Once upon a time...

Photo by Eva Horton

When I was a child, I gobbled up books. I was a reading addict and the local library was my supplier. A series of books that I received immense pleasure from were books by Ruth Manning Saunders. A Book of Giants, a Book of Wizards and a Book of Dwarfs are just a few of her over 72 anthologies, written between 1919 and 1988. Some other wonderful titles are Slippery Shiny, Elephant The Romance of Laura and the delightfully named Old Witch Boneyleg.

Saunders died aged 102, and her final collection of stories - A Cauldron of Witches - was published that same year.  So she was incredibly prolific. 

I was on holiday last week in Northumberland - a land perfect for fairy tales, which I'll come back to later. And whilst I was there, I finished reading the only book of hers that I own, A Book of Ghosts and Goblins - Many of her books are no longer in print, so it's one of the few I could find for a reasonable price. And it was sheer delight, sitting in our quirky cottage, reading these tales from long ago that had been told from generation to generation.

Why did I love her books so much? Far too many reasons to number. They were a wonderful form of escapism. They fed my imagination and they were very easy to read. Like a delicious box of chocolates, all with their own unique and scrumptious filling. 

I believe every child should hear at least one fairy tale in their lifetime, especially those that begin with those very special words 'Once upon a time' As Saunders says herself in her foreword to her anthology - A Choice of Magic

There can be no new fairy tales. They are records of the time when the world was very young; and never, in these latter days, can they, or anything like them, be told again. Should you try to invent a new fairy tale you will not succeed the tale rings false, the magic is spurious. For the true world of magic is ringed round with high, high walls that cannot be broken down. There is but one little door in the high walls which surround that world – the little door of "once upon a time and never again." And so it must suffice that we can enter through that little door into the fairy world and take our choice of all its magic.

I said earlier that I've recently come back from holiday in a place perfect for fairy tales. Northumberland has some fabulous place names - Witch Crags, Ogre Hill, Spindlestone, Holystone, Slaggyford, Twizzle and how about this as a perfect name for a drinking Inn - The Slimefoot pub! If I do nothing with these tremendous place names, then you have my permission to nag me until I do!

I want to end with two of my favourite quotes on the power of fairy tales. The first by the author G.K. Chesterton who said “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear."

 And the second by our beloved Jack - CS Lewis - sharing of the impact of fairy tales, “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. . . Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let villains be soundly killed at the end of the book, It would be nice if no little boy in bed, hearing, or thinking he hears a sound, were ever at all frightened. But if he is going to be frightened, I think it better that he should think of giants and dragons than merely of burglars. 

Martin is a writer, baker, photographer and storyteller. He's been published in the ACW Christmas anthology and Lent devotional. He's currently honing his craft at flash fiction and you can find him on Twitter here.