On Radio 4 this morning, researchers from Durham University and Lisbon, were claiming that many of the common European folk tales and fairy stories (Beauty and the Beast was mentioned specifically) date from the Bronze age, and although they were first written down in the 16th and 17th centuries were passed by oral tradition for thousands of years before that. Apparantly the Brothers Grimm thought that many of their tales were very old. People reading this forum know much more about this than me, so I wondered if anyone has any views?