How to write an analysis of the fairy tale Cinderella sample. The hidden meaning of fairy tales: "Cinderella

“Where is the sacrifice, and even more so cannibalism?” - you will be surprised. A fairy tale about a kind and meek girl who poked around in the ashes until her hour struck. The thing is that the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault are fairy tales recorded already in the 18th-19th centuries. ekah, that is, close to our time.

The original, mythological context in later processing is greatly distorted. The mythological elements that are present in the early versions of the tale are forgotten, because the myth is far from always logical and understandable. The myth is much more archaic and frightening, and the fairy tale is an attempt to rationalize it.

"Cinderella" is one of the most popular "wandering stories", which has over a thousand incarnations in the folklore of different peoples of the world.

Where is Cinderella's mother? She's been eaten!

One of the most important images in the fairy tale "Cinderella" is the image of the deceased mother. The reader does not have a question why the unfortunate woman could die. The appearance of a good fairy godmother in Charles Perrault's version is also not surprising. And few people realize how closely these two images are interconnected.
So, at the very beginning of the fairy tale, Cinderella's mother dies, and her father, having grieved, finds another wife. Why does death come? In most fairy tales, this is not covered, but given as a given, but there are still fairy tales that have retained the most ancient motifs that give an answer to this question.
In the Greek version of The Perch Maiden (Edmund Martin Geldart, Folk-Lore of Modern Greece: The Tales of the People, Little Saddleslut), a mother suffers death at the hands of her own daughters:

One day three sisters were sitting and spinning flax. And they said: Whose spindle falls to the ground, we will kill and eat it. The spindle of their mother fell first, but they did not touch her, but sat down to spin further. And again mother's spindle fell, and again, again ... “Well! they said. "Now we'll eat it." But Cinderella stands up for her mother, although to no avail: “No! said the youngest of the sisters. - Don't eat it. Since you want meat so much, eat better than me. But the sisters refused; two of them killed and then cooked the mother.

This is how the daughters brutally dealt with their own mother. Cinderella, on the other hand, refuses to eat and will subsequently be rewarded for this.
From the text, it can be assumed that the mother deliberately drops the spindle in order to save her children. Subsequently, in the fairy tale Little Saddleslut ("The Girl on the Perch"), it is the mother who becomes the magical giver for the youngest daughter, who was mocked by the sisters:

Then the youngest, who was called the Perch-Girl [after the death of her mother, the girl sat all the time on the chicken perch, for which the sisters gave her this nickname], collected all the mother's bones and buried them under the hedge. For forty days the girl fumigated them with incense, and then wanted to take them to another place. As soon as she lifted the stone, the rays of light blinded her. She found there a beautiful robe, as if woven from the sky and stars, from spring and sea waves. In addition to the dress, there were many coins.

But this is not an isolated case. There are quite a lot of examples with the mention of eating the mother by members of her family. Often the motive of the so-called endocannibalism (eating a relative) is performed in a milder form, that is, there is no direct mention of eating human flesh. The mother in these versions turns into an animal—often a cow—and only then is eaten.

Breaking the Magic Ban

In some tales, the transformation of a mother into an animal is the result of a violation of a magical prohibition. Here is what the Serbian fairy tale "Pepelyuga" (Woislav M. Petrovitch, Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians, Pepelyuga) tells us:

In the high pastures, close to deep abysses, several girls were spinning yarn and looking after the cattle. Suddenly they noticed a strange man with a long white beard down to his waist. He stopped and said: “Beautiful maidens, beware of the abyss. Because if one of you drops your spindle into her, the mother of that girl will turn into a cow at that very moment!” Having said this, the old man disappeared. The girls, puzzled by his words and discussing a strange incident, approached the very edge of the cliff ... They peered into the crevice with curiosity, as if hoping to see something unusual there. Suddenly, the spindle slipped out of the hands of the most beautiful of them and, hitting the stones, flew into the abyss. When the girl returned home in the evening, her worst fears came true. Instead of her mother, she saw a cow in front of the door.

The cow helps Marra (Serbian Cinderella) when her father marries an evil and obstinate woman. But the stepmother is not stupid - she tells her daughter to go after Marra and see how she manages to always be full. The deceit is revealed, and the half-sister informs her mother that the cow feeds the girl and helps her stepmother complete her tasks. The evil stepmother orders the cow to be killed, but she, anticipating death, tells Marra not to taste her meat, but to collect the bones and bury them in a certain place.
Quite often, the mother, turned into an animal, foresees her death and does not fear it.
Another example of punishment for a violated ban is the fairy tale "The Wicked Stepmother" (J. Hinton Knowles, Folk-Tales of Kashmir, The Wicked Stepmother) of the state of Kashmir. In this tale, the wife of a brahmin acts as the mother of Cinderella. Leaving home, the brahmin urges his wife not to eat anything until he returns. Otherwise, she will turn into a goat. If he himself tastes food outside the house, he will turn into a tiger.
Having disobeyed the covenant of her husband, the wife tastes food in his absence and turns into a goat. Her ex-husband is remarrying. In this version of the fairy tale, Cinderella also has brothers and sisters, who are rescued by a magical goat until the evil stepmother figures out their assistant. After that, the new wife, pretending to be sick, tells the doctor to say that only goat meat can save her. The doctor meekly obeys her command. The Brahmin at that time did not have money for another goat, so a sad fate befell his ex-wife.

What's with the sacrifice?

There are two main reasons for cannibalism as a real phenomenon: forced cannibalism associated with difficult living conditions (hunger, drought, etc.), and ritual cannibalism. In the context of this story, it is possible with relative certainty to reject the version of eating a relative in connection with hunger, since fat flocks of sheep and other signs of prosperity are repeatedly mentioned in fairy tales.
The phenomenon of endocannibalism is deeply archaic and is often mentioned in myths and fairy tales. If initially cannibalism was inherent in the supreme deities, then as the ban spreads, it becomes a feature of lower mythological creatures: vampires, werewolves, and so on. Usually he is severely punished.

