Lolita designers love fairytales, lolitas love fairytales, most girls at some point in their lives loved fairytales. There's just so much to love! Fairytales and folktales have romance, action, adventure, horror, and humor- anyone who thinks it's all sunshine and princesses is quite misinformed.
So here's a list of five European fairytales I highly recommend, if you haven't already read them. I picked them more for their potential to make kick-ass coordinates, than for their moral content. Just click the titles to read the story.
1. Allerleiruah
Also known as Donkey Skin or Cat Skin. A German fairytale.
A relative of Cinderella, but in my opinion, so much better. No only does the heroine get 3 fancy dresses (modeled after the moon, stars, and sun), she also takes more initiative than her Disney counterpart, fleeing her home and making her own way in another kingdom.
Motifs: fur/faux fur, stars and planets, gold jewelry.
2. The White Cat
Also known as The Queen of Cats. A French fairytale.
Similar to Rapunzel. A charming story where a princess, bargained away to fairies by her mother, is turned into a little white cat, waiting to be freed by her true love. Though the princess is rescued by a prince in the end, for most of the story he is actually beholden to her.
Motifs: cats, fruit, acorns, castles.
3. Snow White and Rose Red
Also known as The Ungrateful Dwarf. A German fairytale.
Unrelated to Snow White. Two sisters befriend a prince trapped in the form of a bear. I enjoy the two heroines having opposing personalities, though both are good. Rose Red is wilder and more adventurous, while Snow White is quiet and gentle. It would be lovely to see two girls do twin coordinates to this story.
Motifs: roses, red and white, bears, forests.
4. The Six Swans
Also known as The Seven Ravens. A German fairytale.
There is something very poignant about the silently suffering heroine of this story. The Princess and her brothers are cursed by their stepmother, and the princess must endure several trials, without speaking a single word, to save them.
Motifs: Swans, feathers, leaves, crowns.
5. The Snow Queen
Also known as Sneedronningen. A Danish fairytale.
This is probably the most well known fairytale on my list, but it's quite an epic! It has been adapted into several movies and plays. It is a very dynamic story with many different locations and characters, following the journey of a little girl after her friend is taken by the beautiful but heartless Snow Queen.
Motifs: Roses, mirrors, ice/snow, reindeer.
There is a less well known version, that while only about 500 words, is terribly beautiful and worth reading as well.
