Is Our Faith A Fairy Tale

05/03/23 Andrew Schmiedicke & ChestertonPress.com 1

Is Our Faith A Fairy Tale?


Introduction To discuss the similarities between

fairy tales and the Christian faith and why G.K. Chesterton believed so strongly in both.

Presenter: Andrew Schmiedicke, husband of author Regina Doman and manager of Chesterton Press.


Topics of Discussion A summarization of a fairy tale. Show its applicability to the

Christian worldview. Touch on how fairy tales

influenced G.K. Chesterton, his worldview, and his faith in Christianity.


Summarization ofEast of the Sun andWest of the Moon The fairy tale “East of

the Sun and West of the Moon” is like a sin and redemption story. I’ll give you a summary of it and see if you notice some of the similarities it has to God’s relationship with Israel, or Christ’s relationship with the soul.


A white polar bear comes one winter night to a poor family with many children.

The bear asks the father to give his daughter in marriage to the bear. The bear promises to take good care of her and make the family rich.

Eventually, the daughter agrees.


The bear takes her to a hidden palace where she has everything she needs.

At night after she blows out the candle, a man comes and lies down beside her.

In the morning before light, he leaves. So she never sees him.


During the day the bear sometimes visits her.

But she grows lonely for her family.

Eventually she convinces the bear to take her to visit her family.


The bear warns her that her mother will tempt her to do something which, if she does it, will lead to great unhappiness for her and the bear.

The girl visits her family. They are well off now and thankful to her.

The mother does speak to her daughter alone and convinces her to take a tallow candle and use it to see the man at night after he lays down because he might actually be a troll.


This the girl does. But it’s not a troll. It’s the most handsome man she’s ever seen.

She leans over to kiss him but three drops of hot tallow fall on him and he wakes up.


He cries in dismay. He tells her he is under an enchantment: a bear by day, a man by night. If she had but waited a full year, the enchantment would have been broken, but now he must go to the troll queen and marry her daughter in the castle that is East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

The girl weeps bitterly.


In the morning, the man/bear and castle are gone. She is all alone in the wild wood.

After weeping again, she sets out to find the castle…This is a journey of penance and reparation.


She receives help and direction along the way from three old ladies and the four winds. She also receives three different gifts.


Eventually, she gets to the castle and she begs to see the prince.

The troll daughter only lets her see the prince at night for one gift per night.

For two nights the girl visits the prince, but the troll has given him a sleepy drink, so the girl can’t get him to wake up and listen to her.


Some poor people in the next room hear her weeping and so the next day they inform the prince of the matter.

The third night the prince doesn’t take the drink. When the girl comes in, he recognizes her and there is a joyful reunion.


The prince tells her how to defeat the troll.

The next day the prince says to the troll queen that he’ll only marry the troll daughter if she can wash the shirt clean that has the three drops of tallow on it.


The trolls agree. But they can’t do it. The shirt becomes dirtier and dirtier.

The prince says, I bet that poor beggar girl at the castle gates can do it.

They call her in and she easily cleans the shirt – it’s pure white again.

The trolls are destroyed; the prince and the girl are re-united; the poor people are freed and enriched.

They all live happily ever after.


Parallels & ApplicabilityEast of the Sun and West of the Moon

Pattern of God’s relationship with Israel(or Christ’s relationship with the soul)

1. A white polar bear comes one winter night to a poor family with many children.2. The bear asks the father to give his daughter in marriage to the bear. The bear promises to take good care of her and make the family rich.3. Eventually, the daughter agrees.

1. God chooses Israel from among the people* of the earth.

*Fallen humanity that has lost the riches of God’s grace.


4. The bear takes her to a hidden palace where she has everything she needs.

2. God brings Israel to a special land flowing with milk and honey.

5. At night after she blows out the candle, a man comes and lies down beside her.6. In the morning before light, he leaves. So she never sees him.

3. Israel is in special relationship with God; the unseen God.

7. During the day the bear sometimes visits her, but she grows lonely for her family.9. Eventually she convinces the bear to take her to visit her family.10. The bear warns her that her mother will tempt her to do something which, if she does it, will lead to great unhappiness for her and the bear.

4. Israel wants to be like the other peoples of the earth.* (Misses them.)

*Wants to return to Egypt. When Israel mingles too closely with the other pagan nations, she is tempted to idolatry.


11. The girl visits her family. They are well off now and thankful to her. *

*The girl sees that the bear has fulfilled his promise. This ought to have convinced her to have heeded the bear’s warning since his word in this matter is true.

5. Through Israel all the peoples of the earth are blessed. This fulfills God’s promise to Abraham.


12. The mother does speak to her daughter alone and convinces her to take a tallow candle and use it to see the man at night after he lays down because he might actually be a troll.13. This the girl does. But it’s not a troll. It’s the most handsome man she’s ever seen. She leans over to kiss him but three drops of hot tallow fall on him and he wakes up.14. He cries in dismay. He tells her he is under an enchantment: a bear by day, a man by night. If she had but waited a full year, the enchantment would have been broken, but now he must go to the troll queen and marry her daughter in the castle that is East of the Sun and West of the Moon.15. The girl weeps bitterly.

6. In mingling with the other peoples of the earth, Israel is tempted to sin. Israel sins, which greatly disrupts her relationship with God.


16. In the morning, the man/bear and castle are gone. She is in her rags again, alone in the wild wood.

7. God abandons Israel to its enemies. Loses the riches of God’s presence and grace.

17. After weeping again, she sets out to find the castle…This is a journey of penance and reparation. She receives help and direction along the way from three old ladies and the four winds. She also receives three different gifts.18. Eventually, she gets to the castle and she begs to see the prince.

