A Children’s Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales

Overview

Course No. 2411

This enchanting course explores over 60 beloved stories, fables, and fairy tales from around the world, revealing their hidden histories and deeper meanings. Dr. Hannah Blevins Harvey, a nationally-known storyteller, brings these tales to life through dynamic performances while examining their cultural significance.

With insights from Yale child psychiatrist Dr. Zheala Qayyum, you’ll discover how folklore shapes childhood development. The course features both classic tales by Grimm, Andersen, and Perrault, along with lesser-known global variants – from Russian Baba Yaga stories to African pourquoi tales. Each lecture unpacks timeless themes of transformation, bravery, and wisdom through engaging storytelling and scholarly analysis.

Video Lectures

01: “Sleeping Beauty”: Once Upon a Time (33 min)

Discover folklore classifications through Perrault’s 1697 version, contrasting with Grimm’s better-known tale.

02: “Beauty and the Beast” I: The Sleeping Prince (29 min)

Explore transformation themes in the Norse tale “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.”

03: “Beauty and the Beast” II: Being Brave (35 min)

Compare French and German versions with the Greek myth “Cupid and Psyche.”

04: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Transformations (29 min)

Trace this story from ancient Egypt to Goethe’s poem and Dukas’ symphonic poem.

05: “Cinderella” I: If the Shoe Fits (35 min)

Analyze Basile’s “Cat Cinderella” and Perrault’s version with its iconic glass slipper.

06: “Cinderella” II: Baba Yaga and Goddesses (35 min)

Meet Russia’s ambiguous witch in “Vasilisa the Fair,” a unique Cinderella variant.

07: “Cinderella” III: The Mooing Godmother (27 min)

Experience the 7,000-year-old Iranian version emphasizing female community bonds.

08: “The Brave Little Tailor”: Giants! (30 min)

Examine underdog stories from the Philippines and Grimm’s clever tailor tale.

09: “Jack and the Beanstalk”: Archetypes (33 min)

Decode the Tree of Life symbolism in this classic and the Norse Yggdrasil myth.

10: “Hansel and Gretel”: Ogres (31 min)

Compare Grimm’s German version with Scotland’s “Mollie Whuppie.”

11: “Rumplestiltzkin”: Naming Our Fears (33 min)

Explore name magic through German, Egyptian, and Orkney Island stories.

12: Tom Thumb and Thumbelina: Little Heroes (30 min)

Contrast oral folklore “Tom Thumb” with Andersen’s literary “Thumbelina.”

13: “Emperor’s New Clothes”: Looks Can Deceive (31 min)

Analyze Andersen’s and Wilde’s literary tales often mistaken for folklore.

14: “Town Musicians of Bremen”: Unwanted Animals (30 min)

Study animal symbolism through this German tale and Japanese wisdom stories.

15: “Puss in Boots” and “The Frog Prince”: Fitting In (30 min)

Trace the cat’s origins to India’s Panchatantra before his French debut.

16: “Three Little Pigs”: Third Time’s a Charm (34 min)

Discover numerology in folklore through Italian and German “three” tales.

17: “The Little Red Hen”: Formula Tales (30 min)

Enjoy repetitive patterns in “Three Billy Goats Gruff” and “The Gingerbread Man.”

18: “How the Camel Got His Hump”: Pourquoi Tales (26 min)

Explore origin stories from Kipling, African-American folklore, and Norse myths.

19: Lions and Tigers and Bears: Fables (31 min)

Examine Aesop’s morals through “The Tortoise and the Hare” and other classics.

20: “Snow White”: Beauty and Handsomeness (31 min)

Analyze beauty as power through Grimm’s tale and cultural metaphors.

21: “Rapunzel”: Maiden/Mother/Crone (30 min)

Compare German and Italian versions examining feminine archetypes.

22: King Arthur and Winnie the Pooh: Heroic Quests (32 min)

Contrast Arthurian legends with Pooh’s adventures as masculine archetypes.

23: American Tall Tales and Folk Songs (31 min)

Celebrate “Pecos Bill” and work ballads like “John Henry” as cultural voices.

24: Happily Ever After: How Our Stories End (37 min)

Conclude with Danish and Scottish tales reviewing universal folklore themes.