Thought that just occurred to me, Kate: Do birth mothers usually (always?) die in fairy tales? Does the narrative arc in these stories always (usually?) involve separation? At the moment, I can't think of a tale where the heroine stays home, but I don't know the collections as well as you do.
Good question, Susan. Certainly birth mothers don't die in all or most fairy tales, but in the subset of those of the heroine's journey or the feminine quest towards selfhood they do. Their death symbolizes the need to separate from the birth or "too good" mother who would restrict the heroine's growth.
An example of an extreme restriction is the famous tale of "Sleeping Beauty" whose parents keep her in the castle and hide all spindles (due to the curse) and so cause her to sleep in a perpetual young state. I wrote about this dynamic in Chapter Two: https://farrellk.substack.com/p/the-fairy-tale-heroine-live-and-create-f89
"The princess has become what her mother wanted, within her control and her castle, safe from other influences or danger. The princess’s delayed development, a sweet girl, a mommy’s girl, mute, passive, connects her forever to her beloved mother and the seven good fairies’ gifts.
She is kept from the curse of pricking her finger on the spindle, drawing blood, often a symbol of the onset of puberty and menstruation."
Eventually, the princess wakes up to herself. And life goes on; she leaves the castle with the prince.
Yes, I believe the archetype for both hero and heroine is that they take an actual journey away from their first home, though they may return to it at the end.
She points out that some Cinderellas stay home, but it's no longer the same home, or they escape to the ball, a ruse and a risk. Other Cinderellas are driven out or leave with nothing, etc.
It's also interesting that T. Goss outlines the stages of the fairy tale heroine's journey in clear steps with insightful essays about each one. I'm glad I only stumbled on her blog after I wrote my book—just last week! I was doing a title search for "fairy tale heroine."
Goss and I are much closer in our understanding of the fairy tale heroine than Blackie and I.
Thought that just occurred to me, Kate: Do birth mothers usually (always?) die in fairy tales? Does the narrative arc in these stories always (usually?) involve separation? At the moment, I can't think of a tale where the heroine stays home, but I don't know the collections as well as you do.
Good question, Susan. Certainly birth mothers don't die in all or most fairy tales, but in the subset of those of the heroine's journey or the feminine quest towards selfhood they do. Their death symbolizes the need to separate from the birth or "too good" mother who would restrict the heroine's growth.
An example of an extreme restriction is the famous tale of "Sleeping Beauty" whose parents keep her in the castle and hide all spindles (due to the curse) and so cause her to sleep in a perpetual young state. I wrote about this dynamic in Chapter Two: https://farrellk.substack.com/p/the-fairy-tale-heroine-live-and-create-f89
"The princess has become what her mother wanted, within her control and her castle, safe from other influences or danger. The princess’s delayed development, a sweet girl, a mommy’s girl, mute, passive, connects her forever to her beloved mother and the seven good fairies’ gifts.
She is kept from the curse of pricking her finger on the spindle, drawing blood, often a symbol of the onset of puberty and menstruation."
Eventually, the princess wakes up to herself. And life goes on; she leaves the castle with the prince.
Yes, I believe the archetype for both hero and heroine is that they take an actual journey away from their first home, though they may return to it at the end.
Here is a thoughtful discussion of the need for the fairy tale heroine to leave home by the author and professor, Theodora Goss: https://theodoragoss.com/2015/06/13/heroines-journey-leaving-home/
She points out that some Cinderellas stay home, but it's no longer the same home, or they escape to the ball, a ruse and a risk. Other Cinderellas are driven out or leave with nothing, etc.
It's also interesting that T. Goss outlines the stages of the fairy tale heroine's journey in clear steps with insightful essays about each one. I'm glad I only stumbled on her blog after I wrote my book—just last week! I was doing a title search for "fairy tale heroine."
Goss and I are much closer in our understanding of the fairy tale heroine than Blackie and I.