• Rose. Roses are one of the most common symbols in fairy tales, especially those featuring Princesses. In Beauty and the Beast it is a rose that Beauty’s father steals which seals her fate. Sleeping beauty is often known as Briar Rose and in some versions it is thorny roses which grow all over the sleeping castle. Roses are very ancient feminine symbols, once associated with Venus/Aphrodite the Goddess of love and beauty and The Virgin Mary, they are still popular symbols of love today and often considered the queen of flowers.
  • Mirror. Mirrors often have magical qualities in fairy tales. The most well known is surely the one belonging to the Queen in Snow White, which shows the truth when asked a question. There is a whole room lined with mirrors in Beauty and the Beast (possibly reminiscent of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles?) Sometimes looking-glasses can take you to other worlds, but if a shard lodges in your heart as in The Snow Queen you may only be able to see the bad and ugly in the world. Mirrors symbolize truth, vanity and magic. They can show you who you really are, or what you do not wish to see.
  • Apple. Apples are one of the oldest and most widely recognized of symbols. They appear in myths, legends and fairy tales all over Europe. From Snow White’s poisoned apple to Eris’s equally dangerous Kallisti apple (curiously both were destined ‘for the fairest’!) Golden apples appear in East of the Sun, West of the Moon and in Idun’s garden where they grant eternal youth, and of course the apple is a symbol of forbidden knowledge.
  • Shoe. I find it fascinating how often shoes turn up in Fairy tales! Of course Cinderella’s glass pair is well known, but also consider the slippers of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, The Red Shoes that make you dance and dance without stopping, those cruel hot iron shoes the Evil Queen must wear and even Dorothy’s silver (or ruby) slippers. I have not been able to find a lot of details on the symbolism of shoes, which makes their importance a bit mysterious. Some suggest sexual connotations, others see shoes as a symbol of transition, as we walk from place to place in them. Then again, perhaps women have just always loved shoes?
  • Spinning Wheel. We almost always associate Spinning Wheels with fairy tales now, as they’re no longer common household items. However I can easily imagine that once these stories were told by a woman working at her wheel, bringing a little of that magic to reality. Spinning wheels symbolize Fate, as the Fates are often depicted as Spinners and weavers. Sleeping Beauty’s wheel certainly seals her destiny and there is a golden Spinning Wheel in East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Not to forget the example in Rumplestiltskin. Spinning Wheels seem to be tied to Maidens who can’t escape their Fate.
  • Comb. Another simple object, though sometimes a very beautiful one. As Princesses and beautiful maidens are often given long hair, they are also associated with combs. Sirens and Mermaids can be seen holding them and a poisoned comb was offered to Snow White before the apple. East of the Sun and West of the Moon features the gift of a golden comb and in Japanese folklore it is bad luck to break the tooth of a comb. Rapunzel’s golden hair was combed by the witch, her keeper. Combs tame and civilize the wild masses of hair, and sometimes they trap and imprison as well.

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  • The Little Mermaid - shells, comb, dagger,
  • The Snow Queen - snowflake, mirror
  • Donkeyskin - donkey, sun, moon, sky, ring
  • Red Riding Hood - red cape, wolf, flowers,
  • Cinderella - slipper, mice, lizards, pumpkin
  • Snow White - apple, mirror, comb, corset, red shoes
  • Beauty and the Beast - rose, mirror, beast, bracelet, ring
  • Sleeping Beauty - rose, spinning wheel, castle, dragon
  • East of the Sun and West of the Moon - polar bear, silver bell, golden apple, comb, spinning wheel, candle
  • Rumpelstiltskin - spinning wheel, ring, necklace, straw
  • Frog Prince - golden ball, crown, kiss
  • Aladdin - lamp, ring, shoes
  • Rapunzel - rampion, comb, thorns
  • Princess and the Pea - pea, mattresses
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses - slippers, boats, trees

(from the princessportal)

jul 30 2019 ∞
jul 31 2019 +