#classic fairy tales

[artist-ellen]

East of the Sun, West of the Moon

I have a huge weak spot for this fairytale. I had a huge old illustrated children's book of this fairytale when I was little and it really stuck with me all these years. EotSWotM is a fairytale in the realm of Eros and Psyche spin offs, Beauty and the Beast also falls into this trope but EotSWotM follows the older myth a little more closely with the Prince/Beast character sleeping beside her each night in his human form. Do you know/remember this fairytale?

I struggled a lot with the depiction of the Northern Lights in this illustration. I tried a whole bunch of greens and purples but they felt too radical for the rest of the color palette. I'll probably want to revisit this linear again someday to push the illustration to it's best version of itself. Also yes, she does usually have black hair, the background simply absorbed it too much as is.

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram.com/ellenartistic or tiktok: @ellenartistic

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Rafal is the King of the Golden Mountain

"The King of the Golden Mountain" is such a Never fairy tale, and a canonical one at that (not in SGE, I mean classic, fairy-tale canon). Since the protagonist becomes royalty, he's probably an Ever, even if he uses violent means to reach his end. So, maybe Good is only Good relatively speaking in this tale. At first, the king does try for the peaceful solution, and some Good fairy tales do end in gruesome punishment for the villains. However, a mass of people standing in the way of you getting your throne back aren't all exactly villains, which is why I'm insinuating that the seemingly Ever king is probably a Never king at heart.

The protagonist reminds me of Rafal immensely, in terms of his reactions and everything. The tale is brutal, and it's basically a revenge-fantasy story, which seems odd considering how most of the Brothers Grimm stories, or the better-known ones, at least, have fairly "happy" endings. This one just reeks of bloodlust and victory and smug satisfaction. Like, seriously, it's insane. And, you'd think that by the title, it'd be more Midas-like, but no, I'd say it's Rafal-like. Really.

The poor, suffering king is just deservedly unhinged at this point, like how Rafal should have gotten his proper, very plausible villain arc. I'm still bitter over the Fall identity-swap plot twist! Rafal deserved real vengeance! Especially after he slaved away for Rhian, to fix mess after mess, problem after problem. By the Storian, can't he just get a break! I suppose that, at best, he could be in Purgatory. He was never truly Good enough for Heaven because I don't think a sudden turn realistically can make up for a lifetime of Evil deeds.

Also, this is a tale where practically everyone's beheaded, so just a little advance notice.

Anyway, here's an excerpt from the ending section:

When he was near his palace, he heard sounds of joy, and fiddles, and flutes, and the people told him that his wife was celebrating her wedding with another. Then he fell into a rage, and said, "False woman, she betrayed and deserted me whilst I was asleep!" So he put on his cloak, and unseen by all went into the palace. When he entered the dining-hall a great table was spread with delicious food, and the guests were eating and drinking, and laughing, and jesting. She sat on a royal seat in the midst of them in splendid apparel, with a crown on her head. He placed himself behind her, and no one saw him. When she put a piece of meat on a plate for herself, he took it away and ate it, and when she poured out a glass of wine for herself, he took it away and drank it. She was always helping herself to something, and yet she never got anything, for plate and glass disappeared immediately. Then dismayed and ashamed, she arose and went to her chamber and wept, but he followed her there. She said, "Has the devil power over me, or did my deliverer never come?" Then he struck her in the face, and said, "Did thy deliverer never come? It is he who has thee in his power, thou traitor. Have I deserved this from thee?" Then he made himself visible, went into the hall, and cried, "The wedding is at an end, the true King has returned." The kings, princes, and councillors who were assembled there, ridiculed and mocked him, but he did not trouble to answer them, and said, "Will you go away, or not?" On this they tried to seize him and pressed upon him, but he drew his sword and said, "All heads off but mine," and all the heads rolled on the ground, and he alone was master, and once more King of the Golden Mountain.

The ending is just so vicariously satisfying! I'm hoping someone will see what I mean because it can't just be me who sees the likeness. This protagonist has his petty, chaotic fun, and is mischievous, like Fala's presence at the Circus. And, he suffered at the hands of various men, for his princess, later his wife, a supposed True Love (the cheater!), just like Rafal sacrificed and went through so much physical pain for Rhian, his True Love and the equivalent of the wife in this story. And, Rafal was almost imprisoned with a life-sentence, and was overthrown by Vulcan just like this king was replaced by another, a false hero. After all that he did for Rhian! The injustice! Besides, it feels like a very Rafal thing to cleverly fleece people out of their belongings, even if it seems somewhat accidental in nature in this particular tale. (This happened earlier in the tale, before this scene. And, the wife didn't completely deserve death, I'll admit. The king himself also erred at times, so they're both at fault.)

Side note from while I was writing this: this has got to be the best, most fitting typo I have ever made: "overthrone" instead of "overthrown," and yet, it still applies to tyranny and thrones! Haha!

