By Ashleigh Gaul
“Once upon a time,” “open sesame,” “abracadabra,” “happily ever after”: these are the elegant ums and ahs of the storytelling trade. They buy time for an orator who either makes up or remembers her stories on the spot. They also signal turning points in the plot for readers who may be falling asleep, walking into a reading late or corralling a pack of children. For this second reason, the stock phrases of folk tales haven’t changed much over time or across cultures. England’s “once upon a time is France’s “il était une fois,” which means “once upon a time,” and Indonesia’s “dahulu kala,” which means “once upon a time.”
“Happily ever after” is generally translated a bit looser from language to language, though. It has to be. The end of a story reveals the moral, and the moral of a story depends on the morals of a culture. How a culture defines a “happily ever after” might, then, say something about the culture that determines it. Then again, it might not. Here are seven examples of alternative fairy tale endings across seven different cultures.
1. “…and they lived happily ever after and ate partridges”
Spanish: y vivieron felices para siempre y comieron perdices
2. “…they lived happily and had many children.”
French: ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d’enfants
3. “…and if they’re not dead, they still live.”
Danish: og hvis de ikke er døde, lever de endnu
4. “…so they lived happily and may we be even happier; I wasn’t there myself and you shouldn’t believe it either.”
Greek: ετσι, ζούσαν ευτυχισμένοι και [να είμαστε] να είναι ακόμη πιο ευτυχισμένοι? εγώ δεν ήμουν εκεί τον εαυτό μου και δεν πρέπει να το πιστεύετε είτε
5. “…if I get another story, I’ll stick it behind your ears.”
Akan (Ghana): if me nya foforo akwanmusɛm me were dua e ekyiri mo ears
6. “…my tale has finished; it has returned to go home.”
Goemai (Nigeria): tamtis noe lat; dok ba muaan yi wa
7. “…my bow bends, this story ends.”
Bahamas: e bo ben, Dis story en
THE END
Posted on March 17, 2011 by ashleighgaul