7 Of The Greatest Underrated Fairy Tales You Will Really Love

We’ve been reading our children fairy tales for hundreds of years, and you can probably name a couple of dozen. Cinderella. Snow White. Hansel and Gretel. Sleeping Beauty. Little Red Riding Hood.

Those are the first names that come to mind, right? And it’s no wonder; those are some great, classic stories, ones that a lot of us grew up on. But the world of fairy tales is much, much wider than you may realize.

There are literally thousands out there, so it’s a bit disappointing when the same few get all the attention. These are seven of my favorite underrated fairy tales… that you’ve probably never heard of.

SNOW WHITE AND ROSE RED

This is a sweet, simple tale of sisterly love and the wonderful things that can happen when you offer help to someone in need.

01.

Credit: Jessie Willcox Smith

02.

THE SEALSKIN

This story serves as a sort of precursor to The Little Mermaid, following the marriage between a human man and a selkie.

Credit: Paramount Vantage

03.

THE FOX SISTER

A spooky, traditional Korean folktale about the legendary kumiho — a beautiful, evil spirit that takes the form of a nine-tailed fox and eats human hearts.

04.

THE ENCHANTED MAIDEN

This is a Cinderella-esque tale of three sisters. The elder two marry princes, while the youngest ends marrying a peasant. This causes the girl’s sisters to refuse to associate with her, leaving her alone.

05.

THE THREE SPINNERS

This story is extremely light-hearted and lacks the gory and, well, grim atmosphere the Brothers are famous for. I especially love how, for once, the ugly, older women aren’t wicked witches tormenting the beautiful maiden.

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Painting by Vasnetsov