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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered

Fairy tales – Original and Altered

Eesha Acharya

Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College

Paper III – Grammar and Art of Writing

Vikki Gaikwad Sir

21 January 2020
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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered

Fairy Tales – Original and Altered

Abstract

Fairy tales are a genre of literature that are more than 6,000 years old. Although they are widely
believed to be meant for children, fairy tales were originally meant for adults and were told
orally before being written down. Even according to the Oxford dictionary, fairy tales are “a
children’s story about magical and imaginary beings and lands; a fairy story.” In reality, many
fairy tales contain adult themes and have been modified over the years to be able to cater to a
younger audience. Some of the themes of fairy tales include but are not limited to Magic, Love,
Loyalty, Marriage and Class differences. Most fairy tales contain supernatural elements and
magical creatures and often take place in a fictional land. Most often, fairy tales begin with the
phrases “Once upon a time” or “A long long time ago” and end with “And they lived happily-
ever after.” Many fairy-tales have a universal message and in a fight between good versus evil,
the good always emerges victorious. However, fairy tales also mislead their young audience to
believe in similar lives for themselves as their characters and this belief results in
disappointment. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the origin of fairy tales and discuss
some popular fairy-tales and the modifications made to them over the years – such as in
Rapunzel, Cinderella and Red Riding Hood. The main themes of these fairy tales will be
analyzed. The first part of this paper will talk about the origin of fairy tales. The second part will
talk about the aforementioned popular fairytales. This part will also include an exploration of
themes and discuss how the stories written by Charles Perrault (17th century) and Jacob and
Wilhelm Grimm (19th century) differ from the contemporary versions and each other.

Keywords: Origin, magic, supernatural, Grimm Brothers, Perrault

The Origin of Fairy Tales

According to some scholars, the first literary fairy tale is Cupid and Psyche by Apuleis. The
myth can be found in his book Metamorphoses. The story is about a beautiful girl named Psyche
who falls victim to Goddess Venus’ jealousy. Cupid – her brother – is sent to make her fall in
love with a monster but marries her himself. She is ordered not to see him when he visits her
each night. But she doesn’t do as told and as a result loses him. However, the two lovers can’t
bear to be apart and after talking to the Gods, they get married in Heaven. Written in 2nd century
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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
AD and the true origin unknown, the story is considered as an allegory – Cupid represents love
and Psyche represents the soul. The next written fairytales are thought to be the Hindu
Panchatantra tales which were written in 3rd century AD. They are also believed to have
influenced the European fairy tales that came after them. The most popular collection of fairy
tales are Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passe by Charles Perrault (1695, France) and Kinder und
Hausmarchen by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812-1815, Germany).

Fairy tales were passed down generations orally. They usually depicted normal life with some
modifications made to them (such as the addition of mythical creatures) to make them more
interesting. The intended audiences of these stories however were adults and literature for
children was non-existent. The “fairy-tales” that we read today are actually highly modified
versions of the stories of Perrault and the Grimm Brothers with sexual themes eliminated in
order to cater to a much younger audience.

The Grimm Brothers initially wrote the fairy tales to preserve the oral traditions of the German
people. At first, it was a scholarly approach. However, the results were completely unexpected.
When the first edition of Children’s and Household Tales (Kinder und Hausmärchen) came out
in 1812, the critic reviews were not what the brothers had expected. Critics described the tales as
“‘pathetic and ‘tasteless’ and urged parents to keep the volume out of the hands of children”
(Grimm W, Grimm J, Tatar M, Byatt AS. The Annotated Brothers Grimm. New York: W. W.
Norton & Co.; 2004) This led the Grimm Brothers to make many changes in the following
editions so that their stories would be more suitable for children. They removed all sexual
references and made the stories more descriptive and longer. Rather than as a means of
entertainment, they turned it into a learning device. The only thing they didn’t remove was the
violence – the violence seemed normal at the time because war was everywhere during that time
period.

Charles Perrault wrote fairy tales over a century before the Grimm brothers. Some of his stories
are Cendrillon (Cinderella), Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood) and La Belle au
bois (Beauty in the Woods). His collection was called Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passe
(Tales and Stories of the Past). The original English translation was by Robert Sambar in 1729.

Some Popular Fairytales

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
Cinderella is perhaps one of the most popular fairytales of all time. There is not a single child
who has not heard it and it is still the basis for many romantic comedies of our time – a “happily-
ever-after ending. Cinderella is a very popular heroine because readers sympathize with the poor
girl after they see the way she was treated by her stepsisters. Without complaint she continued to
do their chores and this resilience of Cinderella is one of her many admirable qualities.