If you want to read the entire tale, here's one source from which the excerpt came:

And the Wikipedia page for further analysis/a shorthand summary:

If anyone is interested in reading about another fairy tale parallel to the prequels, here's a link to an old "Faithful John" post of mine.

[supernaturalweirdos-blog]

Movie and TV-show creators should really stop changing and corrupting classic characters from people's childhood in the name of entertainment. They take loved characters and twist them so that today's generation of kids are afraid of them. Characters such as Winnie-the-Pooh were originally created to inspire hope in children, but the way that such characters are portrayed in media these days causes children to be afraid of them. What gain is there from changing beloved stories? Why can't creators just expand on the characters without twisting them?

[nbhaladhare]

Real life Fairy Tale

Aladin and Jasmin             You met me after a long time. I have almost forgotten the touch of your breath and the aroma of your presence. You sat beside me only to tell me a fairy tale of a young man whose destiny changed after meeting a beautiful woman on his morning commute. I could see the love in your eyes when you told me about the young man’s impatience to find her again on the train. I…

[storicrafter]

StoriCrafter Where Classic Fairy Tales Meet Side-Splitting Humor for Kids

Welcome to StoriCrafter, where we infuse classic fairy tales with uproarious humor to create unforgettable experiences for children. Our collection of children's humorous short stories transports young readers to a world where familiar characters embark on hilariously unexpected adventures. From clumsy wizards to cunning animals, each story is a delightful blend of whimsy and laughter, guaranteed to leave kids giggling for more. With StoriCrafter, bedtime becomes the highlight of the day, as families gather to share in the joy of timeless tales with a comedic twist.

[thatwritererinoriordan]

[the-evil-clergyman]

Among the flowers were lovely maidens calling to him with soft voices, from The Fairy of the Dawn for Andrew Lang's The Violet Fairy Book by Henry Justice Ford (1906)

[vanalex]

[artist-issues]

I'm so tired of people saying that the Prince from Snow White is a creep for kissing Snow White when he thought she was dead.

People act as if he put his tongue down her throat while she looks like a regular corpse.

Maybe I'm just more comfortable with death because of my upbringing.

There's a European tradition that you would kiss dead people goodbye. You would also wait with a dying person because dying alone was one of the most horrible ways to die.

In Poland, you would spend three days with the dead body of your relative in the house so family and friends have time to say goodbyes. We even have pictures of family members in coffins, so we could remember them.

Yeah, it's a very post-modern, historically, culturally-small-minded way to look at it.

Specifically in this movie (which is a fairy tale's fairy tale) people just...totally ignore the scene where The Prince is introduced.

Seriously and truthfully, BECAUSE the Prince only takes action in three scenes of the movie, you HAVE to take all three of them very very seriously. Because thats all there is to know about him. That's how fairy tales work: lots of information hiding under very brief, simple snippets of information. It's called nuance.

Anyway.

The Prince kisses Snow White as a culmination of their promised love for each other.

First scene he's in, he falls in love with her because of her obvious purity and he overhears her longing for someone to love her. Then she runs away because she's not sure of him, and doesn't know him. But he sings his part of the song, which is all about how he has just one heart to give, one devotion to spend, and he's choosing to give it and spend it on her if she'll have him.

And she will have him. How do we know? She sends a kiss to him on the dove. That's how the exchange ends; that's how she responds, and that's why he leaves satisfied. It's their engagement scene. They're promising their hearts to each other.

Fast-forward, the Queen messes up what might have been the natural follow-through of that engagement which is marriage by trying to kill Snow White, she's living in the woods, but she won't forget the Prince and wholeheartedly believes he'll come find her.

And the very next thing we hear about him is that he keeps his promise. He's got one heart, one love, one devotion, and it's promised to Snow White, and he will not stop searching for her. When he finds her, he's returning her kiss from their engagement scene. He thinks she's dead, but he has to finish his quest anyway. This is him, trying to keep his promise even if she's dead; he's trying to fulfill the exchange they had when they saw each other last.

It's ridiculous to assume that she needed to be awake and alive to give permission for him to kiss her; it's ignorant of the whole relationship, symbolic and literal, between these two fairy tale characters. She already sent him her kiss and her heart; he already promised to claim it; he's fulfilling the promise in that scene.

Crazy postmodern people, don't know how to take in a story. Not everything gets to have your socio-cultural lens imposed upon it.

[lesserknownwaifus]

the imp fairy from grimm's fairy tale classic , episode the iron stove

[artist-ellen]

The finished illustration for Snow White

Can you spot the super subtle Mirror Mirror inspiration? I kind of love that movie and how much it committed to stylized fun costuming. And long time fans of my redesigns will spot a fashion reference to a previous redesign... really sneaky with all these details. ( > w -)

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

https://linktr.ee/ellen.artistic

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Rafal, the Prophecy, and the Tale of “Faithful John”

"Trusty John," "Faithful Johannes," or "John the True" are alternate names to this fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. I feel like Rafal fits the “Faithful John” archetype.

