What is it about those fictional characters that we remember from our childhood? And how did they achieve their immortality? What did your ancestors read, or have read to them as children?
Some stories, particularly during the Little Ice Age period, were penned by authors who had their own bad experiences in those difficult times. Harsh living conditions, that contributed to both despair (of the world around them) and hope (that times would be better in the future), would have coloured their outlook and affected their creativity. Characters in their stories might have been based on real events or people but would be given attributes in keeping with cheerless times.
Stories have often emanated from songs or poems – or vice versa – with nursery rhymes later being written or performed using the storylines. Not a few may go back hundreds or even thousands of years. They were passed down in folklore by word of mouth in societies from the Middle East to Scandinavia.
The Protagonists
Children from the most recent generations have grown up hearing about Aladdin, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Bo Peep, Little Red Riding Hood, Pied Piper, King Arthur, Robin Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, Sleeping Beauty and hundreds of others. In our generation Walt Disney, of course, gave us powerful visual images of these characters.
Most adults today never fail to remember the main protagonists of fairy tales, their antagonists, the plots, the storylines and the scenes in which the action played out. Some were funny; some were heartrending; some were magical; some were fearsome.
It should be noted that many of these characters were created during the depths of the Little Ice Age, from the 14th to 19th centuries. The times both moulded and constrained the stories. The stories have had lasting impacts, with many modern tales based on these original accounts.
Conditions of the Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age was a cold climatic interval that lasted from about 1300 to 1850 AD. During this period, growing seasons were shortened, snow stayed longer in the spring, and frosts came earlier. Drought was common and arable lands were significantly reduced in extent. Land with poor soil and at higher elevations became unsatisfactory for cultivation or suitable only for pasture. That became a serious problem for a rising population, adding to the problem of sufficient food production.
These factors resulted in less food production and higher prices for what was available, which caused even more stress on the populace. With cooler temperatures, unstable weather and reduction in arable land, back-to-back harvest failures became more frequent, resulting in repeated subsistence crises, including major famines. It does not
