Episode 32: Fairy Tales part 1

Did you know the real story of Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood? I sure didn't. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey everybody, I'm Shannon and welcome to the They Hid Why Podcast. On this podcast, I explore parts of history that have been kept hidden or swept under the rug. In this week's episode, I will be discussing fairy tales. Let's get into it. But what it turned into is I couldn't even remember the stories that were told to us as kids, like the cleaned up versions. So I went back and I started reading them and then read it against the original. I was like, wait, what? So yeah, a little shocking. I don't remember the most basic fairy tales. Uh, fun to reread them. And then I learned the real one. So what I'm gonna do today is catch you up to speed, because maybe you don't know. So I'm gonna tell you the story that we know and then the grim version, pun intended. So let's start with Cinderella. Okay, Cindercella. The story we know goes as such. It typically starts out with the reader or viewer, because there are a thousand movies made based on the story, meeting Cinderella who lives with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters. Cinderella's father has died, and Cinderella is being mistreated by the other women in the house. She meets a magical fairy godmother who transforms her into a princess so that she can attend a royal ball. At the ball, she meets and falls in love with a prince, but has to leave before midnight when the magic wears off. And as she's leaving, she loses one of her shoes, which the prince uses to find her. So Cinderella's foot is the only one that fits in the shoe, and when he tries it on her foot, he takes her away, they get married, and live happily ever after. Okay, so couple things that are occurring to me as an adult. Uh one, how did the prince not recognize that all these other women trying on the shoe weren't Cinderella, the woman that he supposedly loves? That seems pretty basic. I guess it's just more magical. Uh and two, if the spell wears off at midnight, wouldn't the shoe either disappear or turn back into one of Cinderella's regular shoes? Because I'm thinking of the Disney version where a pumpkin is turned into a coach, and I think the mice are turned into horses, and then at midnight, the pumpkin, or I'm sorry, the coach and the horses turn back into mice and a pumpkin. So wouldn't uh the shoe she was wearing to the ball turn into her regular shoe? Is that just a loophole? Do we not care? I get hung up on stuff like this. Okay, well, anyway, who cares? The Grimm's version of Cinderella. A rich man has a wife that's sick. When she feels that the end is near, she calls her daughter to her and says, Quote, Dear child, be pious and good, and God will always take care of you, and I will look down upon you from heaven and will be with you. And then she dies. The daughter went to her mother's grave every day and cried. Winter came and covered the grave, but when the snow melted, the rich man, the girl's father, decided that it was time to remarry. The man remarries a woman who has two daughters and they all move in together. The stepdaughters are beautiful on the outside, but vile on the inside. The three newcomers immediately start to taunt the man's daughter. They force her to wear an ugly dress, wooden shoes, and work in the kitchen. From the tale, quote: She was obliged to do heavy work from morning to night, get up early in the morning, draw water, make the fires, cook and wash. Besides that, the sisters did their utmost to torment her, mocking her, and strewing peas and lentils among the ashes, and setting her to pick them up. In the evenings, when she was quite tired out with her hard day's work, she had no bed to lie on, but was obliged to rest on the hearth among the cinders. And as she always looked dusty and dirty, they named her Cinderella. So she has a real name, we just never learned it, and then she gets or she goes by the name that her bullies gave her, which is like cool. Anywho, one day the man was going to uh the fair and asked the daughters what they wanted. The stepdaughters wanted fine clothes, pearls, and jewels. And Cinderella wanted the first twig that hits his hat on the way home. When he returned, he gave the stepdaughters the clothes and the jewels and gave Cinderella a hazel twig that had struck his hat. Cinderella took the twig to her mother's grave and planted it, using her tears to water it, and the twig became a tree. Cinderella went to the grave three times a day and cried and prayed, and every time she went, a white bird rose up from the tree. If Cinderella said a wish to the bird, the bird would bring her whatever she asked for. The king of the land ordered a three-day-long festival and expected all the beautiful young women of the country to attend so that the king's son could choose a bride. When the stepdaughters heard about the festival, they were excited and gave Cinderella a list of things they wanted done to prepare. Cinderella cried because she also wanted to go, and she begged her stepmother to let her attend the festival, but was told, quote, what, you, Cinderella? She said, In all your dust and dirt, you want to go to the festival. You that have no dress and no shoes, you want to dance. But as she persisted in asking, at last the stepmother said, Quote, I have strewed a dish full of lentils in the ashes, and if you pick them all up in two hours, you may go with us. Cinderella was crafty though. She went to the back door and called out to the white birds that came out of