Did you know there is a Russian Cinderella? How about Chinese? African? Pueblo Indian? Fairytales are an integral part of a culture's folklore and while each are distinctive to the culture from which they come, they also have a great deal in common. One of those similarities is in structure. Fairytales share common formula that are used and reused, like building blocks to create a story.
Theories of Fairytale Origins
Polygenesis – a theory that fairytales evolved in each culture independent of each other. The themes are representative of basic human needs that surpass cultural boundaries, so regardless of what region of the world the fairytale arose in, it addresses common fears and concerns that all humanity shares. For example, stories of abandoned children are common world-wide because the fear of not having enough food for a family is a world-wide fear.
Monogenesis – a theory that cross-culture interaction occurred much earlier and in greater frequency than earlier historians originally believed. This cross-culture trade and interaction led to stories passing from culture to culture until they became ingrained in the recipient culture's folklore.
Formula
The Journey: There are many fairytale formulas. This is one of the simplest. A hero is forced to depart from home, travel afar in strange lands, overcome some adversary, and returns home with his reward.
The Departure – an event that triggers the start of the story and forces the hero to leave his home and what is familiar. Often introduces the thing that will be what the hero has to overcome to be triumphant later in the story.
The Forest - “Here be dragons.” This is where the bulk of the story will occur and signals to both the hero and the audience that the hero is venturing into unfamiliar territory where human knowledge and understanding no longer applies. It is often literally a forest and is a place of danger and uncertainty. The hero usually finds the person/object/knowledge that will allow him to overcome his trial later while in the forest.
The Trial – This is where the dragon is slain and the princess rescued. The hero, using what he has gained or learned while in the Forest, is able to overcome the obstacle that he is faced with.
The Return – The hero, triumphant over his obstacle, is able to return to where he started from. However, things have changed and while he's going home, things will never be the same again. He returns home with something that will change his life for the better.
How does this help? Fairytale formulas cut down on the amount of memorization a story needs. By reducing the story into simple blocks, a storyteller can improvise on the fly and doesn't have to remember a story in its entirety. It also provides a comfortable framework for both the storyteller and the audience. Most listeners are aware of the formula subconsciously, and are able to follow the storyteller easier when presented with a familiar model. This cuts down immensely on the challenge and stress in performing a story to an audience.
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