Fairy Tales over New York City

Fairy-tale figures of days of old invade New York City. They come from transrational levels where reality emer- ges from imagination.
They secretly land on the roofs of the metropolis. It is like an invasion, they flood this sober world with the depth and rich treasure of their experiences and transcendent possibilities.

Sleeping Beauty and the Prince ride Pegasus, the horse of poetry. With its help the old myths are clad in words that take root in humanity’s memory and in turn produce mental images that deepen the sense of what is heard and create an enduring inner reality.

Already waiting on the roofs are:
the Town Musicians of Bremen, donkey, dog, cat and cock, who form a tower and greet the new arrivals at the top of their voices;
Cinderella, who calls the doves;
the girl from Star Money, into whose blouse stars and roses fall;
the Goose Girl with her loosened hair;
the Frog Prince in his enchanted shape;
Rumpelstiltskin, performing a dance of joy in front of the miller’s beautiful daughter, who is diligently turning the spinning wheel;
Rapunzel, who lets down her braided, golden hair into the street canyons so that the prince can climb up on it; All-Kinds-of-Fur, clothed in her coat of animal fur, sitting in front of the hollow tree that serves as her refuge; Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf;
Snow White and the seven dwarfs;
Puss in Boots; and
Hansel and Gretel standing in front of the gingerbread house.
Over the big city, Mother Hulda is shaking out her bedclothes, thus spreading her blessing.
In the distant sky, the Six Swans, all of them enchanted princes, appear.

And all of these figures are only the advance party for many more fairy-tale beings and mythical figures whose descent no one can prevent.