My Favorite Fairy Tale is Non-Western and Was Composed by a Woman

Ever since I was taught how to read, I have loved reading fairy tales. As an adult I did some research about these stories and it turns out that initially, they were not written for children and the original tale was rather dark and gruesome. Over a long period of time they evolved and became the “kinder and gentler” fairy tales that we know read today. 

In England, Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916), is considered the “father of fairy tales”. He is credited with collecting them and then presenting versions of these stories in a form suitable for reading to young children. His diligent preservation efforts helped transform these traditional tales into timeless children’s classics.

That being said, my favorite fairy tale is non-Western. I love the tale of Aladdin is one of the most famous tales Scheherazade told. Who is Scheherazade? “Scheherazade (/ʃəˌhɛrəˈzɑːd, -də/) is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the “One Thousand and One Nights”. (Per Wikipedia)

Was she a real historical figure? Not sure. But real or fiction, she has a place in world literature. Her story goes like this: The king in ancient Persia discovered that his wife had been unfaithful, so he had her executed. So that he never again suffer from anger and disappointment caused by infidelity, he vowed to marry a virgin every day and have her executed after the wedding night! To avoid being killed, Scheherazade would tell the king a story every night. He was so entertained that each night he wanted to hear another story. Her storytelling continued every night, for 1001 nights, and the king eventually fell in love with her … and they both lived happily ever after.

Scheherazade's story is the story of a storyteller. Her collection of stories or tales, “One Thousand and One Nights”, includes the tales of Aladdin and His Magic Lamp; Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves; and Sinbad the Sailor.

My favorite tale in this collection is: Aladdin and His Magic Lamp.
~ Not only do I like the genie that pops out of the lamp but I love that magic flying carpet. LOL.
~ Also, the animated Disney version of this famous tale has an awesome original soundtrack

Do you have a favorite fairy tale or children's story?

Interesting link:

Fairy Tales are universal.
World of Tales is an Online List of Fairy Tales for Children