the hazel tree that grew from the mother's grave. And she said to them, O gentle doves, O turtle doves, and all the birds that be, the lentils that in ashes lie come and pick up for me. The good must be put in the dish, the bad you may eat if you wish. The room quickly filled up with birds, who all went to work on finding these lentils. In less than an hour the lentils were all recovered and the birds left. Cinderella took the bowl of lentils to her stepmother, but was told she couldn't go to the festival because she had nothing to wear, didn't know how to dance, and would be laughed at. Cinderella kept begging though, and her stepmother said that if she could pick up two bowls of lentils from the ashes, she could go with them. Cinderella called to the birds again, and they picked out all the lentils in a half hour. Cinderella brought the bowls to her stepmother but was told she couldn't go because she didn't have the right clothes, couldn't dance, and would shame the family. The stepmother left for the festival with her two daughters. A bird dropped a dress of gold and silver and embroidered shoes of silk and silver. Cinderella got dressed and hoofed it over to the party. Her stepmother and stepsisters didn't recognize her and assumed she was a foreign princess. The prince came over to Cinderella, took her by the hand, and danced with her, refusing everyone else. By nighttime, Cinderella wanted to return home. The prince wanted to walk her home to see where she lived. However, on the way, Cinderella jumped into a pigeon house to hide. The prince waited and eventually Cinderella's father showed up. When the prince, who was still loitering, told him that his lady jumped into the pigeon house, the father was doubtful that it was Cinderella, but ordered the house cut down. No one was inside. When the two men entered Cinderella's home, there she was sitting by the fire in her raggedy dress. You see, Cinderella didn't hide in the pigeon house, she just passed through it. She went to her mother's grave and changed, a bird taking away her party dress, and then situated herself in the kitchen as if she had never left. The next day the family, minus Cinderella, left for the festival. Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said, Little tree, little tree, shake over me, that silver and gold may come down and cover me. This time the bird brought a dress even more beautiful than the first. She went to the party and the prince made a beeline for her. They danced the entire day until night fell and Cinderella wanted to go home. The prince followed her because he wanted to see where she lived, but Cindy ran into the garden behind her house and climbed up a large pear tree. The prince waited for her to reappear until Cindy's father came about and the prince told him what was up. Dad didn't think it could be Cindy and had the tree cut down, because sure. But there was no one in it. When they walked into the kitchen, there was Cinderella. She had climbed up one side of the tree, down the other, returned the dress to the hazel tree at her mother's grave, and returned to the house. Festival Day 3. The family heads out to the party, and Cindy goes to the hazel tree and asks, Little Tree, little tree, shake over me that silver and gold may come down and cover me. The dress the bird dropped on her was unlike any other, and she wowed everyone at the fete. The prince was in awe, only danced with her and followed her home come nighttime. The prince had planned ahead though. He had pitch spread all over the walking path so that if Cindy were to run in it, her shoes would get stuck and he could hang on to it. No idea what pitch is. I'm guessing it's some type of tar. The plan worked, and the next day he took the shoe to Cinderella's father and said the shoe belonged to his bride. The stepsisters were hype and rushed to try on this shoe. The elder of the two rushed to her bedroom to try it on with her mom and toe. The shoe was too small and she couldn't get her big toe into it. Her mother gave her a knife and said, Cut the toe off, for when you are queen you will never have to go on foot. The girl cut off her toe, squeezed her foot into the shoe, and went to the prince. The prince took her with him on his horse to be his bride. They passed the hazel tree on their way to the palace, and two pigeons said, There they go, there they go. There is blood on her shoe. The shoe is too small, not the right bride at all. The prince stopped his horse, took the shoe off the woman's foot, and upon seeing the blood and missing toe, he took her back to the house. When they returned, he said the other sister must be the shoe's owner, and so she went into her room to try it on. She could get her toes into the shoe, but not her heel. Her mother, lovely woman that she was, gave her a knife and said, Cut a piece off your heel. When you are queen, you will never have to go on foot. So the girl cut off part of her heel, shoved her foot into the shoe, and went to the prince. The two rode off, but when they passed that hazel tree and the pigeons called out that there was blood in the shoe and she wasn't the right woman, the prince checked. He saw the bloody foot and returned her to the house. The prince was pretty annoyed and asked if there were any other daughters in the home. The dad said only my dead wife left behind her a little stunted Cinderella. It is impossible that she can be the bride. A little offended for old Cindy. But the prince demanded that Cinderella be brought in. She washed her face and hands, curtsied to the prince, sat on a stool, and stuck out her foot. The