I've loved fairytales since I was really young: the notion of a prince rescuing a princess from evil always seemed so romantic. But when designing fairytale themed scenes in a fashion video game earlier, I thought, wait… I've read Perrault, Andersen, the Grimms – all considered the fathers of fairytales – and I don't recall seeing the 'kidnap and rescue' plot appearing once.
Yet I think 'a villain kidnaps a princess, and a prince/knight comes to rescue her' is what most people think of when they think of a cliche fairytale plot.
The closest is probably stories like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty where a villain curses the princess to endless sleep, and she's awoken with the prince's kiss (and Perrault's version has a small bit where the prince rescues the princess and their daughters from an ogre), but that's not necessarily a kidnapping. Those stories don't involve the prince directly fighting the villain either, as I think is part of the popular conception of the 'generic' fairytale?
I've also read my fair share of Arthurian romances and the like too, and none of them feature this apparently 'generic' plot. The closest example I can think of is the Iliad, and that's hardly a fairytale.
Can anyone explain how I (and pop culture) got this idea that fairytales are about princes saving kidnapped princesses from witches/wizards?
by gracefullilygarden