The Grimm Truth
New to the site, Writing|I wrote this article for a West Country community newsletter that I used to write for regularly. Subsequently, this piece was also accepted for publication by Gothic Fairy Tales. However, little was I to know that its publication in a small Devon paper would result in my receiving fan mail…all the way from South Africa! A North Devon “maid” (as they are often referred to) had moved all that way but continued to pay for and receive local news as a reminder of her true “home” and the place where her heart lies. She simple adored “The Grimm Truth” and wanted to thank me for writing it. No one could have been more surprised and delighted than I was. Until I began writing novels this was my first instance of anyone outside of the UK reading my work. Who was to know that a simple article would travel such a long way.
Take someone who has not only travelled abroad but also explored many of the counties in the United Kingdom. Couple this with an extensive interest in writing, and one cannot visit these places without gaining an awareness of the numerous tales and fables that exist, many unique to the areas. For a writer it is impossible to ignore the tales of King Oberon’s epic battle on Dartmoor and the wealth of legends regarding fairies and pixies in Devon alone. These stories are born out of and are woven into the magic of legend and history. Yet, as adults, we segregate many of them to the realm of quaintness and childhood. Many of us fail to comprehend fully the extent early delights such as Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes, are part of that wealth.
It may surprise many to know that the stories that we now regard as created for and belonging to children were originally intended for adults only. They were often traditional folk tales with endings that were much more bloodthirsty than their modern day counterparts. No one saved granny or the little girl in the red hood from the wolf’s “great big teeth” and Sleeping Beauty was not awakened by a kiss but impregnated by the Prince, and even gave birth while still she slept. These stories speak of other times and places yet they are a tool to reflect incidences in our own lives and history. It was during the Victorian era that these stories began to be rewritten, printed, and delegated to the realm of children’s imagination. However, perhaps in this they still serve their purpose for when read to children now, parents are unconsciously teaching their offspring that bad things happen in life, that we have to learn to deal with them, and that with a little luck and maybe perseverance the good guy can still win. Simply, these stories now teach us at an increasingly young age about the world in which we live, and they should not be regarded lightly or dismissed.
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