Of Trees and Transformation

The theme for the month of March – ‘The Woods’

Forest landscapes have evolved with mankind, and with evolution, comes growth – change. Towering trees and densely packed plant life sheltering animal, insect and man alike are rooted in modern humanity’s consciousness as a place of mystery and the unknown. These have become the fairytale landscapes of triumph and tribulation, danger and refuge and the ultimate opportunity for adventure.

Classic fairytales have always held a close association with trees and forests, having been told, transcribed and conceived in a time when man lived in an intimate relationship with the earth, albeit a time already well on its way to industrialization. Today, we concern ourselves with the loss of these landscapes as deforestation rides the waves of mankind’s conscience - the edge of civilization expanding and the treeline of enchantment receding. Change.

Our forest landscapes may be far-removed from what they were in the Middle Ages when the oral folk tradition was alive and well, or even from what they were in the nineteenth century when the Grimm Brothers began their transcriptions, but in fairytales they have found immortality. And it is in these dark and mysterious localities that the fairytale characters we have grown to love, or hate, typically find themselves subject to a catalyst for change. Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, just to name a few – each met their challenges and opportunities for growth, had their triumphs and adventures, or found refuge, in the woods of fairytales.

The next month will be dedicated to ‘the woods’ as a setting motif of fairytales and their film adaptations – and, of course, everything associated with them. Stay with us as we explore the great unknown and rise to meet our own challenges. 

Peace and awesomeness, my fellow faerlie accultured creatures.