The Enduring Influence of Fairy Tales in Fantasy Fiction

Imagine a world where magic is as common as the air we breathe, where enchanted objects hold untold power, and where familiar tales from your childhood hide secrets that have shaped the very fabric of the fantasy stories we know and love today. What if I told you that the roots of modern fantasy can be traced back to the fairy tales we grew up with?

Hey guys, it’s Jim Wilbourne, author of The Continua Chronicles, and today I wanted to talk about the impact of fairy tales on modern fantasy storytelling.

And at the end of this video, I’ll share a surprising revelation about a popular fantasy novel you might not have realized was inspired by a classic fairy tale.

Origin of Fairytales

Like mythology, religious texts, and epic poems, fairy tales are a part of the literary canon, perhaps with just as much influence on modern fantasy storytelling, entrenched so completely that it’s often difficult to see where fairytales end and fantasy stories begin.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s essay, On Fairy-Stories, the grandfather of modern fantasy argued that not only are good fairy stories appropriate for children, but also for adults, and further posits that the escapism that fairytales and fantasy stories provide is vital.

Why should a man be scorned if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? The world outside has not become less real because the prisoner cannot see it. In using escape in this way the critics have chosen the wrong word, and, what is more, they are confusing, not always by sincere error, the Escape of the Prisoner with the Flight of the Deserter. — On Fairy-Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien

Fairytales and their counterpart, fantasy stories, serve an important purpose in our lives, and their beginnings are as utilitarian as they are entertaining. With their roots in the oral traditions of the Middle Ages, fairy tales were developed as parables for morality and cautionary tales for both children and society at large.

Elements of Fairy Tales

So what makes a Fairy Tale distinct from the stories that came before?

There are a number of elements that fairy tales have in common.

Many fairy tales feature enchanted objects, animals, or people, and characters in fairy tales are often transformed into different creatures or objects. These enchantments and transformations often have a significant impact on the story’s outcome. The Frog Prince and Beauty and the Beast both have characters whose stories revolve around this trope.

Really, magic in general is a recurring element in fairy tales. Magic may be used by characters to achieve their goals or to overcome obstacles, or it may be the source of the story’s conflict. Cinderella’s fairy godmother uses magic to help her attend a ball and attract the attention of her prince, and Jack and the Beanstalk has magic beans and a goose that can lay golden eggs.

Fairy tales also often feature a clear dichotomy between good and evil, with moral lessons that teach values such as honesty, bravery, and perseverance. In Little Red Riding Hood, our heroin has to out-wit a formidable wolf and she learns to be cautious and clever in dangerous situations.

And fairy tales also have straightforward plots and language that are easy for a wide audience, especially children, to follow and understand, typically ending with the hero or heroine triumphing over evil and living happily ever after. The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Rapunzel—the list goes on and on for this one.

While these elements aren’t strictly found in fairytales, the combination of magic or magical realms, clear morality, archetypal characters, and—usually—a happily-ever-after are the ingredients that are married with a straightforward, whimsical or even dream-like tone that invokes a sense of innocence or nostalgia for simpler times.

The tone of the prose and the clear distinction between good and evil are possibly the most important elements of a fairy tale that set it apart or perhaps place it in a sub-category, from fantasy stories in general, but the impact of fairy tales on the genre as a whole is evident in how often contemporary storytellers draw on the majority of these elements.

Fairy Tales in Modern Fantasy

One of the most obvious places we see fairy tales as an influence on modern fantasy are in Disney movies. Most of these films are direct retellings, proving the extreme staying power of fairy tales.

But some, like Maleficent, have spun the story of Sleeping Beauty to tell a story from the villain’s perspective. Shrek, Into The Woods, and many other books, films, and TV series are also notable for spinning and remixing these stories.

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling feature many elements introduced by fairy tales, referencing Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis are full of references to fairy tales, such as The Pied Piper of Hamelin and The Snow Queen.

The Princess Bride is possibly one of the most successful attempts at building a modern fairy tale in recent history, and it’s widely considered to be a beloved addition to the tradition.

If you look carefully, the setup and middle build of Wool by Hugh Howey can be seen as a modern retelling of Rapunzel, though Howey takes us in an interesting and complex direction that bucks the tradition of a fairy tale’s generally straightforward conclusion.

J.R.R. Tolkien seems to have combined the elements of fairy tales to create what we now consider the start of the modern fantasy canon. The One Ring and Sting are enchanted objects. Gollum is a transformed being. He used dwarves, a wizard, a dragon, and a simple plot with straightforward themes of greed.

Like the myths, legends, and poems that preceded them, fairy tales are foundational to the fantasy stories we experience today. They distilled our myths, poems, and legends into forms that are simple to understand, allowing dozens of generations to carry them forward across time for modern storytellers to recreate in new and surprising ways.

The grandfather of modern fantasy gave us these wise words:

The realm of fairy-story is wide and deep and high and filled with many things: all manner of beasts and birds are found there; shoreless seas and stars uncounted; beauty that is an enchantment, and an ever-present peril; both joy and sorrow as sharp as swords. — On Fairy-Stories, J.R.R. Tolkien

As promised, here’s that surprising revelation I mentioned earlier.

Did you know that the popular fantasy novel Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson might have its roots in the classic tale of Cinderella?

If you're curious about how this connection plays out, make sure to check out my dedicated video on the topic. The link is in the description below. Or you can click on the video right here to check it out.

But what do you think? How do you think fairy tales have influenced modern fantasy stories? And what are your favorite retellings of fairy tales in contemporary fantasy?

Let me know in the comments. I’d love to know what you think and discuss it further with you.

If you’d like to support me and this channel outside of liking, subscribing, and hitting the notification bell, you can buy my book. If you enjoy fantasy stories, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy mine as well. You can find a link in the description.

Until next time, err on the side of awesome.