asylum, where she had been ever since.
Doctor Grimm’s notebook: Cinderella
The wife of a rich man fell sick, and died. Every day his daughter went out to her mother’s grave and wept. When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave, and when the spring sun had drawn it off again the man had taken another wife.
The woman had brought two daughters into the house with her, who were vile and foul of face, black of heart and jealous of the stepchild’s beauty. Now began a bad time for the poor stepchild.
“Is the stupid goose to sit in the parlour with us?” said they.
“He who wants to eat bread must earn it; out with the kitchen-wench.”
They took her pretty clothes away from her, put an old grey bed gown on her, and gave her wooden shoes.
“Just look at the proud princess, how decked out she is!” they cried, and laughed, and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard work from morning till night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light fires, cook and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every imaginable injury—they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out again. Therefor they named her “Cinderella”. Thrice a day Cinderella sat and wept and prayed at her mother’s grave and a little white bird always came on the headstone, and if Cinderella expressed a wish, the bird threw down to her what she had wished for. By praying at the grave of her mother, Cinderella had unleashed witchcraft.
It happened, however, that the King appointed a festival which was to last three days, and to which all the beautiful young girls in the country were invited, in order that his son might choose himself a bride. When the two stepsisters heard that they, too, were to appear amongst the number, they were delighted, called Cinderella and said, “Comb our hair for us, brush our shoes and fasten our buckles, for we are going to the festival at the King’s palace.”
Cinderella obeyed, but wept, because she, too, would have liked to go with them to the dance, and begged her stepmother to allow her to do so.
“Thou go, Cinderella!” said she. “Thou art dusty and dirty, and wouldst go to the festival? Thou has no clothes and shoes, and yet wouldst dance?”
Cinderella went to her mother’s grave and called:
“Shiver and quiver, my little tree. Silver and gold throw down over me.”
Then the bird threw a gold and silver dress down to her, and slippers embroidered with silk and silver. She put on the dress with all speed, and went to the festival. Her stepsisters and the stepmother, however, saw that Cinderella had lost her wits and she wore a dress of twigs and sticks and muck. Everyone at the festival, including the prince, laughed and pointed at Cinderella. So, upset and lost, Cinderella, using her new power, commanded all the birds of the sky to swoop and peck out the eyes of everyone at the festival. The birds did so and the screams could be heard for miles and miles as the guests ran blind with blooded sockets. Others came to their aid but she turned them to pumpkins and white mice. Then, once she pained her stepsisters and stepmother more by having them wear broken glass slippers, did Cinderella stop. Her father, on hearing the news, had his daughter sent to the asylum. Where she resided ever since.
Doctor Grimm’s notebook: Beauty
Once upon a time...as a merchant set off for market, he asked each of his three daughters what she would like as a present on his return. The first daughter wanted a brocade dress, the second a pearl necklace, but the third, whose name was Beauty, the youngest, prettiest and sweetest of them all, said to her father:
“All I’d like is a rose you’ve picked specially for me!”
When the merchant had finished his business, he set off for home. However, a sudden and unnatural storm blew; his horse was killed by a falling tree in the howling gale. Cold and weary, the merchant had lost all