Arabic Folktales

In class today we had a speaker come in to talk about Arabic folktales. I've always had a bit of a fascination with Arabic culture so I was really looking forward to this lecture. I was actually really disappointed that there weren't more actual tales told, but it was really interesting to learn about the origins of the traditional Arabic folklore. I did not really realize how widespread the Arabic culture was, though I always knew how influential it was on the rest of the world. I had actually applied to two schools, one Cairo, Egypt, the other in Dubai in U.A.E. in the hopes of studying there. It was, unfortunately, far too expensive. But my interest is still strong and I like to hear about the varying culture of the Arabic world.

I particularly enjoy the 1001 Nights because of the original tales that were deeply influenced by both traditional Arabic and Indian cultures. I would like to start reading more of the tales, though, since this is one of the main reasons I took the class. One day, I would like to take some of the tales because I want to make beautiful renditions of them cinematically, so that they might be able to adapt to the changing times, and maybe it will help the stories to survive longer. 

Folklore from Kenya

I liked the African folklore a lot. It is very different from Western Fairytales in many ways. For the most part, African fairytales involve animal characters, instead of humans. Most characters, human or animal, tend to be adult. The tales are usually very short and have a more definitive moral or lesson. Also, there is a much more distinct sense of unity and community in these tales. For instance most of the solutions come from whole communities working together.

One thing that I like is that African folklore does not always centre around a moral, but rather on preferred traits in people. For instance, most of the stories  are about wit and quick thinking. In a harsh environment like Africa, wit is a highly valued character trait.

I also like that the tales attempt to explain things in life. For instance "How the Crocodile Got the Bumps on His Back" and "How the Hare Got his Long Ears"

One thing that was brought up that I thought was interesting was that Calulu, the hare, was the main character in most of the tales told on Thursday to us in class. The speaker pointed out that Calulu is prominant mostly in Eastern Africa. In Western Africa, it is Anansi, the spider, who is the most prominent. I've actually heard of Anansi quite a bit. One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, uses him in novels constantly.

A Different Kind of Fairytale

Bluebeard is one of the most interesting fairytales (at least for me,) that we've studied so far this year. It differs from many of the other fairytales in quite a few ways.

 Firstly, the main character is forced into a marriage she does not want to be in, unlike where many of the characters get to be put into marriages they are happy with. The heroine is scared of her husband and does not wish to stay there. In some of the versions, she grows to like him or simply tolerate him, mostly due to his enormous wealth and generosity towards her. These stories often describe the husband as an older man, or a man with a "blue beard". Another difference here is that the heroine often does not help herself get out of the danger. Instead, indicating yet another oddity, the family, usually brothers, come to save her from the man. (In most fairytales it is the heroine/hero who saves the family.)

My favorite version of Bluebeard is the Fitcher's Bird by the Brothers Grimm because this story really illustrates "Bluebeard", here the sorcerer, as a murderous and violent man. He slaughters the heroine's two older sisters before he gets to her. And she is also able to not only outsmart the sorcerer and save herself, but her sisters as well.

Bluebeard's tale is rather interesting because most of the fairytales glorify marriage as something to look forward to and adore. The Bluebeard stories, however, make marriage almost scary. They really demonstrate a young girls fears about marriage during these time periods where she was not able to chose her own husband and might end up with a much older man, or a man who scares of frightens her. These stories really illustrate the anxieties of young girls who were on their way to marriage and ended with a darker and not so happy ending.

Rags to Riches...A Reflection on "Cinderella" Stories

Everyone wants to believe they can do better, have better, or be better. Whether this inspires hope in us or creates an incurable sense of longing, rags to riches stories will always touch us in some way. The fairytale of Cinderella and all its worldly embodiments is one of the most famous rags to riches storylines.

In every version of Cinderella stories, the main character goes from an abused, poorly state to the status of princess by winning over the prince with beauty and good looks. In most of the stories, she is a kind woman, though not in all. Also, the difference between Western and Eastern culture is displayed in the Cinderella tales from the respective areas when there is more emphasis put on marriage for love or marriage for the sake of marriage. Yet in all, the rags to riches girl lives happily ever after.


I am actually pretty bothered by the Cinderella stories. While it may inspire hope in some, it seems that the heroine only gets the attention of the prince by being beautiful. In all of the stories, the heroine is a beyond gorgeous, tiny little girl, and it is often made quite clear that the marriage of a supposed peasant girl to the prince is only accepted because she's so beautiful. Furthermore, while she does take the time to dress up and of her own volition and bravery go to each festival/ball/ceremony held, in every story she is simply given what she wants (i.e. beautiful, expensive gowns made of the finest materials which attract everyone's attention,) without her actually working to get them in any way.  These stories seemingly do little to inspire one to make a path for their own or make the effort themselves to make their lives better. Nor do these stories help those who may already consider themselves homely, if at best.

Though, in all honesty, I am sure we all enjoy the Cinderella story in some way, it can give us a bit of hope, if only for a little while, or if only to day dream...





On a side note:
Personally, though, my favorite version of Cinderella has always been a movie adaptation where the girl is not only supposed to be homely (so she is not chosen on her looks alone) but also stands up for herself eventually and takes control of securing her own future. The movie is called Ever After.