Twisted Fairy Tales

[TrippinBTM]

Does anyone ever think about these? Seems like they may have some twisted messages for kids when they hear them.

Like, the 3 little pigs. Basically says to hide yourself away inside out of fear, whoever builds the strongest wall wins. Sort of isolationist. But also, then, it teaches laziness, because if you're an idiot and build a house out of straw, you can just hit up the neighbor and use his house that he worked hard to build, INCLUDING putting thought and effort into it.

I guess the only upshot is that the pigs all end up together in one house, sort of like a tribe building a cultural wall against enemies. I guess you could take this one in several directions...

Then there's Goldilocks, breaking and entering the 3 bears' house (what's with everything being in 3s in these tales?) and breaking their stuff. Just who does she think she is? Then she gets found out, screams in fear and runs away, never to see the bears again? What happened to taking responsibility? There was no punishment, no righting of wrongs...she goes in, breaks chairs, eats their food, then gets away with just a little scare...

I'm sure there are others like this...just seems weird to me

[Sage-Phoenix]

Hmm good point, never really think about them but once you do. Yeah freaky.

As for the groups of three; That's mainly a memory aid* for the teller, and also it's just enough to establish a pattern then disrupt it (e.g too hot, too cold, just right)
You'll find the same thing in poetry (the technical term being tripling) and jokes.

As a side note three is a major number in religions. The Celts held it to be magical (though not a greatly as nine, 3 x 3 of course).
Vows, virtues, poisons; all in packs of three. Triple Goddess/Gods and of course the holy trinity.

There's even threes in that :)

*Things are easiest to remember if grouped in threes. There's probably a psychological explanation but I've no idea what that could be.

[mynameiskc]

wow. i've never seen the three little pigs that way. i just figured it was along the lines of not building straw houses in preparation for a storm. you know, build your shit right the first time and you won't have to go running around mooching off other people.

as for goldilocks, well, the poor kid was lost and hungry, wasn't she? who wouldn't offer up their home and supplies? i just figured that story was about be careful whom you ask for help.

[Burbot]

i think the three pigs is if you work hard you will be rewarded

[TrippinBTM]

i think the three pigs is if you work hard you will be rewarded
But the other two idiot pigs were rewarded just the same, they didn't get eaten.

[BlackGuardXIII]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
This one is a query to Mary, a lesbian, asking her how she can expect to have children without a man.
Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies.
About the bubonic plague, the rose shaped sores, flowers to ward off evil spirits, and then 'we all fall down' needs no interpretation.
One that I have wondered about, but know little of the history, is "rub a dub dub, three men in a tub." What is that about, conserving water?

[TrippinBTM]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
This one is a query to Mary, a lesbian, asking her how she can expect to have children without a man.
Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies.
About the bubonic plague, the rose shaped sores, flowers to ward off evil spirits, and then 'we all fall down' needs no interpretation.
One that I have wondered about, but know little of the history, is "rub a dub dub, three men in a tub." What is that about, conserving water?
Good point, I know Jack and the Beanstalk is about planting marijuana seeds, climbing the plant (getting high) and gathering some important wisdom. And Rumblestiltskin is about spinning hemp into hash. http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2985.html

And everyone here has probably heard how Santa Clause is one huge drug reference.

But I was more talking about how these tales just come off wrong and might teach things unintended. Like my example of the 3 pigs = laziness and isolation.

[atropine]

Good point, I know Jack and the Beanstalk is about planting marijuana seeds, climbing the plant (getting high) and gathering some important wisdom. And Rumblestiltskin is about spinning hemp into hash. http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2985.html

And everyone here has probably heard how Santa Clause is one huge drug reference.

But I was more talking about how these tales just come off wrong and might teach things unintended. Like my example of the 3 pigs = laziness and isolation.
umm.. no..

santa clause is the evolution of saint nick i believe..


theres quite a few about the plague right BG, that mary one is quite a startle though.. i think "pocket full of posies" was in reference to people carrying around posies and dropping them everywhere to try to cover the smell of death..

[Sage-Phoenix]

Yes it was.

Having studied history I am well aware of noting the source of a document before assesing it's validity. Therefore it wouldn't suprise me one bit if that 'analysis' of Jack and the beanstalk was the works of creative genuis with a vested interest in showing pot in a good light.

Those stories have been around so long and are so universal, that practically anything can be read into them. Much like the Bible, only less worrying.

[Becknudefck]

Disney movies also have hidden messages!


Little Mermaid-Priest has erection and there is a penis on the castle

Aladdin-"Good teenagers take off their clothes!" -this was at the part where Aladdin is on the balcony and the tiger is trying to get his hat. you have to turn it up though. And the monkey also yells OH SHIT! when on those exploding rocks surrounded by lava. Once again, turn it up.

Pocahontas-Bad example for children. Theyre making out in the woods. haha

Alice in Wonderland-they made a movie all about drugs.

Theres more but i cant think of them.

[Burbot]

you are all thinking of the tame 3 pigs...in most versions, the first two get eaten...disney made it tame so little kids don't get scared...

also, how many of you knew the in rapunsel, the prince vists her many a imes, and n one occasion she is pregnant...yup, thas right, she got knocked up...

[TrippinBTM]

umm.. no..

santa clause is the evolution of saint nick i believe..

Like so much else in Christianity, the pagan myths blended with the Christian myths. In Scandanavia, the Lapps, for shamanistic purposes, would feed amanita mushrooms (red and white) to their reindeer, then collect their urine. The active ingredient was still good, but the deer filtered out the toxins that make you feel sick. The reindeer, by the way, would show effects of the drug too. You can look it up yourself.

Burbot: that's interesting, didn't know that. Damn Disney gotta fuck everything up.

[feministhippy]

In the original Three Bears, Goldilocks gets killed by the bears. It got changed over time because they wanted to tame it down. A lot of these fairy tales got tamed down over time. Ever read one of the older tellings of Little Red Riding Hood? It's really fucked up. Grandma gets chopped up and the wolf tricks Little Red Riding Hood into eating it. Then he tells her to take of her clothes, throw them in the fire place, and get into bed. Then he eats her. My mom's a history major, and she read that to me. Well, if I wasn't planning on staying a vegetarian then, I'm definitly sure now!

[TrippinBTM]

In the original Three Bears, Goldilocks gets killed by the bears. It got changed over time because they wanted to tame it down. A lot of these fairy tales got tamed down over time. Ever read one of the older tellings of Little Red Riding Hood? It's really fucked up. Grandma gets chopped up and the wolf tricks Little Red Riding Hood into eating it. Then he tells her to take of her clothes, throw them in the fire place, and get into bed. Then he eats her. My mom's a history major, and she read that to me. Well, if I wasn't planning on staying a vegetarian then, I'm definitly sure now!
Now THAT teaches a lesson. Our modern tame versions are a joke. Goldilocks: don't break and enter, and then break stuff and eat stuff...or your fucked. Red Riding Hood: careful who you trust, they could be a wolf in disguise.

That makes sense. Our versions don't...

[Kharakov]

I always thought the song with the lyrics "She'll be coming 'round the mountain when she comes" was suggestive of something other than mountains and showing up.

[NatureFreak412]

The one that gets me is the well known thing people sing to babies

Rock a by baby in the tree top, when the wind blows .......

down will come cradle baby and all.

Thats bad parenting, and very morbid. Why was the baby in a tree to start with?

[TrippinBTM]

^^I hear that, that's crazy.

Rock a by baby in the tree top
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock
When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall
and down will come cradle, baby and all

What could that possibly mean?