BRITISH CHILDREN FAIRY TALES

This part of the project is about telling fairy tales to children in England. I found out a list of traditional tales and I asked some questions about the topic to ten young mums, I also interviewed four old ladies. I have to emphasize their kindness.

In addition to this, I was very lucky to find a professor at the Literature Department in the Faculty of Education who talked to me about a very traditional tale, Babes in the Wood, whose origin was in a forest of Norfolk.

This is the result of the research.



1- Is it usual to tell stories to children in England? Where, at home or at school?
All the mums interviewed in Norwich answered that it was quite usual to read fairy tales stories to their children, mainly at bedtime; although, it was not so common to tell stories.

2- Who does usually tell fairy stories in the family?
Sixty per cent of the mums answered mum and dad, per equal, read stories to their children.
Forty per cent: Mum.

3- Do you know some of these stories? Which ones?
You can see the results below.

4- Could you say the name of a traditional tale you can’t find here?
You can see the results below.


English Fairy Tales
By Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 - 30 January 1916)

Joseph Jacobs was a folklorist, critic and historian. He produced a series of English fairy tales which he was gathering along several years. This collection, you can see below, is a part of his investigation.

They were very traditional stories which parents told their children, most of them had not been written or they were ballads. Other ones were written or told in Scottish or Celtic.

I asked young mums about them and I had to delete some of the list because nobody knew
those tales.

This is the original list:

Tom Tit Tot
The Three Sillies
The Rose-Tree
The Old Woman and Her Pig
How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune
Mr. Vinegar
Nix Nought Nothing
Jack Hannaford
Binnorie
Mouse and Mouser
Cap O’ Rushes
Teeny-Tiny
Jack and the Beanstalk
The Story of the Three Little Pigs
The Master and His Pupil
Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse
Jack and His Golden Snuff-Box
The Story of the Three Bears
Jack the Giant-Killer
Jack the Giant-Killer
Henny-Penny
Childe Rowland
Molly Whuppie
The Red Ettin
The Golden Arm
The History of Tom Thumb
Mr. Fox
Lazy Jack
Johnny-Cake
Earl Mar’s Daughter
Mr. Miacca
Whittington and His Cat
The Strange Visitor
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh
The Cat and the Mouse
The Fish and the Ring
The Magpie’s Nest
Kate Crackernuts
The Cauld Lad of Hilton
The Ass, the Table, and the Stick
Fairy Ointment
The Well of the World’s End
Master of All Masters
The Three Heads of the Well
Notes and References



And this is the final list:


ENGLISH FAIRY TALES By Joseph Jacobs

Tom Tit Tot
English version of “Rapunzel”
The Old Woman and Her Pig
X
How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune
X
Cap O’ Rushes
X
Jack and the Beanstalk
XXXXXXXXXX
The Story of the Three Little Pigs
XXXXXXXXXX
The Master and His Pupil
X
The Story of the Three Bears
XXXXXXXXXX
Jack the Giant-Killer
XXXX
Henny-Penny
XX
The History of Tom Thumb
XXXX
Mr. Fox
XXX
Lazy Jack
X
Whittington and His Cat
XXXXXXX
The Cat and the Mouse
X
Kate Crackernuts

OTHER FAIRY TALES

Little Red Riding Hood
XXXXXXXXXX
Hansel and Gretel
XXXXXXXXXX
Cinderella
XXXXXXXXXX
Sleeping Beauty
XXXXXXXXXX
The enormous Turnip
XXXXXXXXXX
The Ginger Bread Man
XXXXXXXXXX
Three Billy Goats Gruff
XXXXXXXXXX
Rapunzel or Rumpelstiltskin
XXXXXXXXXX
The sorceror´s Apprentice
XXXXXXX
Snow White and the seven dwarfs
XXXXXXXXXX
Babes in the wood
XXXXX





BABES IN THE WOOD

Babes in the wood is also Known as Kids in the wood. It is a traditional children´s tale. It has been a popular pantomime, nowadays few English children know it, neither do their young mothers.

This expresion, in common language, refers to inexperienced innocents entering into any potentially dangerous situation. In fact, a number of child murder cases have been referred to in the media as the Babes in the wood murders.

The story is developed in Wayland Wood in Norfolk, England.


"When their parents died, their uncle and aunt had to care of them. Their uncle was ambitious and wanted their inheritance, so he paid two ruffians in order they killed the children. One of those men felt pity of the poor boy and girl and told them he was going to bring some food but he never returned. The children were wandering hand to hand around the forest but at the end they died. Robins covered their bodies with leaves".

This story does not have a traditional happy end. Walt Disney made a film where elves cared of the children and it ended happily.

Since the children died, the legend said that Wayland Wood was haunted by the ghosts of the two children.

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/view_myth.php?id=19