Read the Cinderella fairy tale full version. The fairy tale Cinderella or the glass slipper
One rich man, after the death of his wife, married a second time to a widow who was very arrogant and arrogant. She had two daughters, similar to their mother in everything, just as proud. And he had a meek and kind daughter, just like a dead mother.
The stepmother immediately disliked her stepdaughter for her beauty and kindness. She forced the poor girl to do the dirtiest work around the house: washing dishes, sweeping the stairs and polishing the floors.
The stepdaughter slept in the attic, right under the roof, on a hard straw bed. And her sisters lived in rooms with parquet floors, where there were richly decorated beds and large mirrors in which you could see yourself from head to toe.
The poor girl patiently endured all the insults and did not dare to complain to her father. All the same, he would only scold her, because he obeyed his new wife in everything.
Having finished her work, the girl climbed into a corner by the fireplace and sat on a box of ash, and for this they nicknamed her Cinderella.
But even in her soiled dress, Cinderella was a hundred times more beautiful than her sisters in their luxurious outfits.
One day, the king's son held a ball and invited all the rich people of the kingdom to it. Cinderella's sisters also received an invitation to the royal ball. They were very happy and began to choose outfits and hairstyles to suit their faces. And Cinderella has another new task: ironing her sisters’ skirts and starching their collars.
The sisters only talked about how to dress up better. They consulted Cinderella because she had good taste. Cinderella gave them the best advice and even offered to do their hair, which they readily agreed to.
Finally, the happy hour came: the sisters got into the carriage and went to the palace. Cinderella looked after them for a long time, and when the carriage was out of sight, she began to cry.
Suddenly Cinderella's aunt appeared, saw her in tears and asked what was wrong with her.
I want... I want so much... - And Cinderella cried so bitterly that she could not finish.
Then the aunt - and she was a sorceress - said to Cinderella:
Do you want to go to the ball?
Oh, very much! - Cinderella answered with a sigh.
“Okay,” said the aunt. - If you promise to obey me, I will make sure you get there. Go to the garden and bring me a pumpkin.
Cinderella immediately ran to the garden and picked the best pumpkin.
The sorceress hollowed out the pumpkin so that only the crust remained and hit it with her magic wand. At that same moment, the pumpkin turned into a beautiful gilded carriage.
Then the sorceress looked into the mousetrap, which contained six live mice. She told Cinderella to lift the mousetrap door a little and hit each mouse that jumped out with her magic wand. The mouse immediately turned into a thoroughbred horse, and soon six horses of a wonderful mouse color stood harnessed to a carriage.
Then the sorceress lightly touched Cinderella with her wand, and at that same moment her dress turned into a beautiful outfit of gold and silver brocade, decorated with precious stones. Then she gave Cinderella a pair of lovely glass slippers. The elegant Cinderella got into the carriage.
At parting, the sorceress strictly ordered Cinderella not to stay at the ball longer than midnight. If she stays there even one extra minute, her carriage will again become a pumpkin, the horses will become mice, and the brocade outfit will become an old dress.
Cinderella promised to leave the ball on time and went to the palace, overwhelmed with joy.
The prince was informed that some young princess had arrived, whom no one knew. He hurried to meet her, gave her his hand as she got out of the carriage, and led her into the hall where the guests were dancing.
Immediately there was complete silence: the dancing stopped, the violins fell silent - everyone was so struck by the remarkable beauty of the stranger. Only in all corners they whispered:
Oh, how beautiful she is!
The king himself told the queen in a whisper that he had not seen such a beautiful and sweet girl for a long time.
The prince sat Cinderella in the place of honor and then invited her to dance. He did not leave her side for a minute and constantly whispered tender words to her. Cinderella had fun from the bottom of her heart and completely forgot about what the sorceress was punishing. It seemed to her that it was not yet eleven o’clock, when suddenly the clock began to strike midnight. Cinderella jumped up and, without saying a word, ran to the exit. The prince rushed after her, but could not catch up with her.
In a hurry, Cinderella lost one of her glass slippers on the stairs.
The prince carefully picked her up and asked the guards standing at the palace gates if anyone had seen the princess leave.
The guards replied that no one came out of the palace except a young girl, very poorly dressed and more like a peasant woman than a princess.
And Cinderella came running home, out of breath, without a carriage, without horses, in her old dress. There was nothing left of her entire outfit except one glass slipper.
When the sisters returned from the ball, Cinderella asked if they had fun.
The sisters replied that an unknown beauty came to the ball and captivated the prince and all the guests. But as soon as the clock struck midnight, she ran away so quickly that she dropped her glass slipper. And the prince picked up the shoe and sat and looked at it until the end of the ball. He is apparently madly in love with the beauty who owns this glass slipper.
The sisters spoke the truth. A few days later, the prince ordered heralds to announce throughout the kingdom that he would marry the girl who would fit the glass slipper.
They began to try on the shoe, first for the princesses, then for the duchesses and all the ladies of the court, but it didn’t fit any of them.
They brought the shoe to Cinderella’s sisters. They took turns trying their best to squeeze their foot into the shoe, but they didn’t succeed.
Cinderella, who was present, recognized her shoe and, laughing, said:
Let me try and see if this shoe fits me.
The sisters laughed and began to mock her.
But the courtier, who was trying on the girls' shoes, looked carefully at Cinderella and saw how pretty she was. He said that he was ordered to try it on for all the girls in the kingdom, sat Cinderella down and began to put the shoe on her. And the shoe was put on without any difficulty, as if it had been made to measure for Cinderella.
The sisters were very surprised. But they were even more surprised when Cinderella took the second shoe out of her pocket and put it on the other foot.
At that moment the sorceress appeared. She touched Cinderella's dress with her wand, and it turned into a magnificent outfit again.
Then the sisters recognized Cinderella as the same beauty who was at the ball. They rushed to her feet and began to ask for forgiveness for all the insults that she suffered from them. But Cinderella picked them up, kissed them and said that she forgives them with all her heart and asks them to always love her.
Cinderella in her sparkling outfit was taken to the palace. The young prince thought she was even more beautiful than before, and a few days later they got married.
And Cinderella, who was as kind as she was beautiful, took her sisters with her to the palace and on the same day married both of them to two noble courtiers.
A long time ago there lived a happy family: a father, a mother and their only daughter, whom her parents loved very much. They lived carefree and joyfully for many years.
Unfortunately, one autumn, when the girl was sixteen years old, her mother became seriously ill and died a week later. A deep sadness reigned in the house.
Two years have passed. The girl's father met a widow who had two daughters, and soon married her.
From day one, the stepmother hated her stepdaughter. She forced her to do all the housework and did not give her a moment's rest. Every now and then I heard:
- Come on, get moving, lazy one, bring some water!
