5 fairytales that have dark and disturbing origins

Fairytales are feel-good, often nostalgic of the happiness of childhood. 

But a surprising amount of these seemingly innocent tales have tragic backstories. Taken and adapted into the movies and stories we know today, origins of some fairytales are anything but happy ever after.

Here are five of your favorite fairytales, and the frightening fables that inspired them.

In The Little Mermaid, Ariel was felt as though she was walking on knives

In the movie most people know and love, Ariel ended up marrying Prince Eric, and living happy ever after on land. But, in the original tale told by Hans Christian Andersen, each step on the legs she got from the sea witch felt like she was walking on knives, and she bled a lot. 

If the prince ended up marrying someone else, she would die and evaporate into sea foam. Of course, he did, and so the little mermaid died. 

Rapunzel become a homeless mother of two, and Flynn Rider was pushed off of her tower

Tangled ended with Rapunzel chopping off the magical, mile-long blonde locks that held her prisoner for most of her life. Then, she marries her prince, Flynn Rider. 

The same can't be said in the original story of Rapunzel. In this version, the evil witch transports Rapunzel to a land where she starves, living as a homeless beggar and a mother of two children. Oh, and the witch entices the prince to come up to the top of the tower before pushing him off. He dies, and gouges his eyes out on a bush.

The Evil Queen planned on dabbling in Cannibalism, once huntsman caught Snow White

The Grimm version of Snow White isn't filled with singing animals and a house full of warm, welcoming dwarves. Instead, the evil queen has a huntsman go out and murder her own daughter, Snow. She specifically asks for her lungs and liver, as she plans on eating them afterward. 

Snow is also dead in the 1812 version, until the prince pushes the infamous apple from her throat, resuscitating her. During their wedding, the evil queen dances on cooked iron shoes until she quite literally drops dead. 

Pinocchio was a murderer and an escaped criminal

Carlo Collodi penned the original Pinocchio. In this tale, the puppet escapes once Gepetto finishes carving him. Police assume Gepetto has abused him, throw him in prison, all while Pinocchio goes back to the house, and murders the wise cricket on accident. He goes on to die of suffocation. 

The evil stepsisters chopped off parts of their feet in order to make the glass slipper fit

Prince Charming sought out looking for Cinderella once she left her glass slipper behind at the ball. However in the version told by Brothers Grimm, one of the stepsisters chopped off her toes, and the other sliced off a part of her heel, all to make the shoe fit. Neither can fool him, as he notices the blood on their feet, and he ends up finding Cinderella.