Exploring Possibilities of Meaning in the Tale of “The Three Snake Leaves”

“The Three Snake Leaves” is perhaps one of the less well-known tales collected by the Brothers Grimm. It may strike some (as it did Ann) as a little atypical, opaque; yet despite, or because of this, it begs our attention. While we may aim, when working with a fairytale, to develop a coherent ‘interpretation,’ it is important to remember that there are many possibilities of meaning and understanding discoverable in any tale: every reading and each reader will uncover something different and new.

Bearing this in mind, Ann would like to make our exploration of “The Three Snake Leaves” as interactive as possible. So, she is providing a copy of the tale and a recording of her telling of the tale—which you may download—as she strongly believes it is helpful first to listen (eyes closed!), letting a tale resonate in the body at an emotional level, before engaging the intellect! When we experience and reflect on a tale in this way, the more of its wisdom the tale will reveal.

Together, we will explore possibilities of meaning in the tale’s strange title, in its symbols, figures and action, its dramatic structure, its resolution, etc., all the time bearing in mind Marie-Louise von Franz’s insistence that the most essential yet invisible ‘character’ of any fairy-tale is the process of individuation, initiated by the Self. We will compare motifs in our tale with similar motifs in other tales, mythology, religious rite and symbol. ‘Amplifying’ the tale in this way will help us plumb its depths for what it may teach us of the dynamics of the human psyche as they manifest collectively and individually, typically and in each personal journey.