History of Fairy Tales
Ancient Fairy Tales
Egypt
• The Tale of Two Brothers
Roman Empire
• Cupid and Psyche – Story is very
similar to Beauty and The Beast.
China
• The first known version of Cinderella
was written in China.
Key Information for Foldable
• Early fairy tales were traditionally told
orally when they were first created.
• First known written fairy tale was found
in ancient Egypt, it was title The Tale of
the Two Brothers.
• More fairy tales have been found in
ancient Rome and China, including
Cupid and Cinderella.
Le Contes de Charles Perrault
Histoires ou contes du temps passé
‘Fairy Tales from Bygone Eras’
• Les Contes de ma Mère l'Oie
– The Tales of Mother Goose
Le Petit Chaperon rouge
• Little Red Riding Hood
• “From this story one learns that children, especially young
lasses, pretty, courteous and well-bred, do very wrong to
listen to strangers, And it is not an unheard thing if the
Wolf is thereby provided with his dinner. I say Wolf, for all
wolves are not of the same sort; there is one kind with an
amenable disposition — neither noisy, nor hateful, nor
angry, but tame, obliging and gentle, following the young
maids in the streets, even into their homes. Alas! Who
does not know that these gentle wolves are of all such
creatures the most dangerous!”
Key Information for Foldable
• Charles Perrault wrote The Tales of
Mother Goose containing eight Fairy
Tales that remain popular today.
• Little Red Riding Hood does not make it
out of the original Fairy Tale alive to
highlight the moral of his story.
• In the French version of Cinderella, she
wins the princes heart over two nights,
not one. Love at first sight didn’t exist.
MÄRCHEN
GERMANY
The Brothers Grimm
(1812 – 1815)
• Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published a
collection of fairy tales called “Childhood
and Household Tales”
Hansel and Gretel
Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs
Google Trip Through
Germany
• <http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=
UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=212002748
283635234134.0004a036d65e3eee84b
7a&z=6>
Key Information for Foldable
• Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
published a collection of fairy tales
called “Childhood and Household Tales
in 1812 – 1815.
• In Hansel and Gretel as in most fairy
tales good wins against evil.
• Some fairy tales from Germany are
Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White.
Brothers Grimm Vs. Disney
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
– The Queen: Brothers Grimm is Snow
Whites Mother. Is Step-Mother in Disney
Version.
– The Dwarfs: Brothers Grimm they have no
names. They each have a name in Disney.
– Queens Death: Brothers Grimm have her
dancing to her death. The dwarfs push her
off a cliff in Disney’s version.
Hans Christian Andersen 1805-1875
The Little Mermaid
•
•
•
•
•
Wrote in 1836
The Little Mermaid falls in love.
Trades her tongue for legs.
Has a broken heart.
Becomes a daughter of the air.
Key Information for Foldable
• In the Little Mermaid, the daughter was
called the “Little Mermaid”.
• She traded her tongue for her new legs.
• Her sisters traded their long hair for a
knife to kill the prince.
• In the Ugly Duckling, he was teased for
being different.
Fairy Tales from England
Famous Fairy Tales From
England
• Jack and the Beanstalk, The Three
Bears, and the Three Little Pigs.
People Who Have Influenced
English Fairy Tales
• Many people have been credited with inspiring
English fairy tales.
• Some of the most notable inspirers are Geoffrey
Chaucer and William Shakespeare.
Joseph Jacobs
Jack and the Beanstalk
Key Information for Foldable
• Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears,
and Jack and the Beanstalk are all English fairytales.
• Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare are
mentioned as key inspirers for English fairy tales.
• Joseph Jacobs is a key author of numerous famous
English fairy tales.
• Jack and the Beanstalk is a story that intends to
persuade children to be good hard working citizens.
Modern Fairy Tales
7 Dwarfs:
Sleepy
Dopey
Sneezy
Happy
Bashful
Grumpy
Doc
1939
1951
1953
1992
1998
2001
2003
2009
2010
Key Information for Foldable
• The Seven Dwarfs were Sleepy,
Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful, Doc,
and Happy.
• Wendy, Michael, and John were the
three main children in Peter Pan.
• Shrek, Tangled, and Mulan are example
of recent fairy tales that have been
released.
Quick Write
• If you had an opportunity to write your
own Fairy Tale story, what would be the
theme of your Fairy Tale?