- Come on, slacker, sweep the floor!
- Well, what are you waiting for, dirty fellow, throw some wood in the fireplace!
The girl was indeed always covered in ash and dust from dirty work. Soon everyone, even her father, began to call her Cinderella, and she herself forgot her name.
Cinderella's stepsisters were no different in character from their angry and grumpy mother. Jealous of the girl's beauty, they forced her to serve them and found fault with her all the time.
One day, a rumor spread around the area that the young prince, bored alone in his large palace, was going to throw a ball, and not just one, but several days in a row.
“Well, my dears,” said the stepmother to her ugly daughters, “Fate has finally smiled at you.” We're going to the ball. I am sure that the prince will definitely like one of you and he will want to marry her.
– Don’t worry, we will find some minister for the other one.
The sisters couldn't be happier. On the day of the ball, they never left the mirror, trying on outfits. Finally in the evening, dressed up and dressed up, they got into a carriage and drove to the palace. But before leaving, the stepmother sternly said to Cinderella:
And don't think that you'll be idle while we're not home. I'll find a job for you.
She looked around. On the table, near a large pumpkin, there were two plates: one with millet, the other with poppy seeds. The stepmother poured the millet into a plate with poppy seeds and stirred.
“And here’s something for you to do all night: separate the millet from the poppy seeds.”
Cinderella was left alone. For the first time ever, she cried out of resentment and despair. How to sort through all this and separate millet from poppy seeds? And how can one not cry when all the girls are having fun today at the ball in the palace, and she is sitting here, in rags, all alone?
Suddenly the room lit up with light, and a beauty appeared in a white dress and with a crystal wand in her hand.
– You would like to go to the ball, wouldn’t you?
- Oh yes! – Cinderella answered with a sigh.
“Don’t be sad, Cinderella,” she said, “I’m a good fairy.” Now let's figure out how to help your trouble.
With these words, she touched the plate that stood on the table with her chopstick. In an instant, the millet separated from the poppy seed.
– Do you promise to be obedient in everything? Then I will help you go to the ball. “The sorceress hugged Cinderella and told her: “Go to the garden and bring me a pumpkin.”
Cinderella ran to the garden, chose the best pumpkin and took it to the sorceress, although she could not understand how the pumpkin would help her get to the ball.
The sorceress hollowed out the pumpkin right down to the crust, then touched it with her magic wand, and the pumpkin instantly turned into a gilded carriage.
Then the sorceress looked into the mousetrap and saw that six live mice were sitting there.
She told Cinderella to open the mousetrap door. She touched every mouse that jumped out of there with a magic wand, and the mouse immediately turned into a beautiful horse.
And now, instead of six mice, an excellent team of six horses of the dappled mouse color appeared.
The sorceress thought:
- Where can I get a coachman from?
“I’ll go and see if there’s a rat in the rat trap,” said Cinderella. “You can make a coachman out of a rat.”
- Right! – the sorceress agreed. - Go take a look.
Cinderella brought a rat trap where three large rats were sitting.
The sorceress chose one, the largest and most mustachioed, touched it with her wand, and the rat turned into a fat coachman with a lush mustache.
Then the sorceress said to Cinderella:
– There are six lizards sitting in the garden, behind a watering can. Go get them for me.
Before Cinderella had time to bring the lizards, the sorceress turned them into six servants dressed in gold-embroidered liveries. They jumped onto the back of the carriage so deftly, as if they had never done anything else their entire lives.
“Well, now you can go to the ball,” said the sorceress to Cinderella. -Are you satisfied?
- Certainly! But how can I go in such a disgusting dress?
The sorceress touched Cinderella with her wand, and the old dress instantly turned into an outfit of gold and silver brocade, richly embroidered with precious stones.
In addition, the sorceress gave her a pair of glass slippers. The world has never seen such beautiful shoes!
- Go to the ball, my dear! You deserve it! - exclaimed the fairy. “But remember, Cinderella, at exactly midnight the power of my spell will end: your dress will again turn into rags, and your carriage into an ordinary pumpkin.” Remember this!
Cinderella promised the sorceress to leave the palace before midnight and, beaming with happiness, went to the ball.
The king's son was informed that an unknown, very important princess had arrived. He hurried to meet her, helped her out of the carriage and led her into the hall where the guests had already gathered.
When Cinderella, dressed like a princess, entered the ballroom, everyone fell silent and looked towards the unfamiliar beauty.
- Who else is this? – Cinderella’s stepsisters asked displeasedly.
Silence immediately fell in the hall: the guests stopped dancing, the violinists stopped playing - everyone was so amazed by the beauty of the unfamiliar princess.
- What a beautiful girl! - they whispered around.
Even the old king himself could not get enough of her and kept repeating in the queen’s ear that he had not seen such a beautiful and sweet girl for a long time.
And the ladies carefully examined her outfit in order to order exactly the same one for themselves tomorrow, but they were afraid that they would not find enough rich materials and enough skilled craftswomen.
The prince took her to the place of honor and invited her to dance. She danced so well that everyone admired her even more.
Soon various sweets and fruits were served. But the prince did not touch the delicacies - he was so busy with the beautiful princess.
And she went up to her sisters, spoke warmly to them and shared the oranges that the prince had treated her to.
The sisters were very surprised at such kindness from the unfamiliar princess.
But time flew inexorably forward. Remembering the words of the good fairy, Cinderella kept glancing at her watch. At five minutes to twelve the girl suddenly stopped dancing and ran out of the palace. A golden carriage was already waiting for her at the porch. The horses neighed joyfully and took Cinderella home.
Returning home, she first of all ran to the good sorceress, thanked her and said that she would like to go to the ball again tomorrow - the prince really asked her to come.
While she was telling the sorceress about everything that happened at the ball, there was a knock on the door - the sisters had arrived. Cinderella went to open the door for them.
- You spent a long time at the ball! - she said, rubbing her eyes and stretching as if she had just woken up.
In fact, since they broke up, she hasn't felt like sleeping at all.
“If you attended the ball,” said one of the sisters, “you would never be bored.” The princess arrived there - and how beautiful she is! There is no one more beautiful than her in the world. She was very kind to us and treated us to oranges.
Cinderella trembled all over with joy. She asked what the princess's name was, but the sisters replied that no one knew her and the prince was very upset about this. He would give anything to know who she was.
- She must be very beautiful! – Cinderella said smiling. - And you are lucky! How I would like to look at her at least with one eye!.. Dear sister, please lend me your yellow house dress.
- I just made it up! - answered the older sister. - Why would I give my dress to such a dirty person? No way in the world!
Cinderella knew that her sister would refuse her, and she was even happy - what would she do if her sister agreed to give her her dress!
