M is for...Magic!

Fairy tales are well known for their magical happenings. Sometimes there is good magic, and sometimes there is bad magic. Witches are rarely nice, friendly characters in fairy tales! So for my 'M' post, I'll be talking about how magic is used in fairy tales.

Taken from here

Magic is very important in Sleeping Beauty, as the story wouldn't exist without it. (Or if it did, it would be boring!) 7 fairies who were chosen as godmothers to a newborn baby girl offer magical gifts to her, including beauty, wit and musical talent. A wicked fairy who wasn't chosen as a godmother gets revenge by putting an enchantment on the baby, so that when she grows up she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The last fairy to give a gift partially reverses this enchantment, and makes it so that instead of dying, the princess will fall into a deep sleep for 100 years, and be awoken by a King's son. I love the use of magic in this story, especially the magical gifts! I wish I had fairy godmothers who had gifted me with beauty and talent! I also love the 100 year enchantment, and the fact that a prince will break the spell, which is common in fairy tales.

In The Little Mermaid, the main character wants the spell to be put on her. The witch in the story gives the little mermaid a pair of legs, but it wasn't without a price. As well as having her tongue taken by the witch, she also had to endure pain through her legs every time she took a step. Also, the spell wasn't guaranteed - if the little mermaid didn't marry the prince, she would die (and this is exactly what happened). I don't like the magic in this fairy tale, as I don't understand why someone would willingly put themselves through the pain of losing their tongue and being in agony every time they step somewhere.

Taken from here

In The Little Matchgirl, there are no witches or fairies, just unexplained magic. The matchgirl lights matches for warmth, and with every match she lit, she saw a different scene. They were scenes of comfort, and of things that the little girl was missing out on, such as Christmas trees and a big Christmas dinner laid out on the table. With her last few matches she saw her grandmother, who was dead. I like this magic, because it was comforting the girl while she was dying.
The Jack and the Beanstalk story wouldn't exist without magic either, as Jack sold his cow for some magic beans, which grew into the beanstalk.

Taken from here

Cinderella has a lot of magic in it, caused by the fairy godmother. She transforms Cinderella's rags into a beautiful gown, makes her a golden carriage out of a pumpkin, turns mice into horses, a rat into a coachman and lizards into footmen. The spell has a time limit though - it will run out at midnight, and everything will turn back to normal. I like this magic, because it leads Cinderella to her prince charming and happily ever after.
I also love the magic in Beauty and the Beast, because the curse was broken when the prince, who was turned into a beast by a witch, found true love despite his beastly appearance.