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Ask anything about The Great Courses

A Children's Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales

Trailer

01: “Sleeping Beauty”: Once Upon a Time

Get introduced to folktales and the various classifications as Dr. Harvey introduces you to the wide world of folklore. You’ll hear the 1697 Charles Perrault version of “Sleeping Beauty”—one that you may not be familiar with—and take a deep dive into the meaning behind the symbolism and the importance differences between this story and the Grimm version we are more familiar with. Dr. Zheala Qayyum, from Yale University’s Medical School and Department of Psychiatry, provides some deep insights about what folktales mean to children.

33 min

02: “Beauty and the Beast” I: The Sleeping Prince

Dr. Harvey introduces you to a Norse tale called “East of the Sun, West of the Moon.” The major components of this story can be found in similar tales from Spain and Ancient Greece, and you’ll find familiar elements in two well-known French traditional tales. This story introduces us to the theme of transformation—a theme that is both scary and exciting, and is a common in folktales to help us understand how we grow and change, and to teach the lesson that looks can be deceiving.

29 min

03: “Beauty and the Beast” II: Being Brave

Dive deeper into the use of transformation in stories as Dr. Harvey presents a version of “Beauty and the Beast” based on the classic French story recorded in 1756 by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont. Compare that version to the German story by Ludwig Bechstein in 1847 called “Beauty’s Stone Sisters.” Dr. Qayyum provides some additional insights into how the theme of transformation can provide beneficial lessons for children as they grow. Dr. Harvey concludes this lesson with an Ancient Greek tale called “Cupid and Pysche,” which demonstrates how bravery can be the root of transformations.

35 min

04: “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Transformations

Continuing with the theme of transformation, Dr. Harvey introduces you to a variety of interpretations of the classic story “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” starting with an 1896 composition known as a “symphonic poem” by Paul Dukas and notes Goethe’s poem from the 1700s. She provides the original story from the first century Egypt and treats you to “The Doctor and His Pupil” from France, with insights why we enjoy transformation stories.

29 min

05: “Cinderella” I: If the Shoe Fits

There are many versions of “Cinderella,” and Dr. Harvey takes you through the Italian tale by Basile called “The Cat Cinderella” and Perrault’s 1690’s French version. She walks through the similarities in motifs, with both stories focusing on a “rags-to-riches theme” and an “if the shoe fits” conclusion, but notes not all versions of this story had the iconic glass slipper. Dr. Harvey provides several eye-opening insights as she examines the differences between older versions of this tale and the ones we know today.

35 min

06: “Cinderella” II: Baba Yaga and Goddesses

With the French and Italian versions of “Cinderella,” Dr. Harvey presented a classic “rise” tale, but “Cinderella” is the one of the world’s oldest “magic tales” with many versions, interpretations, and morals. In this lesson, Dr. Harvey introduces the Russian character of Baba Yaga, who is like characters we know from both “Cinderella” and “Hansel and Gretel.” “Vasilisa the Fair” follows the traditional “Cinderella” story, but with many twists and offers the idea that there can be ambiguity in folklore characters, rather than having them represent the absolute points of good or evil.

35 min

07: “Cinderella” III: The Mooing Godmother

“Cinderella” stories go back 7000 years, and Mah Pishani is possibly one of the oldest. This Iranian story provides a very different take on the same themes you’ve become familiar with. Unlike the bickering evil step-sisters, this version is about finding connection with family and community—in particular among women—and about love that stretches beyond the grave.

27 min

08: “The Brave Little Tailor”: Giants!

Why do we love toppling giants? Stories such as David and Goliath resonate, giving us hope that we can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Dr. Qayyum discusses this phenomena as Dr. Harvey shares two stories: “The Legend of the Chocolate Hills” from the Philippines, and “The Little Tailor,” adapted from the 1857 version by the brothers Grimm, which itself was adapted from the 1557 story called “Der Wegkurtzer” by Martinus Montanus. Dr. Harvey notes how the original tale came to fruition during a period when we looked towards reason and power to solve our own problems, rather than believing in superstition and divine intervention.

30 min

09: “Jack and the Beanstalk”: Archetypes

Many scholars believe that the beanstalk in “Jack and the Beanstalk” is a reference to the Tree of Life, which is one of our most iconic global images. In Hinduism, The Tree of Life is known as the Eternal Banyan Tree (the Akshaya Vata). In Islam and Christianity, it is the one tree that God ordered humans not to eat—Christianity extends this image into the New Testament when Christ the immortal is nailed “to a tree” (making the cross a tree that brings eternal life). Dr. Harvey presents these insights and more through the telling of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and the Norse myth “Yggdrasil The World Tree.”

33 min

10: “Hansel and Gretel”: Ogres

Folklorists believe that stories like Hansel and Gretel may have begun during the Great Famine in Europe, during the late Medieval age, about 700 years ago. We may be familiar with the classic German version portrayed by the Grimm brothers, but Dr. Harvey shows us how the Scottish version has something else living in the house in the woods as she shares both “Hansel and Gretel” and “Mollie Whuppie.” Both stories introduce the themes of triumph and besting evil powers.

