new book for doll house

Tales of Grim

Once upon a time
Fairytales were spun
From darker days
And moral plays
From grown-up badness
And real life sadness
By word of mouth
They traveled north and south
Until the brothers Grimm
Got wind of them
And they were tamed
And world famed

Hansel and Gretel

Due to shortages of food during the Middle Ages, children were sometimes left in the forest, giving them scant chance of survival.

Hansel and Gretel was probably inspired by this practice of infanticide.
An early Brothers Grimm version has Hansel and Gretel abandoned in the woods after their mother, not stepmother, persuaded their father to do so.


The Pied Piper

According to legend, in 1284, all the children mysteriously disappeared from the small town of Hamelin, Germany.

The Pied Piper is almost certainly based on this tale.

Theories explaining the mass vanishing vary from the Black Plague to mudslides, pederasts, and the ill-fated Children’s Crusades. The leading theory however, is that a flashy recruiter took the children to help build and settle new towns in a quest to colonize Eastern Europe.


Little Red Riding hood

In 17th century France, prostitutes were known to wear red capes. The color red was also often used to symbolize the blood of the menstrual cycle.

Early versions of this tale have Little Red Riding Hood lying in bed with the wolf disguised as her grandmother. She sees through the ruse and threatens to defecate in the house unless he lets her leave. She manages to escape when he agrees to let her use the outhouse.
Later, the first published version served as a warning for young women. In this grisly version, the wolf kills both women. The Brothers Grimm included the huntsman to add a happy ending.

Sleeping Beauty

In 17th century Europe, stories that preached female patience and passivity were commonly told as warnings for young women.

Early versions of the Sleeping Beauty had a traveling King impregnating her in the woods while she slept. Having found out, his wife tries to have the resulting children cooked as a feast for the King.

A 1697 version turned the story into a fable to teach women to be passive. The Brother’s Grimm story was titled “Briar Rose”.