After her mother passed away, a young girl's father remarried a woman with two cruel daughters. They stripped the girl of her fine clothes, forced her into the kitchen, and mocked her by calling her Cinderella. Instead of a fairy godmother, Cinderella planted a hazel twig on her mother's grave, watering it with tears until it grew into a magnificent tree. When the King announced a three-day festival, a white bird in the tree gifted Cinderella dresses of gold and silver. She attended the ball, enchanting the Prince, but fled each night. On the final night, her golden slipper stuck to pitch the Prince had spread on the stairs. To fit the shoe, the stepsisters mutilated their feet—one cutting off a toe and the other her heel—but the Prince was alerted to the blood by two pigeons. Finally, the slipper fit Cinderella perfectly. At the wedding, the same pigeons pecked out the stepsisters' eyes as punishment for their wickedness.
True goodness and humility will eventually be rewarded, while cruelty and vanity lead to one's own destruction.
Questions about this story
What is the moral of Cinderella?
The moral is that kindness, patience, and inner beauty will be recognized and rewarded in the end. Conversely, those who are cruel and deceitful will face justice for their actions.
Is there a fairy godmother in the Grimm version?
No, in the Brothers Grimm version, there is no fairy godmother. Cinderella receives her magical help from a hazel tree she planted on her mother's grave and the white birds that live within it.
What happens to the stepsisters at the end?
In the Grimm version, the stepsisters are punished for their cruelty and falsehoods. During Cinderella's wedding, pigeons peck out their eyes, leaving them blind for the rest of their lives.
How many nights does the ball last?
The royal festival in the Grimm version lasts for three consecutive nights. Cinderella wears a different, increasingly more beautiful gown of silver and gold each night provided by the bird.
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Good night.
