Rapunzel: The Messed up Origins of the Fairytale | Dark Pages & Eerie Epistles Podcast Ep.4

[@amber.cartomancer]

My poor Daddy ❤. Im 55 now but when I was 8 we went on this backpacking trip. (My pack held trailmix😂). He made the mistake of telling me the Rapunzel story on our first night. That trip was about 8/9 days long. Every night he told me the same story because it was the only thing I wanted to hear. If you know a good storyteller... they can tell the same story but it's different each time...my Dad was the best storyteller I've ever known...miss him❤❤❤😊

[@JordanS-ww4eu]

I’m so sorry 😢😢😢😢😢

[@amber.cartomancer]

@JordanS-ww4eu oh thank you! I didn't mean to make anyone sad. My Dad was the best for stories and we laughed for years after about me and my summer obsession with this story, it's very kind of you to notice my post. 🥰

[@LadyWiggin]

This was a great retelling. I’d heard that the original telling was far more nefarious. I enjoy your channel so very much

[@CinziaDuBois]

Thank you so much!

[@hannahsolo27]

Yay! So glad that you didn’t give up on Rapunzel despite her absence from your books! Your videos are always fabulous 🥰

[@--Tia--]

Love this story. The way I heard it, the wife was already pregnant and the need for rampion was a craving she couldn't control. The husband knowingly gave up his baby.

[@leftcoaster67]

It's always a good day when the Lady of the Library drops a youtube episode.

[@evanames5940]

As always interesting.

[@CinziaDuBois]

Glad you think so!

[@lonewizzy]

I wonder if Rampion used to be believed to help grow hair, enhance a feature, or supernatural healing/fertility abilities?

[@goblinwizard735]

Craved by expectant mothers, same with parsley

[@beasleydad]

I don't thinks so. It has, however, got a long history as a cultivated crop, like prehistoric, long. And, it's scientific name is fascinating. The genus Latin name ("campanula"), meaning small bell, refers to the bell-shape of the flower, while the specific name ("rapunculus") is a diminutive of the Latin "rapa" (turnip) and means 'little turnip', which refers to the shape of the root.

[@normanschmidt8389]

Thank you. What about Rumplestiltskin? That is a bizarre tale.

[@carolescutt2257]

What a magnificent balanced and empatgetic tribute 🎉🎉🎉 bravo xx

[@blankmeemz6619]

Reminded me of a sanitized version of the original I read as a child, really brought me back and so interesting to see the potential origins

[@ingridc0ld]

I had read version, similar to the one you read, a lot when I was little. I'm pretty sure it was my favorite fairytale. There were a few differences, the plant was called Rapenzel, the husband stole some because his wife had very strong pregnancy cravings, it didn't mention the witch's name, and Rapenzel and the prince got found out because the witch could see she was pregnant.

[@philurbaniak1811]

Excited for this hair-raising episode 😄!

[@CrisSelene]

This was fascinating! The Rapunzel fairytale wasn't really big in Romania until the Tangled Disney movie, so I didn't know the Grimm original. I loved all the religious undertones throughout. It just goes to show how different aspects of culture influence each other. Great job on the research and presentation. I learned in 20 minutes more than in the last 24 hours.

[@philurbaniak1811]

👍👍 I can't believe there are so many versions of this! And the Barbara angle was so unexpected 😃 Of course, my next thought is that "barb-" relates to "beard"; any tales of people climbing one of those 😅?

[@valentinaaugustina]

i think truly etymologically barbara goes back to greek barbarus which means foreigner, because they barbarbarbar. but language doesn’t change based on consistent remembrance of etymology, so it’s entirely possible that barbara reminded someone of barbus and this led to more hair shenanigans. kinda similar speculation! Original Genesis text in hebrew doesn’t ever say what the fruit on the tree was, but it may be apple because bad and apple sound very similar in latin :) mal- and mela (iirc)

[@brigidspencer5123]

Lol! In Portuguese ‘barbara’ means beard! Well men do go to the barbers to shave their beards.

[@TalLikesThat]

It's a really tough time for me, and this podcast is nourishing my souls. Thank you so much for this!

[@winterburden]

Thank you so so much for this super exciting Rapunzel podcast Cinzia! 🙆‍♀️

[@holyfreak86]

This is intersting, I never heard about where the story of Rapunzel originates from. Great video Lady!😎👍

[@KelciaMarie1]

Love this video! Really digging the deep dive on fairy tales. I'd love to see you do one on Beauty and the beast! I know you covered Cuoid and Psyche, which some people say is the OG story, but I think there's more to it than that.

[@Itskattboo]

Ooooh yes

[@tananario]

There are many original stories throughout the world to cover before adaptations.

