Posts by Juan Artola Miranda
Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf (Russian Fairy Tale Explained)
Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf is the most famous of all the Russian fairy tales. It’s as beloved as Jack and the Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, and the Little Mermaid are here in the West.
Ivan is the classic name for a Russian protagonist. Tsarevich translates to “tsar’s son,” so this particular Ivan is a prince. I’ll explain what the story means at the end.
This is based on the classic version of the fairy tale published by Alexander Afanasyev between 1855 and 1863. He wrote it in Russian. I’ve translated it into English.
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The Little Mermaid (Classic Fairy Tale)
The Little Mermaid is a classic fairy tale written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen in 1837. Some of these old fairy tales are fever dreams with illogical plots and incomprehensible character motivations. Andersen’s stories aren’t like that. They aged incredibly well.
This is the story of a young mermaid willing to give up her identity to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. It does not end how the Disney version ends. It is a darker tale from a harsher time.
It was inspired by Danish folklore, mythology, and Andersen’s own personal experiences. In the 200 years since it was published, it has become widely recognized for its exploration of sacrifice, transformation, and unrequited love.
The original story was written in Danish. This is my own translation in my own words. It is a retelling of sorts, as any good translation is, but it stays true to the spirit of the original fairy tale.
The Original Story
The Emperor’s New Clothes (Classic Fairy Tale)
The Emperor’s New Clothes is a from 1837, written by Hans Christian Andersen, the same guy who wrote The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Ugly Duckling, and The Princess and the Pea. This story is somewhat different, though, because there’s nothing magical about it. It also has an unusually large number of moral lessons embedded into it.
As is tradition, this is a retelling in my own (human) words.
The Fairy Tale
A long time ago, in a faraway kingdom, there lived an Emperor who was extremely fond of new clothes. He spent his time changing from one fabulous garment to another, parading around for his subjects to admire.
News of the Emperor’s vanity spread far and wide until it reached the ears of two cunning weavers. Seeing an opportunity, they journeyed to the kingdom, promising they could weave the most magnificent fabric imaginable. The unique quality of this material, they said, was that only the wise could see it.
The Emperor thought this was an excellent opportunity to discover which of his ministers and courtiers were unfit for their positions. He paid the weavers a hefty sum so they could begin their work at once.
After a while, the Emperor sent his most trusted advisors to see how the work was progressing. The weavers invited them to inspect the loom. They all praised the material, expressing admiration for its colours and patterns.
Word of the garment’s beauty quickly spread through the court, and soon the Emperor himself came to see the marvellous garment. He was shocked when he could not see the cloth himself, but he was afraid of appearing foolish, so he lavished praise upon the weavers and their work, expressing his eagerness to wear the finished garments.
On the day of the grand procession, the weavers carefully dressed the Emperor in his new clothes, complimenting his appearance and explaining the intricacies of the designs. The Emperor nodded along, unwilling to admit he couldn’t see any of these supposed wonders.
As the Emperor paraded down the streets, his subjects, who had heard of the cloth’s strange properties, praised the invisible finery, not wanting to appear unwise themselves.
Finally, a small child, too young to understand the pretense everyone was upholding, cried out, “But he hasn’t got anything on!” The child’s innocent words broke the spell, and whispers started spreading among the crowd.
The Emperor heard the murmuring and felt a chill of doubt, but he held his head high. He decided to continue the procession even more majestically. After all, the only thing more magnificent than an emperor’s garments is the Emperor himself.
The Moral
The moral of The Emperor’s New Clothes is that when we try to impress others, we lose sight of what’s actually worth caring about. It’s a common moral. Tolstoy wrote about it, too, using the same analogy:
A rich man goes to a threadmaker to spin some fine (thin) threads. The threadmaker spins the finest threads she can, but they feel too coarse to the rich man, so he asks for even finer ones. She cannot spin finer ones, so she shows the man nothing, explaining how the threads are so fine that they cannot even be seen. The rich man is delighted and pays her a hefty sum of gold.
The Emperor’s New Clothes goes deeper, with a variety of other morals embedded into it:
- Peer pressure can lead us down silly paths.
- The situation gets worse with every lie.
- Our pride blinds us to reality.
- The fear of judgment can silence the truth.
- The popular opinion can be wrong.
- Sometimes, the naive are best able to see the truth.
- We ought to face humiliation with dignity.
These fairy tales with moral lessons are very similar to Jewish and Muslim folktales. Or you might like The Spider King and His Astrologer or perhaps The Man Who Never Lied.
Hans Christian Andersen also wrote the original Little Mermaid fairy tale. And if you like those classic fairy tales, you might like Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault.
The Snake, the Farmer and the Heron: A Dark African Fable
The Snake, the Farmer and the Heron is an old African folktale from the Hausa tribe, told throughout the northern regions of Nigeria and the southern areas of the Niger. It picked up even more popularity after being featured in 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene. It’s a story about how water doesn’t flow uphill. That won’t make much sense yet, but I’ll explain it at the end.
It’s one of my favourite fables. I’ve retold it in my own words, sticking to the classic story beats. Then I’ll give you my own version.
