Hey ya'll! A few months ago, I got to see the new Cinderella movie, and fell in LOVE with it!! I decided that for the formal this year, I was going as Cinderella in her BEAUTIFUL ballgown.
Anyways, I thought that it would be fun to post the original Cinderella story by the Brothers Grimm, just for a fun thing for my readers. So, I hope you enjoy, and please leave a comment below if you liked it, or if you would want me to put more original Disney Princesses stories up!
Enjoy!
(Abbreviated in my own words from the
Sixty Fairytales of The Brothers Grimm by Weathervane Books)
A rich man's wife became ill, and when she knew that her life was ending, she sent or her only child, a young girl, and said to her, "My dear girl, go on being a devoted and kind girl, and God will always help you, and I will be watching you from Heaven."
Soon after, she died.
The girl visited her mother's grave daily, and cried. She kept her promise to her mother of being a devoted and good girl.
When spring came, the girl's father married again. The new Step-mother brought with her her two daughters, who were beautiful to look at, but had selfish hearts. Soon, the girl's life turned around.
They forced her to eat with the servants in the kitchen, and made her wear ugly clothes. They made her work from morning until late at night, doing the dishes, washing their clothes, and carry water in heavy buckets.
They made fun of her, and threw food into the ashes, and had her clean it up. At night, she did not have a bed to sleep in, so she slept by the hearth. The ashes from the fireplace covered her very day, that soon, they called her Ashenputtle.
One day, the Father decided to go to the Fair. He asked his step-daughters what they wanted him to bring back.
"Beautiful clothes." One said
"Jewels." The other one replied.
Turning to Ashenputtle, he asked her what she wanted.
"Bring me the first branch that touches your hat when you return home." She answered.
He returned with the clothes, the jewels, and the twig, from a hazel bush, that had knocked his hat off when he returned home.
Ashenputtle thanked him, and went to visit her mother's grave. There, she planted the twig, then she began to cry. Her tears watered the twig, and it began to grow into a fine tree.
She went to the grave three times each day, crying and praying. Every time, a little, white bird came, and sat on the tree that she had planted, and gave her what she wanted when she made a wish.
It happened that the King sent word that there was to be a ball that would last for three days. All the beautiful maidens in the land were invited, so that the Prince could choose whom he was to marry.
When the sisters heard the news, they called Ashenputtle, and said, "Clean our shoes, and brush our hair. We are going to the King's ball!"
Ashenputtle obeyed, then went to her Step-mother and asked if she could go as well.
"You," the Step-mother said, "You can't go. You're covered in ashes. Besides, you don't have any clothes to wear there, yet you want to go!"
Ashenputtle asked again.
"Well, I threw a bowl of lentils into the ashes. If you pick out each one within two hours, you may go." The Step-mother replied.
Ashenputtle went to the backdoor, and cried,
"
The good into a dish to throw,
The bad into your crops can go."
Then two, white doves came, who were followed by two turtle doves and all the little birds. They all began to collect the lentils, until every one was in the dish.
Then Ashenputtle brought the dish back to the Step-mother, smiling.
But the Step-mother shook her head, and said, "You still don't have anything to wear. The people will laugh at you."
Ashenputtle began to cry.
"If you can pick out two dishes of lentils within two hours, you may go." The Step-mother said, thinking that it would be impossible for the girl to achieve.
But, again, the girl went to the backdoor, and cried the same thing again.
Once again, the birds arrived, and clean the lentils out of the ashes. Ashenputtle brought the dishes to her Step-mother with a smile. But the Step-mother shook her head again, saying, "No good. You have no clothes, and you can't dance. It would be embarrassing if you came with us."
She then went to help her two daughters.
When everyone left, Ashenputtle went to her mother's grave, and cried,
"Shiver and shake, dear little tree,
Gold and silver shower on me"
The same white bird threw down a beautiful gold and silver robe, with embroidered slippers. Ashenputtle slipped them on, then went to the ball.
When her step-sisters and their mother saw her, they thought that she was a foreign Princess, instead of Ashenputtle, whom they thought that they left behind.
The Prince fell in love with her, and danced with her all night. She stayed until midnight, then secretly left without anyone knowing where she went.
For two more nights, Ashenputtle would repeat the same thing every time. But the third night, as midnight struck, while she was leaving. she accidentally left one of her golden slippers that the bird gave her. The Prince, who was following her that night, found her shoe, and kept it with him.
The very next day, he went to Ashenputtle's Father, whom he knew very well, and told him that he would not marry until he found the girl who's foot fit the golden slipper he had found the night before.
The step-sisters were excited, for they both wanted to try on the slipper.
The eldest went with the Prince, and tried on the slipper, but her big toe was too big. Her mother handed her a knife, and told her to cut it off! ( :( ) She did so, and the slipper fit. The Prince was excited, and took the eldest sister away with him.
But, as they passed Ashenputtle's mother's grave, two doves sat in the hazel-tree and said,
"Prithee, look back, prithee look back,
There's blood on the track,
The shoe is too small,
At home the true Bride is waiting thy call."
The Prince saw the bleeding toe, and took the eldest back home. The second sister tried on the slipper, but her heel was to large. Her mother handed her a knife, and told her to cut off some of her heel! Ouch! The sister did so, then shoved her foot into the slipper. The Prince was excited once more, and took her away, thinking she was the Bride.
But, as they passed the mother's grave again, the two doves said the same rhyme. The Prince saw the bleeding foot, and took the youngest back home.
He went to the Father, and asked if he had any more daughters. Ashenputtle's father answered yes, but told the Prince that she was puny, the daughter of his late wife and not as beautiful as his step-daughters. The Prince sent for her anyways. Ashenputtle was sent for, and the Prince handed her the golden slipper. She slipped the slipper onto her foot, and looked at the Prince. When she rose, the Prince recognised her as the maiden he met at the ball.
The Prince took Ashenputtle to his palace, and they married happily. The sisters came to Ashenputtle, and asked for her forgiveness, and for their punishment, the two doves pecked one of their eyes out when they stood beside Ashenputtle. When they left, the Doves pecked out the other eye of each sister. They were punished for their wickedness, and were blind forever.
I thought this story was pretty interesting, and I hope that ya'll enjoyed it!