Monday, March 12, 2012

500 New Fairy Tales Discovered in Germany: Bookish News



ZOMG, the League of Disney Princesses can't believe it! And, neither can I. 

Evidently, five hundred (500) new fairy tales previously unknown to the world have recently been uncovered in Germany. (read the article from The Guardian) They have been locked away in an archive in Regensberg, Germany for over 150 years. The stories are made up of myths and legends, or just fiction gathered by a local historian of the era named Franz Xaver von Schonwerth (1810-1886) at around the same time the famous Grimm Brothers were collecting their fairy tales.


This image above depicts one of the newly discovered fairy tales titled, King Golden Hair (illustration by Barbara Stefan). Not all of those discovered were new to us modern day folks--Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin were accounted for as they've been told in many different versions across Europe. It is believed that these stories were not actually all meant for children, but rather for young adults just getting started on their lives.  

"Their main purpose was to help young adults on their path to adulthood, showing them that dangers and challenges can be overcome through virtue, prudence and courage," says Erika Eichenseer, the cultural curator at Oberpfalz, which is the region where the new fairy tales were discovered.

I don't know about you guys, but I want to read these new stories! Disney is back in business again....

10 comments:

  1. What the heck? 500? That seems like an inordinate amount. Are there even 500 fairytales around these days? I can't remember the last Disney rendition of a fairytale I watched. Sadly I think it might have been Aladdin. How do you feel about all this computer generated stuff? In a way I enjoy it but it makes me feel like the magic is lost somehow.

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    1. @Lan: It does seem like way too many, doesn't it? But, that's what the report indicates.

      As for the CGI stuff, I like it, but it's way overdone. Everything in CGI makes it feel like it's not exciting anymore.

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  2. That's amazing! It would be awesome if we could see them before Disney gets hold of them. Actually, it would've really cool if someone besides Disney got the rights. Thanks for sharing that great news, Cathy'

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    1. @Andrea: LOL. If only Disney wouldn't hoard all the good fairy tales, right? You may be right that some other company should get these new ones.

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  3. Oh my goodness, this is so cool! Amazing! Thanks for the post, can't wait to tell my husband about this one! Hopefully this von Schonwerth fellow gets a statue made in his image, or a town named after him. :)

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    1. @Camille: I know, right? So cool. Yeah, that'd be an appropriate thing to do for the guy. I really want to read them and see what other good ones we've been missing out on all these years.

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  4. I know, right?! When I heard about that, I was shocked and SO excited! I want to read them too. :)

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    1. @Ash: I was very shocked! That is not something you think you're ever going to hear about. But, how rad is it that it's true!

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  5. I want to read them too! I'm always up for a good fairy tale.

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    1. @Jenny: I hope they get translated into English soon! I want to read about this King Golden Hair hotty.

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