Priming the soul for the mystery and miraculous nature of life in Christ

Fairy tales have been part of the Christian tradition for a long, long time, and some of the most brilliant and insightful minds have opined on their importance.

J.R.R. Tolkien, in his marvelous essay “On Fairy Stories,” wrote, “Fantasy is a higher form of Art, indeed the most nearly pure form, and so (when achieved) the most potent,” and “It was in fairy-stories that I first divined the potency of the words, and the wonder of the things, such as stone, and wood, and iron; tree and grass; house and fire; bread and wine.”

G.K. Chesterton, in his book Tremendous Trifles, makes a wonderful point (which is often blandly paraphrased):

Fairy tales, then, are not responsible for producing in children fear, or any of the shapes of fear; fairy tales do not give the child the idea of the evil or the ugly; that is in the child already, because it is in the world already. Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.

The Stag with the Crystal Horns and Other Tales (Ignatius Press, 2026) is a collection of new fairy tales that tell stories in the imaginary kingdom of Lady Dora and the Knight King. The reader will find a variety of tales: a knight giving chase to a magical stag; a giant who won’t stop throwing things; a fool who must seek his fortune, and the talking beast that despises him; and much more. There are secrets in ancient woods, dragons in the mountains, and babies with large, knowing eyes.

Some of the stories are serious and grave, others are playful and light. The thread running through them all is a rejoicing in the abundance of grace that comes from good conquering evil.

The author, Grace Fitzpatrick, is a visual artist and storyteller who began writing fairy tales to soothe one of her children to sleep. She continues to write them to delight the childlike and offer some healing to the world-weary. She lives in New Orleans with her husband and four children.

Fitzpatrick recently spoke with Catholic World Report about her new book, Christian fiction, and how fairy tales can be an avenue for evangelization.

Catholic World Report: How did the book come about?

Grace Fitzpatrick: Almost entirely by accident. A few years ago, one of my kids was sick, so I told him that if he got into bed and tried to rest, I would tell him a story.

My “go to” story with his older sister had been Beowulf, but once Grendel made his first appearance, my son opened a bleary eye and asked for something less scary. I thought a knight story would help, so I began to tell a tale about a knight who hunted a stag with crystal horns. I wrote the story down later and felt inspired to write more.

CWR: Is there a thread connecting all of these tales, or are they simply a collection of unrelated fables?

Fitzpatrick: Generally speaking, they can all be said to exist within the same story world, namely, the kingdom of the Lady Dora and the Knight King. But I think the stories can be enjoyed both independently and in chronological order.

CWR: Who are some of your influences as a storyteller? Can an astute reader see those influences in these stories?

Fitzpatrick: I find C. S. Lewis’s narrative voice perfect for fairy tales because his prose is so charming and elegant. Above all, though, his power lies in addressing the child “man to man,” as it were. I try to imitate this approach.

I love Irish faerie, specifically those stories collected by W. B. Yeats; he approaches the spiritual world with a seriousness and respect that make for a good tale. Eleanor Estes is wonderful at depicting tender and believable sibling dynamics. William Steig is cheeky and masterful—his Shrek! is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read, and we read it over and over at our house. The baby loves it.

I hope that a reader who feels at home reading any of these feels at home in the same way with my stories.

CWR: I have seen the occasional snarky remark, stating that Christian fiction is inappropriate, and that we should get our lessons from Scripture rather than couching them in metaphor or allegory. How would you respond to that?

Fitzpatrick: I think you’ll have a hard time getting away from metaphor and allegory in Scripture. Given that the Bible begins with an incredibly poetic creation story and is immediately followed by what could be considered a talking beast fable, I think there’s a good argument for God himself enjoying a well-crafted story.

Just to mention a few, there’s a man who is swallowed by a whale, Balaam’s talking donkey, and magnificent, symbolic dreams in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s not forget all of Christ’s parables, which are literally “Christian fiction.”

Considering contemporary fiction, if it is good and true, it will inevitably lead us back to the Creator; St. Paul even instructs us to “think on these things,” so it would seem that beautiful Christian arts and culture are not merely acceptable but a powerful tool for bringing souls to know, love, and serve God.

CWR: You created the cover art for your book, as well as the illustrations. Tell us a little about your experience and interests as a visual artist.

Fitzpatrick: Everyone seems to have a “COVID thing” they got really interested in—mine was traditional Byzantine iconography. I studied the tradition and took classes for a few years. Then, when we moved back to Louisiana, I became a society artist for the St. Louis IX Art Society, which has given me a good artist community.

I am always trying to improve my skills, especially drawing and developing a precise sense of line. For the fairy tale illustrations specifically, I indulged my love of Alphonse Mucha and Art Nouveau; I also love medieval manuscript drôlerie images.

CWR: Are any of these stories particularly important to you personally, or are there any that you think are particularly good and edifying?

Fitzpatrick: The writing of many of the stories began with, “Mama, make up a story about—” so there are dozens of inside jokes between me and my kids or my husband that are embedded in the work.

All of the stories lend themselves well to being read aloud, so I hope the collection fosters lots of family connections. The final tale in the collection, “The Carved Cradle,” I wrote with the desire to give the reader a glimmer of the hope that goes beyond story and reverberates through all of existence.

CWR: Is there something about this format–tales, fables, etc.–that is particularly suited to Christian storytelling?

Fitzpatrick: I think reading a story where magic is recognized as such—and wondered at—can prime the soul for the mystery and miraculous nature of life in Christ.

Fairy tales can be wonderful aids in cultivating virtue—not at all in a condescending or didactic way, but by a beautifully roundabout style that works on the heart over time and usually makes a very lasting impression.

CWR: What do you hope readers will take away from the book?

Fitzpatrick: I hope readers will find goodness and courage in these stories and feel they can take these tales as nourishment for the journey. I also hope there’s a great deal of laughing out loud.

CWR: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Fitzpatrick: I always enjoy hearing from people! If you’d like to get in touch with me, my email is grace@gracefitzpatrick.art—and some of my artwork can be found at www.gracefitzpatrick.art

Read original article