is it really for children only?

[psychod0ll]

Were fairy tales originally made for children like they are today?

[Evil_4_Dummies]

axl_carnaby93

Were fairy tales originally made for children like they are today?

Yes and No, they weren't designed with the full attention to be read only to children. They were originally stories to act as entertaining and memorable teaching tools, to get morals across in an easy to follow fashion.

Todays Fairy Tales are less of a teaching tool and more of the re-make variety to insure a steady income. The main difference in the two is todays FT the good guys always conqure over evil and ride off happily into the sunset, the older ones much like the Grimm's are quite a bit darker yet still manage to retain the lesson; most of them seemed to center around the evils of pride.

[Roxanne Blaze]

its nt imp it can b 4 ppl of all ages

[FallenSin]

axl_carnaby93

Were fairy tales originally made for children like they are today?

Many fairy tales that we know today were adapted from oral traditions. The oral traditions were for teaching children valuable moral lessons, and for keeping them in line. 'If you don't do what I say and don't get distracted, that wolf won't eat you.' (Reference: Red Riding Hood) Old wives' tales is the saying associated with stories like that. Note how many of the Grimm fairy tales involved good children getting the happy endings, and bad people getting the unhappy endings.

A lot of them were told around taverns as a way to let off steam after a hard day at work. So many early oral versions had more adult themes to them. They were stories told by adults to take their minds off how hard it was back then.

Edit: So to answer your question, many fairy tales were made for both. There were tales for children but they were not like the ones we know today. In those days fairy tales served a purpose, to teach children moral lessons. They weren't all happy and full of rainbows and happy endings.

[hallysweet]

well im not a child and i love them heart

[hallysweet]

fairy tales are soo pretty , and some of them have good mesajes wink

[tranquilthunder]

hallysweet

well im not a child and i love them heart

[David2074]

axl_carnaby93

Were fairy tales originally made for children like they are today?

Actually, while the answers above me were often true, I have also read that some of the stories we call fairy tales actually started out as stories for adults told in inns by wandering bards. The explanation goes that this is why some tales are extra dark or seem to have references to sexually suggestive stuff - they were originally stories to entertain adults. Below is one reference that touches on this. I can't remember where I read it in more detail. I'm not an expert on this so make up your own mind. I just remember being a tad surprised when I read how many tales started out as a way to entertain adults.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
Originally, adults were the audience of a fairy tale just as often as children. Literary fairy tales appeared in works intended for adults, but in the 19th and 20th centuries the fairy tale became associated with children's literature.

[XxYandere-chanxX]

Either way, I hate fairy tales razz

[boyamiconfuzed]

Like other people have said, yes and no. It's important to remember that when most of these stories were first being told orally not only were they being told for everyone in earshot there also wasn't really a notion of anything being just for children. People of all ages would just gather together and tell these stories and if there happened to be kids around listening to the stories about sex and violence then so what? At the time kids were basically viewed as smaller, less useful adults.

But some stories with later origins were written for kids, Hans Christian Anderson wrote his stories (The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid) specifically for kids.

[Robert Wayne Kearney]

No fairy tales is for all ages because religion is a myth.

[Robert Wayne Kearney]

David2074

axl_carnaby93

Were fairy tales originally made for children like they are today?

Actually, while the answers above me were often true, I have also read that some of the stories we call fairy tales actually started out as stories for adults told in inns by wandering bards. The explanation goes that this is why some tales are extra dark or seem to have references to sexually suggestive stuff - they were originally stories to entertain adults. Below is one reference that touches on this. I can't remember where I read it in more detail. I'm not an expert on this so make up your own mind. I just remember being a tad surprised when I read how many tales started out as a way to entertain adults.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
Originally, adults were the audience of a fairy tale just as often as children. Literary fairy tales appeared in works intended for adults, but in the 19th and 20th centuries the fairy tale became associated with children's literature.

No fairy tales first started when people started to believe in Religion, Religion is just a fantasy word for crazy Believes and wishes

[daddinar]

officer green

No fairy tales first started when people started to believe in Religion, Religion is just a fantasy word for crazy Believes and wishes

I just love when idiots try and use logic razz
It makes them look even more stupid blaugh

[SnakeBun]

It depends on how you define "for kids." some of these stories originated many, many years ago and back then there were many different viewpoints and not so much censoring. that and several fairy tails and epics originated in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

I took a class in college and the prof. had us reading fairy tales on which to write our papers. we read the unabridged and uncut versions of such tales as "Snow White," "Cinderella," and "The Little Mermaid" all of which do not end like their Disney film counterparts. While some of the girls lived happily ever after, the wicked stepmothers and stepsisters were harshly punished for their actions, and sometimes the heroine of the story does not get her prince.