Already the third generation grows on the famous stories about the little Thumbelina, Little Red Riding Hood and the Ugly Duckling. Each child read or heard the stories of Andersen, Perrault, or the Grimm brothers. The list of foreign fairy tales that we put together in this article, the history that for decades has taught us morality, family values, kindness, love and beauty. They do not carry evil or aggression, are not filled with slander, but are rich in that warmth that helped many adults and children gain faith in themselves, in happiness and in miracles.
A fairy tale come true, but a hint in it!
A fairy tale is a favorite genre of generations that tells about fictional characters. The main essence of folklore is that good always conquers evil, and justice will be rewarded. To make the deep meaning and morality easier to convey to young and mature readers, the writers successfully conducted comparisons using metaphors and epithets. To better understand this folklore, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with the list of folk and copyright foreign fairy tales provided.
The best tales of all time
So, what are the most beloved stories? Let's look at the list of the best foreign fairy tales for the last five centuries, inspiring with their magic.
- "Cinderella". Everyone knows the story of a young girl who, at a very young age, was faced with injustice, bitterness and loss. This story was first told by Charles Perrault (French writer of the 17th century). Along with other famous works, such as Sleeping Beauty, Puss in Boots, or Bluebeard. All poems, short stories, poems and tales of the writer reflect the well-known stories for a long time. Only now the writer was able to create works in a modern way, which are still popular. The stories of famous heroes like to read and tell, and they are also often screened and staged.
- "Ugly duck". Hans Christian Andersen in the 19th century created an amazing story that carries the most subtle meaning. The author of the little duckling, who grew up in a beautiful swan, makes a comparison with children who often became outcasts in their society, but, despite everything, were able to overcome difficulties and grow up to be really beautiful people.
- "The Snow Queen". Another tale of H.K. Andersen, which tells about devotion to a loved one and about magic. Those who know this story can relate it to the list of foreign fairy tales that tell about friendship, help, cunning and selfishness. The Snow Queen is one of the few stories to draw a clear line between good and evil.
Screen Tales
Since the advent of cinematography, foreign fairy tales and films have become very popular. The list that we have provided below will allow you to see filmed pictures from famous writers of the 17-19th century.
- "Donkey skin." A foreign fairy tale filmed in the former USSR immediately won viewers of all age categories. The story of S. Perrault tells the story of a little girl whom an evil sorceress accidentally met on her life path. The mysterious woman promised a difficult life for the young heroine. The Fairy helped the girl cope with difficulties, who presented the heroine with a donkey skin and a special ring that changes the appearance of her master.
- "The beauty and the Beast". Another story from European authors, which tells about a brave young girl who agreed to stay with the monster in order to save her father. By the 21st century, more than 10 different interpretations came from the world's best writers, but the first version was created by Gabriel-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in the 18th century. After 20 years, the famous story was edited by Jeanne-Marie Leprens de Beaumont. The tale tells about love, which helped the monster to find its human appearance. About egoism, which sometimes disfigures a person. About the boomerang, which returns for bad deeds not only to the culprit, but also to his close people. Over the past 100 years, the fairy tale was filmed more than 20 times. However, the most recent versions were released in 2014 and in 2017. And this is not just a fairy tale, but a real musical and staging.
Folklore
Everyone knows the story of the wolf and seven kids, about Hansel and Gretel, about the king and three oranges, because they are included in the list of foreign fairy tales. For example, the Bremen Town Musicians are the brainchild of the writers of the Brothers Grimm. Initially, the story of vagrants singing about love and freedom was folklore, which was successful in Germany, England and France.
The list of foreign fairy tales includes the story of Jack and the beanstalk, which took the boy to the world of Giants. In Europe, popular English folk tales, such as “Magic Ointment”, “Blue Beard”, “Three Bears” or “Reed Mouse”, were very popular.
The main feature of this folklore is that all the stories have reached our generation unchanged. Thanks to talented poets, linguists and writers, we can watch foreign fairy tales-films, the list of which is provided in our article. You just have to enjoy the beautiful, good stories that hit the hearts of millions for 5 centuries.