– Did you do what I told you? – the stepmother asked sternly.
Imagine the surprise of the evil stepmother and her daughters when they saw that everything in the house was sparkling clean, and the poppy seeds were separated from the millet!
The next evening, the stepmother and Cinderella's stepsisters again gathered for the ball.
“This time you will have more work,” said the stepmother, “here’s a bag of peas mixed with beans.” Separate the peas from the beans before our arrival, otherwise you will have a bad time!
And again Cinderella was left alone. But a minute later the room was again illuminated with a wonderful light.
“Let’s not waste time,” said the good fairy, “we need to get ready for the ball as soon as possible, Cinderella.” “With one wave of her magic wand, the fairy separated the peas from the beans.
Cinderella went to the ball and was even more elegant than the first time. The prince did not leave her side and whispered all sorts of pleasantries to her.
But this time, Cinderella, carried away by the handsome prince, completely forgot about time. Music, dancing and happiness took her to the sky.
Cinderella had a lot of fun, and she completely forgot about what the sorceress ordered her. She thought that it was not yet eleven o'clock, when suddenly the clock began to strike midnight.
Is it really midnight already? But the clock inexorably struck twelve times.
Having come to her senses, Cinderella snatched her hand from the prince’s and hurried out of the palace. The prince rushed to catch up with her. But the scarlet shoes flashed faster than lightning along the steps of the wide palace staircase. The prince did not have time to catch up with the girl. He only heard the door slam and the wheels of the carriage driving away creaked.
Saddened, he stood at the top of the stairs and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed something below. It was a shoe that a beautiful stranger had lost.
The young man carefully, like some kind of jewel, picked her up and pressed her to his chest. He will find the mysterious princess, even if he has to search for her all his life!
He asked the guards at the gate if anyone had seen where the princess had gone. The guards replied that they only saw a poorly dressed girl run out of the palace, looking more like a peasant woman than a princess.
Cinderella ran home out of breath, without a carriage, without servants, in her old dress. Of all the luxury, she only had one glass slipper left.
When Cinderella returned home almost at dawn, her stepmother and stepsisters had already arrived from the ball.
- Where have you been? Have you been idle again? - they asked displeasedly.
But then the stepmother’s face twisted with anger. In the corner of the kitchen she saw two bags of peas and beans - her task was completed.
Cinderella asked the sisters if they had as much fun as yesterday, and if the beautiful princess came again.
The sisters replied that she had arrived, but only when the clock began to strike midnight did she start running - so quickly that she dropped her beautiful glass slipper from her foot. The prince picked up the shoe and did not take his eyes off it until the end of the ball. It is clear that he is in love with the beautiful princess - the owner of the shoe.
After the disappearance of the beauty, the prince stopped giving balls in the palace, and a rumor spread throughout the entire area that he was looking throughout the kingdom for that same mysterious beauty who appeared at the ball twice, but both times disappeared exactly at midnight. It was also known that the prince would marry a girl who would fit the scarlet slipper.
First, the shoe was tried on for princesses, then for duchesses, then for all the court ladies in a row. But she was no good for anyone.
Soon the prince and his retinue came to the house where Cinderella lived. The stepsisters rushed to try on the shoe. But the elegant shoe never wanted to fit on their big feet. The prince was about to leave when suddenly Cinderella’s father said:
- Wait, Your Highness, we have another daughter!
Hope flashed in the prince's eyes.
“Don’t listen to him, your highness,” the stepmother immediately intervened. -What kind of daughter is this? This is our maid, the eternal mess.
The prince looked sadly at the dirty girl dressed in rags and sighed.
“Well, every girl in my kingdom should try on the shoe.”
Cinderella took off her rough shoe and easily put the slipper on her graceful foot. It suited her just right.
The sisters were very surprised. But what was their amazement when Cinderella took out a second identical shoe from her pocket and put it on the other foot!
The prince looked carefully into the eyes of the girl in rags and recognized her.
- So you are my beautiful stranger!
Then the good sorceress arrived, touched Cinderella’s old dress with her wand, and before everyone’s eyes it turned into a magnificent outfit, even more luxurious than before. That's when the sisters saw who the beautiful princess was who was coming to the ball! They threw themselves on their knees in front of Cinderella and began to ask for forgiveness for treating her so badly.
Cinderella raised her sisters, kissed them and said that she forgives them and only asks that they always love her.
The stepmother and her daughters were taken aback. And in the following days they had even more reasons for envy.
Cinderella in her luxurious outfit was taken to the palace to the prince. She seemed even more beautiful to him than before. And a few days later he married her, and had a magnificent wedding.
A magnificent ball was given in the palace, at which Cinderella was in a delightful outfit and danced with the prince until midnight and even longer, because now the good fairy’s charms were no longer needed.
Cinderella was as kind in soul as she was beautiful in face. She took the sisters to her palace and on the same day married them to two court nobles.
And everyone lived happily ever after.