prince put the shoe on her foot without issue. A perfect fit. The prince said, This is the right bride. The stepmother and sisters were pissed, but the prince and Cinderella rode off. As they passed the hazel tree, the two pigeons called out there they go, there they go, no blood on her shoe. The shoe's not too small, the right bride is she after all. The pigeons then flew over to Cinderella and each perched on her shoulder. The story ends with And when her wedding with the prince was appointed to be held, the false sisters came, hoping to curry favor, and to take part in the festivities. So as the bridal procession went to the church, the eldest walked on the right side, and the younger on the left, and the pigeons picked out an eye of each of them. And as they returned, the elder was on the left side, and the younger on the right, and the pigeons picked out the other side of each of them. And so they were condemned to go blind for the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehoods. The end. So the moral of the story is I guess what you see isn't always what you get. Or don't judge a book by its cover. Or don't cut off toes for a cute pair of shoes. A little girl's mother made her a red cloak and hood, which the girl always wore. She became known as Little Red Riding Hood. One day, her mother asks if she will walk through the woods to drop off a basket of food to her sick grandmother. Toats, Mom. Mom reminds her not to talk to strangers, and little Ridy agrees. So on her way through the woods, a voice behind her appears. She turns around to see a wolf and says, Hello. The wolf asks her where she's going, and Ridy Girl says, To my grandmother's house just outside the woods. Cool, says the wolf. Why don't you pick some flowers for her on your way? Wolf needed to buy some time because he decided to go to grandmother's house and eat her, as he was starving. He eats granny in one gulp and situated himself in her bed, pulling the blankets up over him, and he put granny's glasses and cap on. Then we get into the hole, what big eyes, ears, teeth you have bit, and the wolf eats the girl in one gulp. A woodsman outside hears the girl shriek and ran into the house. He found the wolf all fat like, grabbed a leg and shook him upside down. Out tumbled the girl and granny. The three humans chased the wolf out of the woods, never to be seen again, and the girl learned to actually not talk to strangers. So, Grimm's version, the beginning part is pretty much the same right up until the girl gets eaten. The wolf was so tired after his feast that he curled up on Granny's bed, fell asleep, and began to snore loudly. A hunter was walking by and thought it was weird that the old lady would be snoring so loud. So he let himself into the house and found that the wolf that he had been hunting, he has eaten the grandmother. But perhaps she still can be saved. I won't shoot him, thought the huntsman. So he took a pair of scissors and cut open the wolf's belly. He cut a little more and a little more and out popped Little Red Riding Hood, followed by Granny. The group filled the wolf's body with stones, which ended up killing him when he tried to run. None of this makes any sense. You're telling me, Mr. Grimm, that this hunter made multiple scissor cuts to a live wolf's stomach without any fight, then filled the open cavity with rocks and expected them to just stay in there. And I don't think it was the light jog the wolf decided to take after this event that killed him, but more so the blood loss from being flayed. You know, that's just me, though. I guess we all can form our own opinions. Anyway, the two chicks are alive, the wolf's dead, the huntsman skinned him. Granny ate the snacks that the girl brought over, and Riding Hood said, for real this time, she won't be talking to strangers ever again. Cut to a later date, and when Ridinghood is walking through the woods to Granny's house, a wolf comes up to her and asks her to leave the path. She ignored him and went straight to grandmother's house. She told her grandma what happened, and Granny said they needed to lock the door so he couldn't get in. And sure enough, the wolf knocks on Granny's door, claiming to be Little Red Riding Hood. The two women hide and listen as the wolf paces the house and then jumps onto the roof. His hope is to eat the girl when she leaves. But Granny's too smart for that. Earlier that day, she had boiled sausages in a pot of water. She instructs the girl to pour that water into a stone trough outside the kitchen window to lure the wolf off the roof. When Ride's done, the wolf catches the scent of sausage water and stretches himself as long as he can to reach the trough, but ends up slipping and drowning. The end. I mean, I guess this is like their version of cartoons where wolves can walk on their back feet, talk, and open doors. Um, so the moral was obviously don't talk to strangers. We know that. Uh, I'd say be wary of talking wolves would be another. And don't leave your grannies unattended. So listen, friends, doing this was an absolute hoot, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I would happily make this a 37-part series. Um, but I don't know that you want your childhood crapped on like that. So I will probably do another part next week, uh, because I do have other stories read and ready to go. And I have uh, I think two or three more on the back burner that I wanted to look into. So this may even become a three-parter. I don't know. I had fun. I hope you had fun. It was funny, it was weird. Come back next time to see what else these wacko grims came up with.