The Origin of the Legend of “The Storks Brought You”

When parents are asked such a question, they usually worry that their children will not be able to understand the answer they really want to give, and they try to gloss over it. He should learn the truth when the time comes. thinker.

Well, for the answer to this question that cannot be expressed clearly to us. Why are storks mentioned and continue to be mentioned?

It is possible to say that this legend goes back to Ancient Greece, where cranes, which actually share many physical similarities with storks, were associated with stealing babies.

According to the story, Hera, the goddess of birth in Greek mythology, killed her rival Gerena for having an affair with her husband, Zeus. a tall crane converts. Not wanting to be separated from her newborn child, Gerena wraps the baby in a blanket and flies away with her child in her beak.

In addition, Paul Quinn states that the crane legend evolved into a stork over time. Because storks nesting on the roofs of houses and living very close to humans are animals.

A professor from London also said that due to the nature and behavior of these animals, always associated with family life. and that storks come to the rescue of babies in fairy tales; He adds that he plays a savior role in ponds, marshes or wells.

By the 19th century, storks began to come to the fore even more in fairy tales.

Hans Christian Andersen statue in Central Park

Hans Christian Andersen’s “published at the beginning of the 19th century”storks‘ of the tale, in the popularization and dissemination of this legend. share is quite large. In Andersen’s tale, storks are expected to take newborn babies to their families.

Again in this book, it is mentioned that babies have sweet dreams that they cannot even imagine in the future. will have a younger sister or brother it’s pretty exciting.

In addition, this tale of Andersen was almost It spreads all over the world and becomes very popular.

The London professor, in addition to all this, was able to explain the stork legend in Victorian England. with families wanting to avoid questions about sex and childbirth It also means that it has become a scenario that he created.

This stork legend continues to exist and spread in popular culture, although not as much as in the past.

The discourses that storks bring babies continue to take their place on the teaching cards of kindergarten level children, with the simplest example, and some families say, “How was I born?” in response to the question, continues to hide behind this story.

In fact, there is another situation that is identified with this story.stork bite”. Various birthmarks, which appear on the skin of newborns and appear with the dilation of thin blood vessels, are called this way by the influence of the folk tale.

This myth is taught to children in Western societies, sometimes where he was born and raised in the pumpkin fields continues to be described. This story probably stems from a connection that some people have made between crops and fertility.

Spring Chenoa Cooper, who specializes in sexual health, says these veiled and untrue narratives are surprisingly common.

Expert, this is because most parents, He is undecided about when and how to tell the scientific He underlines that this is due to the fact that many people do not know how to explain sexual intercourse to their very young children.

However, on children these implicit or far-fetched expressions and definitions.adds that she is very concerned about the fact that it may invite serious problems for children in the future at the point of talking about sexuality, and that the work may go to the point of sexual assault.