The origin of Cinderella is China and ancient Egypt. The details in the story depend on the
cultural origin. According to the Egyptian version, Cinderella’s shoes are made of red leather and
not glass. According to the West Indies, breadfruit – rather than a pumpkin – turns into her
carriage for the ball. In Charles Perrault’s collection of stories, Cinderella gets help from a fairy
godmother while in the Grimm version, Cinderella gets her clothes and golden slippers by
shaking a tree on her mother’s grave.

Below is a comparison between two excerpts of Cinderella (Achenputtel which translates into
Cinderella) – one from the Grimm Brothers and one from the. This is from the scene where the
prince comes to Cinderella’s house for the fitting of the glass slipper.

The contemporary version is as follows –

The Prince knocked. The stepmother flew open the door. “Come in!” she said. “I have

two lovely daughters for you to see.” The first step-sister tried to place her foot in the glass

slipper. She tried hard, but it just would not fit. Then the second step-sister tried to fit her foot

inside. She tried and tried with all her might, too. But no dice.

(https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/cinderella-fairy-tale-english-story-for-kids/. Cinderella

Fairytale – Bedtime Story for Kids in English)

This is the version of the story that most are familiar with. The stepsisters tried on the glass
slipper that Cinderella left behind at the ball when she rushed to get home as the clock struck
twelve.

The Grimm version is as follows –

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
“Listen,” said the mother secretly. “Here’s a knife, and if the slipper is still too tight or

you, then cut off a piece of your foot. It will hurt a bit. But what does that matter? It will soon

pass, and one of you will become queen.” So the eldest sister went into the chamber and tried on

the slipper. Her toe slipped inside, but her heel was too large. So, she took the knife and cutoff a

part of her heel until she could force her foot into the slipper. Then she went out of the chamber

to the prince, and when he saw that she had the slipper on her foot, he said that she was to be his

bride. Then he led her to his carriage and wanted to drive off. However, when he came to the

gate, the pigeons were above and called out:

“Looky, look, look

at the shoe that she took.

There’s blood all over, the shoe’s too small.

She’s not the bride that you met at the ball.” (Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm. The Original

Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by Jack Zipes. 2015. 76)

The above excerpt is quite different from the story that is told today. The Grimm Brother’s did
not eliminate the violence in the stories even after it was re-published as a book for children. The
scene above also shows how important status was for the stepmother. In order to fit the shoe and
to gain that status, she encouraged her daughters to maim themselves. The younger sister did the
same but instead she cut off parts of her toes. Although the shoe finally fit her, the end result was
the same. The singing animals of the forest pointed out the blood on the shoe.

The story of Rapunzel is believed to have originated from France and Italy. The following is an
excerpt from the contemporary version of Rapunzel. It first appeared in the Pentamerone by
Giambattista Basile. The name of the heroine is Petrosine (which means Parsley) instead of
Rapunzel (which is type of lettuce). In 1697, a French aristocrat wrote her own version of
Rapunzel – Persinette.

The following is an excerpt from the contemporary version of Rapunzel –

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
On Rapunzel’s 18th birthday the witch spoke to her in a sharp voice. “Before you open

your mouth this time,” said the witch, “know this. I am sick and tired of hearing you talk about

how alone you are in the tower all the time. It isn’t go to change, Rapunzel! Forever!”

“Who says I’m alone in the room all the time?” said Rapunzel.

“What?!” said the witch. “Who has been up here with you?”

“No one!” said Rapunzel at once, in fear. “I mean, no one but you!”

The witch did not believe her. She started to look everywhere in the room for something to

prove that someone else had been there. Soon she found the ladder. She held it high in the air.

She yelled, “What is the meaning of this?”

“My friend the prince brought me the silk,” said Rapunzel.

“You will never see this prince again!” yelled the witch. She took out a knife. Snip, snap, and

Rapunzel’s lovely braid was cut off!

The following version is from Grimm’s fairytales –

“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair.” So she let her hair drop, and when her braids

were at the bottom of the tower, he tied them around him, and she pulled him up. At first

Rapunzel was terribly afraid, but soon the young prince pleased her so much that she agreed to

see him every day and pull him up into the tower. Thus, for a while they had a merry time and

enjoyed each other’s company. The fairy didn’t become aware of this until, one day, Rapunzel

began talking and said to her, “Tell me, Mother Gothel, why are my clothes becoming too tight?

They don’t fit me anymore.”

“Oh, you godless child!” the fairy replied. “What’s this I hear?” (Wilhelm Grimm and

Jacob Grimm. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by

Jack Zipes. 2015)

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
This version appeared in the first edition published in 1812. In the edition published in 1857, the
revelation of Rapunzel’s pregnancy was replaced by
Meanwhile, the sorceress did not notice anything until one day Rapunzel blurted out,

“Mother Gothel, how is it that you’re much heavier than the prince? When I pull him up, he’s

here in a second.”

