Taming the Beast

Truth in Fairy Tales

“The beast-human is someone who is not himself but something less—unless and until the spell is broken and he is set free. Many such tales explore the process by which humanity is restored: that is, the process by which a person achieves the humanity which is his birthright.”

Nan Runde (“Wonder Stories and the Inner Quest,” Tracing the magical path from “I” to “Thou,” Parabola, Spring 2020, p.54)

          Nan Runde, in her article in Parabola, explores folktales such as Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and Chaucer’s version of the medieval tale of the Loathly Lady. She examines how humans evolve from the tiny tyrants we are as babies to the compassionate adults we hopefully grow up to be. Fairy tales and myths are meant to be stories, of course, but they are also ways of depicting human nature by breaking out the traits into discrete characters. We all have a beast in us—at least, I do.

Some of us live from the perspective of the beast even as adults, but most of us, even though we start out life egocentric and demanding, learn over the course of a lifetime that being kind and appreciative is more likely to get us what we want and need than being a beast to everyone around us. In other words, we tame our beast. But the goal is still the same—to satisfy our needs and wants, we civilize ourselves.

          Here’s the truth—we need our beast. We couldn’t get rid of him if we wanted to, but even so, we need to have him available when needed—on call, so to speak. He is the one who stands up for us in challenging times and in abusive situations. He gives us the anger to self-preserve.

 It is love that transforms the beast. In the fairy tales, a kiss, as in the frog king, or a marriage, as in the Lothly Lady, are the vehicles through which change happens. The transformation is almost always from someone beastly into someone handsome or beautiful, kingly or maidenly—someone desirable on many levels. More than that, though, it is a transformation from seeing the other as a vehicle to get one’s own needs met, to seeing the other as “thou,” a person of value in his/her own right.

We become more human when we see both the beast within us, and the maiden or hero who loves and is loved. When we understand that others are also worthy of love, even though they may still have a beast within. Love is transformational within and without. Spread some today.

                                        In the Spirit,

                                        Jane