All societies have their own unique folktales and fairytales. They are the true mirror of the people because they are personal and are passed down from one generation to another verbally. Mothers tell them to their children at bedtime, entertaining them while at the same time teaching them important principles and lesson that they will need later on in life. The stories differ in many ways, but all express the moral and ethical belief of the culture that spawned them.
“Green Willow,” the Japanese folktale, and “The White Snake,” a German Brothers Grimm fairytale are two such tales that share many things in common while also being different in many ways. Most interesting are the parallels of these two narratives that exist in the most prominent features of the storyline because even when coming from widely different backgrounds, people can always find something to agree about. For instance, both tales start out in the same general fashion: the main character is introduced as a servant for a Lord who embarks on an unspecified quest into the wilderness; one is named Tomotada, while the second is only referred to as “the servant.” This is characteristic of fairytales as they usually have some run-of-the-mill person embark on a grand journey of exploration. Commoners, the ones who have created these tales, find it inspiring and a good lesson for their children to learn, that they do not have to be rich and powerful to succeed in life. In addition, over the course of their journeys, both heroes come upon a beautiful maiden and resolve to marry her.
The Essay on Fairy Tale 2
"ARGH! I'm going to get you, you little brat!" screamed Taylor, a 14 year old native of Calgary, Alberta. Taylor whizzed around the corner to beat up her little brother Jay. "Ha! I got you Boomer!" exclaimed Taylor. "I'm gonna tell mom and your gonna be in trouble ! he he." replied Jay. As soon as Jay made that remark Taylor let him free. Jay knew that saying that he'll tell on her would convince ...
They are struck by her beauty as well as her grace and poise. A beautiful woman is often the motivating factor in a folk hero’s quest as he tries to win her favor and her hand in marriage. Such parallels in the storyline are considered classic and appear in most folktales from around the world. However, because these stories came from two widely different cultures, they are also different in many ways. The Japanese folktale’s hero battles against himself in an almost completely inner conflict about betraying his Lord, while the Brothers Grimm fairytale concentrates on the hero winning against the odds, because of his kindness, in an outer conflict.
Obviously, the Japanese tale was written to make the reader think about the concepts of honor and love, and how powerful they both are. The fairytale was written for a more simplistic reason, that of entertainment, and to show the power of nature, so it does not have as much of a philosophical moral. Similarly, the latter saga ends with the traditional fairytale ending of “and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age,” (Grimm 37) while the other gives a more pessimistic view of life, ending in tragedy: the death of Tomotada’s love. Although both have nearly the same moral of being kind to nature, the first story rewards the hero for his adhering to this maxim, while the second punishes the hero for mankind’s disregard of it. Nevertheless, for their audiences and topics, both stories manage to perform their function quite well. It is these differences, which, if studied closely, can reveal many important characteristics of their civilization.
Folk and fairy tales are an important and unique part of every culture. They are what shaped and molded the children of that culture for countless generations and hold in them their fundamental morals and values. Just as every individual person is unique and at the same time a lot like any other, the tales of any one culture are unique, but also similar in many ways to any other. “Green Willow” and “The White Snake” are no exception and teach many of the same and different lessons that everyone should take to heart.
