A comparison of the versions of 1812 and 1857 (2024)

First edition, 1812

Final edition, 1857

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who had long wished for achild but had never received one.

Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who had long, but to noavail, wished for a child.

Finally, however, the woman came to be with child.

Finally the woman came to believe that the good Lord would fulfill herwish.

Through the small rear window of these people's house they could seeinto a fairy's garden that was filled with flowers and herbs of allkinds.

Through the small rear window of these people's house they could seeinto a splendid garden that was filled with the most beautiful flowers andherbs.

No one dared enter this garden.

The garden was surrounded by a high wall, and no one dared enter,because it belonged to a sorceress who possessed great power and wasfeared by everyone.

One day the woman was standing at this window, and she saw the mostbeautiful rapunzel in a bed.

One day the woman was standing at this window, and she saw a bedplanted with the most beautiful rapunzel.

She longed for some, but not knowing how to get any, she becamemiserably ill.

It looked so fresh and green that she longed for some. It was hergreatest desire to eat some of the rapunzel. This desire increased withevery day, and not knowing how to get any, she became miserably ill.

Her husband was frightened, and asked her why she was doing sopoorly.

Her husband was frightened, and asked her, "What ails you, dearwife?"

"Oh, if I do not get some rapunzel from the garden behind our house, Ishall surely die," she said.

"Oh," she answered, " if I do not get some rapunzel from the gardenbehind our house, I shall die."

The man, who loved her dearly, decided to get her some, whatever thecost.

The man, who loved her dearly, thought, "Before you let your wife die,you must get her some of the rapunzel, whatever the cost."

One evening he climbed over the high wall, hastily dug up a handful ofrapunzel, and took it to his wife.

So just as it was getting dark he climbed over the high wall into thesorceress's garden, hastily dug up a handful of rapunzel, and took it tohis wife.

She immediately made a salad from it, which she devoured greedily.

She immediately made a salad from it, which she devoured eagerly.

It tasted so very good to her that by the next day her desire for morehad grown threefold.

It tasted so very good to her that by the next day her desire for morehad grown threefold.

The man saw that there would be no peace, so once again he climbed intothe garden.

If she were to have any peace, the man would have to climb into thegarden once again.

To his horror, the fairy was standing there.

Thus he set forth once again just as it was getting dark. But no soonerthan he had climbed over the wall than, to his horror, he saw thesorceress standing there before him.

She scolded him fiercely for daring to enter and steal from hergarden.

"How can you dare," she asked with an angry look, "to climb into mygarden and like a thief to steal my rapunzel? You will pay for this."

He excused himself as best he could with his wife's pregnancy, and howit would be dangerous to deny her anything.

"Oh," he answered, "Let mercy overrule justice. I came to do this outof necessity. My wife saw your rapunzel from our window, and such alonging came over her, that she would die, if she did not get some toeat."

Finally the fairy spoke, "I will accept your excuse and even allow youto take as much rapunzel as you want, if you will give me the child thatyour wife is now carrying."

The sorceress's anger abated somewhat, and she said, "If things are asyou say, I will allow you to take as much rapunzel as you want. But underone condition: You must give me the child that your wife will bring to theworld. It will do well, and I will take care of it like a mother."

In his fear the man agreed to everything.

In his fear the man agreed to everything.

When the woman gave birth, the fairy appeared, named the little girlRapunzel, and took her away.

When the woman gave birth, the sorceress appeared, named the littlegirl Rapunzel, and took her away.

This Rapunzel became the most beautiful child under the sun, but whenshe was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in a high tower that hadneither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the verytop.

Rapunzel became the most beautiful child under the sun. When she wastwelve years old, the sorceress locked her in a tower that stood in a forestand that had neither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little windowat the very top.

When the fairy wanted to enter, she stood below and called out:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!
Let down your hair to me.

When the sorceress wanted to enter, she stood below and called out:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair to me.

Rapunzel had splendid hair, as fine as spun gold.

Rapunzel had splendid long hair, as fine as spun gold.

When the fairy called out, she untied it, wound it around a windowhook, let it fall twenty yards to the ground, and the fairy climbed upit.

When she heard the sorceress's voice, she untied her braids, wound themaround a window hook, let her hair fall twenty yards to the ground, andthe sorceress climbed up it.

One day a young prince came through the forest where the towerstood.

A few years later it happened that a king's son was riding through theforest.

He saw the beautiful Rapunzel standing at her window, heard her singwith her sweet voice, and fell in love with her.

As he approached the tower he heard a song so beautiful that he stoppedto listen. It was Rapunzel, who was passing the time by singing with hersweet voice.

Because there was no door in the tower and no ladder was tall enough toreach her, he fell into despair.

The prince wanted to climb up to her, and looked for a door in thetower, but none was to be found.

