Cruel, romantic, magical and boundless – fairy tales have inspired us since childhood, but what’s really behind them? In this video, we take a look at classic stories such as Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, The Lion King, Ronja the Robber’s Daughter and Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella. We remember the beautiful illustrations and film adaptations that made us dream. But behind the ball gown and the happy ending lurk cruel trials, revenge, cannibalism and torture, which are often trivialized or hidden. The wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood, the witch burns in the oven, stepsisters are mutilated – and yet we still give our children these stories.
We examine how fairy tales portray violence and sexuality, how magic, magic wands, witches and goblins are used to solve every problem and how Disney transforms the characters into a kitschy, romantic world full of wasp waists and semi-nudity. Fairy tales blur the boundaries between life and death, awaken hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine and can tempt us to escape from reality. At the same time, we show that, according to the Bible, magic and occult practices are not harmless, but open the door to a dark spiritual world.
The research also includes the story of how a priest in a GDR bookshop rejected fairy tales because they were violent. The article describes in detail the gruesome scenes from Grimm’s fairy tales and the stories from the Arabian Nights – cannibalism, torture, rape – and asks whether these motifs belong in children’s rooms. He shows how Disney romanticizes and sexualizes fairy tales, how heroes escape on flying carpets and make us forget the real world. At the same time, the physiological effect of films is discussed: Hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and dopamine create short-term feelings of happiness, but can lead to addictive experiences. Another topic is the fascination with magical practices such as card reading, horoscopes and incantations, which, according to the Bible, create dangerous contacts with spirits.
In contrast to the brutal retribution in fairy tales, the Christian faith focuses on love and forgiveness. Jesus teaches us to overcome evil with good, to bless our enemies and to put our trust in God. The article encourages children to learn stories of courage, integrity and true humanity and shows that true hope and justice can be found beyond the world of fairy tales.
Author: Patricia Rosenthal
Maria Laufersweiler reads from the newspaper hoffnung HEUTE.
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Video material: StoryBlocks
Music in this video: ElevenLab
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