It's not French, the origins are pretty much unknown, though first written down version is by the Brothers Grimm. And there are many variations of the story. The shoe being made of glass, the pumpkin carriage and the fairy were all made up by Disney I think.

One of the earliest versions of the story, Rhodopis, has its origins in Greece in the sixth century BCE. But the version that has most likely evolved into the stories (for there are at least 500 just in Europe) of today is a seventeenth century Italian version called Cenerentola. Wherever the story came from, one thing is for sure; it's about a girl who is abused and oppressed by her stepsisters and escapes a life of servitude by marrying into wealth and lives happily ever after. So please can somebody explain to me why on earth it is being thrown to the wolves in this thread?

Because the present story shows that being obedient and beautifull are virtues you should strive for, that you are valued for that, not for wit, intelligence, hardiness etc...

Actually it was her hard work that was rewarded by fairy godmother, not her obedience or good looks. And her creativity was highlighted in her dressmaking as well as her kindness to her animal friends. The concept of her beauty wasn't even explored till the ball.

and the cousins cut their feet to manage to put the shoes.... Much of the disney stories come from darker tales...

I have a degree in kid lit. It's French. As with many cautionary tales, it's been changed and adapted many times. The story we're familiar with today is 15th century French.

It is a very old tale. There is even a egipcian tale that is very similar.

Also a Zuni version too.

Fur fetishes are much better than glass fetishes.

Disney chooses familiar stories and then puts the Disney spin on it. The little mermaid in the original story becomes sea-foam because the prince marries someone else. Can you imagine a Disney movie ending like that? The box office would plummet. It isn't Disney now, it's Di$ney.

Right, the Grimms were what we would call folklorists. If you're interested in the evolution and migration of folk tales, you could look into the "Fairy Books of Many Colors" (Red Fairy Book, Blue Fairy Book, etc.) collected by Andrew Lang. You will find the same theme used over and over in many stories from many cultures, with minor differences in details like names and animal helpers. Also, there's https://guides.loc.gov/public-folklore-folklife, which covers folklife and traditions found in the US, but remember that people in the US come from literally everywhere (except Antarctica) and bring their stories and traditions with them.

It was a king. A full grown ass king. Which makes this even more disgusting and repulsive 🤮

Hermione - OMG, that's truly messed up!!

This dates from the times when marriages in the upper class were arranged, and it wasn't unusual for parents to pair their 12-yr-old daughter up with a rich noble in his 40's and up, if the girl's family got a monetary advantage from it. Maybe that's why stories about marriage based on true love were so popular.

Lorraine R - thanks for that info. Unfortunately, there are still are arranged marriages in various parts of the world.

The "true" story say that the darfs were little children and that in fact the prince completely raped her corpse.

Cool

SHE WASN'T DEAD. She looked asleep. And remember, the curse said she could only be awakened by "true love's kiss". I guess they believed in love at first sight in those days.