Hello, dear reader. The fairy tale Cinderella (Zamarashka) by Charles Perrault tells the story of an orphan persecuted by an evil stepmother; the plot of this fairy tale was widely circulated. Numerous versions of it have been studied quite well. Back in 1893, a monograph by M.R. Cox was published in London, which talks about 345 versions of the tale. And Anna Birgitta Ruth traced the plot to a recording made in China in the 9th century. However, even then this story was considered ancient. Chinese Cinderella (her name is Yehhsien) is very smart, and she also does ceramics! This version of the tale already has a "magic helper" motif. The role of the fairy is played by a goldfish who lives in the pond and helps the girl in every possible way. The stepmother kills the fish, but the girl finds the bones of the fish. They also have magical powers, so Cinderella manages to eat and stay warm. During the holiday carnival, “Cinderella stays at home and the fish bones provide her with a cloak with kingfisher feathers and little golden slippers. Returning from the holiday, Cinderella loses her shoe. The owner of the tiny shoe is being searched throughout China by order of the military commander. Cinderella marries him, and her stepmother and stepsisters are stoned to death. A curious story is told by Strabo about a girl who bathed in Naucratis. Her sandal was carried away by an eagle and dropped at the feet of Pharaoh Psammetichus, who ruled court in Memphis. He ordered the owner of the tiny sandal to be found, and when the girl was brought to him, he married her. This plot was presented in a book published in France dedicated to the beautiful Greek courtesans. True, it is impossible to say that Pierre or Charles Perrault knew this publication. Some critics believe that the image of Perrault’s Cinderella is inspired by the story told in Basile’s “Pentameron” (VI, 1; “La Gatta Cenerentola”). True, Basile’s plot looks somewhat complicated: the local Cinderella, called Zezolla, succumbing to the persuasion of her cunning teacher, finishes off stepmother number one and persuades her father to marry this same teacher, who becomes stepmother number two. And then it turns out that the new stepmother has neither more nor less - six daughters. In a word, the unlucky girl falls from the frying pan into the fire. Then her father brings her a small garden set from a fairy friend from the island of Sardinia: a branch of a date palm, a shovel and a golden watering can. The palm tree takes root and begins to fulfill Zezolla's various wishes. Next - a series of balls, the attention of the king, the loss of a shoe (at the notorious third ball), the fitting procedure and a happy ending. However, let’s not overestimate the significance of the “Italian trace”, because the tale of the poor stepdaughter was also told in France - in Brittany, Lorraine, and also in the province of Limousin, where Charles Perrault visited. So, most likely, the plot was borrowed directly from French folklore. But in the folklore versions of the tale, a peasant girl, accustomed to wooden clogs, manages to squeeze her foot into a tiny shoe only with the help of magic. Perrault's Cinderella is the daughter of a nobleman, and her leg is naturally small. It remains to answer the most important question: who supplied Cinderella with such unusual ballroom shoes? The fact is that neither in folk tales, nor in the story told by Basile, nor in Perrault’s text is there a word about glass slippers. Basile's Zezolla loses his pianella. These are something like galoshes with thick cork soles. During the Renaissance, platform shoes protected long women's dresses from dirt and dust, and the height of the platform usually reached 6-18 inches. Perrault himself talks about a shoe trimmed with fur (vair). Where did the glass slipper come from first, and then the crystal slipper? Many researchers believe that this is either due to a typesetter's error or the result of a mistranslation: vair is an old French word for a trim made of squirrel or ermine fur, while verre is glass. The pronunciation is the same, however, the meanings are different. Therefore, in multilingual versions of “Cinderella”, created under the influence of Perrault’s fairy tale, they talk about the glass slipper. Honore de Balzac, famous for the accuracy of his descriptions, was not without reason indignant at the unreliability of this detail, because the glass slipper would have immediately broken on the steps of the palace stairs. Cinderella’s crystal shoes came later, and after the Walt Disney cartoon, it’s impossible to imagine the heroine without them. In the Northern European versions of “Cinderella” (the heroine’s name is Ashen-Putel), many bloody details are added to the theme of shoe fetishism: the notorious shoe is wrapped in a Procrustean mini-stock. So, the older sister cannot squeeze her foot into the shoe - her big toe is in the way, and on the advice of her mother, she cuts it off. The delighted prince immediately put the beauty on a horse and rode to the palace to prepare for the wedding. But it was not there! As they drove past the grave of Cinderella's mother, the birds sitting in the trees sang loudly: Look back, look back! Blood is dripping from the shoe, The shoe was too small, and it’s not your bride sitting behind you! The prince returns and gives the slipper to the second sister. She has to cut off her heel, after which history repeats itself. In the finale, the envious girls were blinded and flogged so that they would not covet someone else's property. Literary scholars explain the incredible popularity of this plot and its individual motifs in different ways. Representatives of the mythological school see in it the symbolism of the changing states of nature: its sleep throughout the winter, spring awakening, the symbolic marriage of Cinderella, associated with the dawn, and the Prince of the Sun. Sentiv gives a different interpretation of the plot: he believes that the fairy tale describes the time of the carnival and the rituals and fortune-telling associated with it. Cinderella is wondering about the groom, so the abandoned shoe is perceived as a relic of a magical ritual (“The shoe was taken off the foot and thrown behind the gate”). A wonderful children's story, so parents can safely read the fairy tale “Cinderella (Zamarashka)” online with pictures, with illustrations from famous books, to children of any age.
Once upon a time there lived a rich Master; Having become a widow, he married another wife, also a widow, who had two daughters. The mother of these girls was a proud and absurd woman, and as the mother was, so were the daughters; they were in no way inferior to her in merit. This same gentleman had a daughter from his first wife, a quiet, modest and good-natured girl. The very next day after the wedding, the evil stepmother showed her intolerable temper, hating her good stepdaughter for the excellent qualities of her soul; she burdened her with the most menial housework, forced her to wash dishes and floors, sweep her room and her daughters’ rooms; She ordered me to sleep upstairs in the small room, on a stained mattress, while in her sisters’ bedrooms the floors were made of pieces, the beds were made of mahogany in the latest taste, and the mirrors were three arshins high.
The poor girl endured everything patiently, not daring to complain to her father, who would surely have scolded her, because he himself did not dare to contradict his wife in anything. Having finished her work, Sandrillona (that was the name of this girl) always sat down near the fireplace, which is why the sisters nicknamed her Cinderella. Moreover, the little girl, despite her rough and dirty dress, was a hundred times more charming than her elegant sisters.
At this time, the son of the then reigning King decided to get married, and in order to choose a bride, he gave a ball to which he invited all the noble maidens from his state. Both of the Baron's daughters were also invited.
Their delight cannot be described; during the week they also started choosing dresses and hats: a new concern for Cinderella; she had to review, wash and iron her sisters’ linen. They talked about nothing more than their outfit. I will wear, said the eldest, a crimson velvet dress; and I, said the youngest, will wear white embroidered clothes and will have a diamond bandage on my head. They called Cinderella and asked her opinion on how best to dress up; Cinderella gave them good advice and even volunteered to dress them and remove their heads herself.
While she was putting them on, the sisters asked: Cinderella! I think you would also like to attend the ball. Oh, madam, she answered, you are joking with me, I don’t even dare think about it. Of course, you shouldn’t even think: everyone will laugh if they see a dirty person at such a magnificent ball. Another one in Cinderella’s place would have been angry and dressed them anyhow, but good Cinderella could not be angry; she served them with even greater diligence than usual.
Our girls did not eat anything for two whole days out of joy. Wanting to make their waist more slender, they tore off a whole dozen corsets and did not leave the mirror for a minute. Finally, a happy day came: the two sisters got into the carriage and set off. Cinderella watched them for a long time and, having lost sight of them, began to cry bitterly; Her godmother, hearing that Cinderella was sobbing, came and asked: what happened to you, my dear? I would like... A sob interrupted her words. The godmother, who was a sorceress, said: you would like to go to the ball, wouldn’t you? “Yes,” Cinderella answered with a sigh.
Okay, said the godmother, because you are a kind-hearted girl, I will fulfill your wish. The sorceress took Cinderella to her room and said: go to the garden and bring me a pumpkin. Cinderella immediately ran and, picking the best one of all, brought it to her godmother, not understanding how a pumpkin could help her go to the ball. The godmother hollowed out a pumpkin and, leaving only one peel, hit it with her magic twig, and the pumpkin at that very moment turned into a beautiful, gilded carriage; then she looked into the mousetrap and found six live mice in it. She told Cinderella to lift the lid of the mousetrap a little, and as soon as a mouse ran out of there, the sorceress, hitting it with her twig, turned it into the most beautiful horse.
