Most shocking moments in fairy tales

[Heidi M Simone]

So, I think we all know that most original fairy tales were actually more disturbing and gruesome than Disney made them out to be. What are some of the shocking moments in the original works that you found?

[Heidi M Simone]

Okay, so I don't think it's as shocking as some of the other fairy tales out there, but I was actually very surprised that Beauty's father not only put the blame on Beauty because he was stealing a rose from the Beast's garden, but offered his sweetest and selfless daughter in exchange for his imprisonment under the Beast's castle.

This is what I imagined her father saying: "Well, the fact I'm stealing from you is my daughter's fault. I know she's not here, but clearly it's her fault I'm taking a rose from your garden. Oh wait, you mean you'd take someone else in my place for imprisonment for life? Oh cool. I'll go get my kindest daughter and you can keep her for as long as you'd like!"

[TopaAzul062]

Wow... Knew there was an original Beauty and the Beast story out but sheesh! Well I wasn't aware of these till a past college course but one...well several stand out.

1) The Little Mermaid - She practically tortured herself to be with the guy she fell in love with and allowed her own life to slip away so that he could keep his.

2) Little Red Riding Hood - Let's just say the wolf was the last one standing.

3) Cinderella - Mutilating your foot just to fit a shoe.

Can't recall many that have been remade but from reading the assigned reading materials Disney had their work cut out for them when it came to making the stories kid friendly.

[casdill]

A particular one that always stands out to me is called The Death of the Little Hen by the Grimms. (Here's a link: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm080.html It's super short.)

The plot twist is in the title, haha. The most shocking thing about it truly is the very last sentence. Harsh.

[Heidi M Simone]

Wow... Knew there was an original Beauty and the Beast story out but sheesh! Well I wasn't aware of these till a past college course but one...well several stand out.

1) The Little Mermaid - She practically tortured herself to be with the guy she fell in love with and allowed her own life to slip away so that he could keep his.

2) Little Red Riding Hood - Let's just say the wolf was the last one standing.

3) Cinderella - Mutilating your foot just to fit a shoe.

Can't recall many that have been remade but from reading the assigned reading materials Disney had their work cut out for them when it came to making the stories kid friendly.

The Little Mermaid was so ridiculous! I actually listened to a podcast that went over the original fairy tale and I had to rewind and listen again to certain parts because of how crazy it seemed.

I don't know if I read the original Little Red Riding Hood I should look it up though!

Cinderella was one that was shocking, too. Was this the same story that the stepmother got murdered, too, or am I thinking of another one?

Yeah, Disney definitely had their work cut out for them. Even now, looking back, I don't necessarily agree with their adaptations, but I guess they're better than the original ones for kids!

[Heidi M Simone]

A particular one that always stands out to me is called The Death of the Little Hen by the Grimms. (Here's a link: https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm080.html It's super short.)

The plot twist is in the title, haha. The most shocking thing about it truly is the very last sentence. Harsh.

What in the world was that? I've never heard of The Death of the Little Hen, but geez, the Grimm brothers sure seemed to have some issues when they wrote their fairy tales.

No kidding! Can you imagine reading that to a child as a bedtime story? Talk about having nightmares and some psychological issues.