Christine Elliott Rivers's Blog: Faith, Fairy Tales, and Other True Things
May 30, 2025
Giving Them St. George
I am a Christian teacher who writes stories for children. I write faerie stories (by Tolkien’s definition) for my students, my own children, my nieces and nephews, and the young at heart. It is a less glamorous life than you might imagine. Most of my literary fans cannot follow me on Substack or Instagram because they are not allowed on the internet without their parents’ permission. However, teaching and writing for children are not without perks. I have a fantastic collection of crayon drawings, and my dragon hoard is full of friendship bracelets and plastic dinosaurs.
While there is great joy in working with children, there are days when being a teacher is downright painful. There are times when I see small hands carry large burdens that I cannot take from them. There are moments when small hearts face full-scale attacks from which I cannot shield them. There are times when they must do battle, and it cuts me to the heart.
And so, I write fairy tales, because in times such as these all I can give them the solace of imagination in truth, goodness, and beauty. These three things are the fabric of faerie, woven together with hope and courage. I spend hours tediously weaving and sewing these fairy tale garments so that my children can wear these stories like chain mail to stand against evil.
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. 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.” Stories give children St. George. Stories give children heroes. Stories make heroes of children. Stories give children the confidence to know that dragons can be slain and good can defeat evil.
And dragons will come. “Bogey” will enter their lives. Even children with the most loving, protective parents will face sorrows and evil. Sometimes, I cannot protect them from grief, even when I desperately want to. Sometimes all I can do is give them the courage to face the sad and frightful things that are part of the human experience.
Fairy tales are, after all, true. Adults lose sight of this, but children know. Every good fairy tale is a reflection of the truest and most fantastical story ever known to the human race—the story of a King who gave up his crown and laid down his life to save those who hated him. A true story reflects this truth. A beautiful story shines forth with this beauty. A good story is about the King.
Evil will come. But we are never powerless. Sooner or later, the King will return. The dragon will be slain. We will live happily ever after.
While there is great joy in working with children, there are days when being a teacher is downright painful. There are times when I see small hands carry large burdens that I cannot take from them. There are moments when small hearts face full-scale attacks from which I cannot shield them. There are times when they must do battle, and it cuts me to the heart.
And so, I write fairy tales, because in times such as these all I can give them the solace of imagination in truth, goodness, and beauty. These three things are the fabric of faerie, woven together with hope and courage. I spend hours tediously weaving and sewing these fairy tale garments so that my children can wear these stories like chain mail to stand against evil.
G. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. 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.” Stories give children St. George. Stories give children heroes. Stories make heroes of children. Stories give children the confidence to know that dragons can be slain and good can defeat evil.
And dragons will come. “Bogey” will enter their lives. Even children with the most loving, protective parents will face sorrows and evil. Sometimes, I cannot protect them from grief, even when I desperately want to. Sometimes all I can do is give them the courage to face the sad and frightful things that are part of the human experience.
Fairy tales are, after all, true. Adults lose sight of this, but children know. Every good fairy tale is a reflection of the truest and most fantastical story ever known to the human race—the story of a King who gave up his crown and laid down his life to save those who hated him. A true story reflects this truth. A beautiful story shines forth with this beauty. A good story is about the King.
Evil will come. But we are never powerless. Sooner or later, the King will return. The dragon will be slain. We will live happily ever after.
