Not only, because they are actually told for real-life situations. The wealth of imagery in fairytales comes from the collective unconscious. As in today's films, each of us identifies with one or another character. Then as now, symbols are used to show typical images of typical human problems, all of which are an expression of the creative aspect of the unconscious.
Every fairytale comes from human imagination. It is a basic element of creativity and of great importance. However, imagination is not so easy to use freely; we can feel blocked or overwhelmed.
| Imagination is autonomous |
and not completely controllable by consciousness. What is also extremely exciting is that fairytales offer a natural framework in which concepts such as archetypes become tangible in stories from the collective of the entire human family.
In volume 8 of his collected works, Jung wrote that
| instincts and archetypes |
belong together as opposite sides of a coin, manifesting in the psyche biologically and spiritually, respectively. They are inborn imprints, precursors of forms of experience, though not directly accessible to consciousness. For example, the archetypal impression of "number" is already present before the 1 is felt through union or the 2 through "you are different from me". An instinctive drive for "nourishment" is already present before hunger is sensed. These imprints are subtle influencing factors behind dreams, behind complexes and behind fairytales.
Modern and old fairytales are cultural assets of inestimable value. They can be found in many collected works around the world.
Do you still remember your favorite fairytale? What once fascinated you, what moves you today?
