James_H
And I like to roam the land
- Joined
- May 18, 2002
- Messages
- 7,629
I was thinking about Hansel and Gretel today after watching an episode of Disenchantment, Matt Groening's so-so new show. I'd been reading a bit about cannibalism during famines more recently (the holodomor, the great leap forward) and wondered if the facts that the witch in the story eats children and that the children in the story have been turned out of their homes due to famine are coincidental, or if the cannibalism of the witch was a way to 'other' the real fact of cannibalism by ordinary people during times of famine.
On looking it up, it seems that some people believe that the story refers to the great famine in Europe of 1315-22, in which many people indeed ate children.
This also reminded me of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which some believe refers to the sudden loss of children in the Children's Crusade of 1212.
Does anyone else have any examples of fairy tales that may enshrine tragic real-life social events?
On looking it up, it seems that some people believe that the story refers to the great famine in Europe of 1315-22, in which many people indeed ate children.
This also reminded me of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, which some believe refers to the sudden loss of children in the Children's Crusade of 1212.
Does anyone else have any examples of fairy tales that may enshrine tragic real-life social events?