So, in most Cinderella tales, in which there is a motive of indirect or direct cannibalism, animals, which are the spirit of the deceased mother, forbid her to taste their meat.

Vengeful Cinderella from Vietnam

At times, the plot turns in completely unthinkable directions. In one of the Vietnamese versions of the fairy tale "Tem and Cam" (Tấm Cám), Cinderella punishes her stepmother in the cruelest way, forcing her to taste the flesh of her own daughter.
When the Vietnamese Cinderella Tam has already married the prince, her half-sister Cam asks her how she manages to maintain her beauty. Tam replies that she's just taking a hot water bath. Having done as her sister advised her, Cam dies, boiled alive. Tam cuts her body into pieces and prepares food from the meat, and then sends it to her stepmother. The woman without hesitation takes to the meal, but then the raven sits on the roof of her house and croaks: “Yummy! A mother eats her own daughter's flesh! Is there more left? Give me a piece too!” And only having finished eating, the stepmother discovers the skull of her girl at the bottom of the pot, after which she dies of shock.

Helper Animals: From Cow to Fish

Over time, the motive of cannibalism has come a long way in rationalization. The fairy tale remained an oral genre for a very long time. Passing from mouth to mouth a familiar plot, the narrators brought something of their own to the story of Cinderella, often omitting or rationalizing what was incomprehensible to the narrator. Thus, the gap between Cinderella's mother and the kind helper that appears in her path began to increase.
In many versions of the tale, the image of the mother loses its significance, but at the same time, the image of the helper animal remains, the appearance of which is not explained in any way. In the Irish, Scottish and Serbian analogues of Cinderella, a sheep or a cow acts as such an animal, which to some extent makes this fairy tale related to the story of Little Havroshechka, no less known to us.

Most often, the female acts as a helper animal, but there are also male variations that have gone far from the idea of ​​​​a savior mother. And if in the Malay folk tale "Bawang Putih Bawang Merah" the fish still admits that it is the mother of the girl, then in the Vietnamese "Tam and Cam" the fish clearly symbolizes the male figure - according to some versions, the Buddha himself helps the girl.
The fish appears in Asian fairy tales not by chance: it often symbolizes God.
Help Cinderella and other animals: the bull takes her away from her evil stepmother in the Norwegian fairy tale "Kathy the Wooden Cloak"; a red calf in a Scottish Rashin-Coatie leads her through the forest. There are also characters of the "lower world": a mouse, a toad and others.
At the next stage of rationalization, birds or a tree that grew on her mother's grave act as Cinderella's helpers. According to the Brothers Grimm, Cinderella made a pilgrimage to the burial place of her mother and there she watered the earth with her tears until a tree grew in that very place. As soon as Cinderella shook him, nuts fell from the branches, in which magical gifts were hidden for her. The Cinderella of Joseph Jacobs does the same when planting a hazel tree. A bird flies to her and advises her to shake the tree so that the nut falls from it.
In the Italian fairy tale "Cinderella" (Thomas Frederick Crane, Italian Popular Tales, Cinderella), a father brings his youngest daughter a little bird called Verdelio, which endows Cinderella with beauty. The image of a bird everywhere in the myths of various countries is the image of the human soul. So, dead relatives come to the living in the form of birds and help in trouble or warn of misfortune. The bird is a heavenly inhabitant, close to the gods. It is the birds that warn the prince of deceit when Cinderella's stepsisters, wanting to marry the royal, cut off part of their legs so that the shoe fits.
Why exactly the hazel becomes the protector of Cinderella is also understandable. Among many peoples, hazel (hazel) was considered closely connected with the afterlife. In some places in Europe, at Svyatki, the owners scattered nuts on the floor and in the corners to feed the souls of the dead. In the German fairy tale Aschenputtel, Cinderella asks her father to bring her the first branch that will knock off his hat so that she can plant it on her mother's grave. This branch turns out to be a hazel branch. In addition to the connection with the afterlife, the hazel also endows its owner with great wisdom; among the Druids, this tree was considered sacred.

Fairy Birth

If the images of birds or trees as magical helpers already embodied the spirit of the dead mother only symbolically, then in the future this image completely lost its original meaning. At this stage, Cinderella's assistant is either a being of divine nature, or a person, a friend.
In Charles Perrault's fairy tale, Cinderella is helped not by animals or birds, but by a fairy godmother who appears out of nowhere. In the Georgian Cinderella, "Little Ragged" (Conkiajgharuna), a poor girl is helped by a devi - a mystical creature, one of the incarnations of the mother goddess. She does it in a rather creepy way:

Once, when Little Ragged was tending a cow, she accidentally ran onto the roof. [Note author: in some areas of the Caucasus, the houses of peasants are dug into the ground, so it is quite possible to accidentally go onto the roof]. The girl followed the cow to bring it back to the road, but accidentally dropped the spindle into the house. Looking inside, she found an old woman there and asked her: "Good woman, give me my spindle." “I can’t, my child,” answered the old woman, “come in and take it yourself.” This old woman was a devi. When Ragged Picked up the spindle, the mistress of the house turned to her with a request: "Daughter, daughter, come to me and look at my head, I'm almost eaten." The girl stepped closer and looked at the old woman's head. Her heart skipped a beat when she found the worms crawling inside. But Ragged Man gathered her courage and cleaned off a few worms, after which she said: “What is there to look at? You have a clean head!

The gods don't just help Ragged. Goddess Bhagavani took pity on Mugazo, the heroine of the Vietnamese fairy tale "The Golden Shoe".
Support Cinderella and just women - kind and not very. Zezolla, the Italian Cinderella from the fairy tale Giambattista Basile (1575−1632), having agreed with the nanny, breaks her stepmother's neck with the lid of the chest. A kind neighbor from a Georgian fairy tale tells her birds to collect all the millet that her stepmother scattered and ordered her stepdaughter to collect.
And in the Greek fairy tale already mentioned above, Cinderella is directly helped by God. Once in the desert, she prays: "Lord, give me a hole in the ground, so that only I can stick my head in there, so as not to hear how wild animals howl." After Cinderella's request was fulfilled, she asked for a larger hole, one that would fit up to her waist. And only for the third time did Cinderella pray for a hut where she could live.

