Why Fairytales Still Matter in a Modern World

Fairytales have often been dismissed as bedtime entertainment for children, but their influence runs much deeper than a way to help little ones fall asleep. These stories have endured for centuries not because they are simple, but because they carry truths that remain relevant across generations. A book like The Guard of the Garden demonstrates exactly why fairytales still matter in a world filled with fast information, instant entertainment, and constant distraction.

At their core, fairytales offer moral imagination. They give us a safe place to wrestle with questions of right and wrong. When we read about a character like Havilah, who sacrifices for the good of the garden, we see courage, loyalty, and consequence play out in a way that feels vivid and memorable. Even adults benefit from this type of storytelling. A modern novel might take hundreds of pages to explore the tension between protection and freedom, but a fairytale can present the same truth in a concentrated, lasting way.

Fairytales also help preserve cultural memory. Many of the oldest stories we know are fairytales, passed down orally before they were written. They carry with them not only entertainment but lessons that shaped how communities understood justice, bravery, kindness, or betrayal. When new fairytales like The Guard of the Garden are written, they add to that legacy by giving contemporary readers a mirror to their own world.

Children, of course, benefit directly. These stories develop their moral reasoning long before they can argue philosophy or ethics. They learn that actions have consequences, that beauty matters, and that goodness is not always rewarded in obvious ways. For teenagers and adults, fairytales offer allegories that echo in personal decisions, parenting, relationships, and even professional choices.

In a society that often looks for shortcuts to wisdom, fairytales remain an antidote. They cannot be skimmed like a social media post or summarized in a headline. They require reflection, and in that reflection, they change us.

When we dismiss fairytales as outdated, we forget how they have always functioned: as training grounds for imagination, morality, and courage. Books like The Guard of the Garden remind us that the genre is not just alive but essential. Fairytales matter because the questions they raise never go away.