Here’s the tale for context:

TLDR: In the tale, an old king is about to die. He asks Faithful John, his most trusted servant, to watch over his son. Faithful John vows to do so, and to give his life, if it comes to that. The king also commands Faithful John to show the prince the entire castle, except for one forbidden chamber containing the portrait of the golden princess, whom the king believes his son will fall violently in love with. The young king (formerly the prince) finally gets Faithful John to show him what is behind the door. Predictably, the young king falls in love, and goes off to woo the princess. Once the young king has captured the princess, Faithful John overhears three ravens talking about the young king’s certain yet preventable death. Faithful John decides to take on the burden, and not tell the king because he doesn’t want to be turned to stone for saving the king as a side effect. Faithful John does various tasks, and the young king continues to defend Faithful John despite his odd actions because of their trust. But, after the final task, the king cannot understand what Faithful John has been doing, sees Faithful John as a traitor, and sentences him to death. Faithful John confesses to his valiant deeds, and the king finally understands, but Faithful John turns to stone. The king mourns him, makes a sacrifice to bring Faithful John back to life, and Faithful John, the young king, the queen (formerly the princess), and their children live happily ever after.

Now for the parallels:

The young king = Rhian

Faithful John = Rafal

The princess = whichever of Rhian’s love-interests, take your pick.

The ravens = the Sader prophecy

Faithful John is the only one in the know. And, he’s overhears that he can never tell his master why. He does what he does. And, it looks like he’s actively thwarting his master's chances at True Love, but actually he’s sparing the king from a painful death, every time, even when he takes on personal sacrifices. He’s basically this under-appreciated, loyal, and actually competent companion. This sounds a bit like Rafal in Rise to me. Because it looks like, from the outside, that he is sabotaging his master’s chances at an ending, but he’s so loyal that he’s doing the very opposite! The people must have scoffed at him about the horse, and looked at him like he was a loon. The bridal garment would have burned through skin, and people wonder at his decisions. It would be sheer common sense if they knew, just like how Rafal shouldn’t withhold the prophecy from Rhian. But, "common sense" is not so common. Or, in Rafal's case, arcane knowledge is hard to come by. Is that too much to ask, for him to tell Rhian? Probably. Anyway, the point is that the king made a major sacrifice, and revives him because Faithful John was so faithful and deserved better, just like Rafal, assuming Rafal doesn’t do anything worse in Fall.

[disneydreamdaze]

Disney Cottages

[hellspawnsparks]

care for some tea? the Fairykinz Tiger Cub would love to share!

[storicrafter]

StoriCrafter Where Reading Fairy Tales Comes Alive! Welcome to StoriCrafter, where the enchanting world of reading fairy tales comes alive in vibrant colors and captivating tales that will ignite the imagination of young readers everywhere. Our curated collection of classic fairy tales is a treasure trove of timeless stories and unforgettable characters, brought to life through engaging narratives and stunning illustrations. Whether it's the charm of Snow White, the bravery of Little Red Riding Hood, or the magic of Sleeping Beauty, our stories are sure to delight and inspire children of all ages. https://www.storicrafter.com/

[yasmeensh]

Zelda 2 comic sneak peek

I took out my old full-length Zelda 2 comic draft and chose a segment to make a short comic out of. It's missing context from the whole grand narrative of the entire story, but I think it gets the point across.

There were a couple potentials, and I ended up choosing the scene where Link discovers that his blood is the key to awakening Ganon. It's the most well-known plot point of the game in the LOZ fandom in general, besides the Prince of Hyrule plot. Throughout the comic, Link gets attacked by various monsters during his quest. He thought Hyrule was incredibly dangerous for merchants and travelers, but found out that it was only him encountering monsters at a high rate, thus targeted (that is not discussed in this short comic). This disturbs him a lot. And this is the scene when he discovers why he's a target. It's more than the monsters seeking revenge.

At some point in the game, the player is made to travel towards south-western Hyrule and use the Hammer on dueling peaks to enter and get a magic potion. You specifically enter the peak that is originally Level 9 in Zelda 1. I found that to be very... interesting. And suspicious. Why did the developers think "Okay lets have Link go back to the traumatizing final boss place from the first game to retrieve an item :D" It's kinda epic honestly and it gave me the idea: For the full comic, I made it that Link follows rumors and travels down there in the hopes of finding the magic book containing the revive spell, which is game-changing for the rest of his journey. Being the adventurer that he is, Link takes the risk and goes there thinking the place is long-abandoned and that Ganon probably no longer exists. Except, that isn't the case. (Okay I must add, after the revelation, Link loses his adventurous spirit and gets very serious with his quest. No longer enjoys exploring, which is all this Link is about. He starts developing Big Fears. This eventually spawns Dark Link. I wish I could make the entire comic but I know I can't T-T I should probably finish up and polish the draft and post it online for whoever is interested in a deep dive, lore-intense Zelda 2 story reimagining.)

It's the first time I do a 10 page comic, so I'm going through a learning curve right now xD It's going to be experimental, but I hope you enjoy it still. Here are some WIP shots. Still a while before it's completed.