Thus the carriage and horses are ready; All that was missing was the coachman. I’ll see, said Cinderella, if there’s a rat in the trap, we’ll make a coachman out of it. Go and look, her godmother told her. Cinderella brought a trap in which she found three rats. The sorceress chose the one with the most pubescent snout and, touching it with a twig, turned it into a fat coachman with a huge mustache. Then she said to Cinderella: go to the garden again; there, behind the rose bush, you will find six lizards; bring them to me. Cinderella found it in a minute, brought it, and her godmother, with the help of her art, made of them six footmen in the most beautiful liveries, who immediately stood behind the carriage and as quickly as if they were born for this. Then the sorceress asked Cinderella: are you happy now? It seems that you can go to the ball in this carriage? Of course you can, but how can I go, mummy, in this dirty dress? The sorceress touched her with her twig and at the same time the soiled dress turned into brocade, showered with precious stones; then she gave her beautiful crystal shoes.
Having put on her shoes, she got into the carriage; but her godmother strictly ordered her to return home before midnight, saying that if she stayed an extra minute after midnight, the carriage would turn back into a pumpkin, the horses would turn into mice, the coachman into a rat, the footmen would turn into lizards, and the dress would take on its previous appearance. Cinderella, making a promise to her godmother to return before midnight, and, being in the greatest joy, went to the ball. When the Prince was informed that some unknown Princess had arrived, he himself ran out to meet her, politely received her from the carriage and led her into the hall where the guests had gathered.
As soon as Cinderella entered, the deepest silence followed, they stopped dancing, the musicians stopped and everyone stared in amazement at the lovely stranger, there was a dull noise, you could hear from all sides: oh, how beautiful she is! The King himself, despite his old age, could not resist looking at her and quietly telling the Queen, his wife, that he had never seen a girl more amiable and beautiful. All the women who were at the ball looked at her headdress and the cut of her dress with great envy, hoping the next day to find the same beautiful material and to find skilled craftsmen. The king's son seated her in the most honorable place and then invited her to dance. Cinderella danced with such sweetness that she attracted everyone's surprise.
When they sat down to dinner, the Prince was not so busy with anyone as with the imaginary Princess, who, sitting down next to the sisters, treated them very courteously, even treating them with peaches and oranges, which the Prince brought her, which they were extremely surprised by, because they did not recognize her. Soon after that, the clock struck fifteen minutes to twelve: Cinderella immediately said goodbye to the guests and, without missing a minute, went home, seeing her godmother and thanking her, she said that the King’s son asked her to come to the ball the next day. She barely had time to tell her everything that was happening when the sisters knocked at the door. Cinderella opened it. How much fun you had, sisters! she said, yawning and rubbing her eyes, as if she had just woken up. If you had attended the ball, you probably wouldn’t have been bored, said one of them, there was a beautiful Princess there, no one had ever seen such a beauty; how kindly she treated us, she herself buried us with peaches and oranges. Cinderella was extremely happy to hear such praise and asked: what is the name of this Princess? but they answered that they did not know her name, and that the King's son would reward the person who informed him about her.
Cinderella smiled and said again: so she is very good? Oh, sisters, how happy you are! “Can’t I look at her, madam,” she continued, turning to the eldest; let me wear your daily yellow dress. “It doesn’t matter,” the sister answered, “I’ll give my dresses to the dirty one, I’m not crazy yet.” Cinderella expected this refusal and was not at all offended, because she had no need for her dress. The next day the sisters went to the ball and so did Cinderella, but this time she was dressed much more magnificently. The royal son did not leave her side for a minute, showed her all kinds of courtesy, the time seemed so short to Cinderella that she completely forgot the orders of her godmother, and believing that it was still early, she suddenly heard the clock strike twelve. She immediately rushed out of the room and flew like an arrow. The prince ran after her, but could not catch up. In a hurry, Cinderella's glass slipper fell off her foot and the Prince picked it up.
She ran home out of breath, without a carriage, without footmen, in her dirty dress, and all that was left of all her magnificent attire was a glass slipper. The king's son ordered to ask the guards if they saw which way the Princess went? They replied that they saw no one except a young girl very poorly dressed, who, judging by her dress, could more likely be mistaken for a peasant woman, and not for a Princess.
When the sisters returned from the ball, Cinderella asked them: did they have fun and was the beautiful Princess at the ball? She was, they answered, but as soon as twelve o’clock struck, she ran, and so quickly that she lost her beautiful glass slipper, which the King’s son picked up, and until the end of the ball did nothing more than look at this slipper; Surely he is in love, the sisters added, with the beautiful Princess. They spoke the truth. A few days later, the King's son gave the order to announce to all residents, with the sound of trumpets and kettledrums, that he would marry the girl who would have the glass slipper at the time. They began to try them on for the Duchesses and all the ladies of the court: but all in vain. They brought it to Cinderella’s sisters, who tried in every possible way to put it on, but could not. Cinderella, seeing this and knowing that the shoe was hers, said with a smile: let me try it on, see if it fits me well. When the sisters heard this, they laughed and began to mock her. “But the gentleman of the court, who was entrusted with letting the shoe be tried on, looked closely at Cinderella and saw that she was beautiful, and said that he had received orders to let every girl try it on. Cinderella sat down, took the shoe and immediately put it on without any difficulty.
Nothing can compare the amazement into which the sisters came; but it increased even more when Cinderella took another glass slipper from her pocket and also put it on her foot; At the same time, her godmother entered the room and, touching Cinderella’s soiled dress with her magic twig, turned it into the most magnificent one. Then the sisters, recognizing in her the lovely Princess whom they had seen at the ball, threw themselves at her feet, asking forgiveness for their bad actions towards her. Cinderella picked them up and, pressing them to her chest, said that she forgives them with all her heart and asks them to always love her. In this dress they brought her to the young Prince, who, finding Cinderella more beautiful than before, married her a few days later. Being as good as she is beautiful, Cinderella placed her sisters in the palace, and on the very day of her wedding she married them to two noble court officials.
Once upon a time there lived a venerable and noble man. His first wife died, and he married a second time, and to such a grumpy and arrogant woman as the world had never seen.
She had two daughters, very similar to their mother in face, mind, and character.
My husband also had a daughter, kind, friendly, sweet - just like her late mother. And her mother was the most beautiful and kind woman.
And so the new mistress entered the house. It was then that she showed her temper. Everything was not to her taste, but most of all she disliked her stepdaughter. The girl was so good that her stepmother's daughters seemed even worse next to her.
