E is for...Early versions!
For my E-post, I'm going to talk about some earlier versions of today's fairy tales - so if you like the happily-ever-after Disney versions, look away now!
Snow White
Originally, it was Snow White's mother, and not her stepmother, who attempts to get her killed, as she is jealous of her daughter's beauty, and believes that if she eats her daughter's heart (yuck!) she will get her daughter's beauty. The queen abandons her daughter in the middle of nowhere, and when she doesn't die of exposure, she visits her three times with plots to kill her, the third time being the charm, when she uses the poisoned apple. In this version, it is not the prince's kiss which saves Snow White...he simply nudges her glass coffin, effectively dislodging the poisoned piece of apple from her throat. At the end of this version, the queen is given punishment in the form of red hot iron shoes, which she has to dance in until she dies!
The Little Mermaid
I've already mentioned this one in my A post, but I'll mention it again here! In the early version, it is a very painful transition for the mermaid to get legs, as she has to give the witch her tongue in trade for them, and if she takes the legs, it means that every step that she takes would feel as if she was treading on sharp knives, ouch! And even though she goes through all of this to get her prince, he ends up choosing someone else in the end anyway, which means the mermaid has to die. Not a very happy ending!
Little Red Riding Hood
In the original version, the wolf eats both the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, and no one comes to save them at all, they just die! In a later version, a hunter turns up and cuts them out of the wolf's belly, and Little Red Riding Hood decides to get revenge on the wolf by putting a load of rocks into his belly and sewing him up, causing him to die a horrible death.
Sleeping Beauty
In an early version of Sleeping Beauty, she is not awoken by a kiss! A prince 'visits' her, and 9 months later out pop twins, who suck on her fingers, pulling out a wooden splinter which breaks the curse put on her, waking her up.
Cinderella
In early versions of the story, the stepsisters are so desperate for the slipper to fit them that they chop off parts of their feet, just to make them fit into the slipper. At the end of the story, the stepmother and stepsisters die by having their eyes plucked out by hungry white birds!
Rapunzel
In the early version of Rapunzel, the prince visits a lot, and the sorceress who locked Rapunzel there finds out when Rapunzel asks her why her dress is so tight around her belly! The answer, of course, is because the prince has gotten her pregnant! So the sorceress chops off her hair, and tricks the prince into coming into the tower. The prince panics and jumps out right into some thorns which make him blind. There's still a happy ending in this one though, as the prince and Rapunzel are re-united and Rapunzel's tears cure the prince's blindness.
So there you have it: 6 early versions of fairy tales which you may not have known :)
Snow White
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| Taken from |
Originally, it was Snow White's mother, and not her stepmother, who attempts to get her killed, as she is jealous of her daughter's beauty, and believes that if she eats her daughter's heart (yuck!) she will get her daughter's beauty. The queen abandons her daughter in the middle of nowhere, and when she doesn't die of exposure, she visits her three times with plots to kill her, the third time being the charm, when she uses the poisoned apple. In this version, it is not the prince's kiss which saves Snow White...he simply nudges her glass coffin, effectively dislodging the poisoned piece of apple from her throat. At the end of this version, the queen is given punishment in the form of red hot iron shoes, which she has to dance in until she dies!
The Little Mermaid
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| Taken from |
I've already mentioned this one in my A post, but I'll mention it again here! In the early version, it is a very painful transition for the mermaid to get legs, as she has to give the witch her tongue in trade for them, and if she takes the legs, it means that every step that she takes would feel as if she was treading on sharp knives, ouch! And even though she goes through all of this to get her prince, he ends up choosing someone else in the end anyway, which means the mermaid has to die. Not a very happy ending!
Little Red Riding Hood
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| Taken from |
In the original version, the wolf eats both the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, and no one comes to save them at all, they just die! In a later version, a hunter turns up and cuts them out of the wolf's belly, and Little Red Riding Hood decides to get revenge on the wolf by putting a load of rocks into his belly and sewing him up, causing him to die a horrible death.
Sleeping Beauty
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| Taken from |
In an early version of Sleeping Beauty, she is not awoken by a kiss! A prince 'visits' her, and 9 months later out pop twins, who suck on her fingers, pulling out a wooden splinter which breaks the curse put on her, waking her up.
Cinderella
 |
| Taken from |
In early versions of the story, the stepsisters are so desperate for the slipper to fit them that they chop off parts of their feet, just to make them fit into the slipper. At the end of the story, the stepmother and stepsisters die by having their eyes plucked out by hungry white birds!
Rapunzel
 |
| Taken from |
In the early version of Rapunzel, the prince visits a lot, and the sorceress who locked Rapunzel there finds out when Rapunzel asks her why her dress is so tight around her belly! The answer, of course, is because the prince has gotten her pregnant! So the sorceress chops off her hair, and tricks the prince into coming into the tower. The prince panics and jumps out right into some thorns which make him blind. There's still a happy ending in this one though, as the prince and Rapunzel are re-united and Rapunzel's tears cure the prince's blindness.
So there you have it: 6 early versions of fairy tales which you may not have known :)
I like hearing the original stories. Some of them are just creepy, like the Sleeping Beauty one. I guess that is why in Tangled they gave her healing powers. I never knew about her healing tears.
ReplyDeleteI think I'd heard of the healing tears before but forgotten! Some of them are creepy, but then you can just remind yourself of the Disney endings! I love learning about the original versions though, I think it's interesting :)
DeleteThanks for posting these! I'd be interested in hearing about the other early versions too lol! But the Little Mermaid one was just too sad, I wonder why they made that one so harsh?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, that was definitely the saddest one I've come across though! The rest were more gory :P
DeleteVery interesting!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Even though some of these are disturbing and creepy its great to hear the original versions! I agree with Jeremy, the Rapunzel original is very interesting because of the healing powers of her hair in the film Tangled (which I'm guilty of loving!)
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it, I guess I'm more into the old fashioned fairy tales! I'm terrible with the more recent versions, I haven't seen a Disney fairy tale since I was little.
DeleteI think the early versions may be better. Its nice to have that edge of uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteI love the early versions, I think they have more depth than the ones we hear today :)
DeleteI LOVE the old fairy tales, with all their Gothic creepiness. So wonderful - I like that people are starting to embrace it and the movies are getting less Disney-ish. Also love dragons, and Grimm's brothers, and all your other letter posts. Awesome awesome blog and definite new follower.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I like that too, I much prefer the creepy Gothic ones to Disney any day! Much more interesting :)
DeleteBeautiful post. Never new the history of these stories. thank you!
ReplyDeletebest,
MOV
Thank you, and you're welcome! :)
DeleteThese were very interesting, never even heard of them before! anyways, i love your blog! definately following! f-a-i-r-y-l-i-g-h-t-s.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThank you! I only found out about them when I studied fairy tales during my degree :)
Deletejeeeessss. I did not know about the comatose rape bullcrap. Now I have to find another kissy and love wakes you from slumber story to admire! apparently being devirginized is what does make the princess wake up to the harsh truths. guess that's all too true.
ReplyDeleteApparently the message to the story is that you can't hide kids from sex, which is also true :) Sorry I ruined Sleeping Beauty for you!
DeleteI much rather like these old versions! They may be meaner, nastier and unfit for kids, but I enjoyed them.
ReplyDeleteI prefer them too, they're just more interesting!
DeleteNot everything is better now.
ReplyDelete/Avy
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