Welcome to Fairy Tales

The term “fairy-tale” (conte de fees) was first used in the 17th century by French author Madame D’Aulnoy to describe a story with one foot in reality, and the other in fantasy. Both the imaginative and the familiar come together in these narratives, which provide an opportunity to explore the unconscious fears and desires held by us readers. In the ordinary world we encounter challenges which we would rather avoid altogether, but the fairy-tale has a magical retort, a question: what unseen possibilities lie in the pits of these challenges? Fairy tales may be used as a way to explore the inner stories which we tell ourselves, the archetypes that we ourselves hold within us, and the treasures that may hide in the darkest recesses of our consciousness. They also serve as a way to understand the collective stories that we participate in, how we make sense of our societies and the world around us. This database provides a collection of fairy tales across different times and cultures, explore different collections to learn more about them.