The poor stepdaughter was forced to do all the dirtiest and hardest work in the house: she cleaned boilers and pots, washed stairs, cleaned the rooms of her stepmother and both young ladies - her sisters.
She slept in the attic, right under the roof, on a prickly straw bed. And both sisters had rooms with parquet floors of colored wood, with beds decorated in the latest fashion, and with large mirrors in which it was fashionable to see oneself from head to toe.
The poor girl silently endured all the insults and did not dare to complain even to her father. The stepmother took him into such control that he now looked at everything through her eyes and would probably only scold his daughter for her ingratitude and disobedience.
In the evening, having finished work, she climbed into a corner near the fireplace and sat there on a box of ash. Therefore, the sisters, and after them everyone in the house, nicknamed her Cinderella.
Still, Cinderella, in her old dress, stained with ash, was a hundred times sweeter than her sisters, dressed in velvet and silk.
And then one day the son of the king of that country threw a big ball and called all the noble people with their wives and daughters to it.
Cinderella's sisters also received an invitation to the ball. They were very happy and immediately began to choose outfits and figure out how to style their hair in order to surprise all the guests and please the prince.
Poor Cinderella has even more work and worries than ever. She had to iron her sisters' dresses, starch their skirts, and sew collars and frills.
All the talk in the house was about outfits.
“I,” said the eldest, “will put on a red velvet dress and a precious headdress that was brought to me from overseas.”
“And I,” said the youngest, “will wear the most modest dress, but I will have a cape embroidered with golden flowers and a diamond belt, which no noble lady has.”
They sent for the most skilful milliner to make them caps with double frills, and bought flies from the best craftswoman in the city.
The sisters kept calling Cinderella over and asking her which comb, ribbon or buckle to choose. They knew that Cinderella had a better understanding of what was beautiful and what was ugly.
No one knew how to pin lace or curl curls as skillfully as she did.
- What, Cinderella, would you like to go to the royal ball? - the sisters asked while she combed their hair in front of the mirror.
- Oh, what are you saying, sisters! You are laughing at me! Will they let me into the palace in this dress and these shoes!
-What's true is true. It would be hilarious if such a dirty little thing showed up at the ball!
Another one in Cinderella’s place would have combed her sisters’ hair as badly as possible. But Cinderella was kind: she combed them as best as possible.
Two days before the ball, the sisters stopped having lunch and dinner out of excitement. They never left the mirror for a minute and tore more than a dozen laces, trying to tighten their waists and make themselves thinner and slimmer.
And finally the long-awaited day has arrived. The stepmother and sisters left.
Cinderella looked after them for a long time, and when their carriage disappeared around the bend, she covered her face with her hands and cried bitterly.
Her godmother, who just at that time came to visit the poor girl, found her in tears.
-What's wrong with you, my child? – she asked. But Cinderella cried so bitterly that she could not even answer.
– You would like to go to the ball, wouldn’t you? – asked the godmother.
She was a fairy - a sorceress - and heard not only what they said, but also what they thought.
“It’s true,” said Cinderella, sobbing.
“Well, just be smart,” said the fairy, “and I’ll make sure that you can visit the palace today.” Run to the garden and bring me a big pumpkin from there!
Cinderella ran to the garden, chose the largest pumpkin and brought it to her godmother. She really wanted to ask how a simple pumpkin would help her get to the royal ball. but she did not dare.
And the fairy, without saying a word, cut the pumpkin and took out all the pulp from it. Then she touched its thick yellow crust with her magic wand, and the empty pumpkin immediately turned into a beautiful carved carriage, gilded from roof to wheels.
Then the fairy sent Cinderella to the pantry to get a mousetrap. There were half a dozen live mice in the mousetrap.
The fairy told Cinderella to open the door slightly and release all the mice in turn, one after another. As soon as the mouse ran out of its prison, the fairy touched it with her wand, and from this touch the ordinary gray mouse immediately turned into a gray, mousey horse.
Not even a minute had passed before a magnificent team of six stately horses in silver harness stood in front of Cinderella.
The only thing missing was the coachman.
Noticing that the fairy was thoughtful, Cinderella timidly asked:
- What if we look to see if a rat is caught in the rat trap? Maybe she's fit to be a coachman?
“Your truth,” said the sorceress. - Come take a look.
Cinderella brought a rat trap, from which three large rats looked out.
The fairy chose one of them, the largest and most mustachioed, touched it with her wand, and the rat immediately turned into a fat coachman with a lush mustache - even the chief royal coachman would envy such a mustache.
“Now,” said the fairy, “go into the garden.” There, behind the watering can, on a pile of sand, you will find six lizards. Bring them here.
Before Cinderella had time to shake the lizards out of her apron, the fairy turned them into visiting footmen, dressed in green liveries, decorated with gold braid.
All six of them quickly jumped onto the back of the carriage with such an important look, as if they had served as traveling footmen all their lives and had never been lizards...
“Well,” said the fairy, “now you have your own exit, and you can go to the palace without wasting time.” What, are you satisfied?
- Very! - said Cinderella. - But is it really possible to go to the royal ball in this old dress, stained with ash?
The fairy did not answer. She just lightly touched Cinderella's dress with her magic wand, and the old dress turned into a wonderful outfit of silver and gold brocade, all strewn with precious stones.
The fairy's last gift was shoes made of the purest crystal, the likes of which no girl had ever dreamed of.
When Cinderella was completely ready, the fairy put her in a carriage and strictly ordered her to return home before midnight.
“If you are even one minute late,” she said, “your carriage will again turn into a pumpkin, the horses into mice, the footmen into lizards, and your magnificent outfit will again turn into an old, patched dress.”
- Don't worry, I won't be late! - Cinderella answered and, not remembering herself with joy, went to the palace.
The prince, who was informed that a beautiful but unknown princess had arrived at the ball, ran out to meet her. He gave her his hand, helped her out of the carriage and led her into the hall, where the king and queen and the courtiers were already present.
Everything immediately became quiet. The violins fell silent. Both the musicians and the guests involuntarily looked at the unfamiliar beauty, who arrived at the ball later than everyone else.
“Oh, how good she is!” - the gentleman said in a whisper to the gentleman and the lady to the lady.
Even the king, who was very old and was dozing more than looking around, opened his eyes, looked at Cinderella and told the queen in a low voice that he had not seen such a charming person for a long time.
The ladies of the court were only busy examining her dress and headdress in order to order something similar for themselves tomorrow, if only they could find the same skillful craftsmen and the same beautiful fabric.
The prince seated his guest in the place of honor, and as soon as the music started playing, he approached her and invited her to dance.
