What’s the Point of Fairy Tales?
Last weekend I sat down with a long-awaited treat—The Tales of Beedle the Bard. If you’ve read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or watched the movie, then you’ll recognize The Tales of Beedle the Bard as the book of wizarding-world fairy tales containing “The Tale of the Three Brothers” (who owned the Deathly Hallows).
Before I tell you what I thought of the book, I think we have to answer one essential question. What’s the point of fairy tales?
Like all stories, fairy tales are meant to entertain, but that’s secondary. Unlike today’s novels, their main purpose is to give a moral in a way the audience will remember. They exist to teach a clear lesson.
In this, the stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard only partially succeed.
I can hear the argument now. Yes, but The Tales of Beedle the Bard are supposed to be fairy tales for wizarding children, not Muggles. People can’t actually perform magic, so you can’t expect a moral for us.
Paranormal romance author Kait Nolan (who I interviewed last year on her YA fairy tale reboot Red) pointed out in her excellent “What Makes a Fairy Tale?” post that what sets fairy tales apart is that magic or some kind of enchantment is basically required as part of the story. That magic doesn’t lessen the need for a universal truth. “Variations of the same stories can be heard all over the world,” Kait wrote, “because they spark something in our imaginations and hearts, such that we’re still telling stories that originated hundreds of years ago.”
Magic, enchantments, and witches show up all the time in fairy tales. The Tales of Beedle the Bard aren’t unique in that way. And they’re not exempt from needing to teach a lesson to anyone who reads them.
Okay, you might say, but The Tales of Beedle the Bard are just supposed to be something fun and extra for people who loved the Harry Potter books.
I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. (Don’t believe me? I ate Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.)
Part of what made the Harry Potter series popular was we could still relate to the stories even though we couldn’t perform magic and would never need to fight a dark wizard. The stories and characters transcended the details of the magical world to tell a story of a boy who longed for a family that loved him, who just wanted to fit in, who struggled to figure out the line between right and wrong, and who learned that some things are worth fighting and dying for. You don’t need to be a witch or wizard to relate.
The lessons in Harry Potter, while secondary to an entertaining story, are what made it so loved by people who wouldn’t otherwise read a fantasy. It’s also what makes them re-readable.
If you didn’t like the Harry Potter books, The Tales of Beedle the Bard aren’t worth reading.
For those of you who are curious, here are the five tales in the book.
The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
A wizard refuses to use his magic to help the local Muggles. His cooking pot starts to hop, sprout warts, cry, and otherwise show the wizard that the people he refused were suffering. Eventually he gives in, and once he helps, the pot returns to normal. The wizard moral seems to be that wizards should help Muggles. I guess we could really stretch this to the Muggle moral of “we should help those less fortunate than ourselves.”
The Fountain of Fair Fortune
Three witches and a knight overcome obstacles to try to bathe in the Fountain of Fair Fortune, which is supposed to give good fortune to one person per year. They get through the obstacles based on luck and, in the end, none of the three witches need to go in because their problems are already solved. The knight goes in and, made brave, proposes marriage to one of the witches. They all leave happy, and “none of them ever knew or suspected that the Fountain’s waters carried no enchantment at all” (35). The moral would likely be that we make our own good fortune in life, but the fact that a lot of things in the story happen due to luck rather than skill or hard work actually dilutes this moral.
The Warlock’s Hairy Heart
A wizard thinks people act foolishly when they fall in love, so he takes his heart from his chest and locks it away. Left in isolation, it grows withered, dark, and hairy like a beast. When he finally takes it out again, he ends up killing a maiden and cutting out her heart because he wants to replace his with hers. The wizard moral is that even magic can’t make you invulnerable to every physical, mental, and emotional pain. The Muggle moral could perhaps be that, if we don’t open ourselves up to love, we shrivel and become savage?
Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump
A king wants to be the only one in the kingdom to possess magic, so he gives an order to hunt down all magical folk. An old witch tricks him into rescinding this order. Honestly, while this is a cute story, I can’t figure out what the moral for magical children would be. As for the moral for us non-magic folk…“don’t lie” is the best I can come up with, but it doesn’t entirely fit the story.
The Tale of the Three Brothers
Three brothers cheat death by building a magical bridge over a dangerous river. Death gives them each a wish. The aggressive first brother wants an unbeatable wand. The arrogant second brother wants a stone that will bring the dead back to life. The wise third brother wants to remain unseen by Death. The first and second brothers end up dead because of their wishes. The third brother meets Death as an equal once he’s old. The moral for magic folk and Muggles alike is that death is inevitable. The best you can hope for is to postpone it until you are old and live a full life. This is the best of the fairy tales in the book, and the only one that I think works perfectly.
Do you think I’m wrong about the purpose of a fairy tale? If you’ve read The Tales of Beedle the Bard, am I being too harsh?
May 11, 2012 @ 09:07:00
I’m not a Harry Potter fan, so I probably wouldn’t read the book in the first place, but I totally agree with you about fairy tales. They are supposed to teach a lesson. And I don’t think the lesson is supposed to be “You shouldn’t have killed all those people.” Or maybe that’s just me? I also like the part about good beating evil and true love being the strongest magic.
May 11, 2012 @ 12:00:08
I think you’ve just hit on why Once Upon A Time is so popular. Yes, it’s very much a “fairy tale” show, but the constant message is that true love is the strongest magic. That strikes home with a lot of people, especially in a world where they can be faced with an awful lot of meanness each day.
