Once upon a time there were stories filled with princes and princesses who fell in love at first sight and lived happily ever after. Or was there?
It’s safe to say that most of us are aware that our beloved Disney twists the original fairy tales by just a bit. But what exactly are they hiding from us?
The first known telling was by the ancient Greeks. Recorded by Greek geographer Strabo, the story of Rhodopis tells of a young woman whose sandal was taken by an eagle while she was bathing. The eagle traveled far and eventually dropped the sandal into the lap of the king who was taken aback by the beauty of the sandal and the strange occurrence. He sent men in all directions to find this woman, who he eventually married. In the Grimms Brother version, her wish is fulfilled by a hazel bush and the stepsisters cut off their own heels and toes to try and fit in the glass slipper.
Originally named Le Petit Chaperon Rouge, this French-originated tale, the difference in this story doesn’t occur until the very end, after the wolf has tricked the grandmother. He swallows her whole then climbs into the bed with a bonnet and glasses, perfectly disguising himself (somehow). Little Red enters the house and goes through her famous lines. Unfortunately she is not quick enough and is also swallowed whole. The wolf, now full, decides to take a nap.
A hunter passing by stops to ask for a glass of water but instead finds the snoring wolf he was searching for. In the French original, the hunter simply cuts Little Red and her grandmother out and they live happily ever after. In the Grimms’ version, the hunter cuts them out and, before sewing him back up, fills his stomach with heavy river rocks.
The wolf only passes away once it attempts to run and drops from the weight. One story says the wolf tries to drink from a well and is pulled down by the rocks.
Our tailed idol is not as selfless as she seems. In the original story by Hans Christian Andersen, mermaids are allowed to glimpse the surface of the ocean when
they turn 15 years old.
She does save the prince from a wrecked ship; however, the prince is taken by some ladies-in-waiting and never sees the mermaid. When Little Mermaid asks her grandmother if humans live forever, the grandmother explains human lives are much shorter but their souls live forever, whereas mermaids dissolve into seafoam and cease to exist.
In search for both the prince and “immortal” life, the mermaid visits a sea witch, who gives her a potion in exchange for her tongue. This potion will give her legs but her feet will constantly feel a stabbing pain. In addition, she will only gain a soul if the prince marries her. Unfortunately, she does not succeed but she does live forever in the form of seafoam.
Another French-originated tale, “La Belle au bois Dormant” tells the story of a princess cursed by an evil fairy to sleep for a hundred years before being woken by a handsome prince. A good fairy puts the surrounding animals and people to sleep as well to keep her company while she serves her time.
“Perceforest,” a medieval romance written between 1337 and 1344, contributed greatly to this version. In Perceforest, the princess Zellandine is cursed to fall asleep when she first touches flax. When she’s grown, she falls in love with Troylus. To test his worthiness, the king sends him on missions. While he is away, Zellandine pricks her finger on a spindle, putting her to an indefinite sleep. Troylus returns and takes advantage of the sleeping beauty, told by the goddess Venus it will wake her. When it didn’t work, he left his ring for her. After nine months, Zellandine gives birth to a child while asleep. She only awakens when the child sucks the splinter that induced her sleep out of her finger.
