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Every culture has always told stories and many cultures even have their own unique set of stories. Even America has stories. But what is the history of these stories. Where did they come from? Are they different then the stories we know today?
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm also known as The Brothers Grimm first published a collection of folktales called "Children's and Household Tales" in 1812. They are known for such tales like "Rapunzel," "Rumplestilskin," "Hansel and Gretel," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Cinderella," "Snow White," "Sleeping Beauty," etc.
Well how are the stories different today than all those years ago? Let's compare a few of them.
Most everyone knows how Little Red Riding Hood goes. A young girl who always waers a red hood has to visit her grandmother in the woods and accidentally tells a hungry wolf, who then goes to Grandma's house and eats her and then pretends to be Grandma. When Red Riding Hood shows up after a small Q&A the wolf also eats her. But a woodsmen nearby hears the screams and saves both Little Red and her Grandma. However, the woodsmen wasn't added in the story until The Grimm broghters rewrote it.
In the original the wolf eats the both of them and that's the end. Some versions also have Little Red Riding Hood perform a strip tease for the wolf and run away while he's distracted. He also cuts open Grandma and invites Little Red Riding to a feast. Of course these had been edited out of the Grimm brother's version.
What could possibly be so horrible about Snow White?
Well for starters after Snow White marries her prince, her stepmother is punished by dancing in red hot iron shoes until she dies. This is the Grimm's version of the story by the way.
Another is Snow White's age. In the original she's only seven at the beginning of the story and since there's no real indication of how long time has passed... well the prince should be glad there wasn't an ABC special back then.
A third point in Snow White is what the queen asks the huntsmen to bring back for her. We all know as she asked for her heart. But in the original she wants to eat the heart. In other versions she has asked for Snow White's liver, lungs. instetines, and any other major organ. There is also a version where she asked for a vial of Snow White's blood stopped with her toe.
Again everyone knows the story of Rumplestilskin. But AGAIN the original is far more grusome.
Like the version we know after the queen guesses Rumplestilskin's name he gets angry and stomps around. In other versions he stomps a hole in the floor and gets stuck and when he tries to pull free he tears himself in half; there's even a version where as he's stomping around he ends up stuck in the queen's lady parts and has to be pulled free by the guards.
One thing is common in all the older versions though. The baby is always killed somehow.
Instead of pricking her finger, the princess gets a piece of flax stuck under her nail and can only be awoken when it's taken out. Although that's not the disturbing part. When the prince finds her, he can't resist and has his way with her. What's even more disturbing is she ends up pregnant and has twins, all while she's asleep. One of the babies sucks out the flax as it's searching for food.
unfortunately I could not find a picture that wasn't DIsney. :(
I feel like I saved the best for last! Cinderella is so gross.
Experts on fairy tales argue about whether it was a glass slipper or a fur slipper as both those words sound similar in French. But that's not the gross part.
In the original the step sisters cut off their toes and heels in a desperation to fit into the slipper and after the prince discovers Cinderella is the one for him. Birds peck out the step mother and step sister's eyes.
I believe this shows how as a species in general we have grown. Even way back in the 1800's many of these fairy tales were edited so children could read them.
The Brothers Grimm