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This collection of fairy tales delves into deeply unsettling themes such as torture, sexual violence, cannibalism, child murder, necrophilia, bestiality, extreme punishment, and incest—topics considered highly taboo in today's sanitized world. Many argue these stories are inappropriate for modern children, who are often shielded from such grim realities.
While these themes may horrify contemporary parents, they were once standard elements in fairy tales, enjoyed by both children and adults throughout history.
Some attempt to uncover moral lessons within the brutality of these tales: Little Red Riding Hood symbolizes the perils of adolescence, while Bluebeard represents the dangers of unchecked curiosity. However, my focus isn’t on deciphering hidden meanings or morals. As an avid enthusiast of strange and macabre stories, I aim to share some of the most unsettling fairy tales I’ve encountered.
10. Biancabella and the Snake
Themes include bestiality, unnatural conception, bodily dismemberment, and death by burning.
A woman resting in her garden is visited by a snake, which slips beneath her clothing and enters her body, eventually settling in her womb. She becomes pregnant and gives birth to Biancabella, a child born with a small snake wrapped around her neck. The snake soon disappears into the garden.
At the age of 10, Biancabella encounters the snake in the garden, who reveals herself as her sister. The snake bestows Biancabella with extraordinary beauty, leading to her swift marriage to a king.
The king's wicked stepmother devises a scheme to eliminate Biancabella. While the king is away at war, she hires men to take the queen into the forest and kill her. Unable to commit the act, the men instead sever Biancabella's hands and gouge out her eyes, presenting them to the stepmother as evidence of the queen's death. The stepmother then replaces Biancabella with her own grotesquely deformed daughter, convincing the king upon his return that Biancabella had suffered a miscarriage and been disfigured by grief.
In despair, Biancabella resolves to end her life. However, as she prepares to do so, her sister appears in human form and miraculously heals her grievous injuries. Together, they return to the kingdom, now ruled by the impostor queen. The stepmother's sinister scheme is exposed, leading to her and her daughters being executed by burning in a furnace.
-(Giambattista Basile – Il Pentamerone (Entertainment For The Young) 1634)
9. The Myrtle Tree
Themes include unnatural birth, murder, dismemberment, death at the hands of enraged prostitutes, and execution by live burial in a sewer.
A peasant woman gives birth to a myrtle stick, which a prince buys at a high price. Unbeknownst to him, a breathtaking fairy resides within the stick. She begins visiting the prince at night, engaging in secret encounters. The prince, captivated, takes her as his clandestine lover after she declares herself entirely devoted to his desires.
Unfortunately, the prince's obsession with the fairy leaves seven of his former prostitutes unemployed. When the prince is away, they invade his chambers and discover the fairy. Consumed by rage, they brutally murder her, smashing her skull and dismembering her body. Each takes a piece of her corpse, except the youngest, who only takes a lock of her golden hair. All that remains are her teeth, hands, blood, and bones. A servant tasked with watering the myrtle finds the gruesome scene and buries the remains beneath the tree.
The fairy regenerates from the buried remains and exposes her murderers to the prince. The prostitutes are sentenced to be buried alive in the public sewer, except for the youngest, who is spared and married to the servant.
-(Giambattista Basile. Il Pentamerone (Entertainment for the Young) 1634)
8. The Little Mermaid
Themes include physical mutilation, prolonged agony, and suicide.
A stunning young mermaid rescues a handsome prince from drowning and falls deeply in love with him. Desperate to win his affection, she seeks the help of a sea witch, who grants her a pair of exquisite human legs. However, the transformation comes at a terrible cost: every step she takes feels like walking on sharp blades, causing her feet to bleed endlessly. Additionally, she loses her enchanting voice forever. Despite the pain, the mermaid accepts the witch's terms for the chance to be with the prince.
The next day, the prince discovers the mermaid on the shore, now human and naked. Despite her sacrifices, he ultimately marries another woman. Heartbroken, the mermaid considers killing the prince but instead chooses to end her own life by plunging into the ocean.
I’ve always found this version more compelling than Disney’s adaptation, though some children might disagree.
-(Hans Christian Anderson – Fairy Tales 1839)
7. Doralice
Themes include incest, child murder, extreme torture, and execution by quartering.
