2 April, 2016Hans Christian Andersen was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark, and each year, literature enthusiasts celebrate his birthday. Andersen’s more than 160 fairy tales gave the world so many memorable characters and stories, several of which would go on to be retold in movies, television, and books. From The Little Mermaid to the Steadfast Tin Soldier, Hans Christian Andersen stories have stood the test of time.
Read more
Wilhelm Grimm, of the popular storytelling duo the Grimm Brothers, was born this day in 1786. He and his brother Jacob are known for their amazing collection of fairy tales, with stories like Snow White and Rapunzel. The two were historians and researchers who began collecting tales for publication. Many of these stories are retold over and over today, appearing in adaptations in the form of novels, movies, television shows, and even stage plays. You may think you know some of…
J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and several other books, created a fantasy world beyond compare. The legacy of his novels lives on in film, likely because of the rich world he invented. As a fan of fairy tales and folklore, J.R.R. Tolkien was greatly influenced by these stories in his own work.
A tale as old as time, Beauty and the Beast has been around since the 1700’s and was authored by Gabrielle-Suzanne Bardot de Villeneuve, then expanded upon by Jeannie-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. You’ve seen this story on stage, in film, and in books, but do you know how it first started, and the real tale of the Beast?
Google is celebrating fairy tale author Charles Perrault’s 388th birthday today with a series of three beautifully-illustrated Google Doodles. Perrault is the creator of some of your favorite fairy tales and was born January 12, 1628. As the author of Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots, Perrault has been considered “the father of the fairy tale.”
The world of fairy tales has a list of familiar items that we associate with stories such as golden geese and talking cats, however, there’s another fairy tale item that you may not notice in stories. It’s the magic bag, and it does all kinds of wondrous things.
If you read fairy tales often, or remember hearing a few as a child, you may recognize this famous literary character. A boy named Jack. He comes up in tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack and the Giant Killer and Lazy Jack. Fairy tales, folklore and even nursery rhymes are full of tales of a lad named Jack. You may have read his exploits, as his stories often appear in children’s story collections, but do you know Jack?
Christmas Day has its own special traditions around the world, and we can say the same about fairy tales that feature Christmas. You can find stories about the season from a variety of authors, and you might even find a few you’ve never read before.
The phrase “Once upon a time” is something you’ll often find in a fairy tale, however, there’s another common element that you may’ve noticed in these rich stories. The pattern of three is all over fairy tales and folklore originating from various regions, but have you ever wondered why?
When we think about fairy tales, we often think of the animal characters that are often just as important as the human characters. One particular animal that appears in stories often is the cat. The feline has won its spot in the literary field because of its clever nature, and has appeared in stories from England, Iceland, Germany and many more.
