I realize that in the original publication of the Brothers Grimm version, the Queen wasn’t Snow Whites stepmother but her own biological mother. They changed her to a stepmother in a revised version of their stories as I understand it and since then every adaptation of Snow White kept her as an evil Stepmother I believe?

Wouldn’t it add a new layer of depth if we got a version where she was her biological mother? The Queen could have longed to give her husband a son but instead got a daughter, she felt as though she ‘failed’, on top of that the thought of motherhood and giving birth frightened her—and it indeed almost killed her, to the point where she couldn’t conceive another child ever again. All this immediately soured a potential healthy relationship with her daughter from the start.

Snow White grew up very lonely as her mother was cold & resentful of her and her father was too busy running the kingdom. When her mother did show her attention, it was to criticize and talk down to her. Later on, the Queen came into possession of a magic mirror that always told her that she was the fairest of them all. Until one day, just as Snow White came of age (18-19 years old), the mirror told her that Snow White was more fair than her. This is the moment that sends the Queen spiraling into madness. She had already began to feel useless & a mere decoration to the palace with no real reason or purpose. All she had left was her unyielding beauty—and Snow White of all people comes and takes that away from her too? People already dote on Snow White and adore her, but this too much. It’s unforgivable, it’s then she begins to plot her own daughter’s death…

Hi, I'm looking for the name of this fairytale. I'm pretty sure it's slavic. It's about a boy going to the swamp, finding a blue swamp fairy and undergoes three tests of greed (platters of gold, silver and jewels served by beautiful girls) before finally seeing the fairy's true appearance.

His friend before him took jewels from the swamp, they were too heavy and he sank.

I need help finding this for a class, if you have any idea it's welcome! Thank you!

I saw this fairytale on HBO Family years ago, I don't know the name of the fairytale but I pretty much know the middle and the ending except the beginning.

So the story follow Jack in the Land of Enchantment where he meets a sorcerer and his daughter, Melvine (I don't know how to spell her name exactly). There ,the sorcerer has Jack complete task that Melvine helps him complete. At one point, Jack has to go down a hole and Melvine transforms herself into a ladder out of her bones. At the end, Melvine helps Jack return to his home and tells him that he can't kiss anyone for one year and a one day or else Jack will forget her. Jack gets kissed by his dog, forgetting his time in the Land of Enchantment. When Melvine returns after one year and one day, she's sad that Jack doesn't remember her but her tears falls into his eye and then remembers everything.

Thanks in advance to anyone that knows this story : )

Name Unknown Alias The Little Mermaid

Location Born: Europe, Denmark, Somewhere Near Odense and Copenhagen. Possibly near the Netherlands or the United Kingdom

Location Died: Somewhere in the Baltic or North Sea. Last Seen on Danish Territory.

Born Date: Sunday November 17th 1822.

Death Date: Sunday July 7th 1837.

Siblings: Likely Still Alive Underwater

Grandmother: Likely Deceased

Father: Likely Deceased

Prince: Dead As of 1880s

The Maiden: Dead as of 1890s

Little Mermaid (Under the Sister's of the Air): Likely her 300 Year Trial is not over but has been reduced tremendously.

I am currently trying to find all of Baba Yaga's greatest accomplishments/feats. I can only seem to find things from games and was wondering if anyone could help me out with this, thanks!

Hello! I've read a Qazaq fairytale where zhalmauyz kempir (a hag/witch type character, comparable to baba yaga with some differences) gets captured by two disabled men (a blind one and one without legs) and is forced to swallow them whole and spit them back out. The act of being swallowed by her cures both men--the blind man can see again and the legless man grows back his legs. She also swallows an (able-bodied) girl and makes her beautiful.

This got me interested whether there are other fairytales where being swallowed results in a transformation or cure. Would appreciate if the people on this sub would offer anything that comes to their mind.

I would speculate the act of being swallowed by a powerful, albeit monstrous, female mythological entity is akin to being "unbirthed" i.e. the characters return to the state of unbeing and get birthed back, renewed. I feel like something similar must exist in other cultures' stories.

Thank you in advance!

"A Sardine Transformed Into A Man." Comes from New Goa in India. Similar to Tam and Cam, but with a more interesting title. It's on page 134 of the linked book. https://archive.org/details/folktalesfromnew0000drpa

"Smeda Rmeda" A Jewish Morrocan story that has the heroine both kill her mother and feed her stepsister to her stepmother. EDIT: Fuck, I forgot the part where her step-family pees on her father. https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/27/oa_monograph/chapter/2379636

"Móirín" An Irish story that starts with the heroine's sisters killing her mother. Don't worry. She comes back to life as a cat. You might need to use google lens to read this in case you don't speak German. The story is on page 110 of the linked book. https://books.google.com/books/about/Irische_volksm%C3%A4rchen.html?id=Q4jhAAAAMAAJ#v=onepage&q=%22irische%20aschenbr%C3%B6del%22&f=false

I’ve put together a big list of classic children fairy tale audiobooks with original texts, perfect for bedtime! These timeless stories were written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen during 19th century, known for his imaginative and heartfelt tales.

Andersen’s stories often go beyond simple entertainment, offering lessons about courage, kindness, and the beauty of embracing one’s true self. His unique ability to blend fantasy with profound truths makes his works as meaningful today as they were when first penned.

Most of the stories come from his collection “Stories and Fairy Tales” (1852–1872).

Enjoy!

The Little Match Girl
A poor girl lights matches to keep warm on New Year's Eve, envisioning comforting scenes.

The Little Mermaid
A young mermaid sacrifices her voice to gain human legs and be with the prince she loves.

The Princess and the Pea
A prince searches for a true princess, using a pea and multiple mattresses as the ultimate test.

