When we say fairy tales, what comes first in your mind? O yes, it all starts with “once upon a time” and it all end up with; “and they all live happily ever after”…that’s how fairy tales are told by our moms before we get to sleep. These Fairy tales are very popular, because it tells lessons of courage, love and kindness. There is always a prince, a princess, and a villain that can either be a witch, a devil and a stepmother…one of the popular names behind these tales are the Jacob and Wilhelm Grimms. They are also known as the “Brother Grimms”. They are the men behind the stories of Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood and many more fairy tales that we enjoyed during our childhood days. But did you know that these two brothers are actually collectors of folk tales around Germany, and that fairy tales were really not meant for children, but for adult? In 1812, Jacob and Wilhelm published the their book entitled Children and Household tales. This book was an anthology of fairy tales, fables, religious allegories and other extraordinary stories. As what I have said a while ago…the book was not actually meant for children. There were some parts in every tales that are not suitable for children. The book expresses brutal and crude acts. Example of this is the story of Snow White, in the real story; her stepmother was forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she falls down dead. These alarmed mothers and they don’t want their child to see reading those books made by the two brothers.
Would you believe that the real story of the Frog Prince was not as sweet as it is today? In the modern version of the story, the princess kissed the frog and it turned out a prince and they lived happily ever after. But unfortunately, in the real story of the frog prince…the princess never kissed the frog! She maybe thought that kissing a frog could give her warts…. she never did that sweet kiss! She threw the frog on the wall as hard as she could and BOOM! He became a handsome prince! In 1825 the Grimms published their condensed version of fairy tales entitled Small Edition. It was a compilation of 50 stories. By this book, the Grimms finally knew their real audience: children The stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm is still enjoyed by children until now. These stories really warm our soul and capture our imagination. The brutal and crude parts of the tales are lessen. Now, parents learned to read fairy tales to their children before going to bed. They love it because these stories tell them to avoid talking to strangers, work hard, keep promises and many more. Grimms’ tales will surely make a child say: Read me another one please…