176 – Fireside Fairy Tale: Ye Xian

Big things have happened to the show in the last week. I have pleased the Algorithm Gods and my YouTube channel is getting a lot of attention. My inbox is overflowing with emails and I have had a few offers from sponsors, but I won’t change anything for now. I want to take some time to think about what the show’s growth could mean and make choices that will be the best for myself, my family, and my values.

In the main segment, join me for another Fireside Fairy Tale. This time I’m revisiting “Ye Xian,” a Cinderella story recorded over 1000 years ago in China. This time I wanted to provide commentary that focused on the story’s Confucian values. I actually think it would be a great way to introduce these concepts to children who are studying ancient China.

I had better success with toasting my marshmallow this time as well, which I am quite pleased about. You can watch the YouTube version of this Fireside Fairy Tale here:

175 – Let’s Read the Original Snow White from 1812

As a palate cleanser from the utter dreck that was Disney’s latest live action remake, I got cozy by my back yard fire pit and read the original 1812 version of “Snow White” as recorded by the Brothers Grimm. They made heavy edits to their folktales over the years, so you might be surprised by what’s in this older tale — including the fact that the villain is NOT Snow White’s stepmother and what “black as ebony” actually refers to!

Please tell me if you enjoyed this fireside fairy tale with commentary. I will be happy do do more, weather permitting, and can read fairy tales with or without commentary as you prefer.