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As days are getting shorter, darker and foggier, it is the perfect time of the year to cuddle up on the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate or tea, and a good book! One option might be to indulge in the world of fairy tales and legends and journey back into childhood. Germany and Europe offer a wealth of stories, mainly growing from oral storytellings, pagan myths, medieval romance and even local superstition.
Brothers Grimm
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm of Hanau collected and published “Children and Household Tales” beginning in 1812, transforming oral material into printed tales. Their editions preserved many dark elements early on, later editions softened stories for broader and younger audiences. Their work shaped how German and European folktales were studied and retold worldwide.
Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella
Many of us will recall scenes from Grimms’ more than 200 collected tales, some grounded in history and others later adapted into colorful Disney animated films.
Rumpelstiltskin (Rumpelstilzchen) is about a desperate miller’s daughter who must guess a mysterious imp’s name to save her firstborn from a binding bargain. The clever girl manages to outwit the imp and saves her child.
Cinderella (Aschenputtel) was a persecuted girl who eventually married a prince with the aid of magical helpers and a lost shoe. Snow White (Schneewittchen) had to deal with a jealous and vain stepmother but managed to survive with the help of seven friends and a charming prince. Little Red Riding Hood (Rotkäppchen) almost lost her life when a wolf impersonated her grandmother but eventually managed to take him by surprise and throw him into a well.
In Hansel and Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), a girl outwits an oven-worshipping witch after being abandoned in a forest and lured by a candy house, thereby saving her brother. Composer Engelbert Humperdinck was so touched by the story that he composed an opera that premiered in December 1893, with the famous aria “Evening prayer.”
In The Bremen Town Musicians (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten) aging animals abandon useless roles, join forces, and frighten off robbers to claim a new home. Two figures, one in bronze and the other more colorful, are displayed in the city center of Bremen in memory of the clever donkey, dog, cat and rooster.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Rattenfänger von Hameln) tells of a flautist who rids the town of Hameln of a rat infestation after making a bargain for payment. When the town refuses to pay, he returns in revenge and leads 130 children away with his music, who are never seen again. The tale likely echoes historical episodes of mass emigration or disappearance of young people from the region in the 13th century.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! A group of German students fact-checked this story and came to the following conclusion. If Rapunzel never once cut her hair and the tower was 10 meters (32 feet) high, plus assuming that the prince actually managed to climb the tower using her hair as a rope, he would have been in for a big surprise! Rapunzel would have been at least 67 years old!
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish poet who wrote 156 fairy tales, first published in 1835. His tales often mix whimsy and melancholy, leading readers into magical worlds, but don’t always have a happy ending.
The Little Mermaid tells of a young mermaid that sacrifices her voice, risks everything and gives up her freedom to live on land for a human prince. The story was later heavily adapted by Disney, the mermaid was given the name “Ariel” and it has a happy end, contrary to the original story. A bronze statue of the little mermaid can be found in Copenhagen, Denmark, in her honor.
Two stories are especially popular during the holiday season. The Little Match Girl is the story of a girl who is instructed by her father, a match maker, to sell all of her boxes of matches before coming home on New Year’s Eve. Hungry and almost frozen, she kindles one match after the other while peeking into neatly decorated and warm houses. She sees consoling visions before freezing in the cold and is found the next morning.
The Fir Tree is a tale about a small fir tree so anxious to grow up, so anxious for greater things, that he cannot appreciate living in the moment. He wants to be cut and decorated for the holidays but eventually is left brittle and forgotten in the attic. Other stories include the Steadfast Tin Soldier, Thumbelina, the Princess and the Pea, and the Emperor’s New Clothes.
Other European tales
Due to common European and medieval cultural roots, folktales share motifs across borders, producing many local variants of similar tales.
Beauty and the Beast is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740. It tells of an arrogant prince who is cursed into an ugly beast and transforms his servants into household objects. He imprisons Belle who breaks the curse with her true love.
The most widely known version of Puss in Boots was written in France by Charles Perrault and published in 1697. A poor miller’s son inherits a clever cat that helps him become wealthy and marry a princess.
We may all recall Jack and the Beanstalk by Englishman Benjamin Tabart. Jack trades his family’s cow for magic beans, which grow into a giant beanstalk. He climbs the stalk to a giant’s castle in the sky, steals a hen that lays golden eggs, a magic harp, and a bag of gold. When the giant chases him down the beanstalk, Jack grabs an axe and chops the stalk down, causing the giant to fall to his death.
Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf. His goal in writing the orchestral suite was to introduce young children to instruments and sounds of classical music. It was first performed in the USA in March 1938 in Boston. In the story young Peter disobeys his grandfather and enters a meadow, where he meets a bird, a duck, and a cat. A wolf then appears, eats the duck, and Peter, with help from the bird, traps the wolf in a net. The story is famous for its use of instruments to represent each character, helping children learn about the orchestra.
Italian Carlo Collodi published a series of adventures with Pinocchio starting in 1881. The wooden puppet has a nose that grows longer every time he is untruthful. He faces many perils and temptations, meets characters who teach him about life, and learns goodness before he achieves his heart’s desire to become a real boy.
Arabia
And, let’s not forget the enchanting Arabian Nights that brought us Aladdin and his lamp, Princess Sheherazade and Sindbad the sailor who might let us forget the dreary season and dream of wonderous and magical worlds!
Beyond well-known fairy tales, countless legends have lingered across the centuries, their echoes still felt today. Some may even be linked to our region. But, that’s another tale to tell….
