6 Tales That Changed So Much Over the Years, They Ended Up With a Totally Different Plot

The fairy tales we heard and read about when growing up are not what they seem to be. This is because, over time, the stories got changed so drastically that even the main plots are not what they used to be. One example is that Sleeping Beauty didn’t pinch her finger on a spindle at all.

We at Bright Side found out about key elements that were changed in the stories that gave the tales a totally different meaning in the past.

1. Snow White

The story of Snow White, the one we grew up with, says that her mother died giving birth to her and after that, her father married another woman. Her stepmom, the Evil Queen, is jealous and envious of Snow White’s beauty, and this drives her to take drastic steps to get rid of her stepdaughter.

However, one of the earliest versions of this fairy tale dates back to 1812, and it’s not like this at all. In fact, Snow White’s mother doesn’t die giving birth to her, but rather, she is actually the Evil Queen and her real mother. She becomes envious after the magical mirror starts saying that her daughter is the fairest of them all.

2. Cinderella

In the story, we know Cinderella gets help from her fairy godmother. She magically conjures her very well-known glass slippers, her dress, and pumpkin transport. However, there are other versions that not many of us have heard about.

In the Grimm Brothers’ variation of the story, Cinderella’s dead mother sends 2 white doves to help her. The doves help her out so that she can reach the prince. Their version goes like this: “Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all speed and went to the wedding.”

3. Goldilocks and the Three Bears

We can understand small changes that get made in fairy tales over the years, but when it comes to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, things are completely different from the version we know. The main character was changed.

In the earliest version of the story, it was a little old woman who got inside the house, ate the porridge, and slept in the bears’ beds. Plus, the title of the fairy tale was The Story of the Three Bears.

4. Hansel and Gretel

In today’s version of Hansel and Gretel, we know that it was their stepmother who banished the kids into the forest. However, in the oldest versions of the tale, it was their mother. It took some years before their mother was rewritten as their stepmom, even in Grimm’s version. She was named in 3 different ways: “the woman,” “mother,” and “stepmother.”

5. Sleeping Beauty

The earliest versions of Sleeping Beauty are actually a lot different from the ones we know today. One of many details that were changed over time is the object that the princess gets her finger pricked on. Today, we know that it was on a spindle, but in the earliest version, it was on a flax flower.

6. Beauty and the Beast

There is a true story that this fairy tale was based on. The man wasn’t actually a prince, but instead, had some connections with French royalty. Also, there wasn’t any magic involved. The “beast” had a genetic condition known as Ambras syndrome. This condition is defined by abnormal hair growth all over the body.

Which fact surprised you the most? Do you know of any other changes that were made in these well-known stories? What is your favorite fairy tale, and why?