Love is a fairy tale...

As with language, our stories are created by our ancestors and passed down. Storytelling is intrinsically human and shapes our identities considerably. There is a growing movement to acknowledge this and change the stories we are presenting, to provide a healthier mindset to our developing citizens. A society’s narratives can provide deep insight into the culture of its people, and this map shows fairy tales from around the world! What can we learn from the stories that others tell?

Many of our fairy tales include magic and witchcraft, and these stories have been around for centuries. The tales of witches became shockingly real in Salem, Massachusetts, in the Salem Witch Trials. Witchcraft and superstition were points of fascination originating in Southern France and Switzerland in the early 1300s, and they came to America, hitting Salem in the 1600s. Follow the story of witchcraft and devil worship around the world in this interactive field trip.

If you’re interested in learning more about the origins of some of our favorite fairy tales, this article is full of fascinating examples.  Our stories shape us—we tell our own all the time. As educators, it’s fun to think about how we are seeing our students in their first full chapters, and every day we strive to prepare them with everything they need to write their own happy endings.