56. Fairy Tales

I learned from my friend Rebecca that today is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day. I love Fairy Tales! Here's some things related to fairy tales!

Check out Rebecca's blog post on her heart process to happily ever after on her blog Delight Your Heart.

For another way to celebrate, check out Erstwhile. They make webcomics retelling folk and fairy tales.

In trying to think of other things to share regarding fairy tales, I remembered this picture I drew.

Though it isn't exactly a story told, I have a couple ideas for a story to go with the girl. I also have plans for a more complete picture with a background that might go with the story. I saw a girl when I was a walk this past May. She'd stuck a tree branch in the back of her clothing so that the smaller branches look like wings.



I think my favorite fairy tale that has been written slightly more recently than the Grimm Brothers were around to write, is The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye.

Unlike her six older sisters, Princess Amy is ordinary. And when she is grown and it's time to marry, she runs away to the neighboring kingdom and works as a kitchen maid and becomes friends with the "jack-of-all-trades" who works there also.

I borrowed this book from the library so many times I decided I'd better buy it for myself.


My favorite Disney princess is Belle. I love how much she loves books!


Although the majority of my NaNoWriMo stories are fantasy, I have one that I would categorize as a fairy tale. (Well, I one of the ones I worked on this year is kind of half fairy tale, half science fiction.) That was my first NaNoWriMo (November 2007) and it appears since I started this blog after that point that I never gave you a snippit of it. So, here is the beginning. (I call it Evil Ilva at the moment, but that is mostly just for something to call it, same with all the character names.)

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I know there's been many fairy tales, and some of them claim to be rightly true, but sometimes we can just tell they aren't. I make no claims; you may judge for yourself if my tale is truth. It begins long ago in a land far, far away (as it must), and hopefully ends happily ever after, but I cannot give away the end before the full beginning.

Long ago in a land far away there ruled a beloved king and queen. If this is a surprise to you, remember that this tale might be quite old, and more oft than not, if the rulers are generally good and just, the wrongs will be forgotten and they will be remembered as beloved. So it was with King Bob and Queen Marilynn. The citizens of this small kingdom, which we shall call ___ (no sense telling where, else you figure whether this tale be truth or tall), have long forgotten the tragedy in favor of the beloved memory.

King Bob and Queen Marilyn wanted a child and after many years of waiting they had a daughter. As many kings and queens are to do throughout history, they avoided inviting the person they should have never skipped. The evil wizard The Great "peter".

He arrived before the party began, just barely, as you watched out the castle tower you could see the man pushing through the crowds on his horse. Just as he arrived, minutes ahead of the crowds, he forced the gates closed and rode into the throne room alone.

"All hail the stupid king. Good morning madam." He bowed.

"Four leaf clovers and whimpering dogs! What are you doing in my castle!"

"To curse the cursed, to bless myself, and all in all to rid the world of a grand family such as yourself.
"Cursed to wander, cursed to roam, this place shall never again be your home. Your child, though small she be, will walk in circles for eternity."

So, though known only for a short time in this story, the king and queen were remembered with love. Their daughter the wizard locked in a tower. She shall enter our story again after a while...

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Do you enjoy fairy tales? What is your a favorite classic? Do you have a favorite modern fairy tale?