Did you have any fairy tale or story you liked when you were ac hild? Have you ever read the story again when you became an adult? If you have, it must have been a novel experience. You could feel a childlike sense of wonder. The story could come completely differently. You could also find the story interesting from the new point of view. Above all, the best thing about a fairy tale is reflecting their cultural characteristics. For example, in the myth of Dangun in Korea, a bear eats garlic and mugwort to become a human being. It shows that Koreans believed in totemism. In this Global Life, you will be able to read some fairy tales from other countries. Let us feel cultural vairety in fairy tales that evoke the innocence of childhood.
Lithiana William / Indonesia
KU Language Institute
| 1. What fairy tale did you use to read or like in your childhood? | I read a story called Malin Kundang. There was a family with a mother and a son living in the countryside. The mother was caring very much for her son, Malin. However, he wanted to leave home to go to the city after growing up. The mother did not want Malin to leave her, but he went to the city by taking a ship. As time passed by, Malin did not come back home to see his mother. One day, a ship was boarded by a man and woman to the port. Mother noticed that a man was Malin with his wife. Mother was just hugging him, but Malin’s wife said, “Who is she? She is so ugly. She is not your mother.” Malin got so embarrassed that she was not looking good and clean. So, he pushed his mother away. Mother insisted, “You are definitely my son!” but he kicked her and left the town again on the boat that they had come by. Thereafter mother prayed “If he is not really my son, forgive him. If he is my son, I hope he turns to a rock.” All of a sudden, a heavy rain rocked the boat and his wife died. He came back to his hometown and apologized to his mother. Mother did not accept it and Malin turned into a rock. |
| 2. Tell me a reason why you chose this story. | I was told this story when I was very young. It is still told a lot by parents and teachers at school in Indonesia. They emphasize that children should respect their parents. Indonesian children learn about this virtue from early days. So, when I tried to think of an Indonesian fairy tale, it just popped in my mind. |
| 3. Have you ever read or encountered this fairy tale again after you grew up? |
No, I have not read it after I grew up. However, I got to know that there is an actual stone which looks like a bowing person. That is actually where the story started. I was surprised when I learned where the whole story came from. |
| 4. In what point can you feel your own cultural characteristics? | As I said in Q2, this story is mainly about respecting parents. Malin was punished because he was ashamed of his mother and not grateful to her. As you can see with the story, Indonesian consider relationship between parents and child very important. I think this is the most remarkable cultural feature and what this story wants to tell.I t is also touching to me. |
| 5. What is the most memorable scene or line in this fairy tale? | I like the part where the son was hit by the rain. The boat was wrecked by the storms and his wife was dead. It means that he was punished after all he did. He did something bad and he got back something bad. I think he deserved it because he was not thankful for his mother who raised him carefully by herself. I am satisfied with that scene and agree with the message the story wants to give us. |
Ibachi Witanene Jade / France
KU Language Institute
| 1. What fairy tale did you use to read or like in your childhood? | I liked a story called Donkey Skin. There was a king, queen, and princess. They were rich since they had a donkey that would poop gold. One day, the queen became sick and died. The king had to remarry someone pretty enough to be a queen. He saw his daughter who resembled the queen a lot, and she could only be the next queen. However, his daughter did not want to marry her father. So, she made a deal with the king. She required that her father to create a dress looking like “time”, which was impossible. However, he gathered a lot of designers and created a beautiful dress. Next time, she told him to create a dress like “moon” and “sun”, but he made it all. She finally asked for donkey’s skin, and he even gave that to her. She decided to run away because her father did not give up. She left the castle with the donkey’s skin, worked in a neighboring country, and became dirty and ugly. One day, she wanted to see dresses given by her father again to feel like a princess again. She went back to the house at that night and put on the dress. Only the prince of the neighboring country saw the beautiful appearance of the princess. One day, a ring came out of a cake baked at the princess' workplace. The prince, who realized that the ring belonged to the princess, said he would marry a girl who fitted the ring perfectly. Eventually, the princess married the prince in a dress made by her father. |
| 2. Tell me a reason why you chose this story. |
I chose this story because it was similar to Cinderella, one of the most famous fairy tales in Europe. As far as I know, these two were written by the same author, who is Charles Perrault. He wrote lots of famous fairy tales such as “Puss in Boots” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. Anyway, I wanted other people to feel the comparability and difference between Donkey Skin and Cinderella. |
| 3. Have you ever read or encountered this fairy tale again after you grew up? | No. However, my thought about this story changed a little after I grew up. When I was a kid, I did not realize that it was strange for a king to try to marry his princess. I just read it not knowing much about historical background or any metaphor of fairy tales when I was young. |
| 4. In what point can you feel your own cultural characteristics? | It is very reminiscent of Europe with royalty. In medieval times, there was a king and queen in France. Everything was happening centered around the royalty. This reflected European culture back in the day. |
| 5. What is the most memorable scene or line in this fairy tale? |
When I read it for the first time, I was surprised by the fact that the king was able to make a dress like time, moon, and sun. This part was described with a truly poetic line. I was able to imagine beautiful dresses and it was an amazing experience. So, that is my favorite part of the whole story. |