Y Ddraig Goch

June 26 2025 - Fairytales

Prompt: "Life itself is the most beautiful fairytale"

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When I think of fairy tales I don't think of the pretty, Disney stories. I'm not sure I ever did. I mean the songs were great, the prince always got the girl, there was always a funny, magical side-kick, and true love conquered all, but even as a kid, I preferred the original, darker versions, where good didn't always win; in fact, it rarely won.

Before Hollywood got its hand on fairytales and muted the living hell out of them, they used to be stories that mothers’ told when tucking their kids into bed in an attempt to keep them safe – Don’t follow the fairies into their circles, or you’ll be lost forever…. Don’t wander off the path or you’ll meet a grisly end by something big and bad. The supernatural was dark, twisted and scary and represented everything we didn’t know and understand about the world, and were the forewarnings on how to stay safe. Pixies and fairies were not nice - they picked on unsuspecting human. I'm sure there's a tale of cannibal fairies... and the original toothfairy. They fed into our fear and bled into our religious beliefs. Stories whispered around campfires as urban legends, and tales of cautions, that blended our cultures and histories seamlessly and allowed us to pass life lessons onto the next generation.

These versions of fairytales have their own beauty – a fragility. They made your heart race. Make you appreciate life. They are what make life a beautiful, "tragic" fairytale - there is no happy ending - there is no ending. There is just life!

These days I like the dark, twisted fairytales even more. I’m a sucker for a grey character – they are more realistic and interesting. I’d rather the beast didn’t turn back into a prince. I’d run away with the pirates… I'd probably become a witch...