The famous German folk tale Rapunzel and her real story

Rapunzel is one of the most famous fairy tales in history. This ancient German folk tale has also inspired popular culture products over the years in fields ranging from cinema to literature. Thus, hundreds of years after it was first recorded and recorded by the Brothers Grimm in the 17th century, it has never lost its popularity.

The tale of Rapunzel, as you roughly know, tells of an innocent girl sentenced to life in solitude by an evil witch, locked in a tower in a deserted forest. Another outstanding element of the old German fairy tale is the legendary meter-long golden brown hair of Rapunzel, the main character of the fairy tale. Because Rapunzel’s “fabulous” hair is also the only thing that can contribute to our hero’s escape from an abandoned tower and lifelong loneliness! However, Rapunzel, like many other ancient tales, contains extremely important clues about the societies that lived in the past. However, Rapunzel’s origins date back hundreds of years, to the 3rd century AD. Moreover, the historical facts that led to the appearance of the fairy tale about Rapunzel are extremely interesting! Here is the true story of the world-famous tale of Rapunzel…

Rapunzel first appeared in the book “Tales of the Child and the House”, prepared by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.

The book, compiled by the Brothers Grimm, contained hundreds of different fairy tales. Moreover, almost all fairy tales were fairy tales, rooted in history for hundreds of years, and passed down orally from generation to generation. Rapunzel, one of the most wonderful stories in the book of fairy tales, begins very darkly, unlike many fairy tales in the book, shedding light on the dark side of Germany and all of Europe more broadly.

The original story from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales begins with a poor couple and a rich woman leading a reclusive life.

We later learn that the reclusive woman is an evil witch and the couple are Rapunzel’s parents. Before Rapunzel is born, her mother becomes obsessed with a plant in the evil witch’s charming garden. It is estimated that this plant was named “Campanula rapunculus” which was very popular in Europe for a time. Another name for the plant is Rapunzel!

Rapunzel’s father is forced to “steal” the plants from the witch’s garden due to his pregnant wife’s obsession. But after several successful thefts, he is caught! The witch spares the lives of the poor couple only on the condition that they give her the unborn child. After some time, the child is brought to the witch by agreement and imprisoned on the top floor of a high tower in a deserted forest. The name of our hero was also given by an evil witch: Rapunzel.

On the following pages, the old German fairy tale turns into a love story.

The prince, walking near the tower, hears Rapunzel singing and cannot help but head for the sound. Rapunzel’s legendary hair goes up the tower and Rapunzel and the prince fall in love. Moreover, Rapunzel is pregnant. Of course, at this point, the evil element of our fairy tale comes into play! The price of love for Rapunzel is the loss of stunningly beautiful hair! The wicked witch cuts Rapunzel’s hair! Moreover, he shoots it from the tower! Rapunzel’s years of imprisonment are over.

However, he is left alone in a desert he never knew, completely alien to him… When the prince returns to save Rapunzel, he comes across an abandoned tower. Unable to bear the pain of losing Rapunzel, she jumps from the tower and becomes blind!

Unlike many folk tales, Rapunzel, which began very darkly and continued in the same way, fortunately has a happy ending.

Years later, Rapunzel and the prince meet in a deserted forest. Miraculously, the prince’s eyes are healed and they go to the country of the prince to live a happy life with their twin children… Thus ends the story of Rapunzel. But the origins of the real story are much older than 1812, when the tale was first written down.

The tale bears a strong resemblance to the story “Persinette”, written by the French writer and poet Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de la Force in 1698.

Percinetta’s story also includes a poor couple, an evil witch, a prince, a woman with long hair, and an abandoned tower just like Rapunzel! However, it cannot be said that the primary source of Rapunzel is Persinetta. Because there is another place inspired by Percinette’s story!

The real inspiration for “Saint Barbara” is Rapunzel, who is believed to have lived in the 3rd century BC and is considered a Christian martyr.

It is believed that Barbara, who is believed to have lived in Eastern Europe in the 3rd century, was imprisoned in the tower by her father and later killed in the tower where she was held captive for many years because she was a Christian. So Rapunzel’s origin goes back to about 1500 years before the tale was first written down!

Rapunzel creates an allegory for the “virgin in the tower” idea common in early Europe.

From early Europe to the Middle Ages, it was not uncommon for young girls to be imprisoned, or at least forced to live as captives, so that they could “remain chaste”. Behind the true story of Rapunzel, the idea of ​​the “virgin in the tower” in Europe is as important as the life of Saint Barbara.

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