Wooden Swords, and Play Kingdoms.
Whack! Whack!
Wood splinters as two toy swords crash together in mortal combat.
This was a common scene during my childhood as my siblings and I played in the woods. One of my favorite games while growing up was pretending kingdoms. My siblings and I took this game very seriously, we minted our own currency, instituted trade, built empires and fought off foes. In the evening during storytime, my parents would read to us stories of strenuous labor, distant kingdoms, and brave knights.
Fantasy tales and imagined kingdoms prepared us for the wars far fiercer and dragons more ruthless than any we ever imagined.
Victors Prepare for War.
My parents trained my siblings and me for war and prepared us for conflict. We were warned that the world had crucified our Lord, but to be of good cheer for Christ had overcome the world. As children, we were prepared for war for the simple reason that this world is a battlefield.
Whether children or adults, it is vital that we keep the stories of brave knights and valiant maidens. We read fairy tales with their distant kingdoms, cruel beast, and fierce dragons for the simple reason that this life will have giants, dragons, and cruel beast. What could better prepare us for conflicts in life than fairy tales?
There Will Be Dragons.
Take heed, giants, and dragons roam in the realms of men. No matter how perfect you plan or how well you’ve ordered your life, there will be dragons. In this earth, there are malicious men and desperate circumstances, they have fierce teeth and terrible claws and would like nothing so much as to burn you to a crisp.
Dragons Can Be Defeated.
We will quickly learn in this world that dragons exist, what the world will not tell us is that dragons can be defeated, this is why fairytales are so important. As G.K. Chesterton put it, “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 purpose of this post, and of fairytales in general, is not to remind you that giants exist but to remind you that even the tallest of giants can be defeated.
Dragons must be defeated
I fear we are creating a world where children are raised without fairytales. A world where villains have no hero, and dragons no St. George. A world where giants reign uncontested. This must not be allowed.
In the post that follow we will discuss the the Knight in shining armor, and how to take care of giants and cruel beast.
Further Reading.
Wooden Swords, and Play Kingdoms.
Whack! Whack!
Wood splinters as two toy swords crash together in mortal combat.
This was a common scene during my childhood as my siblings and I played in the woods. One of my favorite games while growing up was pretending kingdoms. My siblings and I took this game very seriously, we minted our own currency, instituted trade, built empires and fought off foes. In the evening during storytime, my parents would read to us stories of strenuous labor, distant kingdoms, and brave knights.
Fantasy tales and imagined kingdoms prepared us for the wars far fiercer and dragons more ruthless than any we ever imagined.
Victors Prepare for War.
My parents trained my siblings and me for war and prepared us for conflict. We were warned that the world had crucified our Lord, but to be of good cheer for Christ had overcome the world. As children, we were prepared for war for the simple reason that this world is a battlefield.
Whether children or adults, it is vital that we keep the stories of brave knights and valiant maidens. We read fairy tales with their distant kingdoms, cruel beast, and fierce dragons for the simple reason that this life will have giants, dragons, and cruel beast. What could better prepare us for conflicts in life than fairy tales?
There Will Be Dragons.
Take heed, giants, and dragons roam in the realms of men. No matter how perfect you plan or how well you’ve ordered your life, there will be dragons. In this earth, there are malicious men and desperate circumstances, they have fierce teeth and terrible claws and would like nothing so much as to burn you to a crisp.
Dragons Can Be Defeated.
We will quickly learn in this world that dragons exist, what the world will not tell us is that dragons can be defeated, this is why fairytales are so important. As G.K. Chesterton put it, “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 purpose of this post, and of fairytales in general, is not to remind you that giants exist but to remind you that even the tallest of giants can be defeated.
Dragons must be defeated
I fear we are creating a world where children are raised without fairytales. A world where villains have no hero, and dragons no St. George. A world where giants reign uncontested. This must not be allowed.
In the post that follow we will discuss the the Knight in shining armor, and how to take care of giants and cruel beast.
Elisha, this was a treat to find in my inbox today. Thank you for sharing your talents. I am looking forward to this series.