31 min

11: “Rumplestiltzkin”: Naming Our Fears

In this lecture, Dr. Harvey presents several stories that come from all over the world, each of which explore the power of naming. Starting with classic story “Rumpelstiltskin” from Germany, collected by the Grimm brothers in 1857, you’ll also hear an Egyptian creation myth, a Judeo-Christian creation myth, the Egyptian story of Ra and Isis, and “Peerie Fool” from the Orkney Islands, which pulls elements from Norse and Scottish folklore.

33 min

12: Tom Thumb and Thumbelina: Little Heroes

“Tom Thumb” is grounded in oral folklore, meaning it was passed through the ages verbally as the storytellers could not read or write. Dr. Qayyum discusses the joy in reading stories out loud. Dr. Harvey shares J.O. Halliwell’s poetic version of “Tom Thumb” as well as a Hans Christian Andersen’s “Thumbelina” and discusses the differences between traditionally defined folktales and stories written by literary authors.

30 min

13: “Emperor’s New Clothes”: Looks Can Deceive

Just like the lessons learned in the stories Dr. Harvey covers in this lecture, the stories themselves can be deceiving, too. Dr. Harvey first shares the Hans Christian Andersen story of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and then “The Happy Prince” by British playwright Oscar Wilde. Both stores are often mistaken for oral tradition folktales, yet were literary tales by one author.

31 min

14: “Town Musicians of Bremen”: Unwanted Animals

Dr. Harvey and Dr. Qayyum discuss the use of how animals in oral folklore often stand in for humans and why this technique can make it easier to recognize the lessons or points of each story. You’ll hear the story of “The Town Musicians of Bremen”—a tale that has been so prolific and retold through so many forms of art that in Bremen you can find a statue to the storied animals. Dr. Harvey also looks at how various cultures such as Germany, India, and the Netherlands both treated and depicted older characters. She concludes with a “Japanese Wisdom Tale.”

30 min

15: “Puss in Boots” and “The Frog Prince”: Fitting In

Well before his debut in Shrek, “Puss in Boots” was making a name for himself in the Panchatantra. Considered one of the most influential written records of oral folklore, this Indian collection of more than 700 animal fables and folk stories dates back more than 1700 years ago, features a cat who serves as a magical helper and tries to make his fortune in a king’s castle, and has spawned hundreds of versions. Dr. Harvey shares a French version from 1697, as well as “Iron Heinrich”—or “The Frog Prince”—from Grimm.

30 min

16: “Three Little Pigs”: Third Time’s a Charm

Dr. Harvey looks at the power of numbers in folktales, specifically the magic of three and seven (three pigs, seven dwarves), citing Orion and his three-starred belt who chases the seven Pleiades sisters. She notes how even the story formats are broken into threes: Beginning, Middle, and End. She shares the stories of “The Three Little Goslings” (the Italian version of the German “Three Little Pigs”) and “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs,” which is also a Grimm story from Germany.

34 min

17: “The Little Red Hen”: Formula Tales

Repetition and patterned verse are often the backbone to some of our most beloved tales. Known as formula tales, these stories are easy to retell as we know what to say and expect. Dr. Harvey presents a wide-range of formula tales including, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” from Norway, Joseph Jacob’s “Henny Penny” from Australia, “The Gingerbread Man,” Mary Dodge’s 1874 classic “Little Red Hen,” and “The Three Bears” which was written by English poet laureate Robert Southey and therefore lends itself to being a cante tale.

30 min

18: “How the Camel Got His Hump”: Pourquoi Tales

Many fictional stories—from ancient myths and creation stories to folktales—are an attempt to explain why things in the world are the way they are. Some of the most famous pourquoi tales come from Aesop and Rudyard Kipling. Dr. Harvey shares several pourquoi tales from around the world, including Kipling’s “How the Camel Got His Hump” from his “Just So Stories” published in India. She also shares an African-American tale “Why the Rabbit has Long Ears and a Short Tail” and the 1929 Norse story “Why the Sea is Salty.”

26 min

19: Lions and Tigers and Bears: Fables

We may never have heard of a certain slave from a household in the Greek city of Phrygia if not for his charming use of morals in folktales, but Aesop has made a name for himself. Dr. Harvey presents several of his tales, including “The Tortoise and the Hare,” “Androcles and the Lion,” “The Stone in the Road,” “The Fox and the Wolf,” and “Belling the Cat.” She also shares Kipling’s “Camel Poem” and “How the Hamster Got his Tail,” a Kenyan story about why hamsters have small tails.