Prince Tebaldo, consumed by evil, swears to kill his daughter Doralice after she rejects his proposal of marriage. Fearing for her life, Doralice hides inside a wooden chest, which her father sells to a merchant. She survives for months inside the chest, sustained by a magical potion provided by her compassionate nurse. Eventually, the chest is purchased by a king, who discovers Doralice and, on a whim, decides to marry her.
Prince Tebaldo locates Doralice, cleverly disguising himself so she fails to recognize him. She allows him to stay in the nursery with her infant twins. Under the cover of night, Tebaldo murders the babies and frames Doralice for the crime. Her furious husband sentences her to be buried up to her neck, where she is kept alive with food and water so worms can slowly consume her body. Eventually, Tebaldo's guilt is uncovered. Doralice, barely alive, is freed, while Tebaldo is tortured, dismembered, and fed to dogs.
While they may have lived happily ever after, Doralice likely required extensive therapy to recover from the ordeal.
-(Giovanni Francesco Straparola – The Facetious Nights of Straparola 1550ish)
6. Sun, Moon, and Talia
Themes include sexual assault during unconsciousness, attempted child murder, forced cannibalism, and death by burning.
This tale is the earliest known version of Sleeping Beauty. A prophecy at Talia's birth warns of danger from a flax splinter, prompting her father to ban all flax from the kingdom. Years later, Talia discovers the last remaining piece of flax, gets a splinter under her fingernail, and falls into a deep, deathlike slumber. Heartbroken, her father abandons the palace and surrounding lands to escape the tragedy.
A wandering king discovers the deserted kingdom and finds Talia in her eternal sleep. Unable to rouse her, he takes advantage of her unconscious state. Afterward, he returns to his wife, leaving Talia behind.
While still asleep, Talia becomes pregnant and gives birth to twins. As the infants search for nourishment, one sucks on her finger, dislodging the flax splinter and waking her. Talia is thrilled to find herself a mother and names her children Sun and Moon.
The king returns for another encounter but finds Talia awake and caring for their children. A relationship blossoms between them. When the king's wife discovers the affair, she plots revenge. Pretending to be the king, she orders the twins to be killed and served as a meal. The cook, unable to harm the babies, substitutes them with lambs. The queen watches as the king unknowingly eats the meal. She then demands Talia be burned alive. The king intervenes just in time, rescuing Talia and condemning the queen to the flames. The cook reveals the twins are safe, and the family lives happily ever after.
-(Giambattista Basile – Il Pentamerone (Entertainment For The Young) 1634)
5. The Old Woman Who Was Skinned Alive
Themes include sexual encounters with an elderly woman and death by being flayed alive.
This tale, though lengthy, is undeniably captivating. A king becomes convinced that two repulsive, foul-smelling, and grotesque old women are, in fact, the epitome of youthful beauty and grace.
Unsurprisingly, the king has never seen the women, as they remain hidden behind a tall wall. However, after kissing one of their fingers through a keyhole, he becomes so infatuated that he begs to spend the night with her. She agrees, but only in complete darkness, claiming she is too modest to reveal herself. The king eagerly awaits nightfall, anticipating their encounter.
To appear more youthful, the old woman gathers her sagging skin and ties it tightly behind her back with string. She drapes herself in a long shroud and hobbles to the king's chambers under the cover of darkness.
After their encounter, the king lights a candle and discovers his 'maiden' is actually a repulsive old woman. Horrified, he throws her out the window. Fortunately, her loose skin catches on a tree branch, saving her from the fall.
A group of fairies, amused by the sight, grants her the gifts of beauty, intelligence, and youth, transforming her into a stunning 15-year-old. The next morning, the king sees the breathtaking girl in the tree and immediately makes her his queen.
The new queen, unwilling to share her secret, tells her sister she achieved her beauty by being skinned alive. The sister, eager to replicate the transformation, visits a barber and demands the same treatment. However, she dies from blood loss and pain midway through the process, letting out a final fart as she passes. The queen and king live happily ever after.
The lesson here? Perhaps it’s about the vanity of aging women—though, regardless of the moral, this is undeniably one of the strangest fairy tales ever told.
-(Giambattista Basile – Il Pentamerone (Entertainment For The Young) 1634)
4. The Robber Bridegroom
Themes include murder, dismemberment, and cannibalism.
