There’s something that happens when we hear the words “Once upon a time…”

The room softens. The world shifts. The rules change.

In this episode, we step back into the world of fairy tales — not as glittery bedtime stories, but as ancient, layered narratives that carry memory, ritual, fear, transformation, and a surprising amount of darkness.

We’ll talk about where fairy tales come from, how they differ from myths, why their structure is almost mathematical, and how scholars like Vladimir Propp and Bruno Bettelheim helped us see what’s happening beneath the surface.

We’ll wander through symbolism, initiation rituals, and the strange baroque world of Giambattista Basile — and we’ll gently question the idea that fairy tales were ever meant to be simple… or purely for children.

This is a cozy, reflective deep dive into the stories that shaped us — and that we may not have fully understood the first time we heard them.

Tea optional, curiosity required. 🌙

~

Hi, I'm Elly (she/her) and I'm an educational content creator.

You can find me elsewhere as Ellyskey, sharing my reading life and reflections on Goodreads, StoryGraph, and Pagebound, as well as on social media for cozy content, body-doubling, creativity, and slow moments.

✨Where to find me:

twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ellyskey

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellyskey

tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellyskey

bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ellyskey.bsky.social

goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ellyskey

storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/ellyskey

pagebound: https://pagebound.co/users/ellyskey

more: https://beacons.ai/ellyskey

contact: [email protected]

Intro and outro jingle by @UncleGuaro - ⁠⁠⁠https://zaap.bio/uncleguaro