Faerie Tales, or Folk Tales, are a form of prose that originated in the oral tradition of passing stories from one generation to the next. The earliest written form of Faerie Tales is Panchatantra, the oldest collection of fables in Sanskirt literature, most likely dating from the 4th century AD. Hans Christian Andersen wrote his fables starting in 1854 and The Brothers Grimm introduced the first modern day book of Faerie Tales in the early 1900's. These enduring stories crossed countries and oceans in various ways. Bards carried the stories from city to city, entertaining crowds with a combination of prose and song in what is now called cante fables. Through traveling caravans, stories moved from place to place, adapting to each new culture. Tall tales, folk lore, mythology, Märchen, anecdotes, ballads... they are all part of the wonder of Faerie Tales.

Faerie Tales, Folk Lore, carries taints of its own. The abject cruelty of racism found its way into Faerie Tales, as a means to instill the fear of people being "different" into the minds of children. If you look hard enough, you'll find stories that were created in antediluvian times that teach children to fear the Jewish religion. Other stories were used to teach children to fear brilliance of mind and spirit. While researching those stories, I was saddened to find that prejudice against people who desire to prove themselves unique has always been a characteristic of the human race. There are enough ways to carry that appalling affection through the world. I choose not to include those stories here.

What you will find here is a collection of traditional Faerie Tales, including original works by the Masters, new stories by talented writers and unique twists on time-honored fables. You won't find Disney's versions of any of the Faerie Tales. The emphasis here is on the gruesome, creepy and thought provoking tales that existed before the stories were sweetened and softened to entice the modern society. If there are Faerie Tales you would like to see posted here, please email Wissago.

 

 

 

All copyrights for these works belong to their respective authors. Please email the authors if you'd like reprint rights. If you are interested in submitting a Faerie Tale or illustrations, please email Wissago.