The Similarities and Differences between Myths and Fairy Tales

When we speak of myths and fairy tales together, they both have their similarities and their
differences. They relate to each other in the sense that they show certain motifs or patterns that
consistently repeat. We all know the motif, for example, of the lovers who opine for each other or
who engage with one another sometimes in different forms, as in one human and one animal. You
can find this motif in a myth, whether it is Zeus, mating with Europa in the form of a bull, or in a fairy
tale, where a frog is a prince that the princess must kiss. Where they differ in the sense and layers of
consciousness. The myth is much closer to consciousness of the collective because of its cultural
influence. They usually have important aspects that relate to the religion of the region and provide
instruction for conducting ritual. The fairy tale is much lower, one might say, as the structural
elements of the basement of the psyche. They are found everywhere cross culturally but have less
of a cultural influence. They are more abstract, pure, or basic motifs and patterns that are
unambiguous. Where in a myth, we might speak of Apollo, as a Sun god, in a fairy tale, these
qualities are stripped bare to something like “The Golden Man.” Myths, you might say, also have a
kind of shelf life. The country or region moves on from the myth over a period of time, usually when a
new myth has arisen to meet the compensatory need of the culture. The fairy tale on the other hand
stands its ground and provides as von Franz says, a place for the myth to degenerate, yet survive
(interpretation of fairy tales pg.26).

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