Cinderella is not a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale with a long history

Mondo Culture Updated on 2024-01-30

Cinderella is a well-known fairy tale about a girl who has been bullied and finally falls happily in love with her prince. There are different versions and variations of this story around the world, but its core themes and plots are strikingly similar. So, who wrote the story of "Cinderella"?

Cinderella is not a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, nor is it the original work of any one person, but a long-standing folk tale that has been passed down by word of mouth and written records for countless generations to form what we are familiar with today.

According to scholars' research, the earliest "Cinderella" story can be traced back to China in the 9th century BC, when the story was called "Ye Yuan", which tells the story of a girl named Ye Yuan, who was abused by her stepmother and stepsister because of the death of her mother, and later got the help of a goldfish and married the king. This story was later spread to other countries, giving rise to different versions, such as the ancient Greek "Rodope", the ancient Egyptian "Rhodesis", the ancient Indian "Saktara", etc.

In Europe, the earliest Cinderella stories appeared in the Middle Ages, such as Catriona in Italy, Finette in France, and Allison in England. In these stories, Cinderella's image and encounter are different, but they all have one thing in common, and that is her shoes. Shoes are the symbol of Cinderella in these stories, and they are also the clues that the prince recognizes her.

The two most popular versions are by the French writer Charles Perrault and the German Brothers Grimm. Perrault's version, published in 1697, was the first to introduce pumpkins, fairies, and crystal slippers, and was the main prototype for Disney's animated films. The Brothers Grimm's version, published in 1812, was the first to introduce a wishing tree and two little birds from the mother's grave, and a much more brutal and bloody version. Both versions played an important role in the spread and influence of the Cinderella story.

The story of Cinderella is not only a beautiful and moving fairy tale, but also a folk tale that reflects the universal psychology and culture of human beings. It expresses people's desire for fairness and justice, a better future and true love, as well as people's belief in good and evil retribution, hard work and self-worth. It is a classic that transcends time, space and borders, and is a precious treasure that we should cherish and inherit forever.

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