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The Origin Of Fairy Tales

The origin of fairy tales dates back thousands of years. The history of fairy tales or fairy stories have fantasy creatures such as faeries, fey, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and or talking animals. It is not necessary for these tales to be about fairies. Enchantments and far-fetched events are also usually part of the plot. Unlike legends and folklore tales, they seldom contain any references to religion, actual places, persons or events. The term "once upon a time" is used rather than an actual reference to date.

Both long and short Fairy tales, folklore, legends and myths have been passed from generation to generation since before recorded history. The origin of these types of oral stories is impossible to determine. All ancient cultures from all over the globe have fairy tales.

Early fairy tales were for adults as much as for children. The fairy tales text of the literary type were intended for adults. They became more kid's fairy tales in the 19th and 20th centuries. Grimm and Andersen have kept many, many children entertained with their tales of winged fairies.

Two theories on the origin of fairy tales have attempted to explain the common elements in the fairytales text found spread over many continents. One theory is that a tale comes from a single source and spreads from culture to culture over time. The other theory is that these tales reference common human experience. That the many cultures over time, tell similar tales of similar human experiences. The first written fairy tales are from ancient Egypt and occurred around 1300 BC.

Here is a list of fairy tales from authors of the earliest and more famous fairy tales. This fairy tale list is not complete, but is a good starting point;

Aesop's Fables
Aesop was a Greek author from the 6th century BC. Aesop's fables were the first fairy tales that were famous in the Western world.

List Of Fairy Tales

Cinderella

Alice In Wonderland

Peter Pan

Little Red Riding Hood

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