Cinderella
The story of Cinderella is, for many, the ultimate fairy tale. After all, it’s all about a young girl from a lowly background who overcomes adversity – and evil relatives – to become a princess. And, indeed, over the years a happy, pure version of it has become popular the world over. But the sanitized version of today is a long way from the tale published by the Brothers Grimm more than 100 years ago.
The basic premise is the same: The young and beautiful Cinderella is kept as a virtual slave by her jealous evil stepsisters. And she’s barred from going to the prince’s ball by the mean duo. But, unlike the fairy godmother who appears in the famous movie version of the fairy tale, in the original, Cinderella instead prays to a tree she has planted by her mother’s grave. It’s here where her wishes are answered. A gown to wear to the ball magically appears, as do a pair of beautiful slippers. Cinderella puts its all on and goes to the ball, where she wins the heart of the prince.
As everyone knows, Cinderella loses a slipper in her rush to get home before midnight. But in the original version, the evil stepsisters concoct gruesome ways to convince the prince they are the ladies for him: One cuts her own toes off in order to fit into the shoes, while the other chops off her own heel. When their attempts to stand in the way of true love are uncovered, the sisters’ eyes are pecked out by angry birds – an ending that was understandably omitted from the children’s film.