Elements of a Fairy Tale

 

Elements of a Fairy Tale

There are several elements of a fairy tale that are usually or always present in such stories. Understanding these characteristics of fairy tales can make it easier to distinguish between fairy tales, folk tales, fables, and other kinds of stories.

Fairy Tale Characteristic	Purpose	Examples
A wondrous element; something magical or supernatural💥	This is the most important element that distinguishes fairy tales from other kinds of stories. These elements usually create positive change in the characters' lives	The transformation of the beast in ''Beauty and the Beast''; the spell broken by true love's first kiss in ''Sleeping Beauty''; the fairy godmother's enchantments in ''Cinderella''
Simple characters😹😸	Fairy tales use stock characters with few characteristics. This makes them easy to understand and easy to retell over and over	The virtuous poor; the beautiful maiden; the evil step-mother; the heroic knight
Repeated events💬	It is extremely common for events in fairy tales to happen in groups of three, probably because such groupings make for easy and compelling storytelling. This is not a requirement, but it is a common pattern	''Goldilocks and the Three Bears''; In ''Rumpelstiltskin,'' the lady gets three chances to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name; ''The Three Little Pigs''
Morals💓	Many fairy tales, especially those written by Perrault and Andersen, feature morals that are meant to teach audiences right from wrong	''Red Riding Hood'' and ''Hansel and Gretel'' are often seen as warnings to children to obey their parents and not to stray from the path; ''The Tortoise and the Hare'' contains the moral ''slow and steady wins the race.''