Fairytale true stories were far Grimmer
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS
The real Snow White was a beautiful German noblewoman called Margarete von Waldeck, who was born in 1533. Her jealous stepmother – played by Charlize Theron in 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman – banished her. She fell in love with a Spanish prince but died suddenly, possibly as a result of poisoning. The dwarfs came from the Waldeck family mines where young children were sent to dig for gold and silver. The darkness and gruelling work stunted their growth and by 20, they were stooped and wizened with long beards.
RAPUNZEL
The tale of the girl with the long hair who lets a prince climb up it to the tower where she is locked is thought to be inspired by the life of Saint Barbara of Nicomedia, a beautiful 3rd century woman who was confined to a tower by her father to hide her from suitors. While in the tower, she converted to Christianity and, tortured for her faith, performed a series of miracles.
BLUEBEARD
This tells the story of a wealthy man with a nasty habit of bumping off his wives. One source is thought to be the early French king Conomor the Cursed and his wife Tryphine, who was warned by the ghosts of his previous wives that he murders them when they become pregnant.
Another inspiration may be the 15th century French knight Gilles de Rais, a serial killer who murdered between 100 and 200 children and was accused of dabbling in the occult.
HANSEL AND GRETEL
This follows the abandoned and starving siblings, kidnapped by a witch in a gingerbread house, who plans to cook and eat Hansel. The tale comes from a famine in Europe between 1314 and 1322 which may have killed a quarter of the population. Parents abandoned their children while one piece of writing from the time claims there was cannibalism with “mothers fed their children”.
THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN
The story of the Piper hired to rid the town of its rats comes from the real events of June 26, 1284, where 130 children disappeared. One plaque in the German town tells of the youngsters “led out of the town by a piper wearing multicoloured clothes.” It’s thought they may have been lured away by a “recruiter” who helped people migrate to find work. Another theory points to the medieval phenomenon of “dancing mania” – a form of mass hysteria where sufferers danced uncontrollably and over distance until they collapsed. There was an outbreak near Hamelin at that time.
CINDERELLA
The original Cinders was Rhodopis, a blonde and fair Greek girl who was sold into slavery around 500 BC and taken to Egypt. While she was bathing, an eagle snatched her shoe and carried it to the king who decided to find its owner. His servants tracked her down and the two were married. Cinderella has been played by stars including Lily James and Camila Cabello.