Thus, the image of Cinderella's mother, hidden behind layers of numerous transformations and distortions, acquires a mystical, sacred meaning.
Rejecting the later, milder versions, where Cinderella forgets or forgives the evil stepmother and sisters, we meet with a common motif in which the spirit of the deceased mother cruelly avenges her insults. A stepmother breaks her neck, birds peck out her daughters' eyes, Cinderella forces her stepmother to taste the flesh of her own child...
In light of all of the above, the question arises: who is actually the main character in this story? Isn't Cinderella just a tool, a conductor, with the help of which the spirit of the deceased mother administers her sometimes bloody justice? Dying, she does not completely leave the world of the living, but is invisibly present in it, passing on her will to her daughter and showing her the way.

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Do we know our favorite fairy tales? [Hidden meaning, encrypted by storytellers. We read between the lines, a fragment] Korovina Elena Anatolyevna

CINDERELLA, or the Ball of Life

Ball of life

Oh, MY SORROW,

OH SILENT MY FREEDOM

AND THE NON-LIVING SKY

ALWAYS LAUGHING CRYSTAL!

Osip Mandelstam

Cinderella is truly a favorite fairy tale of all times and peoples. And not just a fairy tale - a future life program called "How to Marry a Prince." True, in our national consciousness (according to the sociological question), the thesis with the amendment took shape: "Lying on the stove - to marry the prince." Well, if “lying on the stove” is a program for the male population, then “marrying a prince” is certainly for the female population. And that's funny - all over the world it is considered normal. But our sociologists screamed in unison: nightmare, horror! And what's wrong with that?! Probably, our analysts and interpreters still believe that a woman’s place is at the machine during the day, and in the kitchen in the evening, and it would be even better if she, like the front page of production, lays sleepers without rest. Well, the ideals of socialism - the very one that was "without a human face" - does not disappear from our public consciousness. And none of the "wise men" remembers that, in fact, Cinderella was far from being a flirtatious, but a hard worker.

Otherwise, where would such a number of options come from? There are stories about Cinderella all over the world. In different countries, plots are overgrown with their own details, details, names of heroes. By the way, such fairy tales with a single plot, but different details, are called wandering or migratory.

And did you know that…

Only in Europe there are more than five hundred versions of the fairy tale about Cinderella.

In India, Sri Lanka, in other countries of the East, her retellings also roam. Known, for example, the Chinese version, created in the IX century.

Cinderella tales have different titles. For example, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia there is a fairy tale "Three Nuts", in Spain - "Magic Dresses".

But in all folk tales, the heroine has a nickname that says that she works a lot around the house, especially at the hearth, and is always stained in ashes and ashes. She -

Cinderella - in Russia,

Cendrillon- in France,

Popelyushka or Popelka - in Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine,

Aschenputtel- in Germany,

Cinderell- in England.

Naive question:

And what was the girl's name, if Cinderella is just a nickname?

But nobody knows this. This is the main secret of our heroine. But if there is no specific name, then any woman (of almost any age) can identify herself with her, waiting for a handsome prince. That's how wisely invented by the people!

Attention!

There are also male versions of the tale, when the youngest of the brothers becomes “Cinderella” - a kind of “Cinderella”

As a rule, he is the unloved third son in the family, and older brothers do not take him with them when they go to woo the royal daughter. That is, this is a variant of the fairy tale about three brothers - two smart, and the third - a fool. Do you remember our Ivanov and Emel, who were wooing the tsar's daughter? However, the Western European "Cinderella" is closer not to them, but rather to Hans Chump Andersen. This third brother, rejected by the elders, himself finds a way to get into the palace and marry a beautiful princess. Usually he is named accordingly. For example, in Scandinavian fairy tales there is Espen and Espen Askeladden. The latter is translated as "digging in the ashes."

Of course, the most famous interpretation of Cinderella is Perrault's fairy tale. In the West, it is traditionally called "Cinderella, or the Little Crystal Slipper", in Russia - "Cinderella, or the Crystal Slipper". Perrault himself called her "Cinderella, or the Shoe trimmed with fur."

Stop! What fur?! It is known that the shoes were crystal. I wonder if you yourself have ever tried to wear such shoes-boots? Never? Then remember at least the crystal vases - those that flaunt on your most prominent shelf. Crystal is heavy, like any glass, it will cut your legs, and besides, it will crack or even break at the first step.

So where did the glass slipper come from?!

Do not know? And by mistake - it was formed from a typo in the book.

Here is how it was. In folk tales, the shoe is usually golden. However, in some folk tales, Cinderella generally loses not her shoe, but her tiny ring. But Perrault decided that the shoe would be more effective.

I must say that in his time no one was wearing fur on shoes, although earlier, in medieval France, the rich ordered just such shoes for themselves - for warmth and beauty. But at the court of Louis XIV, during whose time Perrault lived, they already wore completely different shoes - made of brocade, decorated with diamond buckles, and even with high heels. So, with his fur trim, Perrault could, firstly, attribute the action of a fairy tale to distant times. And secondly, to emphasize the uniqueness of fur slippers during the time of Louis XIV, which means to enhance their mysterious, enigmatic properties.

And so Perrault wrote in the title in French viar , that is, fur for trimming. But in the subsequent edition, the compositor mixed up the letters and a typo appeared. Viar turned into verre, what does glass mean. Well, the translators thought - the glass is somewhat rustic and wrote "crystal". And so the glass slipper went for a walk around the world. And everyone, without being surprised, perceived it as truly magical, made of an unusual "wonderful material."

