fairy tale fridays

Once upon a time...

I tried to post a fairy tale, with commentary, every Friday. It's sort of fallen apart lately (an increase in workload has really cut into my research and posting time), but all the fairy tales I have done will be archived here; updating the archive is a bit arduous, but it's happening. I'm posting just fairy tales again, too; commentary will come as time allows. The commentaries vary in length and depth, and I ask that readers recognise they are my interpretation only. All errors are my own.

Why fairytales? To me, fairytales are really the core of each story. Ever heard of the Seven Basic Plots? I think they're best illustrated in the fairytale and, to a lesser extent, in folktales and fables. These stories show us archetypes every writer should recognise; they address--sometimes exemplifying, sometimes vilifying--most parts of human nature, from the most noble to the most base; and they have a sort of fascination to them. Despite the popular adage, good doesn't always win in fairytale land.

A few of the tales listed here are not technically fairy tales but legends. If you don't tell, I won't.

I'll be looking at stories from a variety of sources; if you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me. Unless otherwise noted, tellings are my own (a great way to work through fits of writer's block)--if you'd like to use one, again, email me.