She danced so easily and gracefully that everyone admired her even more than before.
After the dancing, refreshments were served. But the prince could not eat anything - he did not take his eyes off his lady. And at this time Cinderella found her sisters, sat down with them and, having said a few pleasant words to each, treated them to oranges and lemons, which the prince himself brought to her.
They were very flattered by this. They did not expect such attention from the unfamiliar princess.
But while talking with them, Cinderella suddenly heard that the palace clock was striking eleven o’clock and three quarters. She stood up, bowed to everyone and walked towards the exit so quickly that no one had time to catch up with her.
Returning from the palace, she still managed to run to the sorceress before her stepmother and sisters arrived and thank her for the happy evening.
“Oh, if only I could go to the palace tomorrow!” - she said. - The prince asked me so...
And she told her godmother about everything that happened in the palace.
As soon as Cinderella crossed the threshold and put on her old apron and wooden shoes, there was a knock on the door. It was the stepmother and sisters who returned from the ball.
- How long have you, sisters, been staying in the palace today! - said Cinderella, yawning and stretching as if she had just woken up.
“Well, if you were with us at the ball, you wouldn’t rush home either,” said one of the sisters. “There was one princess there, such a beauty that you couldn’t see anything better in your dreams!” She must have really liked us. She sat down with us and even treated us to oranges and lemons.
- What is her name? – asked Cinderella.
“Well, no one knows that...” said the elder sister.
And the youngest added:
“The prince seems ready to give half his life just to find out who she is.” Cinderella smiled.
“Is this princess really that good?” – she asked. – How happy you are!.. Can’t I take a look at her at least with one eye? Ah, sister Javotta, give me for one evening your yellow dress, which you wear at home every day!
- This was just not enough! – Javotta said, shrugging her shoulders. Give your dress to a dirty little girl like you! It seems I haven't lost my mind yet.
Cinderella did not expect a different answer and was not at all upset. Indeed, what would she do if Javotte suddenly became generous and decided to lend her her dress!
The next evening, the sisters went to the palace again - and Cinderella too... This time she was even more beautiful and elegant than the day before.
The prince did not leave her side for a minute. He was so friendly, said such pleasant things that Cinderella forgot about everything in the world, even that she had to leave on time, and only realized it when the clock began to strike midnight.
She got up and ran away faster than a doe.
The prince rushed after her, but there was no trace of her. Only on the step of the stairs lay a small glass slipper. The prince carefully picked her up and ordered her to ask the gatekeepers if any of them had seen where the beautiful princess had gone. But no one saw any princess. True, the gatekeepers noticed that some poorly dressed girl ran past them, but she looked more like a beggar than a princess.
Meanwhile, Cinderella, panting from fatigue, ran home. She no longer had a carriage or footmen. Her ballroom dress turned back into an old, worn dress, and all that was left of all her splendor was a small crystal slipper, exactly the same as the one she lost on the palace stairs.
When both sisters returned home, Cinderella asked them if they had fun at the ball today and if yesterday’s beauty came to the palace again.
The sisters vying with each other began to tell that the princess was at the ball this time too, but ran away as soon as the clock began to strike twelve.
“She was in such a hurry that she even lost her glass slipper,” said the elder sister.
“And the prince picked it up and didn’t let it out of his hands until the end of the ball,” said the youngest.
“He must be head over heels in love with this beauty who loses her shoes at balls,” added the stepmother.
And it was true. A few days later, the prince ordered it to be announced publicly, to the sound of trumpets and fanfare, that the girl who would fit the glass slipper would become his wife.
Of course, first they began to try on the shoe for princesses, then duchesses, then ladies of the court, but it was all in vain: it was too tight for duchesses, princesses, and ladies of the court.
Finally, it was the turn of Cinderella’s sisters.
Oh, how both sisters tried to pull the little shoe onto their big feet! But she didn’t even get to their fingertips. Cinderella, who recognized her shoe at first sight, looked at these futile attempts, smiling.
“But it seems like she will suit me,” said Cinderella.
The sisters burst into evil laughter. But the court gentleman, who was trying on the shoe, looked carefully at Cinderella and, noticing that she was very beautiful, said:
“I received orders from the prince to try on the shoe for all the girls in the city.” Let me have your leg, madam!
He sat Cinderella in a chair and, putting the glass slipper on her little foot, immediately saw that he wouldn’t have to try on any more: the shoe was exactly the same as the foot, and the foot was exactly the same as the shoe.
The sisters froze in surprise. But they were even more surprised when Cinderella took out a second glass slipper from her pocket - exactly the same as the first, only on the other foot - and put it on without saying a word. At that very moment the door opened and a fairy, Cinderella’s godmother, entered the room.
She touched Cinderella's poor dress with her magic wand, and it became even more magnificent and beautiful than it was the day before at the ball.
Only then did both sisters understand who the beauty they saw in the palace was. They rushed to Cinderella’s feet to beg forgiveness for all the insults she suffered from them. Cinderella forgave her sisters with all her heart - after all, she was not only pretty, but also kind.
She was taken to the palace to the young prince, who found her even more beautiful than before.
And a few days later they had a fun wedding.
At least believe it, at least check it. Cinderella and her glass slipper
In the first edition of 1812 - that is, in the bloodiest and most terrible. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, like Charles Perrault together with the Italian storyteller Giambattista Basile, they did not invent stories, but rewrote folk legends for subsequent generations. The primary sources make your blood run cold: graves, severed heels, sadistic punishments, rape and other “unfairytale” details. AiF.ru has collected original stories that should not be told to children at night.
Cinderella
It is believed that the earliest version of “Cinderella” was invented in Ancient Egypt: while the beautiful prostitute Phodoris was bathing in the river, an eagle stole her sandal and took it to the pharaoh, who admired the small size of the shoes and eventually married the harlot.
The Italian Giambattista Basile, who recorded the collection of folk legends “Tale of Tales,” has it much worse. His Cinderella, or rather Zezolla, is not at all the unfortunate girl we know from Disney cartoons and children's plays. She didn’t want to endure humiliation from her stepmother, so she broke her stepmother’s neck with the lid of the chest, taking her nanny as an accomplice. The nanny immediately came to the rescue and became a second stepmother for the girl; in addition, she had six evil daughters; of course, the girl had no chance of killing them all. A chance saved the day: one day the king saw the girl and fell in love. Zezolla was quickly found by His Majesty's servants, but she managed to escape, dropping - no, not her glass slipper! - a rough pianella with a cork sole, such as was worn by the women of Naples. The further scheme is clear: a nationwide search and a wedding. So the stepmother's killer became queen.
