During the temporary absence of our teacher, Mrs Rockrohr (who had to travel to the USA because of some sudden unforeseen matter), we kept our female diaconess-students entertained with a symbolic analysis of an old Russian fairy tale.

In that fairy tale a beautiful poor girl, Vasilisa, who had to endure continuous mal-treatment by her nasty step-mother and step-sisters while her mother was dead and her father was absent, was sent deep into the forest in order to fetch and bring back some much-needed LIGHT from the terrible Baba-Yaga. During her dangerous journey the girl went through an inner self-transformation (from girl to woman), and thanks to the spiritual support provided by her dead mother (symbolized in the form of a little magic doll) Vasilisa was even able to survive the soul-shattering experience of the encounter with the terrible Baba-Yaga. Because Vasilisa did well the Baba-Yaga granted Vasilisa with the requested LIGHT, and sent her back to the dark house of her step-mother and step-sisters. But when she arrived into the darkness of the house, Vasilisa’s LIGHT was so utterly bright and powerful that the nasty step-mother and step-sisters could not cope with such brightness; they burnt to ashes until nothing of them was left. Transformed and strengthened by all these experiences, Vasilisa left the dark house behind and moved to the city, where she was able to do nice things and thereby also found new bliss and happiness.

In the subsequent symbolic analysis of this old fairy tale we learned that fairy tales do not aim at describing real historical situations nor persons. Instead, the figures as well as the “magic” objects narrated in the tale should be understood hermeneutically as symbolisations of the traits and features of our own “inner life” (e.g., our own fears and desires) as well as symbolisations of forces and powers (e.g., the forces of Nature) to which we are simply subject without being able to exercise much influence onto them. Since fairy tales mostly offer some self-transformative symbolic solution to some common problem of our general human condition, the reading of a fairy tale can have a consoling and encouraging effect of “Catharsis” upon its readers and hearers, a deeper effect beyond the immediate joy of leisurely entertainment by a wonderful story.

Last but not least: From a religious perspective a good old fairy tale can thus even remind us —however remotely and only by weak analogy— of the transformative possibilities of the living WORD itself.

Stefan Gruner