MASH-UP: Fairy Tales, Body Image, and More « Jessica O'Neal
May 11, 2012 @ 13:43:26
[…] What’s the Point of Fairy Tales? by Marcy Kennedy: Does The Tales of Beedle the Bard meet the criteria of what makes a good fairy tale? Marcy takes a look at this question and you may be surprised at what she has to say. […]
May 11, 2012 @ 10:45:28
Excellent review!! And enjoyable thoughts on fairy tales. They’re my favorite genre. My favorite book is THE WONDER CLOCK by Howard Pyle. I love the short, sharp beauty of intangible teachings through physical stories. Jesus liked to tell those, too.
The best I’ve read about fairy tales is Ethics in Elfland by GK Chesterton in his book ORTHODOXY. Loooove what he says about Fairytales.
May 11, 2012 @ 14:59:00
You’ve just managed to add two new books to my TBR list. I’m not sure whether I should thank you or shake my fist right before the pile crushes me to death 🙂
May 11, 2012 @ 12:08:42
I agree that fairy tales were created to illustrate lessons. Nowadays, however, I suspect that many fairy tale-based films are geared more toward entertainment and mass appeal. But that doesn’t mean they don’t offer lessons. I glean morals from thrillers and other fiction, too…though I realize it’s not the main purpose. All stories can teach us if we’re willing to learn. Great post!
May 12, 2012 @ 23:55:58
I’m always looking for lessons everywhere too 🙂 I think that’s one of the reasons I found this particular book of tales so frustrating. They felt muddled to me, almost like she wasn’t sure what she was trying to say with them.
May 11, 2012 @ 12:49:48
I am a big Harry Potter fan but was never that interested in reading Tales of Beedle the Bard. Can’t say why exactly. I am even less interested now. 🙁 You gave an excellent review! I believe fairy tales are meant to deliver a lesson. It sounds like a few of those flounder. Maybe they should have taken more time in developing better tales to accompany the one from the movie. I’m just saying.
Btw I have passed you the Sunshine Award. 😀
http://wp.me/p1QtlR-143
May 11, 2012 @ 15:03:08
To me, it felt a lot like she had to write the other stories to fit titles she’d already included in the novels, and they didn’t come together quite right but she was locked into them. The one from the movie worked so perfectly because it was such an important part of the books.
Thanks for the award!
May 11, 2012 @ 13:11:39
What an excellent review, Marcy. I’ve only read the first Harry Potter book, so I’m not familiar with this. Fairy tales are definitely supposed to teach a lesson. Many are cautionary tales that children need to listen to and heed the warning. Nice post!
May 12, 2012 @ 23:57:08
My grandma used to tell me fairy tales from “the old country” when I was little. The morals from those still stick with me now, better than is she’d given me a lecture instead 🙂
May 11, 2012 @ 13:31:10
you have touched up on a great subject, i have grown up with fairy tales and people don’t realize now days how important they are and it seems video games and TV shows are taking over, and parents are not telling them as much as they use to be told. Allot people make the mistake to think fairy tales are only for kids, but the fact is its for all ages young and old.
I have recently publish my own book of fairy tales, cause i aim to make them as popular as they once where. by writing new one’s the first book i have published on March 30th 2012 is called ‘Tales Within’ and contains 20 fairy tales and are all trapped in snow globes to be told though the generations, the next one i hope to publish next year is called ‘Tales Within the magic continues’ which will contain 30 fairy tales and these two books are building up, to make way for 3 novels to come.
you can purchase my book of amazon i would love to hear what you all think thank you
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tales-within-R-H-Suleyman/dp/1781320020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336757314&sr=8-1
May 11, 2012 @ 15:03:40
I grew up listening to fairy tales, so I agree they are a very important part of childhood.
May 11, 2012 @ 14:35:42
Wonderful and true. Myths, folk tales, legends (and the archetypal figures who appear in them) provide us with the material from which we compose our own life stories.
May 12, 2012 @ 23:58:03
I think being drawn to stories is part of human nature. Not everyone likes fiction, but everyone likes a good story. It’s what draws us to the news, as well as to share with loves ones.
May 11, 2012 @ 14:52:02
I’ve never really gotten into fairy tales. Well, except for Fractured Fairy Tales when I was a kid…which was the only part of Bullwinkle I could stand (my brothers liked the show). But all fairy tales should have a moral. It’s just the fractured ones are funny. 🙂
May 12, 2012 @ 23:58:34
Laughing is good for the soul too 😀
May 11, 2012 @ 19:13:22
I always loved fairy tales when I was a kid. I like HP, but just couldn’t get past the long, boring beginning in book 5. So I might like these. I’d agree with your assessment that fairy tales are meant to teach while entertaining, which beings up another question: what’s the difference between a fairy tale and a fable? (Maybe less magic in fables? I don’t know.) Fun post!
May 12, 2012 @ 07:50:53
just to answer your question, difference between fairy tales and fables is, that fables concentrate on nature to tell a story, but fairy tales use a wider range of story telling, but apart from that they are quite similar.
May 18, 2012 @ 10:07:10
Kait actually addresses that in the article I linked to as well.
May 15, 2012 @ 12:38:29
Very concise summaries of these stories. Well done. Fairy Tale is not the easiest form to write. They seem so simple, but writing towards a moral requires precision. And writing for a universal audience (at which Rowling is an unsurpassed master)requires an ability to find a universally common language and appeal.
May 18, 2012 @ 10:06:46
Fairy tales are much harder to write than they seem. It’s because Rowling is such a master at writing for a universal audience that I was so surprised she didn’t nail these as well.