Actress Anna Levanova as Cinderella in the play “Cinderella” directed by Ekaterina Polovtseva at the Sovremennik Theater. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Pyatakov
61 years after the Italian version, Charles Perrault released his tale. It was this that became the basis for all “vanilla” modern interpretations. True, in Perrault’s version, the girl is helped not by her godmother, but by her deceased mother: a white bird lives on her grave and grants wishes.
The Brothers Grimm also interpreted the plot of Cinderella in their own way: in their opinion, the poor orphan’s mischievous sisters should have gotten what they deserved. Trying to squeeze into the treasured shoe, one of the sisters cut off her toe, and the second cut off her heel. But the sacrifice was in vain - the prince was warned by the pigeons:
Look, look,
And the shoe is covered in blood...
These same flying warriors of justice eventually pecked out the sisters’ eyes—and that’s where the fairy tale ends.
Little Red Riding Hood
The story of a girl and a hungry wolf has been known in Europe since the 14th century. The contents of the basket varied depending on the location, but the story itself was much more unfortunate for Cinderella. Having killed the grandmother, the wolf not only eats her, but prepares a tasty treat from her body, and a certain drink from her blood. Hidden in bed, he watches as Little Red Riding Hood eagerly devolves her own grandmother. Grandmother's cat tries to warn the girl, but she also dies a terrible death (the wolf throws heavy wooden shoes at her). This apparently does not bother Little Red Riding Hood, and after a hearty dinner she obediently undresses and goes to bed, where the wolf is waiting for her. In most versions, this is where it all ends - they say, serves the stupid girl right!
Illustration in the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Photo: Public Domain / Gustave Doré
Subsequently, Charles Perrault composed an optimistic ending for this story and added a moral for everyone whom strangers invite into their bed:
For small children, not without reason(And especially for girls,
Beauties and pampered girls),
On the way, meeting all kinds of men,
You can’t listen to insidious speeches, -
Otherwise the wolf might eat them.
I said: wolf! There are countless wolves
But there are others between them
The rogues are so savvy
That, sweetly exuding flattery,
The maiden's honor is protected,
Accompany their walks home,
They are escorted bye-bye through dark corners...
But the wolf, alas, is more modest than it seems,
The more cunning and terrible he is!
Sleeping Beauty
The modern version of the kiss that woke up the beauty is just childish babble compared to the original story, which was recorded for posterity by the same Giambattista Basile. The beauty from his fairy tale, named Thalia, was also overtaken by a curse in the form of a spindle injection, after which the princess fell into a sound sleep. The inconsolable king-father left him in a small house in the forest, but could not imagine what would happen next. Years later, another king passed by, entered the house and saw Sleeping Beauty. Without thinking twice, he carried her to the bed and, so to speak, took advantage of the situation, and then left and forgot about everything for a long time. And the beauty, raped in a dream, nine months later gave birth to twins - a son named the Sun and a daughter named Moon. It was they who woke up Thalia: the boy, in search of his mother’s breast, began to suck her finger and accidentally sucked out a poisoned thorn. Further more. The lustful king again came to the abandoned house and found offspring there.
Illustration from the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty”. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / AndreasPraefcke
He promised the girl mountains of gold and again left for his kingdom, where, by the way, his legal wife was waiting for him. The king's wife, having learned about the homewrecker, decided to exterminate her along with her entire brood and at the same time punish her unfaithful husband. She ordered the babies to be killed and made into meat pies for the king, and the princess to be burned. Just before the fire, the beauty’s screams were heard by the king, who came running and burned not her, but the annoying evil queen. And finally, the good news: the twins were not eaten, because the cook turned out to be a normal person and saved the kids by replacing them with lamb.
The defender of maiden honor, Charles Perrault, of course, greatly changed the fairy tale, but could not resist the “moral” at the end of the story. His parting words read:
Wait a littleSo that my husband turns up,
Handsome and rich, too
Quite possible and understandable.
But a hundred long years,
Lying in bed, waiting
It's so unpleasant for ladies
That no one can sleep...
Snow White
The brothers Grimm filled the fairy tale about Snow White with interesting details that seem wild in our humane times. The first version was published in 1812 and expanded in 1854. The beginning of the fairy tale does not bode well: “One snowy winter day, the queen sits and sews by a window with an ebony frame. By chance she pricks her finger with a needle, drops three drops of blood and thinks: “Oh, if only I had a baby, white as snow, red as blood and black as ebony.” But the truly creepy one here is the witch: she eats (as she thinks) the heart of the murdered Snow White, and then, realizing that she was mistaken, comes up with more and more sophisticated ways to kill her. These include a strangling dress string, a poisonous comb, and a poisoned apple that we know worked. The ending is also interesting: when everything goes well for Snow White, it’s the witch’s turn. As punishment for her sins, she dances in red-hot iron shoes until she falls dead.
Still from the cartoon "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
The beauty and the Beast
The original source of the tale is no less than the ancient Greek myth about the beautiful Psyche, whose beauty was envied by everyone, from her older sisters to the goddess Aphrodite. The girl was chained to a rock in the hope of being fed to the monster, but she was miraculously saved by an “invisible creature.” It, of course, was male, because it made Psyche its wife on the condition that she would not torment him with questions. But, of course, female curiosity prevailed, and Psyche learned that her husband was not a monster at all, but a beautiful Cupid. Psyche's husband was offended and flew away, not promising to return. Meanwhile, Psyche's mother-in-law Aphrodite, who was against this marriage from the very beginning, decided to completely harass her daughter-in-law, forcing her to perform various difficult tasks: for example, bringing the golden fleece from mad sheep and water from the river of the dead Styx. But Psyche did everything, and there Cupid returned to the family, and they lived happily ever after. And the stupid, envious sisters rushed off the cliff, vainly hoping that the “invisible spirit” would be found on them too.
A version closer to modern history was writtenGabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuvein 1740. Everything about it is complicated: the Beast is essentially an unfortunate orphan. His father died, and his mother was forced to defend her kingdom from enemies, so she entrusted the upbringing of her son to someone else’s aunt. She turned out to be an evil witch, in addition, she wanted to seduce the boy, and having received a refusal, she turned him into a terrible beast. Beauty also has her own skeletons in her closet: she is in fact not her own, but the adopted daughter of a merchant. Her real father is a king who sinned with a stray good fairy. But an evil witch also lays claim to the king, so it was decided to give her rival’s daughter to the merchant, whose youngest daughter had just died. Well, a curious fact about Beauty’s sisters: when the beast lets her go to stay with her relatives, the “good” girls deliberately force her to stay in the hope that the monster will go wild and eat her. By the way, this subtle relatable moment is shown in the latest film version of “Beauty and the Beast” withVincent Cassel And Léaille Seydoux.
Still from the movie "Beauty and the Beast"