“Ah, you godless child!” exclaimed the sorceress. “What’s this I hear? I thought I had made sure

that you had no contact with the outside world, but you’ve deceived me.” (Wilhelm Grimm and

Jacob Grimm. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by

Jack Zipes. 2015. 39)

The above version replaced the original when the Grimm brother’s wrote a revised version that
would be suitable for children.

Red Riding Hood has a number of different versions – Polish, Italian, Austrian and French. In
the Italian and Austrian version, Red Riding Hood (or Little Red Hat as she is called in the story)
meets an ogre instead of a wolf. The story has the theme of cannibalism and Red Riding Hood
unwittingly eats her grandmother’s flesh and drinks her blood (being fooled by the ogre into
thinking it was wine). The story also has sexual undertones. The ogre orders the girl to strip and
get into bed with him before devouring her.

The Contemporary version of Red Riding Hood is as follows –

He grabbed the wolf and made him spit out the poor Grandmother who was a bit frazzled

by the whole experience, but still in one piece."Oh Grandma, I was so scared!" sobbed Little Red

Riding Hood, "I'll never speak to strangers or dawdle in the forest again."

"There, there, child. You've learned an important lesson. Thank goodness you shouted loud

enough for this kind woodsman to hear you!"

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him deep into the forest where he wouldn't

bother people any longer. (Leanne Guenther. https://www.dltk-

teach.com/rhymes/littlered/story.htm. Little Red Riding Hood)

The Grimm version of Red Riding Hood is as follows –

After he made a couple of cuts, he saw the little red cap shining forth, and after he made a

few more cuts, the girl jumped out and exclaimed, “Oh, how frightened I was! It was so dark in

the wolf’s body.”

Soon the grandmother emerged alive. Little Red Cap quickly fetched some large heavy stones,

and they filled the wolf’s body with them. When he awoke and tried to run away, the stones were

so heavy that he fell down at once and died.

All three were delighted. (Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales

of the Brothers Grimm translated and edited by Jack Zipes. 2015. 87).

The following is an excerpt of Red Riding Hood from Charles Perrault –

When he saw her enter, the Wolf hid himself in the bed beneath the counterpane. “Put the

cake and the little pot of butter on the bin,” he said, “and come up on the bed with me.”

Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes, but when she climbed up on the bed she was

astonished to see how her grandmother looked in her nightgown.

Moral

Little girls, this seems to say,

Never stop upon your way.

Never trust a stranger-friend;

No one knows how it will end.

As you’re pretty, so be wise;

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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
Wolves may lurk in every guise.

Handsome they may be, and kind,

Gay, or charming—never mind!

Now, as then, ’tis simple truth—

Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth! (Charles Perrault. Perrault’s Fairy Tales translated by A. E.

Johnson. 1969. 30-31).

Each of Charles Perrault’s stories contains a moral. His story is different from the happy version
of Red Riding Hood in the contemporary version and the Grimm Fairytales. The wolf in the story
by Charles Perrault symbolizes a pedophile. Perrault’s moral warns well-bred young girls not to
talk to strangers.

Some common themes

Magic and the Supernatural – Every fairytale has magical and supernatural elements. In
Cinderella, be it the contemporary version or the original, she gets accessories for the ball by
shaking a tree. There are also animals that talk in the story and her clothes magically disappear at
the stroke of midnight. Rapunzel was stolen by a witch because her biological father was caught
stealing rapunzel lettuce from the witch’s garden for his pregnant wife. Finally, in Red Riding
Hood, the little girl meets a wolf who can talk while she is on the way to her grandmother’s
house. However, each story has a major plot hole. In Cinderella, when the clock strikes twelve,
everything except for her shoes disappear. The shoe she leaves behind at the ball eventually lead
the prince to her. In Rapunzel, the witch locks her away in a tower with no stairs and door but a
single window. The witch climbs to the top using Rapunzel’s hair. However, it has not been
mentioned how Rapunzel reached the top of the tower. In Red Riding Hood, the grandmother and
Red Riding Hood both come out alive from the wolf’s belly. Even after he has been cut open and
filled with stones, he still manages to gain consciousness before ultimately meeting his demise
due to the heaviness of the stones.

Good vs. Evil – In each of the fairytales discussed, the good always emerges victorious.
However, this theme is debatable in the story of Cinderella. Readers will sympathize with
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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
Cinderella because she is shown as a victim of her step-family’s cruelty and jealousy. She is
shown as an innocent and this makes her a likeable character. The ending in the Grimm
Fairytales is very different from the ending in the contemporary version. In the contemporary
version, Cinderella marries the prince and lives happily after. The following is the end in the
Grimm version –

And as they returned the elder was on the left side and the younger on the right, and the

pigeons picked out the other eye of each of them. And so they were condemned to go blind for

the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehood. (Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob

Grimm. Fairy Tales Grimms to Disney: Professor Norberg Course Preview by Jakob Norberg).

