Although the name suggests that fairy tales should include a fairy, most do not. The term was originally coined to describe certain 17th century French folk tales that did indeed include fairies. Fairy tales from other cultures and periods can be recognized primarily by their aura of wonder and enchantment.

Fairy tales also can be distinguished from other mythology by three outstanding factors. First, fairy tales embody the values of the common people, not the upper or ruling class. Second, religion takes a distinct sideline to the story if it is mentioned at all. Finally, no single person can be called responsible for a fairy tale. Someone may be credited by virtue of being the first to write a story down, but chances are that they did not create it from whole cloth. Charles Perrault, Hans Christian Anderson, and the Grimm Brothers are examples of this phenomenon.

Common Themes

Fairy tales contain similar themes across so many cultures that either they embody some hidden part of the human psyche, or else they are evidence of a massive conspiracy. In more languages than I can count, female servants marry the prince, starving children find new homes, and young low-class boys discover they are actually the heirs to a large kingdom. In fact, the most popular theme is that of the low-class or common person rising above his or her station. No doubt this is a form of escapism and wishful thinking.

Also popular is the theme of the trickster. Some wily character, often overlooked by his peers, is followed through his victories and follies. Some cultures embody the trickster as a single figure, such as the Fox or Wolf in Native American tales or Briar Rabbit in the Southern US. Other cultures simply designate a different trickster for each story. Trickster stories provide good-natured humor, and are sometimes used to explain natural phenomenon
¹.

Another very common theme is that of the cautionary tale. Such stories serve as a warning to each new generation, often exaggerating the consequences of social or other faux pas. Some cautionary tales espouse the values of hospitality or good manners. Others are blatant attempts to convince wives to obey their husbands or children to obey their parents. Beauty and the Beast can also be seen as a cautionary tale to women who would judge potential husbands on their looks alone.

For a list of common elements in fairy tales, you may wish to look over the
Do-It-Yourself Fairy Tale Kit.

Written vs. Spoken Tales

Fairy tales that have been written down generally differ from their oral counterparts. Scribes are usually pressured to remove graphic descriptions from within the stories. Ironically, much of this censorship takes place because the upper-class editors view the prurient interests of the common people's fairy tales to be, well, distastefully common.

The Arabian Tales originally contained many graphic depictions of sexual acts, but these escaped translation. The Grimm Brothers were pressured to remove many gory descriptions of murder, maiming, and torture. Even today, a series of books about campfire myths called Scary Stories is on many censored books lists for its honest account of tales like 'The Ghost With the Bloody Fingers.'

Uncensored tales are frequently as eerie as
nursery rhymes
are. For instance, Little Red Riding Hood was originally tricked into eating her dead grandmother's flesh. The original Sleeping Beauty (Talia) was raped and gave birth to twins while she continued sleeping. And it was Snow White's own biological mother who tried to kill her out of jealousy in the original story.

Since fairy tales and nursery rhymes are passed down orally, they both have a tendency towards addictive singsong phrases. Nursery rhymes have cadences such as 'Ashes, ashes, we all fall down' and 'Please put a penny in the old man's hat.' Fairy tales have their own charm in phrases such as 'Once upon a time, a long long time ago,' 'Fee Fie Fo Fum,' 'Open Sesame,' and 'happily forever after.'