The dictionary
definition of a fairy tale is: “A children’s story about fairies or about
fantastic events, mythical beings, etc.” Vocabulary in the magical world of
fairy tales is slightly different from the words we have learned up to now. The
same goes for nursery rhymes:(lo mismo pasa con las canciones infantiles) “a simple
traditional song or story in rhyme, intended for children”. Many of these
rhymes are very old and some of the vocabulary seems nonsensical (sin sentido) but that
just adds to their charm.(encanto) Let the words wash over you (déjate llevar por las palabras) and enjoy being
transported back into your childhood for a while!
Read me a story,
mummy!
Some children won’t go to bed unless
someone reads them a story. They settle down to sleep once they hear those
well-known opening lines – “Once upon a time…”(Érase una vez) or “There was once a
beautiful princess in a far off land (tierra lejana)…” Fairy tales, however, are not only
about fairies. Some of the following characters appear in the stories, in
varying combinations; a bewitched (hechizado) prince or
princess, a wicked stepmother,(madrastra malavada) a talking
animal, a giant and so on. Also varied is the range of adjectives used to
describe them. A stepmother is often “wicked”, never just simply “bad”.
Stepsisters (hermanastras) are cruel. Princesses are usually “fair”(bellas) or “beautiful”;
they are seldom (pocas veces) ugly, although they may be
proud and haughty (altivas). Princes are usually
handsome. A giant is not simply “big” but may be “huge”or “enormous” and
very often “stupid” or “simple”. The country where these characters live is
invariably “far away”.
Comparatives
and superlatives
If you have seen the cartoon film Shrek (which I highly recommend),
you will know that the story is about a princess who is held captive by a
dragon. She is waiting for her Prince Charming (Príncipe azul)
to come and rescue her. Shrek tells us that princesses are always held prisoner
in the highest tower and that the tower is often surrounded by an enchanted
forest.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who’s the fairest of them all?
Imagine her fury when the mirror replies: “Snow White is more beautiful
than you”. So the stepmother orders a
huntsman (cazador) to take Snow White into the forest and kill her. The huntsman,
however, is too kind-hearted and cannot obey the order. He sets Snow White free
Cinderella
This is the story of a rich
merchant and his daughter. After his first wife dies, the merchant marries a
widow (viuda) who has two daughters. The widow’s daughters are not as pretty as the
merchant’s daughter. The stepmother and stepsisters are so jealous of Cinderella
that they hide her in the kitchen and make her do all the housework. However,
Cinderella’s fairy godmother (hada madrina) feels sorry for her; she knows that Cinderella
wants to go to the prince’s ball. With the words “You shall go to the ball!”,
she transforms Cinderella’s rags (harapos) into a
beautiful ball gown and changes a pumpkin into a coach and some mice into
horses to take her there. But Cinderella must return home before midnight
because that is when the magic spell (conjuro mágico) wears off (se desvanece) and everything goes back
to normal.
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