Black Horse

One Tale, Many Tellings

In short: Compare how Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and other tales changed across places and languages, with dated records and sources.

Cinderella

Origin and tradition · Related tales appear in China, Europe and the Zuni tradition. No single birthplace is documented.

A magical fish helps Ye Xian. Perrault has a fairy godmother and a glass slipper. In Grimm, a tree and birds help the girl, and her shoe is gold. In the Zuni telling, turkeys help her.

  1. 9th century · China · Tang era
    Duan Chengshi · Ye Xian
  2. 1634 · Naples, present-day Italy
    Giambattista Basile · La gatta Cenerentola
  3. 1697 · Paris, France
    Charles Perrault · Cendrillon
  4. 1812 · Berlin, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Aschenputtel
  5. 1857 · Göttingen, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Aschenputtel · 7. Auflage
  6. 1884 · London, United Kingdom
    Margaret Hunt · Cinderella
  7. 1889 · Bulgarian oral tradition
    Konstantin Pavlof / A. H. Wratislaw · Pepelezhka
  8. 1901 · Zuni, New Mexico, USA
    Frank Hamilton Cushing · The Poor Turkey Girl
  9. 1914 · Serbian oral tradition
    W. M. Petrovitch · Pepelyouga

Little Red Riding Hood

Origin and tradition · European oral tradition. Its exact oral origin is uncertain.

Perrault’s telling ends with the wolf. In Grimm, a huntsman rescues the girl and her grandmother. Carryl turns the tale into an English verse parody.

  1. 1697 · Paris, France
    Charles Perrault · Le Petit Chaperon rouge
  2. 1812 · Berlin, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Rotkäppchen
  3. 1857 · Göttingen, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Rotkäppchen · 7. Auflage
  4. 1884 · London, United Kingdom
    Margaret Hunt · Little Red-Cap
  5. 1902 · Boston, United States
    Guy Wetmore Carryl · How Little Red Riding Hood Came to Be Eaten

Rapunzel

Origin and tradition · Europe. Early Italian and later German versions.

Basile’s Petrosinella uses magic acorns to escape the tower. In Grimm’s Rapunzel, the prince loses his sight and Rapunzel’s tears restore it.

  1. 1634–1636 · Naples, present-day Italy
    Giambattista Basile · Petrosinella
  2. 1812 · Berlin, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Rapunzel
  3. 1857 · Göttingen, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Rapunzel · 7. Auflage
  4. 1884 · London, United Kingdom
    Margaret Hunt · Rapunzel

Puss in Boots

Origin and tradition · Europe. Early Italian and French written records.

In Straparola and Basile, a cat changes its poor owner’s fortunes. Perrault’s cat asks for boots and introduces its master as the Marquis of Carabas.

  1. 1550–1553 · Venice, present-day Italy
    Giovanni Francesco Straparola · Costantino Fortunato
  2. 1634–1636 · Naples, present-day Italy
    Giambattista Basile · Gagliuso
  3. 1697 · Paris, France
    Charles Perrault · Le Maître chat ou le Chat botté

Sleeping Beauty

Origin and tradition · A family of tales circulating in Europe. Its exact oral origin is uncertain.

A flax splinter sends Basile’s Talia to sleep. A spindle causes the sleep in Perrault and Grimm. Perrault’s story continues after the awakening.

  1. 1634–1636 · Naples, present-day Italy
    Giambattista Basile · Sole, Luna e Talia
  2. 1697 · Paris, France
    Charles Perrault · La Belle au bois dormant
  3. 1812 · Berlin, present-day Germany
    Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm · Dornröschen

Jack and the Beanstalk

Origin and tradition · English folktale. A related telling was recorded in Jamaica.

Jack climbs the beanstalk in the London edition. In the telling recorded in Jamaica, a hero named Jand makes a similar climb.

  1. 1807 · London, United Kingdom
    Benjamin Tabart · The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk · First known printed version
  2. 1924 · Jamaica · collection region
    Martha Warren Beckwith · Jand and the Bean-Stalk

The Monkey and the Turtle

Origin and tradition · Tinguian and Ilocano versions in the Philippines. Related tales occur in nearby regions.

Both Luzon versions feature a banana plant and a quarrel over its fruit. In the Tinguian telling, the monkey hangs his share in a tree. In the Ilocano version, the turtle plants its share in the ground.

  1. 1915 · Luzon, Philippines
    Fay-Cooper Cole · Traditions of the Tinguian, 77
  2. 1916 · Luzon, Philippines
    Mabel Cook Cole · Philippine Folk Tales · Ilocano

Māui Fishes Up the Land

Origin and tradition · Polynesia. Told in several traditions, including Māori and Hawaiian traditions.

In the Māori telling, Māui’s catch is named Te Ika-a-Māui. Hawaiian records associate the land pulled from the sea with different islands.

  1. 1907 · Aotearoa / New Zealand · Māori tradition
    Wilhelm Dittmer · Te Tohunga · Maui Fishing New Zealand Out of the Ocean
  2. 1910 · Hawaiʻi · storytelling tradition
    W. D. Westervelt · Legends of Ma-Ui · Maui the Fisherman

Fairy Tale Atlas