There is another secret in Perrault's Cinderella - the appearance of a sorceress helping Cinderella. The fact is that in folk tales, the action begins with the fact that Cinderella's mother dies. And the father will soon marry another. And then poor Cinderella asks her dead mother to help her. In different cases, this happens in different ways. Sometimes, as in the Brothers Grimm or in Spanish fairy tales, dresses of unprecedented beauty grow on a tree growing on a mother's grave. Sometimes messengers appear from the mother (birds, squirrels, good spirits, etc.), bringing gifts to Cinderella (for example, three nuts, three flowers or leaves, in which outfits for the upcoming royal ball are hidden).

Perrault removed the image of the dead mother altogether. He wanted to write a festive “ballroom” fairy tale, and then all of a sudden there is talk of illness and even death ?! But someone had to help poor Cinderella? Thus, a fairy sorceress was born. Perrault made her the godmother of Cinderella, because in his time in France it was customary to take patrons of higher origin and position as godfathers and mothers. The servants tried to get the masters to be godparents for their children, the subordinates called the boss to the christening. Well, without the patronage of a "native little man" it is bad to live even in the magical, even in the real world. After all, the magical world is just a reflection of the real world.

Attention! Quiz

And who will be able to explain why the fairy created a carriage from a pumpkin?

Whoever answers correctly, he may well expect that life will be full of balls and other entertainment.

Well, any guesses? Really not? Then let's talk together.

First, remember that the pumpkin in Europe did not initially grow. It was brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors who returned from America. And it happened only in the XVI century. This means that by the time Perrault's fairy tales were written, in the 17th century, the pumpkin was not yet ubiquitous and seemed to the people to be some kind of overseas, mysterious guest, that is, a mysterious vegetable. That is, the fairy godmother used the magical properties of the pumpkin.

Secondly, the pumpkin was located on the beds very freely. For this, the peasants nicknamed her respectfully - Madam-Mother Pumpkin. In addition, the pumpkin was the largest vegetable. Isn't that what the carriage needs?

Look - in the twentieth century, the American Chris Stevens grew a giantess pumpkin weighing 821 kilograms and 5 meters in girth. If you take out the juicy golden pulp from there and attach the wheels, you will get a real carriage in which you can go to a ball or travel!

Thirdly, the golden pumpkin, like a nobleman lounging in the garden, resembled the clothes of aristocrats embroidered with gold. But not only! The carriages of that time were also upholstered in gold. So an expensive carriage was obviously coming out of a golden pumpkin.

Fourth, pumpkin is very durable. Not without reason, having scooped out its juicy inner part, very strong vessels are made from the peel (crust), suitable for various economic purposes. Well, shouldn't a magic carriage be durable?

And fifthly (this is generally a special case), pumpkin helps with motion sickness. Remember, Cinderella is not accustomed to riding in carriages, only the nobility used them. In addition, the carriages of that time were shaking a lot. So men generally preferred to travel on horseback, leaving the carriages to the ladies, who were ready to endure any difficulties, so as not to spoil the dress and hairstyle.

And did you know that…

In Perrault's tale, the prince has a proper name - Mirliflor. The storyteller formed it from two French words mirer- “strive”, “seek” and fleur- "flower".

This name has become a household name. In the time of King Louis XIV, “mirliflores” began to be called especially elegant young people from the highest nobility.

And one more "mystery", or rather, the remarkableness of Perrault's tale. This tale is not just literary, but reflects the features of the court world in which the storyteller lived.

Perrault introduces real modern details into an absolutely magical fairy tale, describes the details of magnificent balls and the manners that reigned at them. And all this with humor and gallantry, characteristic of the era of the "Sun King". The fairy tale becomes an echo of the palace festivities well known to Perro, with their noise, brilliance and eternal gossip. That is why Perrault's tales are considered to be the world's first literary, author's tales. Of course, Perrault used the plots of folk tales, but he did not simply process them in retellings, as, for example, our brilliant folklorist A.N. Afanasiev or the no less brilliant German folklore collectors the Brothers Grimm - no! Based on the folk story, Charles Perrault wrote his own author's fairy tale. Yes, we seem to hear the voice of the author himself, who loved to read his fairy tales in literary salons!

“A deep silence reigned, the dances stopped and the violins fell silent - such attention was attracted by the unprecedented beauty of the stranger. There was only a vague rumble of exclamations: "Oh, how beautiful!" All the ladies were closely examining her headdress and her dress in order to acquire similar outfits tomorrow. If only there will be a beautiful matter and there will be such skillful craftsmen.

That is, this is an aristocratic fairy tale. Hence the moral. It is in folk tales that the heroine received a prince and happiness because she was hardworking, diligent and kind to people. And in Perrault's aristocratic fairy tale, the key to Cinderella's success at the ball, and then in the heart of the prince, was the aristocratic values ​​​​of his time - good manners, the ability to behave impeccably in society. The heroine came to the ball in beautiful dresses (good taste), danced charmingly with the prince (elegance in dancing) and even treated her sisters to lemons and oranges, which the prince gave her (by the way, the most expensive delicacies at that time).

Here is the moral of Perrault's tale:

Undoubtedly, beauty for women is a real treasure;

Everyone tirelessly praises the beautiful view,

But the thing is priceless - no, even more expensive! -

Elegance, to put it another way.

<…>Beauties, there are gifts of outfits more valuable than all;

But it is possible to conquer hearts with only one -

By grace, by the gracious gift of a fairy:

Not a step without him, but at least for a kingdom with him.

To be honest, the diplomat Perrault covered his morals here with too much "diplomatic veil". Under the concept of “elegance”, he rather means the inner harmony (mode) of a person, his naturalness, and finally, the humanity of behavior and kindness of character.

But it is remarkable - the folk wisdom that even the most unsightly, but smart, kind and hardworking girl can attract the attention of the prince, history itself proved. And this is not fiction, not a myth, but a real fact from the biography of the son-heir of King Louis XIV - Dauphin Louis.

