Twisting Fairy Tales: Bluebeard as a Secret Message
One of the most fascinating aspects of fairy tales is what they say about the societies that create and modify them. Fairy tales were never only meant for children. The majority were traded at work while people completed menial tasks and many contained secret messages. “Bluebeard” is one such tale.
Bluebeard’s Secret Message
While it’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly a fairy tale began and who or what inspired it, most scholars believe “Bluebeard” was based on the murderer Gilles de Rais. A French nobleman, de Rais kidnapped, raped, tortured, and murdered children during occult rituals in the early 1400’s. He was tried and convicted of these crimes.
In the fairy tale, Bluebeard murders his wives, not children, but stories don’t always align exactly with reality. In this case, that might have been by design. Because de Rais was a nobleman, common people whose children were at risk couldn’t rise or even speak ill against him without serious consequences, but they could tell each other stories. “Bluebeard” was a way to warn each other without getting in trouble. It was a secret message hidden in a story.
This is why I love studying fairy tales.
Modern Fairy Tale Twists and Messages
A twist on a fairy tale can be just as revealing. How authors decades or centuries later choose to modify a tale shows how the values and morals of society change. In the original tale, the protagonist is saved by her brothers at the last moment. In Angela Carter’s amazing retelling “The Bloody Chamber,” it’s the girl’s mother. Carter’s version shows a huge shift in societal beliefs where women can be heroes and saviors too.
My version of “Bluebeard” is “Voices of Sacrifice” in my collection When Magic Calls. When I sat down to write the story, I wanted to give Bluebeard’s previous victims a chance to speak. In every rendition I’ve read, Bluebeard or the wife who escapes are the main characters telling the story. In mine, it’s the deceased victims. What that says about our current society or me, I’m not entirely sure, but perhaps it has something to do with honoring the dead and telling their story or turning victims into survivors. You’ll have to tell me what you think my version says in the comments.
The next time you read, watch, or listen to a fairy tale retelling, remember, they are more than entertainment. They could be a warning or some other kind of secret message.
Caitlin Berve is the author of When Magic Calls: A Collection of Modern Fairy Tales and currently working on a fantasy novel involving an arranged marriage, damsels who save themselves, and non-human shape-shifters. Through her company Ignited Ink Writing and MFA, she edits other people’s novels, creates video tutorials, teaches, and writes. Caitlin seeks to fill the world with the kind of writing that lingers with readers, pet all the fluffy and scaly animals she can, and find magic in modern times.