A guide from the Library
A golden slipper. A wolf with no rescuer. A mermaid whose wish is more than love.
Searching for an original fairy tale version often means looking for what a familiar adaptation left out. These six tales lead back to particular literary versions by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, Giambattista Basile and Hans Christian Andersen—each with its own ending, not one shared formula.
The comparisons below mention endings. Content notes appear before each full tale; reading is free and requires no account.
The Brothers Grimm version · Aschenputtel
A hazel tree and birds take the place of a fairy godmother. The golden slipper reveals the stepsisters’ deception, and the wedding brings a violent punishment.
Read CinderellaFamily cruelty, self-mutilation and violent punishment.
Cinderella — Grimm’s Household Tales, Volume 1 — Margaret Hunt’s historical English translation for comparison; not the wording of this retelling.
The Brothers Grimm version · KHM 15
The danger begins at home with hunger and abandonment. The edible house offers false safety, and the children survive a witch who plans to eat them.
Read Hansel and GretelChild abandonment, threatened cannibalism and death by fire.
Hänsel and Grethel — Grimm’s Household Tales, Volume 1 — Margaret Hunt’s historical English translation for comparison; not the wording of this retelling.
Charles Perrault’s version · 1697
There is no huntsman’s rescue. Perrault follows the wolf’s victory with a moral about predators who conceal danger beneath polite and charming behavior.
Read Little Red Riding HoodPredatory deception and the deaths of a child and her grandmother.
Little Red Riding Hood — Old-time Stories — A historical English translation of Perrault’s tale for comparison.
Giambattista Basile · An early Sleeping Beauty tale
A flax splinter causes Talia’s sleep; a child removes it. The story continues beyond her awakening into a queen’s murderous plot. It is not a story of a rescuing kiss.
Read Sun, Moon, and TaliaSexual violence against an unconscious woman, threatened harm to children and attempted cannibalism.
Sun, Moon, and Talia — Stories from the Pentamerone — A historical English version of Basile’s collection for comparison.
Hans Christian Andersen’s literary tale · 1837
The bargain costs her voice and makes each step painful. The prince marries someone else; her refusal to kill him leads beyond sea foam to the daughters of the air.
Read The Little MermaidBodily pain, threatened death, sacrifice and unrequited love.
The Little Mermaid — Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales — Historical English text for comparison; not the wording of this retelling.
The Little Mermaid — Hans Christian Andersen Centre — University of Southern Denmark publication record: 7 April 1837.
Hans Christian Andersen’s literary tale · 1844
Gerda’s devotion, not a royal romance, carries the story. The mirror’s fragments distort Kay’s perception, and the journey to reach him unfolds across seven connected stories.
Read The Snow QueenAbduction, peril, threatened violence and emotional cruelty.
The Snow Queen — Andersen’s Fairy Tales — Historical English text for comparison; not the wording of this retelling.
The Snow Queen — Hans Christian Andersen Centre — University of Southern Denmark publication record: 21 December 1844.
For a sharp contrast with a familiar ending, start with Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood. For a longer, bittersweet journey, choose Andersen’s Little Mermaid. If you want danger followed by hope, The Snow Queen leads back toward warmth.
Not in the same way. In this selection, “dark” can mean physical violence, deceptive kindness, grief or sacrifice. A frightening journey can still end happily. Comparing the specific text is more revealing than assuming every old tale ends in tragedy.
Do not assume that a familiar title makes a version suitable for every reader. These retellings retain disturbing material. Basile’s Sun, Moon, and Talia includes sexual violence and threats to children; the Grimm tales include bodily harm and threatened cannibalism. Check the content notes and preview a story before sharing it with a child.
Browse all twelve tales in The Forgotten Library
