We all love fairy tales, and all of them have happy endings. But this wasn’t always the case. It’s easy to forget that many classic fairy tales have much darker origins than their modern counterparts would suggest. These timeless stories were once filled with grim themes, violence, and complex moral lessons. Here are the original versions of 12 beloved fairy tales.

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Cinderella

In the original Brothers Grimm version, Cinderella’s stepsisters go to gruesome lengths to fit into the glass slipper, cutting off parts of their feet to deceive the prince. Their deceit is eventually exposed when birds peck out their eyes as punishment. This dark twist highlights themes of jealousy, vanity, and the consequences of deception, starkly contrasting the sanitized portrayal of the story commonly seen in modern adaptations.

Little Red Riding Hood

In some original renditions, Little Red Riding Hood meets a grim fate, devoured by the wolf with no heroic rescue. This emphasizes the dangers of naivety and the world’s harsh realities, cautioning against trusting strangers and wandering off the beaten path. The story serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance and the potential consequences of disregarding warnings.

Sleeping Beauty

While the Disney adaptation of Sleeping Beauty depicts a beautiful princess saved by true love’s kiss, the original tale by Charles Perrault, later adapted by the Brothers Grimm, tells a much darker story. In some versions, the princess is not awakened by a kiss. Still, she is instead raped in her sleep by a passing king, resulting in her pregnancy and eventual awakening as soon as one of her kids removes the magical sliver from her finger.

Hansel and Gretel

The tale of Hansel and Gretel, popularized by the Brothers Grimm, is already filled with dark themes of abandonment and survival. However, the original story is even more harrowing, with the children being abandoned by their parents due to famine rather than the stepmother’s scheme. This alteration underscores families’ desperation and harsh realities in times of hardship.

The Little Mermaid

Hans Christian Andersen’s original story of The Little Mermaid diverges significantly from the Disney adaptation, with a much more tragic ending. In the original tale, the mermaid sacrifices herself rather than killing the prince to save her life, ultimately dissolving into sea foam. This bittersweet conclusion emphasizes themes of selflessness, sacrifice, and unrequited love.

Snow White

While Disney’s Snow White ends with a happily ever after, the original Brothers Grimm version takes a much darker turn. In this rendition, the evil queen is punished by being forced to dance to death in red-hot iron shoes at Snow White’s wedding—a fate far more gruesome than falling off a cliff.

Rumpelstiltskin

The Brothers Grimm’s tale of Rumpelstiltskin cautions about the dangers of greed and deception. In the original version, after the queen discovers Rumpelstiltskin’s name and realizes he has been outwitted, he becomes so enraged that he tears himself in half, leaving nothing but a trail of blood.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Though not always categorized as a fairy tale, the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin has dark origins rooted in historical events. The story, which tells of a piper luring away the town’s children after being cheated out of payment, is thought to have been inspired by events such as the Children’s Crusade or the Black Death. This connection to real-world tragedies adds depth to the tale, highlighting the themes of loss, betrayal, and the consequences of broken promises.

Pinocchio

Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio is a cautionary tale. In the original story, the disobedient puppet is hanged by the Fox and Cat, though some publishers deemed this ending too dark. In the modern version, Pinocchio is turned into a real boy and lives happily with Geppetto.

The Goose Girl

In this original story, a princess is betrayed by her maid, who usurps her identity and forces her into servitude as a goose girl. Justice is eventually served when the maid is punished for her betrayal, placed in a nail-studded barrel, and dragged through the kingdom until she meets her end. This ending is a far cry from the sanitized exile that she is placed under.

Beauty and the Beast

We all love the story of Beauty, who tamed the wild heart of the Beast and turned him human again. But the original story is much more heartbreaking. Beauty is forced to choose between her family and the Beast, and the ending is a lot more ambiguous.

The Juniper Tree

The Juniper Tree is a lesser-known fairy tale with dark and disturbing themes. In this original story, a wicked stepmother murders her stepson, cooks him into a stew, and feeds him to his unwitting father. The boy is eventually resurrected, and the stepmother meets a gruesome end, crushed by a millstone.