Rapunzel: the legend, the fairy tale, the truth

1. If we look for one single detail by which Rapunzel is distinguished from other fairy tales, that would be her long hair. We can find treacherous parents in Hansel and Gretel, over protective father in Sleeping Beauty, jealous mother in Snow White, incompetent father in Rumpelstiltskin and escape of young girls in Cinderella. All these motifs can be find in Rapunzel, but long hair is her own trade mark.

2. Long hair is connected with many beliefs and superstitions. There are numerous stories and legends about long (or strong or golden) hair (or beard). Remember Samson and Delilah? Devil and three golden hairs? Loki and Sif? Long hair is connected to power and magic!

3. There are many primitive tribes who still practice ritual cutting hair of maidens before their marriage. Long hair symbolizes availability and innocence. It is also sexual appealing. Virgins have long hair and magical powers but when they become women, they should concentrate on more practical issues. Short hair is more practical for sure!

In illustrations above we can see how illustrators in different times with different styles tried to catch the same essence of the signature scene in Rapunzel.

Left illustration is work of Arthur Rackham and right is made by Anne Anderson.

We can hardly see characters on the scene. Hair is absolutely dominant.

4. Legend of Saint Barbara (Santa Barbara): Barbara was daughter of Dioscorus, affluent pagan, living in area of today's Turkey. He locked his daughter to protect her from outside world and she secretly became Christian. That was illegal and when Dioscorus found out he dragged Barbara to Martinianus, prefect of province.

After torturing she was condemned to death and her own father decapitated her! Through whole process several miracles occurred: Barbara's wounds healed with amazing speed, her prison was lighted with mysterious light, her traitor turned into stone and her father died of lightning only few hours after he killed her.

5. Rudaba from Persia was also locked in a castle, she had long hair too and she didn't follow her father's rules. She escaped with Zal, who was raised by a mythical creature with magical powers. Rudaba and Zal married in spite of opposition of their parents (they were of different origins and religious beliefs) and she almost died giving birth to their son.

Luckily Zal saved her life with magic feather given by his protector. As in legend of Santa Barbara there were also magical healing and fire involved.

6. We will never now the truth behind legend of Santa Barbara or myth of Rudaba but we know some reliable facts about Madame de la Force. She was French aristocrat, novelist and poet in 18th century. She converted to catholic religion because this simple act gave her a life time rent. She had numerous lovers and finally married much younger man.

Her husband's family disapproved the marriage and convinced the king to revoke the marriage and send Madame de la Force into nunnery. There she wrote several fairy tales and novels, including Persinette, based on her life story and with the same elements as Santa Barbara an Rudaba. Name Persinette comes from parsley (French persille), very popular herb from the nunnery's garden.

7. Talking about classic fairy tales we must not forget Pentamerone by Giambattista Basile. He wrote his version of Rapunzel (named Petrosinella, what translates Parsley) more than hundred years before Madame de la Force wrote her version. Basile's version was darker, girl was kept by ogress not fairy and in the end ogress dies (de la Force made a happy end with forgiving). Basile's and not de la Force's Rapunzel is now considered as official ancestor to now most known Grimm's Rapunzel.

8. Brothers Grimm very probably wrote first version of their Rapunzel based on Persinette translated by Friedrich Schulz. They made some changes in first edition (fairy for instance becomes a witch, what is closer to Basile's ogress, but she was not punished in the end, because Grimms didn't feel she did anything wrong).

9. Later versions of Rapunzel were rewritten again. Grimms were convinced fairy tales should be educational and didn't approve any immoral behavior. Extramarital relationship between Rapunzel and prince was punished with his fall in thorns and lost of sight. After period of repentance his wounds magically heal (remember Santa Barbara?) and he could finally marry Rapunzel.

One typical change in brother Grimm's rewritings was the moment when the witch finds out about Rapunzel's visitor. In first version Rapunzel innocently asks why is her cloth getting tighter and tighter (she was pregnant) and later she simply asks why is witch heavier than prince (no allusion on immoral behavior).

10. Disney Company retold its own version of Rapunzel (named Tangled), which is loosely based on a classic fairy tale, got some elements of this maybe thousand and five centuries old story (magic, fire, pair of lovers in trouble and of course a lot of hair) but misses the main point.

Rapunzel in its many variants talks about confrontation of an individual with norms of society, about young person seeking freedom which always comes with responsibility, but Disney's version is just another action movie. With budget of 260 million dollars (most expensive animated movie in history) it is great product for sure but if you like a really good story, don't miss Rapunzel as a fairy tale!