So Stories.

We had on the shelf a thick book full of maybe over a hundred folk tales from everywhere - Fiji to Brazil to China to Turkey. Loved it. A lot of the Polynesian ones were weird but really interesting. Some of the northwest coast Indian ones were just alien.

Still have the book.

Me too (except I think it was more kid/storyteller oriented it sounds like), I read the stories over and over. At one point when I was younger I told my dad to get rid of it because supposedly I wasn't a kid anymore. Fortunately when I asked for it years later I found out he kept it.