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

I grew up Catholic, but I never heard the story of Saint Barbara. I like how Tangled was able to incorporate the name of Mother Gothel cuz I didn’t know the witch's name before then.

[@JonathanB138]

The last season of "Once Upon a Time" has Mother Gothel.

[@matthewgroves7511]

Great video, I would also definitely like to recommend the talks by radical anthropology (which are usually free) that deconstructs fairy tales and discusses the sexual strike which is often an underlying theme (especially when the maidens are asleep/locked in a tower) another great book is Breaking the magic spell- radical theories of folk and fairy tales by Jack Zipes. Love the work you do and these videos ❤

[@CinziaDuBois]

ohhh I haven’t heard about those, thank you for the recommendation!!

[@gfranzet3715]

This was always one of my favorite fairy tales, thank you so much! ❤🧚🏽‍♀️

[@TerryFedora]

Loved learning about this. Love fairytales, grim or otherwise and I really liked hearing about this.

[@simplyme1033]

There is a version of the story from Malta very similar to the Italian called Fenchelchen the story goes that there was a woman who had a craving for fennel and her next door neighbor grew fennel in her garden. the woman would steal the fennel and one day her neighbor who was a shapeshifter and a witch disguised herself as fennel and waited for the theif. As per usual the woman snuck into the garden and the witch caught her the woman begged for mercy and the witch made a deal that the woman would give away her firstborn daughter when she turned 12 and the woman agreed not long after the woman gave birth to a girl who she herself named fenchelchen after the fennel years go by and the woman forgot about the deal but on fenchelchen's 12th birthday the witch (eather on a broom or as a hawk) Swept fenchelchen up and took her to a tower( now unlike the other stories fenchelchen did not have long hair) as she grew the witch taught fenchelchen magic and one day a youth spotted the tower and wondered what was inside he climbed the tower and found fenchelchen they fell in love and visited day by day one of those days the witch was coming home and fenchelchen disguised him as many household objects but the witch knew Fenchelchen turned into a hawk and picked up the youth and three magic rags the witch chased after them and threw down the first rag a green rag was turned into a jungle in there witch followed it as a gorilla next fenchelchen threw them the second Blue Rag which turned into a vast sea the witch turned into a fish and continued after that fenchelchen threw down the final rag a red rag to turn into fire killing the Witch and fenchelchen and the youth lived happily ever

[@helenr4300]

Brilliant, and so significant in the context of purity culture stuff I have been watching - they try to look up women in towers of ignorance about sex and relationships, covered from neck to toe, but either 'love will have its way' or 'they are prey to deceptive men who seek to ravish them'. Either way, being in the tower does not stop pregnancy outside of marriage etc

[@BetterThanYou96]

Would love to see a video on Perseus and if possible, a connection between him and Medusa, thematically. I just feel like there might be more to the story than just a hero slaying an evil monster.

[@JonathanB138]

Athena cursed Medusa after being raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple. It's really gross that Athena blamed Medusa instead of Poseidon

[@michaelsommers2356]

As I recall, one version of the story is that the local ruler wanted to get rid of Perseus so that he could have Perseus's mother, and tricked him into promising to bring him the head of Medusa, Perseus not then knowing who Medusa was.

[@michaelsommers2356]

@@JonathanB138 The Greek gods were not known for mercy or even justice. Or, for that matter, common sense.

[@latronqui]

These podcast episodes are great for listening first at night to fall asleep, and then the next morning to really take in all the information. I think I dreamt of eating rampion 😅

[@CLWgirlysnacks]

Absolutely loved this, it would be great to have some more podcasts/videos on other fairytales. However the more pressing need for me is a video on the contents of those beautiful bookshelves behind you 😍 (I feel like this could make an entire series or ten however 🤣) but seriously those bookshelves need some attention in all their glory!!…I am here for it and I am sure I cannot be alone! Cinzia if you are reading this please give my soul what it so deeply desires!! 📚♥️

[@angstymedusa]

This was fascinating, I love deep dives into fairy tales and I'm surprised how little I knew about about the Rapunzel tale ❤

[@ReadingNymph]

I love learning more about Fairytales, this was a delight to listen to

[@tomj7382]

Brilliant! Thank you

[@lisajaneperry]

I loved this thank you cinzia

[@mikemahaffey9121]

Wow. Excellent podcast. Did not know of St. Barbara.

[@MrAaroncissell]

Sorry about the lateness KZbin deleted the channel from my list. really good episode thank you.

[@tanjamilenkovic1917]

Thank you for your content!

[@pandadorable82]

i love your content! this video was a great little deep dive - you’ve quickly become on of my favorite youtube channels!