You can read this real story in the Appendix to the book. In the meantime, we will not interrupt the conversation about the fairy tale. But…

Attention all fools!

Attention all fat women!

Read and remember - it happens!

Did Charles Perrault know this story? Certainly! After all, he was not only a famous poet, critic, member of the French Academy, but also an experienced courtier, diplomat, to whom Louis XIV entrusted the most delicate and intricate cases.

End of introductory segment. The full text is available at www.litres.ru

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Have you tried to decompose this fairy tale according to Freud? The narrative will turn out to be surprisingly lengthy, especially the diagnosis of the main character (single-parent family, problems with identification in the infantile period, etc.). Well, the shoe, a symbolic representation of the vagina, will turn out to be the most convenient (and practically the only) object for fixing the prince’s unconscious desires, which is why it was left on the stairs by Cinderella’s unconscious as an expression of not only an underlying desire to return to the palace, but also an (unconscious) intention with this most prince to copulate. The prince, discovering the shoe, deciphers this “message”, after which, naturally, he starts searching ... By the way: I happened to meet with the opinion that in the original the shoe was not crystal, but fur. Three sisters there, the devil knows what they symbolize ... Do you remember the three brothers from Dostoevsky? In-in ...

By the way: none of us knows how everything ended with this fabulous couple. What was their relationship like after that? The emotional trauma from the early loss of her mother, the lack of an object for building identification, the constant humiliation on the part of her stepmother and half-sisters could not pass without a trace on the mental health of our heroine. The unconscious of Cinderella will consider the new marriage of dad as a betrayal of the deceased mother (children perceive their parents as a single whole, regardless of their life together, and simply from their, parents, earthly existence). This betrayal is further aggravated by the fact of a different, more loyal attitude towards the daughters of the new wife - whom Cinderella could not but perceive as competitors in the struggle for her father's love. Thus, the father committed a double betrayal against his daughter. Hence - a vague desire to take revenge on papa, which, due to the impossibility of this ... well, you already guessed without me. All this aggression, of course, will seek its outlet. And Cinderella, like most other women, has only one way to sewer it - the one who is at hand all the time, that is, the husband. It is on him that the whole complex of dissatisfaction with the biological parent will eventually be transferred. Hence, at least, episodic outbursts of her unreasonable anger (and if she, as a strong personality, manages to suppress them, then neurosis, psychosis, obsessive-compulsive states and other psychosomatic dregs that the psychoanalyst's couch cries for).

Not to mention the passionate desire to assert itself - the desire that always distinguishes the parvenue. Cinderella realizes this in two ways: firstly, by the desire to subjugate the prince (everything is more or less clear with this), and secondly, by the desire to surpass him in external splendor. Hence the exorbitant spending of the royal treasury, thousands of expensive dresses, luxurious balls in her honor and so on, so on, so on. I almost forgot: she will most likely forget about her father (again - unconscious revenge, and all that). Here it is very appropriate to recall Chekhov's story "Anna on the Neck": in both cases, the mental mechanisms of the girls are exactly the same. The scenario of development of events is approximately the same. But back to the fairy tale.

It is easy to see that now the internal development of Cinderella will move along one of two paths: either she will all go into raising children and immediately get drunk - which will cause the prince’s legitimate displeasure and the subsequent appearance of a pretty fresh favorite (and maybe not even one). What else is left for the aunt to do, how not to set the children against their father? (By the way, such things can happen unconsciously, which will make them even more effective - remember Jung's ideas about the collective unconscious). What good, the unbelted woman will be able to destroy their identification - especially if the "fighting" will fall on the Oedipal period. As a result, the heirs to the throne will grow up notorious, insecure, and even with problems in communicating with peers, and subsequently in sex.

Either the newly-made princess will indulge in secular amusements even more, cheating on her husband, she began with young slender cavalry guards, and then with servants - to, so to speak, restore peace of mind. “The dog returns to his vomit,” the apostle Peter once remarked, on a different occasion, however. Naturally, sooner or later all this would have surfaced ...

There is another important point. “If fate has deprived me of one beloved object, then who knows, maybe tomorrow I will also lose another, that is, my husband,” her psyche will whisper to Cinderella. From here we get not only a girl’s low self-esteem from childhood (“since this happened to me, then I’m bad”), but also a permanent fear of losing a new love object. Hence - not only the prince's constant exhausting demands for confirmation of love, but also jealousy, and most importantly - the need for total control over him. The poor fellow will be constantly plagued by suspicions, climbing into the pockets of his camisole, rummaging through the table, perusing letters, forcing the court ladies-in-waiting to follow his every step ... Then, naturally, scandals and reproaches will begin ... Can you imagine what such a “family life” will look like?

The reaction of the “young” to all these neurotic manifestations is also not difficult to predict: “Who are you anyway? You owe me everything. Yes, I pulled you out of the shit! Our princess, who has endured all sorts of humiliations in her father's house, most likely will not go into her pocket for a word ... And hence - a new round of family conflicts. By the way: if Cinderella went down the aisle with him, albeit from a happy and full-fledged, but not a princely family, then this would not have ended well. And now it would also be destroyed by what is called "from rags to riches." The heroine would still be traumatized by the unpleasant feeling of both her own dependence and the contemptuous and dismissive attitude of the court dukes and princes. And if the prince had more brothers and, especially, sisters, then write wasted altogether: court life would rapidly degenerate into a typical Mexican series.

All this mess will inevitably affect the authority of the prince, the future king. By definition, the former Cinderella will not be able to communicate on equal terms with the queens of neighboring states: the same old complex will constantly interfere. The lady will begin to either constantly break into rudeness, or blurt something out of place at formal receptions. "Ignorance of etiquette did not allow her to adequately represent the interests of her husband at official events." Not to mention the general ignorance and uncouthness - constant housework deprived her of the opportunity to get good manners and a full education ... And the queens would not communicate with her, not wanting to recognize her as an equal - after all, this would mean losing their own authority.

