How Symbolism in Fairy Tales of Old Help Us Today

 How Symbolism in Fairy Tales of Old Help Us Today

By H. R. Conklin

(author of The Eternity Knot in the Celtic Magic series)

By reading the old stories, we can learn valuable lessons still relevant today. The ancient people of Earth were excellent observers. Living on the same lands for generation after generation, their connection to the planet and all things that grow from it became intimate. Their knowledge of the inherent wisdom within their surroundings was folded into stories that we now call fairy tales or myths. Many truths that have been relegated to “old wives’ tales” have been proven by science. Einstein is thought to have suggested reading fairy tales as a way to encourage a child’s imagination, the first necessary brain function in becoming curious and asking questions. Such fairy tale wisdom can be found in the tales of the ancient Celtic people as well as many other cultures around the world. 

The Irish-Celts have many stories they tell about a popular character named Finn MacCool. He goes on various adventures and gets into quite a bit of mischief. When Finn was a boy, he got his start as being the cleverest person in Ireland by helping Finegas. He lived along the River Boyne attempting to catch the Salmon of Knowledge and put Finn to work helping him. When the salmon was finally caught, Finegas asked Finn to keep an eye on the fish as it was cooked, but by no means taste it because whoever was first to taste this salmon would be blessed with a special knowledge. Finn burnt his thumb on a bit of salmon oil that splashed on him and when he pressed his thumb to the roof of his mouth, the special knowledge was passed to him. With his heightened intelligence, Finn eventually became the great legend he is. What is so wonderful about this ancient story is that salmon are indeed rich in Omega-3, a brain food. How did the ancient people of Ireland know salmon was a brain food? Probably through observation of the people who ate salmon verses those who didn’t. Through this and other stories about the salmon, we are reminded that salmon should be respected. Yet, we do not do this. We dam their rivers and pollute their waters. The salmon runs are dwindling more each year, coming dangerously close to becoming extinct. A food rich in brain nutrients will be gone, and our ecosystem will be forever changed if we don’t change our ways.

Like the salmon, our trees are endangered. As with the salmon, the Celtic people are also known for revering the trees. Their Ogham alphabet is based on trees, with each letter being represented by a specific tree. What a wonderful way to show honor and teach each generation to respect the trees. We now know that trees not only give us the oxygen we need to breathe, they are also responsible for helping to capture the excess carbon we need kept out of our atmosphere. That the ancient Celtic people knew to worship trees prior to these scientific facts is amazing. There are many fairy tales and myths about trees. One popular tree is the Hawthorne tree, often referred to as The Fairy Tree for it was believed the fairies lived in the Hawthorne. Fairies in Celtic tales are not sweet and kind but frightening and deserving of respect or they will kidnap you or your children. Hawthorne trees are thorny and covered in white flowers, often used at May Day celebrations, sung about as people dance around the Maypole, even still today. “Here's a branch of snowy May, A branch the fairies gave me.” Hawthorns are so respected that roads in the UK are often built around the tree, preserving it from harm. The people of today know to treat trees with respect through hearing these stories all their lives. If we treated trees with such respect all over the world, perhaps we wouldn’t be in the midst of an environmental disaster. Observation of a tree for several years, let alone centuries, can teach us quite a bit. A tree losing its leaves in the fall only to grow them back come spring teaches us the cycle of life. The Tree of Life is a beautiful symbol in Celtic lore. Perhaps we should all go outside, find a tree to observe, and sit with it every day for a year. Then we might stand up to the corporations cutting down the trees at breakneck speed. Julia Butterfly Hill did just this when she climbed an ancient redwood in Northern California (USA,) named the tree Luna, and lived in her for just over two years. Thus, she saved this ancient tree from being cut down and brought the plight of redwoods into the world consciousness. Hill shows us that we can honor the trees amidst the greed of today’s corporations.

The bees are another creature that we are recently realizing are endangered due to pesticides causing colony collapse. Science teaches us that without the bees, humans will not last much longer beyond their demise. “Tell it to the bees” is a saying from the ancient druidic Celts. This is about observation. It may be an old wives’ tale, something that seems silly, but if we were to sit with the bees humming along as they collect their pollen, we might learn to care for them more. We might even plant gardens to be a safe haven free of pesticides so that we can help the bees survive, and thus help us to survive. There has been evidence found through archeology that bees were revered as long ago as the ancient Egyptians. They understood the value of being respectful of the bees’ place in our ecosystem. A sweet fairy tale from the Grimms Brothers is “The Queen Bee” which tells the story of a simpleton who knows better than his boastful older brothers to treat the smaller creatures of our world with kindness. In return, these creatures do the younger brother a favor, saving them all from imprisonment. This is a fairy tale our children and adults should be listening to and discussing. The simple acts of kindness towards all creatures and plants is what will help us through our modern-day crisis.

If we listen to the stories of old, we can get a sense of how we can do better in the world today. If we take the time to appreciate the inherent value in the food we eat, whether it’s salmon or corn (there are tales for this, too) or anything from the earth you might eat, we will also see how we must protect them. If we spend time with the natural world, observing the cycle of the trees or the ebb and flow of the ocean or any natural system, we will realize that everything serves a purpose, and we must do our best to preserve those systems. If we are kind to nature, nature will be kind to us. Nature does not ultimately need us. The world will go on without humans, but humans need nature. So, read the old stories and learn something new, and we may just fix the problems we have caused through our lack of connection. This is what I folded into my Celtic Magic series, especially in fourth book, The Eternity Knot.

 

Find out more on her website: Www.wildrosestories.com 

About the Author: H. R. Conklin grew up in the rural mountains of Northern California where her mother gardened and her father played the bagpipes, as well as spending long hours in the theater where her parents were a dancer and an actor. This undoubtedly led to her overactive imagination and love for nature. She currently lives in San Diego with her husband, two adult children, and three dogs. She used to teach kindergarten at a public Waldorf charter school in which she told many fairy tales to the children, and made up stories in her spare time. Now she is a Story Circle Leader and guides parents in homeschooling at a private Waldorf school.