A Children’s Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales

Overview

Course No. 2411
Dr. Hannah Blevins Harvey and Yale psychiatrist Dr. Zheala Qayyum explore over 60 beloved stories from around the world, revealing:

• The hidden histories and meanings behind classic fairy tales
• How folklore helps children develop imagination and emotional intelligence
• Cross-cultural comparisons of similar tales from different traditions
• The psychological importance of storytelling for childhood development

Through dynamic storytelling and expert analysis, discover how these timeless tales continue to enchant and educate.

Video Lessons

Classic Fairy Tales Reexamined

1. Sleeping Beauty (33 min)
   Comparing Perrault’s 1697 version with Grimm’s

2-3. Beauty and the Beast (64 min total)
Norse, French, and Greek transformation tales

4. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (29 min)
   Ancient Egyptian origins to symphonic adaptations

5-7. Cinderella Variations (97 min total)
Italian, Russian, and Iranian versions spanning 7000 years

8. The Brave Little Tailor (30 min)
   Filipino and German giant-toppling tales
9. Jack and the Beanstalk (33 min)
   Tree of Life symbolism across cultures

Darker Tales and Moral Lessons

10. Hansel and Gretel (31 min)
    Medieval famine origins and Scottish variants
11. Rumpelstiltskin (33 min)
    Power of naming in German and Egyptian tales
12. Tom Thumb & Thumbelina (30 min)
    Oral tradition vs. literary authorship
13. Emperor’s New Clothes (31 min)
    Andersen and Wilde’s deceptive stories

Animal Folktales and Fables

14. Town Musicians of Bremen (30 min)
    Animal stand-ins for human lessons
15. Puss in Boots & Frog Prince (30 min)
    Indian Panchatantra influences
16. Three Little Pigs (34 min)
    Numerology in folklore structure
17. Little Red Hen (30 min)
    Repetition in formula tales
18. Pourquoi Tales (26 min)
    Origin stories from Kipling to Africa
19. Aesop’s Fables (31 min)
    Timeless morals through animal allegories

Gender Roles and Heroic Journeys

20. Snow White (31 min)
    Beauty as power in fairy tales
21. Rapunzel (30 min)
    Maiden/Mother/Crone archetypes
22. King Arthur & Winnie the Pooh (32 min)
    Masculine heroic quests compared
23. American Tall Tales (31 min)
    Frontier legends and folk ballads
24. Happily Ever After (37 min)
    Universal storytelling themes concluded