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.

ASL and Visual Storytelling

Having the ASL department come into class was amazing. I really loved watching the signers tell their stories. I am in ASL (American Sign Language) level 1 and so I was able to understand some of it. Though, most of it was so visual, you really didn't need to actually understand the language. It's the beauty of storytelling and storytellers.

Inspired by this, I decided to combine many of my studies and create this video. Theatre (acting, though poorly on my behalf,) cinema and filming, ASL, and of course fairytales. I now present you with this video, made by myself and my roommate. :) Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D8wDTz2crk

special thanks to Ro-z Edelston for helping me out!

Snow White with a twist....

So, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has been an iconic fairytale for centuries. There have been quite a few twists and parodies and remakes, but the basic story remains the same. A beautiful little girl is outcast by her stepmother who tries to remove her from her father's love and/or kill her to keep herself to most beautiful. The Snow White figure dies in someway or another, is brought back, and is eventually forgiven or rewarded to repay for the tragedies she has encountered.

However, the German heavy-metal band of Rammstein decided to take a different stance on the Snow White tale.

Rammstein - Sonne (Official Video with Subtitles)

In this music video, Snow White is a rather hateful character who torments the dwarves who so graciously bring her in. The dwarves work all day in the mines to find her gold for her. She later overdoses on the gold and the dwarves enshrine her in a glass casket at the top of a mountain. Here she is awoken by a falling apple. Through all the abuse, the dwarves still seem to worship her. There is no knight or prince to come and save her and there is no wholesome attitude here.

I'm not really sure if I like this story or the classic fairytales more. In some ways it seems more appropriate because Snow White is not abused unrightfully, however, she abuses those who, according to the classics, we assume have taken her in out of kindness. So it is still a rather confusing message. I like the music, sure, and the lyrics are pretty interesting as well. The artistic nature of the music video is particularly interesting to me because I am a Cinema major. But the overall message of the video is not necessarily something I can relate to or find interesting. I'm not sure if I'm getting the right message out of it, but I can't seem to find something more of it other than appreciation for the different take on a classic fairytale.

A Comparison

The two fairytales we covered in week five are all those that relate to Beauty and the Beast and then the Greek tale of Cupid and Psyche. There are several versions of the Beauty and the Beast: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's version, Giovanni Francesco Straparola's by the name of "The Pig King", The Brothers Grimm version called "The Frog King", Angela Carter's "The Tiger's Bride", "Urashima the Fisherman", Alexander Afanasev's "The Frog Princess", and "The Swan Maiden".   (Quite the collection, huh?)

"Cupid and Psyche" is much different from the traditional Beauty and the Beast tales. For starters, no one in the Greek tale is ugly or monstrous. Only the idea that Psyche's unknown husband might be a monster, though he turns out to be the angelic Cupid. In the other tales, there is at least one character who is unsavory either in character or appearance.

Furthermore, in the fairytales, there is usually some sort of bargaining between the parents (usually the father) for the daughter's hand in marriage. For example, the father has done something wrong against the beast figure and so the prettiest daughter's hand is asked in marriage to repay the sin. In "Cupid and Psyche" however, it is a prophecy that Psyche decides to follow of her own accord the unites her with Cupid, the proclaimed "beast" figure.

Also, in most of the tales, it is the beast figure who ends up unconscious, dead, or under a spell, and the beauty saves them. However, it is quite the opposite in the Greek tale. Cupid, again seen as the beast figure, is the one who saves the beauty, Psyche, from a deathly sleep cast upon her.

These tales share very similar traits in basic ways, as well. There is a perceived "beast" figure, whether in personality or appearance. There is a "beauty" figure, who tends to be the submissive type and is usually reluctant in some degree towards the situation of marriage with the beast. There is also some jealous family member, usually the sisters, who try to sabotage the marriage. Finally, there is some sort of trial the one character goes through to be reunited with the other.

However slight the differences, these two can definitely be classified together. Especially since both the Greek tale and most of the fairytales end up with a Happy Ending.