I’m a real person, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. That’s the fun of fables like these. Drop a comment after reading, if you can.
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The Barbaric Pin-Up Art of Shane Glines
Shane Glines is mostly known for his pin-up illustrations, but he cut his teeth working on animated shows like Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, Justice League, and Harley Quinn. He worked under Bruce Timm for a while, and you can see the similarity in their art styles, as well as how they draw a mix of superheroes and pin-up art. I found him when I was looking for Conan the Barbarian art.
With comic artists like Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, and Shane Glines, it’s fun to pay attention to how they alternate between curving swoops and straight lines. If the triceps bulge, then the biceps are often flat. If the upper arm is straight, then there’s probably a curvier lower arm. If a woman is curvy, she’s probably contrasted against a more angular man.
Glines is still alive and posting. You can follow him on Instagram here. His old Cartoon Retro website isn’t active anymore, so I think Instagram is the best place to keep up with him.
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The Art of Erté
Erté was the professional name of Romain de Tirtoff (1892–1990), a Russian-born French artist known for his fashion design and illustration. Most of the illustrations below are costume designs, but they look like they could be on the cover of a fashion magazine. You can find even M.S. Rau Erté collection.
Erté’s illustrations are aristocratically erotic. Plenty of nude and topless women, but in an elegant way, not a raunchy way. If you compare it against pin-up artists like Shane Glines, you’ll see what I mean. Part of it is the way they’re posed, but it’s also where he draws the eye. The figures are drawn simply, while the fashion is big, vibrant, and detailed, pulling the gaze away from the nudity and towards what little clothes the women wear. That makes sense. After all, these are costume designs.
I’m a big fan of ligne claire, and this art style has a similar sort of feel to it, but with more Art Deco, glamour, fashion, fairy tale, and cabaret.
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The Frogs & the Ox (Aesop’s Fables)
The Lion-Makers, An Old Indian Fable
The Lion-Makers is a fable from the Panchatantra, a collection of Indian folktales dating back to the 3rd century BCE. The story warns those who create without having a full understanding of what they’re unleashing upon the world. It was written thousands of years before the invention of nuclear bombs and the growing opportunities (and dangers) of artificial intelligence, and yet still it warns us.
I’ll go deeper into the implications at the end.
Read MoreThe Best (and Darkest) Dark Fantasy Novels
I’m a huge fan of fantasy. I read all the books, watch all the movies, play all the games, and spend my evenings arguing about the best fantasy books on Reddit. I’m especially fond of the truly dark tales—the ones heavily infused with horror.
I took a break from fantasy in my twenties. When I came back in my thirties, I asked my sister for recommendations, I asked around on Reddit, and I read all the reviews. I was looking for darker, more mature fantasy books. Some of those recommendations were good. I’ll include them all here.
Three dark fantasy novels stood out to me. I try to push them from my mind while I’m awake, but it does little good. They always find me in my dreams. Maybe if I share them with you, they’ll finally leave me be.
Delve DeeperThe Crane and the Heron (Russian Fable)
The Crane and the Heron is an old Russian folktale. It’s an Aesopic “beast fable” with animal characters. I’m not sure exactly how old it is or who first wrote it down.
The Fable
A long time ago, there was a Crane who lived in the marsh. It was a quiet night, and he was feeling lonely, so he went to see the Heron that lived in the branches of a nearby tree.
The Crane said, “Dear Heron, I live all alone down here, and I think we would make a good pair. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
The Heron had been dreaming of someone with a taller neck and a larger nest, so she turned him down, saying, “No, Crane, I cannot marry you.” The Crane, hurt by the rejection, flew back to his nest.
After some time passed, the Heron thought, “Perhaps I was too hasty in my decision. The Crane is kind, and I am lonely too. I should accept his proposal.”
So the Heron flew to the Crane’s marsh and said, “Crane, I have changed my mind. I will marry you.”
But the Crane remembered how the Heron had rejected him. And besides, in truth, the Heron was getting a little old to be starting a family. He replied, “No, I have changed my mind. I do not want to marry you.” The Heron flew back to her home, furious.
Soon, there was another quiet night, and the Crane felt lonely again. He went back to the Heron to propose once more. The Heron was still angry, so she refused him.
And so it went, back and forth, until they both died bitter and alone.
The Moral
The moral of The Crane and the Heron is that pride and indecision can lead to missed opportunities and regret. Most people have been in a situation like this, where you don’t want something when you can have it, but then you change your mind when it stops being available. It’s easy to get lured in by people who play hard to get, but sometimes it’s best to appreciate what’s right in front of you.
The second part of the moral lesson is that you mustn’t cut off your nose to spite your face. At a certain point, both the Crane and the Heron realize they want to be together, but they both feel wronged, so they punish themselves to punish the other.
If you liked this fable, there’s a totally different fable about a heron that’s just as good. If you like fables about doomed romances, try The Scorpion and the Turtle. Or, if you want a fable with the exact opposite moral lesson as this one, try The Fox and the Grapes.