Fairy Tales

Of late I've been pondering about  fairy tales.

I love fairy tales, I grew up with them, whether it was through Disney movies or story books, I have always enjoyed them.

Beauty and The Beast was always my favorite as a child, and while I love more recent additions to the Disney Princess family, Belle and this movie will always have a special place in my heart.

As I got older I would read retelling of fairy tales and the original, more um... well gory fairy tales.

Have you read Aschenputtel? Yeah the step-sister have to cut off parts of their feet and birds peck out their eyes. 

I think part of why I like fairy tales so much is most of them are from folk tales, lately I've tried to expand my knowledge of folktales, and fairy tales.

For example, in Japanese folk lore the story of Momotarō

There seems to be a lot of Japanese fairy tales involving nice, elderly and childless couples.

Here's the wikipedia entry on it

 Momotarō came to Earth inside a giant peach, which was found floating down a river by an old, childless woman who was washing clothes there. The woman and her husband discovered the child when they tried to open the peach to eat it. The child explained that he had been sent by Heaven to be their son. The couple named him Momotarō, from momo (peach) and tarō (eldest son in the family).^[1]

Years later, Momotarō left his parents to fight a band of marauding oni (demons or ogres) on a distant island. En route, Momotarō met and befriended a talking dog, monkey, and pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. At the island, Momotarō and his animal friends penetrated the demons' fort and beat the band of demons into surrendering. Momotarō and his new friends returned home with the demons' plundered treasure and the demon chief as a captive. Momotarō and his family lived comfortably from then on.

So what are your favorite stories? Why do you think we connect and love fairy tales? Any would recommend to me?

 Yeah that's right, I'm making you answer questions.

 Deal with it.