Naturally, the eccentric, overly self-confident and slightly stupid queen would start trivially complaining to her husband (in the bedroom, in front of ... well, you yourself already understood), and then nag him in every possible way. Like, “if you love me, then don’t accept such and such ambassadors anymore: their queen looked at me askance.” Yes, he loves. He will do everything. Remember Nicholas II?

As soon as Cinderella's father behaved like a typical rag in a situation of remarriage, this testifies to the exceptional softness of his character. Naturally, the daughter will look for a similar henpecked. It is quite possible to assume that the prince chosen by her is just that. Most likely, a happy husband will not be able to refuse such a trifle to his beloved wife ... In short, the result of Grimm's misalliance would be an escalation of international tension. And what? Many people believe that all wars are about women. What, one wonders, is the “scheme” presented to the reader for judgment worse?

Yes, I have not yet told you about the relationship of the newly minted "princess" with the Queen Mother. This is a separate story ... It's just a song!

By the way, Aleksey Chernykh interpreted this tale best of all, described the character of the main character, and drew a convincing picture of the further development of events. I highly and highly recommend. Only the "happy ending" is completely different. So read and choose from the two options the one that suits you best.

Love uplifts in exceptionally rare cases; marrying a prince is not one of those. The cook cannot, must not, and will not run the state. But the fact remains: this fairy tale has certainly spoiled the psyche and worldview of more than one generation of young, impressionable persons... But what does the fairy tale have to do with it? The consciousness of generations of women just picked up a suitable plot for their initial aspirations - to get everything at once and without paying anything for it. We will keep silent about the fur shoe as a "payment method" for now. One online author on a forum where the topic “the ideal of a woman is henpecked” was discussed very correctly noted that “in fairy tales, girls marry princes. Mind you, not for governesses, gardeners, royal guards, generals, ministers, treasurers. They don’t go to the king’s mistresses, for example (that place is already occupied by court ladies-in-waiting). Only for the prince. First, he has daddy's money. Going to work doesn't suit him. And the paparazzi will look after marital fidelity. What's left for the poor boy? Only representative functions at all sorts of balls and presentations. Yes, make new successors to the royal family in the bedroom.

“The tale of Cinderella is one of the most popular fairy tales in the world. She has been living for 2500 years and during this time she received 700 versions. And the earliest version of "Cinderella" was found in ancient Egypt - where mothers told their children at night a story about a beautiful prostitute who was swimming in the river, and at that time an eagle stole her sandal and took it to the pharaoh. The sandal was so small and elegant that the pharaoh immediately announced a nationwide wanted list. And, of course, when he found Fodoris - Cinderella - he immediately married her.

The very fact of the prevalence of the expression “I am looking for my prince”, and the plot of the fairy tale is very indicative, since most of all it reveals the desire of many, many women to jump “from rags to riches”, while using a man and his position in society. Like, “so that I have everything, but I don’t have anything for it.” But that doesn't happen. You have to pay for everything. External beauty is still not enough to qualify for the place of the princess. How about blue blood, inner aristocracy and the knowledge that your every step is being watched by dozens of generations of noble ancestors, in front of whom you don’t want to blush?

For those who are interested in this topic, I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the interesting arguments of Elena Chernikova: the myth of Cinderella “remains not only effective, but also completely misunderstood by the bulk of our female population. On the one hand, men are still on the sidelines. Just like in Soviet cinema: it was enough for the Prince to only take part in ball events, but the potential princess needs to cleanse herself, and go through the path, and have a witch in godparents. On the other hand, the historical, folklore Cinderella of all nations is actually entitled to the throne. (highlighted by Elena Chernikova. - K. B.) In the original, the fate-villain throws her off the road for some time due to family reasons, and she returns to her original position thanks to ingenuity and other qualities. But - returns to its legal position! And it’s not at all for slave labor that he receives an order. ”

Every popular fairy tale embodies the archetypes of human behavior. Fairy tales, in which models of female-male relations are considered, are called magical. Using the example of your favorite fairy tale, you can better understand the expectations of a woman in relation to a man, her goal, the means by which she achieves her goal, and much more.

The client, let's call her O., is married. The husband earns well, has a high status, but he is almost never at home. O. refused social realization, she took over all household chores. She feels lonely and useless.

To analyze the model of her behavior, I suggested working with a fairy tale. The client's favorite fairy tale was the well-known "Cinderella". By the way, in my practice this is the most popular fairy tale. But how different are all Cinderellas. Perhaps the only thing that unites them is the need to work hard. I have never met lazy Cinderellas.

So, first, O. reads a fairy tale already written at home aloud. I listen carefully, paying attention to the change in voice, facial expressions, gestures. Sometimes this information is more important than the content of the tale itself.

There was a rich man who had a daughter. After the death of his wife, the man married another woman, who brought her two daughters into the house. And this woman became a stepmother for the man's daughter. The girl's name was Cinderella.

Cinderella helped her father with the household chores and household chores. And the older "sisters" just dressed up all day in front of the mirror. And they laughed at how Cinderella works. The stepmother disliked her daughter and gave her tasks for the whole day and night - to clean, sort, wash, sweep, sew, etc. The poor girl silently experienced all the insults and did not dare to complain even to her father, since he completely looked at everything through the eyes of his new wife. The girl, out of resentment, climbed behind the stove, where there were bags of ashes. The sisters called her Cinderella.

And once the king gave a huge ball. And he called everyone together with their wives and daughters. Cinderella and sisters also received an invitation. Preparations for the ball began, Cinderella sewed beautiful dresses for her sisters and did her hair. The stepmother and sisters left for the ball, and Cinderella burst into tears that she could not get there.

