Wolves are common in fairy tales. In the West, Little Red Riding Hood leaps to mind (one must always have the wolf—whether or not there is a huntsman is another thing altogether). Sometimes wolves feature prominently as characters; other times, they’re there to signify danger or what is far from civilization. Their significance can be ambiguous, which gives them a lot of story-telling power.
The addition of the adjective “oldest“ is meant not only to constrain, but also to promote more questions.
How did this wolf grow to be the oldest? Is this wolf something besides the oldest, like the only, the smallest, the most secretive? Is this actually the oldest wolf, or do they only think they’re the oldest? Does the wolf even note this characteristic about themselves?
Currency enables many things. It can symbolize success, power, or their absence. Losing money affects us all, but how much you lose can be the difference between life and death. Can what’s lost be recovered? What impact does the loss have on plot and character?
The objects of our desire, our need, and solutions to our problems often come at a cost. So what happens when someone’s plans are interrupted because the expected means to get what they’re after are unexpectedly missing? And is that coin actually currency, or is it something else entirely?
Fairy tales all over the world often include bargains, barters, or trade, and usually one of the characters is surprised by the result of the exchange. Sometimes things end up working out well in the end, yet it goes the other way too.
What makes this particular bargain uneven? Is it an amount, an outcome, or an intentional misleading of one party by another? Was our hero taken advantage of? In the end, does anyone actually get what they truly wanted? What happens to the story if a character learns they were deceived halfway through the tale; can they recover before The End?
We hope that this additional perspective helps you surmount any obstacles in your path. Thank you for coming to Three to Begin. We look forward to seeing what you create!