Thinker, Trusty, Trickster, Thief





 The new Once Upon a Time expansion Animal Tales opens up a whole new type of character for players to explore. Many animals featured in fairy tales take the place of human characters and exaggerate common characteristics. Dogs are loyal friends, crows are clever, and lions are proud leaders. When they appear in fairy tales, they represent a certain kind of person, with that trait so overblown that it’s impossible to miss the meaning.

However, the meaning of some animals varies greatly depending on which culture’s folklore you’re reading. For example, a bear in Native American tales is associated with healing and enforcement of social rules, while in Russia a bear is simply a good-natured oaf. And in Finland, the bear is the sacred embodiment of the ancestors. It has a half-dozen different names because the Finns believe that saying its true name will spoil the hunting in that area.

On the flip side, some classic archetypes are played by different animals in world cultures. The trickster is one of the most common characters in folktales, but it takes different forms depending on where you are. In France, the clever fox Reynard delights in fooling people and animals alike, as does the two-tailed fox Kitsune in Japan (he’s got a reputation as a seducer too). It’s Coyote who causes trouble in Southwestern American Native tales, and in parts of Africa, Anansi the spider does the tricking.



What personalities do your players give the animals in your fairy tales? Share them in the comments!

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  7. What a fascinating exploration of animal symbolism in folklore! It’s interesting how these traits translate into games like Bitlife , where players can create characters with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

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  9. Jill E. Elia6/06/2025 2:08 AM

    Animal Tales brings fresh character types, mirroring how animals symbolize traits. Dogs embody loyalty, crows, cleverness. Meanings shift; bears vary from healers to oafs across cultures. The trickster archetype appears as foxes, coyotes, even Anansi the spider! It's like facing diverse levels in a block breaker game, each culture a unique challenge. Discover these diverse character adaptations; a captivating new element in storytelling.

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  10. This expansion sounds intriguing! I love how different cultures shape animal personalities in sprunki phase 3 fairy tales, adding depth and variety to storytelling.

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  11. This is a fascinating look at animal archetypes in folklore! It really highlights how much culture shapes our understanding of these characters. Thinking about using these archetypes in my own storytelling, I wonder what a cartoon version of these characters would look like. Maybe I'll try creating some with an AI Cartoon Generator to visualize the different takes on the trickster! What animals do you all use to represent these roles?

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  12. This is a fascinating look at animal archetypes in folklore! It's so true that the same animal can have vastly different meanings depending on the culture. Thinking about how these animals translate into characters, I'm brainstorming backstories and personality quirks. I might even use a Character Headcanon Generator to help flesh them out! What animal would my players least expect to be a trickster?

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  13. This article is fascinating! I never thought about how much animal archetypes vary across cultures. It really highlights how stories reflect a society's values. Thinking about character relationships, I'm now inspired to use the Relationship Headcanon Generator to flesh out the animal bonds in my next campaign. It could add some fun new layers.

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  14. This article is a great reminder of how much cultural context shapes our understanding of animal symbolism! It makes me think about the snap judgements we make based on appearance. On a lighter note, if you're curious about how AI perceives beauty, you might find AI Beauty Rating interesting – it analyzes facial features based on AI algorithms. I wonder what archetypes it would assign to different animal faces!

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  15. This is a fascinating look at animal archetypes in storytelling! It's amazing how much cultural context shapes our understanding of these characters. Thinking about how to best represent the personalities of animals in fairy tales, I'm wondering if AI could help generate interesting descriptions. I might try using AI Describe Image to see what kind of descriptions it comes up with based on images of these animals; that could definitely spark some creative ideas!

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