Magical Mayhems
The hobgoblin appeared, his otherworldly glance upon Sesha alone. He ignored the straw that towered over him. It surprised her how easily he could transform an entire room by his presence. It was no longer so stifling, and she found herself beginning to relax.
"The daughter of a poor, boastful man," he bowed and grinned. "What can we do for you today?"
She stiffened, the calm gone again, replaced by wary suspicion. "I wish to bargain no longer," she turned away. "Begone, fae."
"Oh-ho-ho," the goblin said. "Take care not to anger us, weaver child, for we hold power beyond your understanding."
The creature lifted his tiny head, his sharp silver eyes holding her soft blue ones. "You have one room of straw. We know what you want, and you know what we seek."
"I cannot give you more." She did not wish the hobgoblin to detect her mounting desperation. "I have nothing left that is of value."
"Ah-ah-ah," the creature replied. He wagged his bony brown finger and chuckled. "But you do."
"Oh?"
"You have a life you can give," he continued. He circled her, hopping and humming.
Sesha could not help but find amusement in the absurdity. Trade a life in order to escape death? But perhaps the creature had meant her soul ...
The Magic in Fairy Tales
The beauty of fairy tales is that those who tell them never seem to think twice about the magic involved in them. Enchantments are very commonplace, and usually the heroes never flinch whenever they encounter such elements as talking bears, swans, or cats. Not even Little Red was fazed when a seemingly menacing wolf went and introduced himself in the middle of a dark and slightly dangerous forest. So how important is the magic within the tale?
Fairy tales are usually split into different categories; some have the simplest enchantments such as talking animals, while others contain wicked queens who transfigure themselves or certain objects in order to destroy their enemies. Most of the well-known tales even use the power of true love to break curses and end all evils (a point I find very amusing, but I digress). Without explanation, straw can be spun into gold, houses can be erected out of gingerbread, and princesses can die from a single prick of the finger.
A good explanation of these convenient plot devices lies with the storyteller and the audience. For the most part, the audience likes the reassurance that the tale can be enriched by imagination. Due to the nature of oral fairy tales, storytellers need to transition between the problem and the solution without going into heavy detail so as to leave a few mysteries for the audience to work out. In the case of written literature, subtle foreshadowing in the beginning of the story is easier to recall and just as entertaining to try to remember.
Fairy tales are usually split into different categories; some have the simplest enchantments such as talking animals, while others contain wicked queens who transfigure themselves or certain objects in order to destroy their enemies. Most of the well-known tales even use the power of true love to break curses and end all evils (a point I find very amusing, but I digress). Without explanation, straw can be spun into gold, houses can be erected out of gingerbread, and princesses can die from a single prick of the finger.
A good explanation of these convenient plot devices lies with the storyteller and the audience. For the most part, the audience likes the reassurance that the tale can be enriched by imagination. Due to the nature of oral fairy tales, storytellers need to transition between the problem and the solution without going into heavy detail so as to leave a few mysteries for the audience to work out. In the case of written literature, subtle foreshadowing in the beginning of the story is easier to recall and just as entertaining to try to remember.
This oral storytelling practice became increasingly popular, especially when the audience was shifted from adults to children. Parents tell stories about Baba Yaga to scare their sons and daughters into behaving properly. And to guarantee a proper fairy tale ending (for the good and the bad children), magical plot devices developed into something crucial.
Unlike contemporary fantasy novels, traditional fairy tales do not dwell in explanation. Fairy tales go from point A to point B, regardless of how improbable the event is. We can all try to explain the why and how these enchantments came to be, but at what cost? Children will most likely get bored at the lack of imaginative theories, and storytellers will lose their main audience. Author Bruno Bettelheim brings out an interesting point regarding the magic of fairy tales:
“Fairy tales leave to the child's fantasizing whether and how to apply to himself what the story reveals about life and human nature.
The fairy tale proceeds in a manner which conforms to the way a child thinks and experiences the world; this is why the fairy tale is so convincing to him. He can gain much better solace from a fairy tale than he can from an effort to comfort him based on adult reasoning and viewpoints. A child trusts what the story tells, because its world view accords with his own.” (Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales)
Strip away all that magic and enchantment and replace them with a detail-driven thought process and you get the prince waking Sleeping Beauty from a poisonous coma by kissing and sucking out the said poison. Not really magical, is it?
Ultimately, these tales live and breathe the unexplainable phenomena. No matter how obscure these spells are, they are woven to help tell the story.
Unlike contemporary fantasy novels, traditional fairy tales do not dwell in explanation. Fairy tales go from point A to point B, regardless of how improbable the event is. We can all try to explain the why and how these enchantments came to be, but at what cost? Children will most likely get bored at the lack of imaginative theories, and storytellers will lose their main audience. Author Bruno Bettelheim brings out an interesting point regarding the magic of fairy tales:
“Fairy tales leave to the child's fantasizing whether and how to apply to himself what the story reveals about life and human nature.
The fairy tale proceeds in a manner which conforms to the way a child thinks and experiences the world; this is why the fairy tale is so convincing to him. He can gain much better solace from a fairy tale than he can from an effort to comfort him based on adult reasoning and viewpoints. A child trusts what the story tells, because its world view accords with his own.” (Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales)
Strip away all that magic and enchantment and replace them with a detail-driven thought process and you get the prince waking Sleeping Beauty from a poisonous coma by kissing and sucking out the said poison. Not really magical, is it?
Ultimately, these tales live and breathe the unexplainable phenomena. No matter how obscure these spells are, they are woven to help tell the story.