Recent novels and stories, films and images have shown us compassionate Beasts who provide adventure and true happiness for Beauties who feel out of step with the modern world. Today, we turn to “Beauty and the Beast” to dream about love, wildness, and understanding.
Even older stories of a woman who must marry a reptile or an ogre circulated throughout Africa and Asia in the first centuries BCE-a tale called “The Girl Who Married a Snake” was recorded in Sanskrit in the Indian Panchatantra more than two thousand years ago. While it is impossible to pinpoint the origin of the story, the oldest known Western version is Apuleius’ Roman myth of “Cupid and Psyche.” In this tale, a beautiful girl is sacrificed to a mysterious monster, whom she eventually discovers is the god of love himself. Hundreds upon hundreds of recognizable versions can be found amongst storytellers and between book covers all over the world, offering glimpses into many cultures while revisiting familiar, resonant themes. While most of the versions we see and hear today are retellings of the iconic eighteenth-century French tale by Madame Beaumont, the roots of the tale go back thousands of years. This blog post originally appeared in Faerie Magazine Issue #34Īs the classic Disney song reminds us, “Beauty and the Beast” possesses a rich history and a powerful legacy of enchantment.
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