Hansel and Gretel is one of the classic fairy tales of youth; one that has stood both the test of time and of popularity. Where did it come from?
The Original Source
Hansel and Gretel is part of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm’s collection of fairy tales originally titled Children's and Household Tales, published in 1812, but now known throughout the world as Grimm's Fairy Tales. The brothers did not collect the fairy tales alone and the discovery Hansel and Gretel’s is attributed to Dortchen Wild who heard it in the town of Cassel.
In the earliest versions of the story, it was Hansel and Gretel’s mother who suggests that they abandon the children not a stepmother. Also notable is that in the earliest versions of the tale, both parents participated in the decision. During the Middle Ages, there were many disasters such as famine, war, and plague, which would cause parents to abandon their children. It would seem that in Hansel and Gretel’s case the abandonment could have easily been due to famine, which would explain the theme of food, which runs through the entire narrative.
Modifications to the Story
Hansel and Gretel is (like many fairy tales) a story based on generalizations and stereotypes known to people of the time. This is revealed by the fact that the original manuscripts referred to the siblings as Little Brother and Little Sister. When the brothers Grimm picked names for these characters, they chose names that in German would be seen as common names (equivalent to Jane Doe and John Doe today). Thus we have, the now familiar, Hansel and Gretel.
However, while creating a story based on familiar stereotypes, the brothers Grimm were also writing for middle class patrons during the nineteenth century. As a result, some of the original themes were converted to something less unpleasant for children of that era.
For instance, the mother and father’s collaboration in abandoning the children becomes something less sinister but also more morally ambiguous. The mother was turned into a wicked stepmother, so that there was no longer the conflict between mother and child. The father became a weak pawn in the hands of this witch.
An interesting coincidence occurs at this point. Both the stepmother and the witch die at the same time in the story. According to critics, both the witch’s and the stepmother’s relationship with the children and their threat to the children is predicated on an overwhelming desire for food. The stepmother does not want competition for what little food is available and the witch wishes to consume the children as a delicacy. The concurrent death of these women and their hatred towards the children suggests that they are the same person.
In the end, the witch is burned to death in her own oven. Death by fire is a fitting ending that works not only for the genre but also fits with the mode of punishment for those accused of witch-craft.
Not So Happily Ever After
The ending of the story is particularly difficult as even though the Grimms attempted to modify the story to fit into the satisfactory ‘happily ever after’ mode. Hansel and Gretel doesn’t really reach a moral high note. It takes wealth to change them into a happy family and there is no resolution for the father’s lack of character in allowing the children to be abandoned in the first place.
Fairy tales were based on oral tradition and passed down from generation to generation – changes and modifications were made by individual storytellers to fit the times and their tastes. While still a rather disturbing story of childhood, the brothers Grimm took the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and made it into something that was palatable for not only the audience of their era but for subsequent generations as well.
To learn more about fairy tales read about The Brothers Grimm, two men who collected many of our most well-known fairy tales.