The Nightingale
In China, the Emperor is enchanted by the song of a nightingale, which brings him solace and wisdom.

The Ugly Duckling
A tale of a homely duckling who matures into a beautiful swan, discovering his true identity.

The Snow Queen
A story of a young girl's journey to rescue her friend from the icy clutches of the Snow Queen.

Thumbelina
The adventures of a tiny girl no larger than a thumb, seeking friendship and happiness.

The Steadfast Tin Soldier
A one-legged tin soldier's unwavering love for a paper ballerina leads him through perilous adventures.

The Red Shoes
A girl’s obsession with her red shoes leads to a curse that forces her to dance endlessly.

The Wild Swans
A princess endures hardships to free her eleven brothers from a curse that turned them into swans.

The Storks
A story highlighting the lives of storks and the superstitions surrounding them.

The Bell
A mysterious bell's sound leads villagers on a journey, teaching them about faith and the wonders of nature.

Hello everybody, first time posting here cause i can't find the tale i'm looking for and thought hey, what's the harm asking ?

I heard this tale in France told by a swiss artist but it could be from anywhere

In her version of Bluebeard, the young girl was tempted again and again by the wind (the wind would enter her room and toss her around all night - yes it was a double entendre)

When she finally decides to go and find the source of the wind (a lord of some sort, very scary man that her parents didn't want her to meet), she takes her father's horse and sword. They meet in the forest and the man takes her to a tree where he hangs all his lovers. To have some time to think the young girl laughs and dances around the tree.

The man is impressed and decides to let her choose her death. She chooses her father's sword.

When the man takes the sword she tells him to take off his shirt so he doesn't stain it with blood. While he is bending over to pass the shirt off his head she takes the sword from the horse saddle and cuts of his head.

On her way home she encounters the man's mother and shows the head to her saying "see, that's who your son is!"

Once home she cleans the head so long and so thoroughly that all is left is a crystal clear skull. She puts it on the dinner table with a candle in it and the tale ends on "for the first time the man lights up a room he's in."

I tried putting in a lot of keywords and searched in the fairytale list i know but all the versions of Bluebeard i've found online so far have the girl being rescued by her brothers/Virgin Mary/God

If anyone has any idea i'd be really glad to find it again so i can learn it and tell it my way with some of this version pepppered in (i just love the imagery it has)

Thank you !

EDIT : so far I found a resource that seems to tell this version is scandinavian, will update if i find more !

EDIT BIS : I found it!!! It's the ballad of sire Hallewjin Here is the beginning of the wikipedia article : "Heer Halewijn (also known as Van Here Halewijn and Jan Albers, and in English The Song of Lord Halewijn) is a Dutch folk tale which survives in folk ballad. Although the first printed version of the song only appears in an anthology published in 1848, the ballad itself is first written down in the 13th century but dates back to pre-Christian times and is one of the oldest Dutch folk songs with ancient subject matter to be recorded. The story of lord Halewijn itself is even older and contains elements going back to Carolingian times." The english version can be read on Internet Archive and the old french version is on wikisource so i am reading the french one first and then i'll tackle the english one

So far I really really like it, it's even better than the version i was told : the main woman voluntarily goes to kill the man because she wants to avenge her best friend and i feel a lesbian version hidden in there...

Thanks all!

Hey fairy tale enthusiasts, leaving a long list of fairy tales with full original texts in here for reading. Most of them are by Grimm Brothers and Andersen. I keep on gathering and making free audiobooks also, so the list will be updated later. Enjoy!

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
A tale from "A Thousand and One Nights" about Aladdin, a poor boy who discovers a magical lamp containing a powerful genie.

Bearskin
A Brothers Grimm story about a soldier who makes a pact with the devil, enduring hardships for seven years to gain unimaginable wealth.

Beauty and the Beast
A classic tale where Beauty learns to love a beast, who is not what he seems, revealing themes of kindness and transformation.

Cinderella
The well-loved tale of a kind girl who, with magical help, overcomes her cruel stepmother and stepsisters to find happiness.

Doctor Knowall
A humorous story of a peasant who becomes a doctor by sheer luck and manages to fool everyone around him.

Ferdinand the Faithful
A loyal servant named Ferdinand goes on a quest filled with challenges to win the love of a princess.

Gambling Hansel
A tale of a compulsive gambler whose adventures lead him to outwit tricky situations and seek fortune.

Hans in Luck
The story of Hans, who trades away his wealth in seemingly unwise deals but remains content in his simplicity.

Hansel and Grethel
A tale of siblings who, abandoned in the forest, outsmart a wicked witch living in a gingerbread house.

Iron John
A wild man named Iron John becomes a mentor to a prince, teaching him life lessons through trials.

Jack and the Beanstalk
A poor boy climbs a magical beanstalk and encounters a fearsome giant, leading to daring adventures and treasures.

Little Red Riding Hood
The classic story of a girl who encounters a cunning wolf on her way to visit her grandmother.

Olde Hildenbrand
A clever tale involving trickery and deceit between a peasant, his wife, and the village parson.

Rapunzel
The story of a girl with long golden hair, imprisoned in a tower, who finds rescue through a prince.

Rumpelstiltskin
A miller's daughter must spin straw into gold with the help of a mysterious dwarf who demands a great price.

Simeli Mountain
Two brothers discover a magical mountain that opens to reveal treasures when the right phrase is spoken.

The Beam
A Brothers Grimm tale involving an enchanter, a magical beam, and themes of illusion and trickery.

The Blue Light
A discharged soldier discovers a magical blue light that grants him power and unexpected adventures.

The Bremen Town-Musicians
Four aging animals set out to become town musicians and encounter robbers along the way in this humorous tale.