Her good fairy godmother decided to help the girl. They made a carriage out of a pumpkin. From mice - coachmen. From lizards - lackeys. From an old dress - a chic, beautiful dress. And the Fairy gave Cinderella glass shoes. And she said to come home before midnight, otherwise everything will turn back into place.

Cinderella came to the ball, but no one recognized her. The prince even ran out to meet her. "How beautiful she is" the guests whispered. Cinderella and the Prince danced the whole holiday. And then the clock strikes twelve times. Cinderella ran away very quickly, losing her shoe on the stairs. And the Prince did not even have time to ask her name and only picked up a glass slipper.

... The King issued a "decree" - whoever fits the shoe will be the Prince's wife. The prince and his retinue traveled a lot of courtyards, but the shoe did not fit anyone. The prince was upset. And then there was the last yard where Cinderella lived with her sisters. The sisters vying with each other began to try on a small, fragile shoe, but it didn’t fit any of them. The prince saw a little grimy girl who did not attract his attention. But since everyone had to try on the shoe, Cinderella had to put it on.

The shoe fit well. The sisters couldn't believe it. They were angry at Cinderella and realized that she was the beauty at the ball.

... The prince took her to the palace and a few days later they played a merry wedding.

Cinderella forgave her stepmother and sisters, as she was a very kind girl.

This is where the story ends and we move on to its analysis.

What did Cinderella lack at the beginning of the fairy tale?

- Father.

What events in the story evoked the most emotion?

- When Cinderella did everything for everyone, it's a shame.

- The fairy tale says about bags of ashes that were behind the stove. Why were they kept there?

- Don't know.

- Fantasize.

- Cinderella could retire there, no one approached the dirty bags of ashes.

What happened to Cinderella's mother, why did she die?

- Mom died of impotence, she was very worried about her relationship with her husband, she was alone all the time, all by herself, she did not feel needed. Mental illness, nervous breakdown, closed her eyes and died.

What did she want from her husband?

I wanted love from my husband.

What actions did she want from her husband? What is love for her?

- I wanted support in all difficulties, understanding that she was needed alone.

- So she needs difficulties so that her husband can support?

- Yes (with sadness). It is characterized by self-doubt, self-digging.

- She had doubts that her husband needed her alone.

- The husband devoted more time than his wife to work, made a fortune. His wife helped him with this.

What was her help?

- Arrangement of life, empathy for him. She didn't get the same in return.

- How did it happen that the father chose this woman as his wife - his stepmother.

- She married him to herself, attracted him with her fortune.

Define what a "man" is. In a fairy tale, you call your father - "a rich man."

- A man is the one who constantly plows, a hard worker.

- And who is the man?

“This is a nobler creature.

"And the prince?"

“The prince is a gentle, helpless creature, a man of fine nature.

What do princes and men have in common?

- State.

- The financial success of the husband was important for both the first and second wife, and for Cinderella it is also important, did I understand correctly?

- Yes it is. A carefree life in material terms is important.

Why did the Fairy reward Cinderella?

- Cinderella was kind, sympathetic.

What was her kindness?

- She took the grins and evil of her stepmother and her daughters for granted.

- Cinderella took grins and evil for granted, is this really a useful quality that should be rewarded?

- Of course not. It's terrible, swallowing tears mixed with resentment.

What could Cinderella have done differently?

- She could express her displeasure to her stepmother and her daughters, complain to her father (although he would hardly have listened to her complaints).

- Could she live separately, on her own?

— Yes, she could. Her father would even help her financially.

“You and I found out that sacrifice and patience are not qualities worth rewarding for. Then why did the Fairy reward Cinderella?

“I guess she gave Cinderella… a chance to cheer up, pushed her forward, but it didn’t help.

- What stopped her?

- The habit of being accommodating, a victim, her mother was the same.

“I want to remind you that three positions can be distinguished in the psychology of the victim, first depicted in the form of a drawing by psychiatrist and master of transactional analysis Stephen Karpman. He called this drawing the dramatic triangle.

The whole variety of roles can be reduced to three main ones - the Rescuer (S), the Persecutor (P) and the Victim (F).

The triangle in which these roles are combined symbolizes their connection, constant change. Communication within this triangle makes it possible not to take responsibility for one's actions and decisions, as well as to receive strong emotions and the right not to solve one's problems as a reward (since others are to blame for this). The text of the tale ends with the following words: "Cinderella forgave her stepmother and sisters, as she was a very kind girl." There is a shift in the roles of the heroine within the "dramatic triangle" from the victim to the rescuer. Salvation is also an addiction because Saviors need to feel valued. They are not allowed to take care of themselves and their needs, so they take care of others.

“No matter what role we play in the triangle at the moment, in the end, we always turn into a victim?” If we are in a triangle, are we living as victims?

- Yes. Every time we refuse to accept responsibility, we unconsciously choose to be the victim. What did Cinderella get at the end of the fairy tale?

- She married a prince.

- Remember, I asked you: "What was Cinderella missing at the beginning of the fairy tale?"

- Yes. I answered: "Father."

- It turns out that instead of a father, Cinderella met a prince. What did Cinderella like about the prince?

“His beauty, the beautiful words he spoke to her.

“But he didn’t even recognize Cinderella’s name. It turns out that he spoke beautiful words to her, not knowing her name. Maybe he didn’t care who to say beautiful words to, he just knew how to do it well?

- Yes it is.

“Earlier, you called the prince a 'helpless creature'. Why is Cinderella such a prince?

- The fact that he is helpless gives Cinderella a sense of her own need.

- What is the manifestation of the prince's helplessness?

- He is not able to serve himself, to iron, clean, cook on his own.

- But if Cinderella does all this, how will her life be different from life with her stepmother?

- (surprised) Nothing.

- Cinderella missed her father, at the end of the fairy tale she married the prince, that is, she found a symbolic father, but it turned out that nothing fundamentally changed in her life. She will also iron, clean, cook, as she did when she lived with her stepmother. She will behave like her mother, not feeling needed and dying of powerlessness and loneliness. What, then, is Cinderella's real purpose in life?

