Fairytales have been around as long as humans have. Re-told over and over, hundreds of different ways from thousands of different mouths. Yet, we never seem to bore of them. Numerous retellings of these old stories are published every year, and even now, they tend to be popular. Why?
This September, at the Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival, Georgia Leighton and Jean Menzies discussed this very topic. In their panel ‘Spindles and Swords: Reimagining Leading Ladies in Legends and Fairytales’, chaired by Amanda Block, they delved into the reasons behind fairytales resurging over and over again. In particular, the draw within the last few years.
Fairytales have long been used as an escape from reality, a reprieve from the stress of daily life. We are attracted to them due to their fantastical elements, and they sweep us away into a world far from our own (Tolkien, 1947). In this way, it is understandable that they have stood the test of time, as there will always be people who wish for something different from this world. Especially in our current climate, the desire for stories of magic and happy endings is easy to understand. The familiarity contained within a version of a story you’ve heard before makes for a safe, comforting read. Though, that does not mean they must be predictable. Georgia and Jean are perfect examples of this, taking well-known stories and weaving modern and compelling themes within them, such as championing female voices and relationships, to entice readers of the 21st century.
Even with reader interest still strong, this cannot be the only reason such stories are made. Where does the desire come from for writers to take on a tale already spun by dozens of others? The very nature of fairytales are to be retold. And the nature of humans is to tell them (Michel, 2016). They have been told orally for thousands of years, passed on through generations, sharing their love of stories. Later, through the written word, shared with a much wider audience. This ability has resulted in numerous versions of every known fairytale.
Part of the wonder of fairytales is everything that can be done with them. They are an idea, from which endless possibilities can be created (Goldman, 2023). The panellists of ‘Spindles and Swords’ discussed the fun, joy, and adventure of exploring the different versions across time and culture, and discovering how it inspired and drove them. Both shared the ways in which they had taken pieces they liked, and reimagined them and entwined them with their own ideas. In this way, they were able to create something entirely new, but recognisable to those who know the story. As Georgia Leighton stated (2025):
I had a look at all of [the different versions], I sort of cherry-picked what I felt was right… there’s things that I wanted to keep, but I wanted to kind of put my own spin on it, and keep the atmosphere and the spirit of the original, whilst making it feel hopefully kind of fresh and modern.
Fairytales have existed throughout time as joyful activity for audience and storyteller alike. They provide a space where imagination can run wild, and magic can be found. Fairytales have been recreated over and over throughout history, and they will continue to be told for many years to come. Humans will always come back to these stories, to bring fantasy to reality.
Bibliography
Georgia Leighton, Jean Menzies, & Amanda Block. 2025. Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival. Spindles and Swords: Reimagining Leading Ladies in Legends and Fairytales. 27 September 2025. Edinburgh
Goldman, M. 2023. The Rise of Fairytale Retellings in Publishing. Publishing Research Quarterly, 39, pp. 219-233. doi: 10.1007/s12109-023-09949-x
Michel, L. 2016. Follow the breadcrumbs: why fairytales are magic for modern fiction. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/may/13/follow-the-breadcrumbs-why-fairytales-are-magic-for-modern-fiction
Tolkien, J. R. R. 1947. On Fairy-Stories. Oxford University Press.
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