31 min

20: “Snow White”: Beauty and Handsomeness

Beauty plays an integral part in many folktales and both Dr. Harvey and Dr. Qayyum weigh in on why beauty matters, how beauty is akin to as power in many stories, and how, as these stories got retold and rewritten (by men), the roles men played became more heroic while the roles women played became designated to looking lovely. Using Grimm’s “Snow White” as a lens to examine the use of beauty and instruments of femininity, Dr. Harvey explains how these stories are often metaphors for life and what is happening in our real worlds and cultures.

31 min

21: “Rapunzel”: Maiden/Mother/Crone

Femininity is once again examined, this time with a focus on the roles women play in stories. Dr. Harvey shares a combined (and more family friendly) version of “Rapunzel,” pulling from Grimm’s German version and Basile’s Italian version. Looking at the triad of Maiden/Mother/Crone and Warrior/Father/Sage, Dr. Harvey shows how stories reduce and distill all our life experiences into simple symbols; in such stories, each component is represented by a separate character even though we rarely experience such defined periods of existence.

30 min

22: King Arthur and Winnie the Pooh: Heroic Quests

Continuing with the triad theme, Dr. Harvey uses this lecture to explore the role of the masculine hero, comparing the actions, motifs, and quests of King Arthur and Winnie the Pooh as she shares “Merlin, Arthur, and the Two Swords” and “Christopher Robin Leads an Expotition to the North Pole.” Through this lecture, Dr. Harvey defines the category of legends and discusses how fictional accounts based on true-life historical figures (or sometimes even made-up ones) gave birth to the American tradition of Tall Tales.

32 min

23: American Tall Tales and Folk Songs

Dr. Harvey jumps into the 20th century to demonstrate how Tall Tales reinforce the ideals of the cultures where they were born. For example, many of America’s well-known Tall Tales deal with characters from the wild west and carry themes of expansion, colonization, and progress. After sharing the stories of “Pecos Bill,” “Katy Goodgrit” and “Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox,” Dr. Harvey delves into how ballads and folksongs served as a voice of concerns from those who couldn’t speak. She presents “The Ballad of John Henry” and “The Ballad of Casey Jones.”

31 min

24: Happily Ever After: How Our Stories End

Dr. Harvey reviews the fundamentals of storytelling and expands on common themes that can be found across tales that span time and location, such as protection of family, being resourceful, demonstrating bravery, overcoming entrapment, rising from a diminutive state to become a mighty hero, and more. She also recounts the common characters and locations found in stories through the ages. She shares her favorite tale, “The Wonderful Pot” from Denmark, and concludes with a Scottish tale called “Death in a Nut.”

37 min

Overview Course No. 2411

In The Children's Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales, Dr. Hannah Blevins Harvey unpacks more than 60 of our most beloved stories, fables, fairy tales, and songs from around the world - providing you with a fascinating, in-depth view into the history, context, and deeper meaning of the tales we know and love. As you travel through the catalogs of Grimm, Aesop, Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Perrault, Oscar Wilde, and so many more, you'll gain profound insights into how and why these stories came to be. Supplementing the stories and insights provided by Dr. Harvey, child psychiatrist Dr. Zheala Qayyum, from Yale University's Medical School and Department of Psychiatry, weighs in on the importance of stories, folktales, and imagination-building exercise in the healthy development of children, no matter where they live.

Throughout this unique course, Dr. Harvey presents not only the exploration of themes, questions, and evolutions but, as a nationally-known professional storyteller and an internationally-commended performer, she also treats you to dynamic, theatrical, and engaging tellings of cherished tales from around the world, both beloved classics and lesser-known treasures.

Join us to discover a collection of stories that will lift your heart, haunt your dreams, and challenge your expectations.

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About

Hannah B. Harvey

Storytelling is core to the human experience-you shape your identity through stories. Who we are, where we come from, why we're here-these are all life-shaping stories. If you don't know your story, you don't know yourself.

ALMA MATER

The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

INSTITUTION

Professional Storyteller

Dr. Hannah B. Harvey is an award-winning teacher, an internationally recognized performer, and a nationally known professional storyteller. She earned her Ph.D. in Performance Studies/Communication Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was also a teaching fellow. While teaching at Kennesaw State University, she received an Honors Program Distinguished Teacher award and an Alumni Association Commendation for Teaching Impact. As a performance ethnographer, Dr. Harvey develops oral histories into theatrical and solo storytelling works that highlight the true stories of contemporary Appalachian people. Her ongoing fieldwork with disabled coal miners in southwest Virginia culminated in a live ethnographic performance of their oral histories, Out of the Dark: The Oral Histories of Appalachian Coal Miners, earning her a directing award from adjudicators at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in 2007 and three year-end awards from professional critics in 2005. Her written research has been honored by the American Folklore Society and been featured in Storytelling, Self, Society, of which she is managing editor. Dr. Harvey has delivered award-winning performances and has conducted workshops at festivals and universities in the United States and around the world. She has performed as a featured teller at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee; received accolades for her performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland; and led intercultural workshops at the University Hassan II, Ben M'Sik, in Casablanca, Morocco.

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