- To be needed for a man who is nearby.

How old was Cinderella when her mother died?

What happened in your life when you were 17?

— Nothing special, finished school.

At this time, I carefully examined the genogram, adding 17 years to the year of A.'s birth. She was born in 82. What important events took place in her family in 1999? Almost at the same time, we said: "Father died." Father O. tragically died under the wheels of a car, at that time he had already had another family for a long time. Mom O. broke up with her father when O. was 11 years old, unable to withstand his constant betrayals. Now it became clear why, at the beginning of the analysis, to my question: “What was Cinderella missing at the beginning of the fairy tale?”, She answered: "Father".

If you could change the story now, what would you change?

- After the death of her mother, Cinderella would begin to live on her own. I met a reliable, faithful man.

- Where can you find him?

among those who work.

- What would give Cinderella the feeling that her man needs her?

- His words of gratitude for the care, responsiveness to requests, the joint improvement of life and, in general, joint pastime.

O.’s attitude towards her husband changed later, and as a result of the analysis of the tale, the following points were realized:

1. O. copies mother's behavior model,
2. a serious trauma for her is the loss of her father (first his departure from the family, then death),
3. there is a desire to replace the father with a husband,
4. passive position (following the instructions of the stepmother and sisters, fairy, prince),
5. lack of contact with one's own desires (the desires of the heroine are not mentioned in the fairy tale),
6. being in a dramatic triangle, setting the victim - patience and humility - this is good,
7. the habit of solitude as a way to solve problems.

Reading a fairy tale is one of the most important rituals of childhood. On the one hand, during this process we pay attention to the child, and this is what nourishes his soul better than any toys. The voice of mom or dad, who found time for their child in the evening, soothes and transfers them to the world of miracle and magic. On the other hand, reading a fairy tale is an investment in the future. It is with the help of good books that important information is laid in the subconscious of the child, which will influence the choice, help to take the side of good or evil. Many parents do not even think about the hidden meaning of fairy tales. At the same time, having learned about it, you will be able to choose more suitable literature for the crumbs, developing the missing qualities in it.

Fairy tale: the hidden meanings of "Cinderella"

One of the most popular childhood fairy tales is Cinderella. Its author is the French writer Charles Perrault. He finalized the tale by adding descriptions of everyday life, adventures, revealing the character of the characters. But its basis - the story of a poor orphan has long existed and passed from mouth to mouth among the people. The plot is simple and understandable - the poor girl endured injustice, but did not lose her kindness, did not become angry at the world, she humbly carried out orders and finally waited for a miracle - the appearance of a fairy. The godmother not only visited the girl, but also gave her a portion of magic, turned a pumpkin into a carriage, rags into a beautiful dress, rats into horses. Cinderella went to the ball where she met the prince. It's just a pity that the miracle was temporary and the spell broke at midnight. And again, a failure happened to the heroine, separation from the prince, while the girl again did not despair, but continued to wait. The fairy tale ends happily, justice has triumphed.

The hidden meaning of the tale is clear at first glance - girls should show humility, diligence, modesty, and they will wait for the prince. That's just psychotherapists on this occasion identified a mental disorder that is common to many girls. It is called the Cinderella complex and lies in the fact that the ladies refuse the real perception of life. They are waiting for the prince, refusing ordinary men. When reading bedtime stories to children, it is important to interpret them correctly after. Ask about how the meaning is clear, and draw a conclusion on your own. Cinderella waited for the prince not because she was lucky with the fairy, but because she was better than other girls - hardworking and modest, beautiful and caring. Some parents focus on the fact that no one would have paid attention to an orphan without a beautiful dress and going out into the world, others on the fact that everything in life can be achieved only under the auspices of a fairy. It is important, however, to focus on the personal qualities of Cinderella, explaining that this is what she deserved to be rewarded with.

Another meaning of the fairy tale Cinderella

Psychotherapist Marina Komisarova gives another, deeper explanation of the Cinderella fairy tale. For her, this is a story about female frustration. At the same time, the psychologist notes that the fairy tale reflects the inner picture of the world, most likely the author did not put such a meaning into it, but at the same time, the story reflects the true state of things. Cinderella is a girl who is surrounded by hostile women (evil sisters) and an inner parental figure (stepmother). It is interesting that even though the girl had a father, he did not become her protector, out of cowardice, he practically threw his own daughter to be torn to pieces by women. The prince is the girl's inner man, whom she is afraid to disappoint, so she runs away from the ball. After all, it seems to her that he will not love the real her, only the appearance, luxurious dress, carriage are important to him, and all this is just a fictional entourage. Cinderella, according to the psychologist, suffers from low self-esteem, her inner mother turns into an evil stepmother, who, instead of loving Cinderella, constantly scolds her. Because of this, the girl also suffers from a basic distrust of all men, in order to break through the wall, the prince has to prove his love by looking for the girl throughout the kingdom.


How to solve the Cinderella problem? To love yourself, to understand that for a man it is not the dress and hairstyle that is important, but the inner qualities - femininity, tenderness. It is with them that the prince falls in love. Marina Komisarova advises to make friends with your inner prince, look at yourself through the eyes of men and fall in love, improve in order to look even better in your own eyes.
Interestingly, many mothers condemned Charles Perrault for his fairy tale, which propagated the expectations of non-existent princes. Some parents completely excluded the fairy tale from their home library. At the same time, the hidden meaning of Russian fairy tales sometimes turns out to be even more shocking. The author himself, in the preface to his book, wrote that his creations should not be taken too deeply, it is important to remain a perceptive realist, perceiving fairy tales as mere entertainment.

We have created more than 300 costless fairy tales on the Dobranich website. It is pragmatic to remake the splendid contribution to sleep at the homeland ritual, the recurrence of turbot and heat.Would you like to support our project? Let's be vigilant, with new strength we will continue to write for you!