Cupid and Psyche vs. The Frog King/ Iron Henry

The Brothers Grimm collected a variety of stories. Each one was a differing version of an ancient tale told throughout generations. One of those retellings is that of The Frog King or Iron Henry. This narrative branched from an old Greek story: Cupid and Psyche. Both contain similarities and differences.

The heroine of both stories was born into a privileged family. The two meet and end up living with a creature. They have their doubts about this monster and attempt to get rid of it. At that point, the being makes itself known as a handsome prince. However, there are differences in the details of both stories.

Cupid and Psyche revolves around Greek gods. As such, it mostly features godly powers, teaching readers from a religious perspective. The Frog King, on the other hand, focuses on fantastical magic. The kind used by witches. After all, it was a witch who transformed the prince into an amphibian. Another difference can be seen in the heroine's view of the creature over time. The princess in the Grimm version was always disgusted with the frog. Psyche, however, gained her disgust after hearing rumors of the creature being a monster. Upon hearing these things, she is told to take a knife and stab the man while he is sleeping. Psyche agrees to. Going to stab him, she realizes he's not a hideous monster, but a beautiful, other-worldly being. The princess in The Frog King makes her discovery when she throws the frog at the wall, and it becomes a prince.

Regardless of differences, both texts teach a valuable lesson: not to judge someone based on what's outside.

It's no secret that Walt Disney made several changes to several of the Grimm Brothers' tales. So many that authors like Jack Zipes have claimed the animator destroyed the meaning behind each fairy tale. However, they have both similarities to the source material and various changes.

Let's begin with its similarities. The Queen has the same motivation as in the tale. She is jealous of Snow White. This jealousy is due to a magic mirror claiming that her step-daughter/daughter is more
beautiful than her. In both versions, the Queen then orders a huntsman to kill Snow White. He attempts to follow these orders but allows the princess to run off, bringing back animal parts to fool the Queen. The movie and story both contain Snow White going on to live in a cottage with seven dwarfs. She, in the movie as well as the tale, does housework for the little men. Everything from cleaning to cooking. The Queen, upon learning that the princess is still alive, makes herself look like an old peddler woman. She proceeds to offer Snow White an apple. This poisoned fruit caused the heroine to die. When the dwarfs find the princess in both versions, they put her in a glass casket, where she is surrounded by animals. Lastly, both versions end the same way. A prince comes for Snow White. When she wakes up, he takes the princess with him to his castle, where they live happily ever after. However, regardless of these matches, the film and story have various differences.

To start, the prince in the film meets Snow White in the beginning. This introduction leads the princess to have romantic thoughts about the man throughout the movie. In the Grimm's telling, however, he is a stranger. He just happens to ride through the area when the dwarfs are mourning the beautiful young woman. On the same note, the prince does not kiss her awake. He has the dead woman carried, where an accidental movement pops the apple out of her throat. In other words, Disney focuses more on a romantic aspect, whereas the Brothers Grimm have the princess saved through coincidence. The animation also puts more attention to magical interference. The original tale features the evil queen using her own mortal abilities to kill Snow White. Disney, on the other hand, has the Queen using supernatural powers. Rather than simply dressing herself up as an old woman, she turns herself into one through a magic spell. The story does not tell you where the Queen got the poisoned apple. In the film, she is shown making it in a witch's cauldron. By giving her these abilities, as well as having her use them in jealousy, the audience is made clear of the Queen's role as the villain of the movie. The story simply does so by making her vain and jealous of the princess. The Disney film even cuts out the Queen's other two attempts to kill Snow White. In the tale, she tries three times to kill the princess. First, she attempts to murder the heroine by tying a fabric tightly, to the point of suffocation. Second, she combs Snow White with a poisoned hairbrush. Finally, she poisons the princess with an apple, killing her. The movie only shows the Queen using an apple. In other words, the movie quickens the process in which the Queen kills Snow White.

Whether or not the Disney corporation destroyed the Grimm's tales are the same in some ways, as well as different in others.

In Cinderella,  it's believed that, through magic and marriage, one can go from rags to riches. This statement has been a part of many childhoods; but how accurate is it?

