Faerie Tale Facts...the original fiction

The Little Mermaid was a Danish tale written in 1837. The original tale is nothing like the tale of the red headed perky girl we know as Ariel. The Mermaid, didn't have a name, she at the age of 15 swam up to the surface, in the process witnessed a ship wreck. She saved this beautiful man by taking him to shore. She hid while waiting for someone to find him. A young girl from a monastery found him. The prince never knowing the mermaid saved him thought the girl did. The Mermaid wanted so much to be with him she went to the sea witch for help. She gave her a potion. In exchange for her legs which would have a stabbing pain every time she walked...she would loose her tongue. But not only did she loose her tongue if the prince did not marry her, the morning after she would turn into sea foam and die. She drank the potion and danced for the prince but alas it was not to be. The prince married the girl from the monastery to whom he thought saved him. The mermaids sisters cut all their beautiful hair off in exchange for a dagger, if the mermaid stabbed the prince before sunrise she wouldn't die but turn back into a mermaid. She took the dagger but couldn't go through with it. She died that morning and turned into sea foam.


Sleeping Beauty was a French tale from 1867 which originally translated to "The beauty in the sleeping wood" Yet again she did not have a name. Disney took the name Aurora from her daughter L'aurore. For the most part Disney got the story right...until the prince showed up. He raped her in her sleep and she gave birth to 2 children. Her chamber maid let the child suck on her finger which pulled out the splinter from the wheel. She awoke obviously distraught but the prince came back and kept his family a secret from his mother. But once he took power as the king he brought them home to his kingdom. His mother was FURIOUS and demanded the cook kill them and serve for dinner. The cook being a kind hearted person did not and served her lamb and pig instead. She found out but so did her son so she jumped into a pit of snakes.... yeah

A few more tid-bits: her hair was not blonde it was brunette. Intelligence-wit was not one of the original gifts from the fairies.


Cinderella was a French story from 1634. The original story did not have pumpkins, glass slippers, or a fairy godmother. Some say that in the second installation the slippers were supposed to be fur but the English translated it wrong, into glass and it just stuck. In the first story Cinderella would visit her mothers grave where a tree grew. It gave her three wishes, same as the ones she got from the godmother, She has to leave the ball and leaves the slipper behind. The prince goes around and gets to her house. Her step sisters try cutting off their heels and toes to get their feet into the shoes. Birds from the wishing tree try to peck out their eyes and warn the prince. He goes back to the house and Cinderella finally gets to try the slipper which fits. Disney later added mice to the story.

In the original tell the step sisters turn into blind beggars but in the second version Cinderella lets them marry some dukes or rich men.


Beauty an the beast is another French tale from 1756. Belle was her name. In the original story the prince was not a prick. The tale that Villanureva writes that the prince's father dies when he is young. His mother had to wage war with other kingdoms and left him in the hands of a fairy. The fairy tried to seduce when he becomes an adult. When he refuses her she turns him into a beast. Belle is an offspring of a king and fairy. The evil fairy tried to kill belle and become the wife of the king. The king gave belle in secret to a merchant. When she went to the castle where the beast lived, in place of the merchant, her magic filled the castle. the rest of the story, told by Disney is right. Except they left out a ring that if belle turned three times would bring her instantly back to the beast.

The beast has many forms from different stories in some he's a boar, ram, fairy like creature, or the one we know from Disney.


Snow White was a German tale written back in 1812. In the origional story the dwarfs didn't have names. it wasn't until a broadway play in 1912 that the 7 dwarfs got names, but it's not the ones you know. They were blick, flick, glick, snick, plick, whick, and quee. In the original snow white was put in a glass coffin and a prince happened by wanted to take the coffin home with him. while they were moving the casket back to this kingdom they hit a bump and the apple was dislodge...they married.. but I wonder what exactly he was going to do if that apple never dislodge,maybe he would have pulled the same thing the prince did from sleeping beauty.

it is suggested that the story might be based off a princess Margareta von waldeck but no one is sure.