8. However, God does send help: prophets, grace, direction. Faith, hope, and charity.Temperance, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude.9. Israel repents, does penance, and seeks to return to God.


19. The troll daughter only lets her see the prince at night for one gift per night.20. For two nights the girl visits the prince, but the troll has given him a sleepy drink, so the girl can’t get him to wake up and listen to her. 21. Some poor people / Christian folk* in the next room hear her weeping and so the next day they inform the prince of the matter.

*Christian folk: Asbjornsen and Moe included the reference to Christian folk in the original Danish. This was not a translator's choice of words. As Christianity spread across Europe, Christian messages and icons were added to the traditional folklore. The Grimms in Germany added many Christian themes and images to their recordings of German folktales.

10. But the devil is going to put up additional obstacles to block this reunion.11. Perseverance is needed, and detachment from material possessions. One must be willing to give them up to achieve union with God/Christ.Apple / FoodComb / VanitySpinning Wheel / Wealth

12. The three nights are like Christ’s death. Or like the soul experiencing the dark night.


22. The third night the prince doesn’t take the drink. When the girl comes in, he recognizes her and there is a joyful reunion.23. The prince tells her how to defeat the troll.24. The next day the prince says he’ll only marry the troll daughter if she can wash the shirt clean that has the three drops of tallow on it.25. The trolls agree. But they can’t do it. The shirt becomes dirtier and dirtier.26. The prince says, I bet that poor beggar girl at the castle gates can do it.27. They call her in and she easily cleans the shirt – it’s pure white again.

13. The third night/next day is like a resurrection.14. The power of repentance, penance, and reparation done for love of God/Christ have the power to restore to brilliant purity what once was soiled by sin.

From Surlalune: the endeavour emphasizes the Christian themes of forgiveness and purity. The maiden is washed clean of her sins when she cleans the shirt--which becomes as white as driven snow--since she is now shown to be of the Christian faith.... The pagan creatures--the trolls--only make the shirt dirtier and blacker as they attempt to clean it.


HAPPILY EVER AFTER!28. The trolls are destroyed; the prince and the girl are re-united; the poor people are freed and enriched.29. They all live happily ever after.

15. God & Israel / Christ and His bride, the Church, are united and the poor & meek inherit the riches of the kingdom of God.


Conclusions Now I’m not saying that the author of this fairy tale set

out to purposely write an allegory of sin and redemption that mirrored the history of God & Israel or Christ & the soul.

Rather I am proposing that many of these fairy tales arose and/or developed in a cultural context that was Christian or perhaps was becoming Christian, and were informed by the supernatural.

They have a definite compatibility and what J.R.R.Tolkien calls an applicability to Christianity.

So in fairyland we can see elements of Christianity – sometimes overtly – but far more often the faith is in disguise and the moral lesson is not explicit. Yet in fairyland the natural moral law tends to be followed – the law written into our hearts by God (Jeremiah 31:33) or what G.K. Chesterton calls “common sense”.


Fairy Tales, Chesterton, & Christianity Being fed on fairy tales created in G.K.

Chesterton a certain way of looking at life.

As he matured he found this fairy tale way of looking at life “ratified by the mere facts.”

And I think it prepared him for the Good News of Christianity. Fairy tales taught G.K. Chesterton that there were in fact supernatural beings and events. Christianity confirmed that.


Lessons of Fairyland Fairy tales taught G.K. Chesterton that

giants should be killed. Christianity taught him that gigantic pride should be toppled.

Fairy tales taught him, as in Cinderella, that the humble would be exalted. The Magnificat proclaimed the same lesson.

Fairy tales taught Chesterton how an incomprehensible happiness could rest upon an incomprehensible condition – a candle is lit, and love flies away. Christianity told him how a forbidden fruit was eaten, and paradise was lost.


Lessons 2 “Sleeping Beauty” told him of how the human

creature was blessed with beautiful birthday gifts and yet cursed with death – and how death could be softened to a sleep. Christianity told Chesterton of how the first humans were blessed by God, but they sinned and were cursed with death – until Christ softened death to a sleep. (1 Corinthians 15:6 & 18)

“Snow White and Rose Red” told him how a prince could appear as a bear – or a fish. Christianity told him how God became a man – and could appear as bread.


Fairy tales, imagination, & evangelization These are the lessons of fairyland and

Christendom. Though the fairy tales are not explicitly Christian, they are true and if believed in (as G.K. Chesterton did), then through the imagination they can prepare the soul for belief in the truth of Christianity.

Fairy tales can act as a kind of pre-evangelization of the imagination whereas the fiction we aim to develop at Chesterton Press is a more direct evangelization of the imagination.


Chesterton Press Although the stories we publish are

explicitly Catholic Christianity, as in fairy tales we try to avoid being explicit about any Christian message or teaching. Explicitness is for non-fiction. The fiction we publish must first of all be an engaging story. Otherwise, it can’t effectively do its job.

Problems and solutions are presented but we try to leave the reader free to give assent to them; to let the story sink into the reader’s imagination where it can be pondered…a little yeast for the mind.


What This Means So is our faith a fairy tale? Yes. It is the best, truest fairy tale ever!


Links http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/

illustrations/eastsunwestmoon/index.html

ChesteronPress.com FairyTaleNovels.com InkandFairydust.com – The

January / February 2012 online issue is all about fairy tales.

http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/illustrations/eastsunwestmoon/index.html



http://www.fairytalenovels.com/

http://www.inkandfairydust.com/

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Is Our Faith A Fairy Tale