Anna K. Barnet

Stories by the Brothers Grimm are not as kid-friendly as children’s books perhaps ought to be to the modern eye. Mutilation, murder, cannibalism, and cruelty mark the tales, making for somewhat scarring bedtime stories.



1. The Juniper Tree – A boy, salted with his sister’s tears, is served to his father for supper. Brought back to life as a bird by tears of blood, the boy kills his step-mother, who had decapitated him with the heavy lid of a chest, and everyone lives happily ever after. Hooray!



2. Little Red-Cap – A precursor to the better known “Hood,” this gullible little girl doesn’t end up in the wolf’s gullet for good either. But upon being rescued by the huntsman, Red-Cap fills the wolf’s stomach with rocks. A short epilogue relates that she kills another wolf with a wicked look in his eye with another lethal dose of stones. Victory!



3. Cinderella – This classic is far from the Disney version that’s sweet enough to give you a toothache. The wicked step-sisters’ attempts at deceiving the prince are discovered when blood leaks through the too-small shoe. As punishment for their cruelties to Cinderella, pigeons pluck out their eyes. Which begs the question: Is justice blind or just blinding?



4. The Girl Without Hands – Devils, angels and a little girl whose hands are lopped off by her father populate this story. Her hands are replaced with silver before growing back out of pure piety, but she still names her first-born boy Sorrowful. This whole thing largely just makes me uncomfortable. Not even that scared. Just uncomfortable.

—Anna K. Barnet is the incoming Campus Arts Editor. She is frequently uncomfortable.