Classic Fairy Tale
Where It Came From

We're all familiar with the classic fairy tale. Cinderella, the Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty and others have even been turned into animated films.

Almost everyone can remember a time in their lives when they were truly inspired by a fairy tale or many of them. However, the modern versions of these stories aren't the same as the originals. Fairy tales have changed a lot since their creation!

Many fairy tales started out as moral tales for adults or folktales told for centuries, rather than stories for children, and many of them are very old.

Versions of Cinderella can be traced back to the first century BCE, and there are similar stories told from China to Peru. It wasn't until later that these stories were rewritten solely for kids.

That means that the early versions of many fairy tales are much bloodier and more violent than the ones we now know.

Many people who've never read the older versions of these stories may not be aware that the original versions of Sleeping Beauty involve the Prince giving Sleeping beauty far more than a kiss, or that in early versions of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf feeds her grandmother's body to Red Riding Hood.

Of course, even in the eighteenth century it was clear to writers that these gruesome tales needed to be changed if they were going to appeal to children.

That's why softer, less sensational versions were created. In this period, many new fairy tales were invented, too, including Puss in Boots and many others.

Collections of these stories had been made ever since the seventeenth century, but it wasn't until the 1800s that strong efforts were made to collect and categorize these tales.

Once again, fairy tales were rewritten, though many of the collectors believed they were returning the stories to their original folkloric form.

Many new stories were written by people like Hans Christian Andersen , who first brought us the Little Mermaid. These stories appealed to a whole new generation of children, and many others afterward.

Of course, without their sparkling illustrations, it's unlikely that we'd love these stories as much as we do. Fairy tale collections have been illustrated by many famous artists, including Arthur Rackham, Edmund DuLac, Maxfield Parrish, Jessie Wilcox Smith and many others.

You probably remember seeing these jewel-like pictures in your own fairy tale books. They've inspired many over the years and the continue to do so.

It's a testament to the power of fairy tales that they've lasted so long. New ones keep being born throughout the centuries, too.

If you were ever inspired by these fantastic stories, maybe it's time to look at them again. Check out some of the classic fairy tales you've always loved, and visit that magical feeling once more.