Love – One of the positive attributes of the characters in the stories is their love for their families.
Cinderella loved her mother before she passed away and obediently followed the orders of her
stepmother and step sisters despite their cruelty. The witch – although very controlling – took
care of Rapunzel while she stayed with her. Even after the witch throws her out, she still has a
family – the prince and their twin children. In Red Riding Hood, the little girl travels through a
dangerous forest just to visit and take care of her ailing grandmother.

Conclusion

The language used in the fairy tales of the Grimm Brothers and Charles Perrault is simple to
understand and the vocabulary isn’t of a very advanced level – mostly due to the fact that fairy
tales were told rather than written down.

Fairy tales are a double edged sword. They can either be treated as a means of entertainment or
they can be taken literally. If the latter, fairy tales can serve as an important learning tool (like
the Grimm Brothers wanted) and children can learn important lessons or children can also expect
to lead a life similar to the lives of the characters in fairy tales. An example could be finding a
happily-ever-after just like Cinderella. The story of Cinderella may also lead children to believe
that all step-mothers or step-relatives in general are evil. However, most fairy tales – especially
those with happy endings – offer hope. Although fairytales are now meant for children, it is the
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Fairy Tales – Original and Altered
responsibility of the originally intended audience to ensure that fairytales don’t have detrimental
effects on children.

References (Internet)

The British Library Board. The tale of Cupid and Psyche. Retrieved December 20, 2019, 6.27
PM from https://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/mythical/psyche.html

Doyle, J. The gruesome origins of classic fairy tales. Retrieved January 3, 2020, 11.34 AM from
https://www.abebooks.com/books/the-gruesome-origins-of-classic-fairy-tales/index.shtml?

Stories to Grow by. Cinderella fairytale – bedtime story for kids in English. Retrieved January 3,
2020, 2.42 PM from https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/cinderella-fairy-tale-english-story-
for-kids/

Stories to Grow by. The story of Rapunzel, a brothers Grimm fairy tale – bedtime story for kids
in English. Retrieved January 10, 2020, 10.15 PM from
https://www.storiestogrowby.org/story/early-reader-rapunzel-fairy-tale-story-kids/

Heiner, A. H. (2007, July 2). History of Rapunzel. Retrieved December 31, 2019, 10.08 AM
from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/history.html

Heiner, A. H. (2014, June 28). Fairy tale timeline. Retrieved December 20, 2019, 8.03 PM from
http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/introduction/timeline.html

Williams, R. (2016, January 13). Who was Charles Perrault? Why the fairy tales you know may
not be as they see. Retrieved January 20, 2020, 7.04 PM from
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/google-doodle/12093512/Who-was-Charles-
Perrault-Why-the-fairy-tales-you-know-may-not-be-as-they-seem.html?
Battistella, E. (2017, January 24). The legacy of the Grimm brothers: origins and
transformations – a guest post by Amalie Dieter. Retrieved January 6, 2020, 8.46 PM from
http://literaryashland.org/?p=9986

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Brittanica. (2017, July 11). Panchatantra. Retrieved December 20,
2019, 8.29 PM from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Panchatantra-Indian-literature
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Ogden, V. (2017, December 6). The true stories behind classic fairy tales. Retrieved December
22, 2019, 5.36 PM from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/fairy-tale-true-story_b_6102602

Ashliman, D. L. (2018, April 8). Little Red Riding Hood. Retrieved January 10, 2020, 9.44 PM
from https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0333.html#wratislaw

Hernandez, I. (2019, September 24). Brother Grimm fairy tales were never meant for kids.
Retrieved January 1, 2020, 1.22 PM from
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Disney. Cinderella’s story. Retrieved December 30, 2019, 7.20 PM from

https://princess.disney.com/cinderellas-story

Fairy Tale: Definition of fairy tale by Lexico. Retrieved Dec 20, 2019, 7.12 PM from
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/fairy_tale

References (Books)

Charles Perrault (1729) Perrault’s fairy tales translated by A. E. Johnson (1969) New York:
Dover Publications

Tatar M, Byatt AS. The annotated brothers Grimm (2004) New York: W. W. Norton & Co.
Retrieved from https://scholar.harvard.edu/tatar/publications/annotated-brothers-grimm

Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm (1812-1857) The original folk and fairy tales of the brothers
Grimm translated and edited by Jack Zipes (2015) New Jersey: Princeton University Press