The Psychology of Fairy Tales

Fairy tales were originally told for adult entertainment.  A tale might start ‘once upon a time’ and this evokes a timeless quality.  This simple beginning serves to charm the imagination into another realm.  We are invited into a time and into no particular time – so this can be extended to mean that we are moving from our usual consciousness and place that we know.  We enter the archetypal realm of the collective unconscious.

The study of fairy tales belongs to the core of Jungian tradition.  We study the fairy tale to see what we can learn about the human psyche and to reveal their message of earthly instinctual wisdom.  

I run two online fairy tale groups.  My intention is that the groups are informative (supported by theory and writings of C G Jung and Marie Louise von Franz), creative and a place for good, enjoyable discussion.   

The next fairy tales for the end of 2025 and into 2026 will be The Goose Girl, Iron John and the White Snake.  A commitment to three sessions is required. 

Please get in touch if you are interested.  

The Psychology of Fairy Tales

“… we interpret for the same reason as that for which fairy tales and myths were told: because it has a vivifying effect and this gives a satisfactory reaction and brings one into peace with one’s unconscious instinctive substratum, just as the telling for fairy tales always did”.  The Interpretation of Fairy Tales, Marie Louise von Franz 

The online fairy tale group continues with “The Handless Maiden”.  We will use theory, amplification of figures, motifs and symbols as well as discussion to explore and discover the messages that are hidden within this powerful story to uncover its wisdom.

The story begins with a ‘daughter’ on the cusp of maturity who is betrayed and suffers a brutal wounding inflicted by her ‘father’.  We will give attention to the characters in the story remembering that they do not depict humans but represent archetypes so we will look at what they mean psychologically.

The maiden is tested in encounters with the devil and must undertake her own journey to healing and independence.  

We don’t know for sure whether a fairy tale should be interpreted as an expression of the male or female psychic structure.  It is helpful to consider that the essential archetypal images within the tale reflect psychic components or structures common to all human beings.  

There are two options to participate:

• Thursdays: 25^th September, 9^th and 23^rd October 2025 – 4.00pm to 6.00pm

• Saturdays:  27^th September, 11^th and 25^th October 2025 – 10.00am to 12.00pm

The fee for the 3 sessions is £90.00

The Psychology of Fairy Tales

“Fairy tales are the simplest and purest expression of the collective unconscious and thus offer the clearest understanding of the basic patterns of the human psyche” – The Interpretation of Fairy Tales, Marie Louise von Franz

The study of fairy tales belongs to the core of Jungian tradition.  I am offering an online group to explore the fairy tale The Three Feathers.

We will begin with a brief presentation on C G Jung and Dr. von Franz and an introduction to some Jungian terms to get us started.

We will then explore the fairy tale the Three Feathers through a lens of depth psychology.  We will discuss parallels between this story and modern day struggles to reveal the timeless wisdom that the fairy tale holds for our contemporary world.  So, uncovering archetypal and personal significance of the fairy tale. 

There are two opportunities to participate: 

• Thursdays: 19^th June, 3^rd and 17^th July – between 4.00pm and 6.00pm 

• Saturdays: 21^st June, 5^th and 19^th July - between 10.00am and 12.00pm

There is flexibility to choose one of the sessions, if it is in the same week, from the other group eg. Thursday 19^th June, Saturday 5^th and 19^th July.  

The fee for the 3 sessions is £90.00.