As a child, I always loved the story of Rapunzel. I read it at an age when I still had long hair, and this story of an imprisoned princess who lets down her hair to allow access to her presence captivated me. Maybe it was the realisation that my hair would never be as long and luxuriant as Rapunzel’s which led to my decision to have it cut short as I grew older! (I suspect convenience had more to do with the decision, though it’s interesting that the modern version of the tale has been named ‘Tangled‘!)
Rapunzel has the classic fairytale elements of punishment, retribution, rescue and true love overcoming in the face of adversity. It also reminds us that love is found in the most inauspicious circumstances (the prince is drawn to Rapunzel when he hears her beautiful singing; she is locked away in a high tower, so there is no way he is initially drawn by mere looks alone.)
Rapunzel also shows us the folly of giviing in to short-term cravings, for in the original story, Rapunzel’s mother craves rampion (or rapunzel) to eat and her husband’s theft of this from a garden leads to Dame Gothel gaining the life of this child in a most unholy bargain. We see how one sin easily leads to another and how Rapunzel must bear the consequences of actions which had nothing to do with her.
This is a profound message wrapped in a children’s story, for all humanity bears the consequences of that first sin in the Garden of Eden and the challenge to grow to be beautiful and good is one we all face.
Fairytales often emphasise beauty in ways that many feel have led to shallowness and a fixation on ‘being a princess’ concerned only with appearance. In truth, these stories often delve far beyond outward beauty to bring us into an awareness of more fundamental values – love, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness and mercy. Rapunzel is not the easiest fairytale to unravel, but it too contains truth provoke us and lead us to ponder.