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

Thank you so much!

[@magiegainey5036]

Love your channel! ❤

[@Itskattboo]

I loved this video! I would love to see more like this!❣️

[@iainmulholland2025]

In my copy (the original) Rapunzel complained about her clothes being too tight and the witch realises she is pregnant. Not surprising since they "enjoyed" each other every day.

[@joachimkylhammar5084]

i found this when looking for the plant What is another name for a rampion? Valerianella locusta, also known as lamb's lettuce, corn salad, common cornsalad, mâche (/mɑːʃ/), fetticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce, field salad, doucette, and rapunzel (some of these names shared with other rampions).also-The parsnip-like or radish-like roots also gave us the name of the child, Rapunzel. Rapunzel, the girl, was known for her long hair, while the vegetable Rapunzel (Campanula rapunculus) is known as a hardy vegetable plant that is entirely edible, leaves and roots. so two different plants named rampion???

[@hanabanana8127]

You know what they say: When your evil dad closes the door, God opens a window 😂 Outstanding video, I'm glad I found you!

[@fritzanderson9474]

A useful formula is "in flagrante delicto" (Law Latin pronunciation), adverb. Literally, "blatantly engaged in the misdeed." Used in the Common Law to assert grounds for divorce, though the occasional fancy-pants might apply it to some other specific misdeed. (There is also the who-do-you-think-you're-kidding formula, "he saith not a paternoster.") Also "in flagrante" or plain ol' "flagrante."

[@ilovethelittlepiggy]

Watching this while oiling my waist length hair 😂 Thank you🖤

[@noizeemama3697]

Rapunzel was my favorite as a child, once I heard it. I wasn't able to find books or anything with her in it. Just the one record with fairy tales on it. This recording did have the prince being blinded but no children. It probably was my favorite just because I couldn't find it elsewhere. I've always been the "weird" one. In my late 50s now and still don't have the original story. I was hoping you would let us know where we could buy a book with the original story in today's language. Do you know of one?

[@noizeemama3697]

I like this camera angle much better. We couldn't see your lovely face in your previous set up. :)

[@zainmudassir2964]

I like Rapunzel

[@mjkluck]

Good stuff, Kiddo.

[@kimmycookie3]

Love your channel!! Can you do one on ancient secrete society? ❤❤

[@davidchess1985]

Very interesting! All from a lust for lettuce. 🤔

[@ViktorEngelmann]

Hebat (the wife of the hurrian storm-god Tešub) was chased into a tower by the stone-demon Ullikummi and was trapped there, until Tešub defeated Ullikummi

[@selm4846]

Just brilliant. As a German major, even I learnt something new. Thank you! Btw. where did you buy the earrings and necklace? It really suits you.

[@revylokesh1783]

Looking forward to you talking about the original, quite x-rated stuff. 😊

[@marocat4749]

i am glad tangled,tht hasa pretty goodseriestoo, does give rapunzel some spotlight. and the riginal sdramatic as the prince fall is stilloddly romantic,

[@mackthompson616]

the story of Saint Barbara reminds me somewhat of Helen (of Troy), at least at first

[@hectorrobertocontrerasmiranda]

For what is worth now that the video is done: there is at least a book about Rapunzel or more accurately about stories of maidens in a tower called "Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales From Around the World (SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series Book 2)" by Heidi Anne Heiner who also has other books focussing on other fairy tales/tropes like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, frogs that are secretly princes under a spell, or pretty girls that need to be awaken out of their magically induced sleep, etc. Maybe you did come across either this book or the author's website while researching but I think you forgot to add the citations for this video

[@latronqui]

Thanks

[@ViktorEngelmann]

This story is also very similar to the story of Danaë, the mother of Perseus - and thus connects to Mary and Jesus.

[@ViktorEngelmann]

perseus killing medusa is also quite similar to the death of John the baptist

[@Jay.B.2046]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@AngDevigne]

👏

[@sammysoppy3361]

alla that for some lettuce?!!! no one has ever craved lettuce unless you’re a rabbit or something 😂

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Llyd_ApDicta]

Why though did the Grimms give her a happy ending then when they wanted to caution young women to be obedient and rule following and so on. i mean after those few years wandering the world she does get what she wants in the end.

[@Kirsten_is_cursed10]

Love your channel, but posting 3 days in advance just makes me feel disappointed that it’s not posted now, and I don’t want to keep scrolling past this for the next 3 days….

[@bregowego]

But you don’t have to keep scrolling past it. You can turn on the notify button and come back when it’s up. I’d rather look forward to knowing when a video is coming than other youtubers who pop in every few weeks unannounced.

[@patitolindo]

Distance makes the heart grow fonder 💔