A miller arranges his daughter's marriage to a seemingly respectable and wealthy man. When the young woman visits her fiancé's home, she finds it deserted except for a bird warning her to leave and an old woman who reveals her groom is a cannibalistic murderer who preys on young brides. The old woman hides the bride-to-be behind a barrel. From her hiding spot, the woman watches as her fiancé and his gang return drunk, dragging a screaming young girl. They force her to drink three wines, causing her heart to rupture, then strip and dismember her, seasoning her flesh for consumption.
A severed finger with a golden ring rolls behind the barrel where the bride-to-be hides. She pockets the finger and witnesses the gruesome feast. Once the men pass out drunk, she escapes over their bodies and flees home.
At the wedding, the bride-to-be exposes her groom by presenting the severed finger. He and his gang are swiftly executed for their crimes. -(The Brothers Grimm – Children’s and Household Tales 1812)
3. The Juniper Tree
Themes include filicide (parent killing their child), dismemberment, and cannibalism between parent and child—making this tale one of the most horrifying.
A wicked stepmother despises her stepson and devises a plan to eliminate him, ensuring her biological daughter inherits everything.
Pretending to be kind, the stepmother asks the boy to retrieve an apple from a chest. As he leans in, she slams the lid, decapitating him. She props his body in a chair, places the head back on, and covers the wound with a handkerchief. When her daughter Marlene arrives, the stepmother tells her to hit her brother if he doesn’t respond. Marlene, confused, slaps him, causing his head to fall off.
Marlene is overcome with guilt, believing she killed her brother. Her mother reassures her, suggesting they hide the crime by turning the boy into stew. They chop his body into pieces, skin and bones included, and cook him in a pot. Marlene’s tears season the stew, eliminating the need for salt.
When the father returns, the stepmother claims the boy has gone to the countryside. She serves the stew, which the father devours enthusiastically, declaring it the best meal he’s ever had. He tosses the bones under the table, while Marlene weeps silently. After the meal, she collects her brother’s bones and buries them under the juniper tree, where his mother lies. A bird emerges from the tree, flying and singing, 'My mother killed me, my father ate me!'
The bird ultimately kills the stepmother, and from her ashes, the boy miraculously returns to life. The father, brother, and sister reunite, walking hand-in-hand into their home to share a meal together. The end. Truly, this is one of the most twisted fairy tales ever told!
-(The Brothers Grimm – Children’s and Household Tales 1812)
2. The Tale of the Grandmother
Themes include cannibalism and unsettling sexual themes involving pedophilia.
Think you know Little Red Riding Hood? In this version, the wolf races to Grandmother’s house after learning a girl is bringing her milk and bread. He devours Grandmother, stores her flesh in the pantry, and bottles her blood. Disguised as Grandmother, he invites the girl to eat the meat and drink the wine. As she consumes her grandmother’s remains, a cat mocks her, singing, 'A slut eats and drinks her grandmother’s flesh and blood!'
The wolf then forces the girl to burn her clothes and join him naked in bed. Feeling his hairy body and sharp teeth, she realizes it’s not her grandmother. Claiming she needs to relieve herself, she ties the wolf’s yarn leash to a tree and escapes naked. The wolf, growing impatient, shouts, 'Are you done, child?' When she doesn’t respond, he chases her but fails to catch her as she reaches home safely.
1. The Rose-Elf
Themes include murder, beheading, potentially incestuous abuse, mild necrophilia, and death by flowers.
A young woman’s lover is brutally murdered by her jealous brother, who stabs him, beheads him, and buries the body. After the crime, the brother enters his sister’s bedroom as she sleeps, dreaming of her lover. He leans over her, laughing in a way that suggests either sinister amusement or something far more disturbing.
While burying the body, a dry leaf falls into the brother’s hair. A tiny elf, who witnessed the murder, hides under the leaf and later enters the girl’s ear. The elf reveals the murder and the location of the body. Heartbroken, the girl retrieves her lover’s severed head, cleans it, kisses his cold lips, and buries it in a flower pot with a jasmine twig planted above.
The girl mourns over the pot daily, and the jasmine grows into beautiful flowers. Her brother, enraged by her constant affection for the flowers, believes she is losing her mind.
The girl eventually dies peacefully, comforted by the elf whispering stories of her lover. The brother takes the flower pot to his room, where tiny spirits emerge from the blossoms and kill him with spears, avenging the lovers. The skull is later discovered, exposing the brother’s crime. Strange, isn’t it?
-(Hans Christian Anderson – Fairy Tales 1839)
