William Elliot Griffis's collection Belgian Fairy Tales represents a significant contribution to the preservation and transmission of European folkloric traditions at a time when rapid industrialisation threatened traditional oral cultures. As part of Griffis's broader project documenting global folklore—including Dutch, Japanese, and Korean tales—this work demonstrates the universal human tendency to create explanatory narratives while highlighting the distinctive cultural elements that make Belgian traditions unique.

Specifically aimed at young readers, this collection exemplifies how traditional folkloric material was adapted and recontextualised for modern audiences in the early 20th century. The deliberate framing of these tales for children reflects a broader cultural shift in which folklore—once an integral part of communal life for people of all ages—became increasingly categorised as children's literature. This transformation fundamentally altered how such narratives functioned in society, changing them from multivalent cultural resources into primarily pedagogical or entertainment tools.

The rich illustrations featured throughout the volume serve not merely as decorative elements but as essential components of the storytelling experience, creating visual entry points into the narrative world. This integration of text and image creates a multisensory experience that, while different from traditional oral storytelling, offers its own form of immersive engagement with cultural mythology.

Griffis's work as a collector and adapter of global folklore positioned him within a broader international movement to document and preserve traditional narratives during a period of rapid social change. This comparative approach to mythology anticipated modern understanding of how similar narrative patterns emerge across cultures while manifesting in culturally specific forms. His collection thus stands as both a cultural artifact of early 20th century approaches to folklore and a valuable preservation of traditional Belgian narrative traditions.