He came to the forest every day, until once he saw the fairy, whosaid:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!
Let down your hair.

He rode home, but the song had so touched his heart that he returned tothe forest every day and listened to it. One time, as he was thus standingbehind a tree, he saw the sorceress approach, and heard her say:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair.

Then Rapunzel let down her strands of hair, and the sorceress climbedup them to her.

Then he knew which ladder would get him into the tower.

"If that is the ladder into the tower, then sometime I will try myluck."

He remembered the words that he would have to speak, and the next day,as soon as it was dark, he went to the tower and called upward:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!
Let down your hair!

And the next day, just as it was beginning to get dark, he went to thetower and called out:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair.

She let her hair fall. He tied himself to it and was pulled up.

The hair fell down, and the prince climbed up.

At first Rapunzel was frightened, but soon she came to like the youngking so well that she arranged for him to come every day and be pulled up.Thus they lived in joy and pleasure for a long time.

At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man such as she hadnever seen before came in to her. However, the prince began talking to herin a very friendly manner, telling her that his heart had been so touchedby her singing that he could have no peace until he had seen her inperson. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked her if she wouldtake him as her husband, she thought, "He would rather have me than wouldold Frau Gothel." She said yes and placed her hand into his. She said, "Iwould go with you gladly, but I do not know how to get down. Every timethat you come, bring a strand of silk, from which I will weave a ladder.When it is finished I will climb down, and you can take me away on yourhorse." They arranged that he would come to her every evening, for the oldwoman came by day.

The fairy did not discover what was happening until one day Rapunzelsaid to her, "Frau Gothel, tell me why it is that my clothes are all tootight. They no longer fit me."

The sorceress did not notice what was happening until one day Rapunzelsaid to her, "Frau Gothel, tell me why it is that you are more difficultto pull up than is the young prince, who will be arriving any momentnow?"

"You godless child," said the fairy. "What am I hearing from you?" Sheimmediately saw how she had been deceived and was terribly angry.

"You godless child," cried the sorceress. "What am I hearing from you?I thought I had removed you from the whole world, but you have deceived menonetheless."

She took Rapunzel's beautiful hair, wrapped it a few times around herleft hand, grasped a pair of scissors with her right hand, and snip snip,cut it off.

In her anger she grabbed Rapunzel's beautiful hair, wrapped it a fewtimes around her left hand, grasped a pair of scissors with her righthand, and snip snap, cut it off.

Then she sent Rapunzel into a wilderness where she suffered greatly andwhere, after a time, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

And she was so unmerciful that she took Rapunzel into a wildernesswhere she suffered greatly.

On the evening of the same day that she sent Rapunzel away, the fairytied the cut-off hair to the hook at the top of the tower, and when theprince called out:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel!
Let down your hair!

she let down the hair.

On the evening of the same day that she sent Rapunzel away, the sorceresstied the cut-off hair to the hook at the top of the tower, and when theprince called out:

Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
Let down your hair.

she let down the hair.

The prince was startled to find the fairy instead of his belovedRapunzel.

The prince climbed up, but above, instead of his beloved Rapunzel, hefound the sorceress, who peered at him with poisonous and evil looks.

"Do you know what, evil one?" cried the angry fairy. "You have lostRapunzel forever."

"Aha!" she cried scornfully. "You have come for your Mistress Darling,but that beautiful bird is no longer sitting in her nest, nor is shesinging any more. The cat got her, and will scratch your eyes out as well.You have lost Rapunzel. You will never see her again."

The prince, in his despair, threw himself from the tower.

The prince was overcome with grief, and in his despair he threw himselffrom the tower.

He escaped with his life, but he lost his eyesight in the fall.

He escaped with his life, but the thorns into which he fell poked outhis eyes.

Sorrowfully he wandered about in the forest weeping and, eating nothingbut grass and roots.

Blind, he wandered about in the forest, eating nothing but grass androots, and doing nothing but weeping and wailing over the loss of hisbeloved wife.

Some years later he happened into the wilderness where Rapunzel livedmiserably with her children.

Thus he wandered about miserably for some years, finally happening intothe wilderness where Rapunzel lived miserably with the twins that she hadgiven birth to.

He thought that her voice was familiar.

He heard a voice and thought it was familiar.

She recognized him instantly as well and threw her arms around hisneck.

He advanced toward it, and as he approached, Rapunzel recognized him,and crying, threw her arms around his neck.

Two of her tears fell into his eyes, and they became clear once again,and he could see as well as before.

Two of her tears fell into his eyes, and they became clear once again,and he could see as well as before. He led her into his kingdom, where hewas received with joy, and for a long time they lived happily andsatisfied.

• Source: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, Kinder- und Hausmärchen(Children's and Household Tales -- Grimms' Fairy Tales), 1st ed. (Berlin,1812), v. 1, no. 12.