Researching Fairy Tales

   When I decided to add some of the classic characters (from fairy tales we all grew up with) to my fourth fable,  I was amazed at the fascinating information I found….

I had so much fun researching characters like Little Red Riding Hood (Rhonda Rider in my story).  Where she originated..oh yes, way before Walt Disney was a twinkle in his Daddy’s eye.

While creating  “Bertie, the Bookworm and the Bully Boys”  I wanted to pay special homage to the classical fairy tales, by having some of the characters appear in my story and chat briefly with my friends in the Fabled Forest.  As seen here in this illustration, Druscilla, Cinderella’s stepsister, has stumbled into the Fabled Forest’s clearing.

Variations of these classic stories, such as Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, and many others, have been recorded throughout the world since the first century. The French tale of Cendrillon (Cinderella) was written in France in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Later in the eighteenth century the Brothers Grimm in Germany adapted the tale again.

Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a very bad wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings. The story was first published byCharles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697.^[

The Brothers Grimm (January 4, 1785 – September 20, 1863)  were German academics, cultural researchers, and authors who together collected folklore. They are among the most well-known storytellers of Europe. Their work popularized such stories as  “The Frog Prince” (Der Froschkönig), “Hansel and Gretel” (Hänsel und Gretel), “Rapunzel“, “Rumpelstiltskin” (Rumpelstilzchen), and “Snow White” (Schneewittchen). Their first collection of folk tales, Children’s and Household Tales  was published in 1812. During his life time the master animator, Walt Disney adapted the ancient fables to animated film. 

Through the centuries the stories have been ‘cleaned up’. For example in one of the earlier versions of Cinderella the glass slipper was filled with the blood and toes of the wicked stepsisters.  Not really something we would want to read to our children today. I left it out of my fabled forest stories.

This blogger was fascinated by these little known facts and hope you enjoyed reading about them.
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