Dark Original Version of Classic Fairytale : Hansel and Gretel : Infanticidal Parents & Violent Death of The Devil

Fairy tales in the past were not intended solely for children but for adults as well. The moral lessons are still there, but the method of telling it is in no way beautiful. Nowadays, these fairy tales had been re-told and sanitized as to make it more acceptable and off course with more happy endings.

I will begin the series of discussion with my most-cherished survival story of Hansel and Gretel. Other fairy tales will be discussed in my next articles.

Popular Version

In the popular version collected by Brother Grim in 19th century, Hansel and Gretel get lost in the forest after the birds eat their trail of bread crumbs. They finally find their way to a gingerbread house. The wicked witch who owns the house enslaves them while preparing to eat them. The children manage to escape after Gretel, the clever character, throws the witch in a fire and free her brother. The story ends with Hansel and Gretel happily reunited with their family.

Meeting the witch. Image via Wikipedia

Earlier Versions

Infanticide

In the earlier French version, Hansel and Gretel do not become lost. They are led into the forest by their parents who cannot afford to feed them. The father doesn’t really want to abandon the children but the mother talks him into it and he finally gives in to his wife’s desire. This idea of infanticide is horrifying. The children have to deal with resentment from adults who supposed to be their caregivers.

Image source

has a historical reality. This original story of Hansel and Gretel is a reflection of the hardship of life in the middle ages. It is a common practice in the medieval era to let children die or disappear because of shortages of food.

In a newer version, there is an effort to sanitize this cruelty by saying that the wicked mother is not the children’s biological mother; she is a stepmother, a stranger, not a real mother. Stepmother becomes the scapegoat. Everything is her fault.  In the end of the story, the mother, is dead. Hansel and Gretel re-united with their father and they live together in a perfect joy.

Violent death

In the earlier version, there is no witch but a devil. The devil does not use oven to cook the children but he puts together a sawhorse and plans to put the children on to slowly bleed to death. The children pretend they do not know how to get on to the sawhorse. The devil’s wife demonstrates and while she is lying on the saw horse, Hansel and Gretel tied her up and quickly slash her throat. A cruel death indeed, but torture of bad guys is common in the middle ages.

Image source

In its historical context, this story reflects the fears, condition and value of society of the times of its origin which might appear too barbaric to modern society. However, the moral lesson in the newer and original version is still the same. Hansel and Gretel teach us, children and adults, the struggle for survival in the tempting dangerous world.

For my young daughter, though, I still prefer to read her the less violent version, but when she grows older, I would surely love to introduce her to the original version.

More of mine :

Tragic Characters in Children’s Storybook

Bad Lessons from Cinderella Story

How to Make Your Kids Fall in Love with Books