Ever notice something many fairy tales have in common? If not, let's look at the conclusions of both Sleeping Beauty (Brier Rose) and Cinderella. In both stories, the princess gets her happy ending by marrying a wealthy prince. In Cinderella, however, the main character does not start out as a princess (like Brier Rose). She is a peasant woman, living with and serving her family as a maid. It is when she is found by the prince that it's said she discovers true happiness. This belief was shared by the Brothers Grimm, as well as other adaptors of the story. Not surprisingly, most, if not all, of these writers were men. It certainly explains the male superiority expressed in many tales. Cinderella is shown to be a weak servant girl who had no control over her situation. In the tale, it is said that she does nothing to leave the house or stand up the step-mother. In fact, she went to the ball through help from her mother and animals. Cinderella takes little to no action herself. She is merely a damsel in distress. This weakness leaves room for a strong male role to come in and save her from the wicked family. The tale of Cinderella has always been an exaggerated show of gender stereotypes.

In regards to the supernatural aspect, Cinderella adds a religious side to it. Before the woman's mother dies, she tells her to be "good and pious" and that by doing so, the Lord will reward her. Cinderella does so. As a result, her mother's spirit (at the tree), aids her on several occasions. More specifically, when she goes to the ball. Cinderella goes to her mother's tree, asking for a dress to wear to the dance. The dead parent does so, causing a dress and slippers to fall from the tree. This supernatural event occurred each night of the ball. The birds also aid her once again in the end, warning the prince that neither of the step-sisters was the one he danced with. The magical interference ultimately leads Cinderella to her happy ending with the prince. While not accurate, it provided children with a set of morals: be a good person, show your love for God and you will be rewarded. This influence came from the Grimm Brothers' religious backgrounds. Both Wilhelm and Jacob were raised into Roman Catholicism. Along with that, Christianity was a dominant religion, causing the message to resonate with people more.

All in all, the rags to riches moral taught in Cinderella is inaccurate and made impacts--both positive and negative--on soiciety.

What Is A Fairy Tale?

For a few weeks, I have been given sources that explain the quality and overall nature of fairy tales. These sources lead me to my own definition.

Fairy tales are fictional stories passed down through generations. The tales move from culture to culture. Despite these transitions, the archetypes of each story do not change. There will always be a hero who goes on a magical journey or is thrust into one by supernatural forces. The protagonist will ever be faced with challenges on their journey. Regardless, the hero's story ends happily.

Take, for example, Sleeping Beauty or Briar Rose (as it's called in the Brothers Grimm's version). The prince sets off to a castle, hearing the stories about a princess sleeping in there for hundreds of years. The structure is covered in rose hedges (with thorns). However, upon his arrival (the end of the princess's hundred-year sleep) the hedges turn into lovely flowers, allowing the prince to come through. This magical help allows him to find Briar Rose, kiss her, and live happily ever after.

These aspects are seen in every fairy tale. Whether it be Grimm, Basile or Perrault, archetypes will forever be a special part of what make fairy tales universal.

"The Brothers Grimm," movie, being a creation of Hollywood, contains several exaggerated, and just inaccurate moments.

In one scene, the Grimms are seen drinking and partying. This portrayal of them is false. Both Jacob and Wilhelm were studious. They spent most of their time studying and collecting stories. In fact, the brothers avoided partying with their classmates in an effort to prove their hard work and equal chance of success. In addition, they were not con-men or magicians as was shown in the film. It would be against their religion to even pretend to have supernatural experience. As well as their personalities, details about their childhood weren't true.

While they did have a sister, she was never recorded to have gotten sick or died. Also, the Grimm family did not rely on selling animals for money. The brothers had some help from their aunt and other family members. They may have worked for themselves, but they were never as poor as the movie portrayed.

Regardless, there are factual elements in the film. Jacob and Wilhelm are truthfully portrayed as brothers who lived in French-occupied Germany. Speaking of the French, it also addresses the brothers' hatred of them; in return, it shows the French's hatred of them.

All I can truly say is "The Brothers Grimm," is an odd mix of fact and fiction, while still relying mostly on exaggeration.

How I Got Here

From birth, my family got me enamored by Disney. I watched the movies so many times. In fact, I dressed up as Cinderella in pre-school (that’s one of my favorite tales). Each of them taught me the morals I go by to this day. How beauty comes from the inside; that even the poorest person can have a happy ending. There are many others, but this post would go on forever if I listed them all.

My love of Disney then lead to a fascination with the original fairy tales. The darker themes and details added extra meaning to the stories. It seemed more realistic, dealing with genuine tragedies of reality: poverty to the point of starvation (Jack and the Beanstalk) and the deadly consequences of not following orders (Little Red Cap).

When it came time to choose seminars, this one had almost not competition. I had to learn more. The very idea of delving deeper into these grim tales intrigues me. And all I can say is, I hope my time here ends “happily ever after”.