Andersen's tales: original stories
In short: Unlike the Grimm tales, many of Hans Christian Andersen's stories are his own inventions. The Little Mermaid and the Emperor's New Clothes appeared in 1837, Thumbelina and the Princess and the Pea in 1835, and the Ugly Duckling in 1843. Some build on older tales, but he wrote them as literature for readers, not as folk tales.
Made up, or borrowed?
- The Little Mermaid: Andersen's own story, with echoes of water-spirit legends.
- The Emperor's New Clothes: based on a medieval Spanish tale about a king and three tricksters, which he reshaped.
- The Princess and the Pea: he said he remembered it from his childhood.
- The Ugly Duckling: widely read as autobiographical.
A different voice
Andersen wrote with humour and sadness, and addressed adults as well as children. His endings are not always happy, as The Little Mermaid shows in his original.
Why that matters for retellings
An author's tale can be retold with the author's spirit but a different ending. For young children we often choose calm endings and keep the heart of the story.
Timeline
- 1835Thumbelina and The Princess and the Pea.
- 1837The Little Mermaid and The Emperor's New Clothes.
- 1843The Ugly Duckling.
- 1844The Snow Queen.
Questions
Is the Ugly Duckling a true story?
No, but many readers see Andersen's own feelings of not belonging in it.
Is the Princess and the Pea an old folk tale?
Andersen said he knew it from his childhood. We have no older written source.
Sources and further reading
- Hans Christian Andersen, Eventyr, fortalte for Børn (1835-1837).
- Jackie Wullschläger, Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller (2000).