Well-Known Folktales

 

Cinderella  Interesting Fact: The girl's name is meant to be read as Cinder Ella because she always has to sweep the chimney. In the original German her name is Aschenputtel--Aschen as in ashes.

 

Rapunzel

 

Sleeping Beauty  The Grimm title to this folktale is Little Briar Rose. The French version by Charles Perrault appeared first and may have been the source for the story told in Germany. The French title was The Beauty (Belle) Asleep in the Woods.

 

Little Red Riding Hood  Little Red Cap would be a more accurate translation of the title.

 

Snow White  The original opens with a baby born "as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood."

 

Hansel and Gretel  Interesting Fact: Original Grimm version featured the biological mother and father; later, the mother character was changed to a stepmother. The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children tells the story of the child-eating witch in modern times.

 

Rumpelstiltskin

 

The Little Mermaid

 

The Pied Piper

 

The Bremen Town Musicians

 

Jack and the Beanstalk

 

The Seven Ravens

 

The Goose Girl

 

Brother and Sister  A brother drinks from a stream and turns into a deer just when the King and his hunting party ride through the woods. The Witch's Curse (originally titled The Hunter's Curse) re-tells this story for modern children--quite suspenseful for nine year olds.

 

The Frog King

 

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

 

Frau Holle

 

Clever Hans

 

The Girl Without Hands

The SurLaLune website has a lot of great detailed information on folktales.

 

I like this edu website from Professor D. L. Ashliman for complete texts of the Brothers Grimm folktales in English and German. He also has a good list of links to explore the web for folktale information.