Today, I wanted to take some time to talk about the sources of the Princes Charming featured in The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy. Because while I adore Chris’s send-up of the classic fairy tales — without those classics, this series wouldn’t really exist. So here’s a crash course in the source material for Duncan, Liam, Frederic, and Gustav.
PRINCE DUNCAN
Source Fairy Tale: Snow White
Origins: German fairy tale, originally collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.
Famous Retellings: Disney’s Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, the 2012 films Snow White & the Huntsman with Kristin Stewart and Charlize Theron, and Mirror, Mirror with Lily Collins and Julia Roberts. Key characters from the story are also featured in the ABC drama “Once Upon a Time.”
PRINCE FREDERIC
Source Fairy Tale: Cinderella
Origins: Folk tale originally published by Charles Perrault in 1697, it was later added to the collection of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm.
Famous Retellings: Disney’s Cinderella, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical “Cinderella,” the opera “La Cenerentola” by Gioachino Rossini. Cinderella is also a featured character in the Stephen Sondheim musical “Into the Woods.” Cinderella also appeared in select episodes of ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.” See also the 1998 movie adaptation Ever After with Drew Barrymore, and the 2004 modern twist A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff.
PRINCE LIAM
Source Fairy Tale: Sleeping Beauty
Origins: Much like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty was originally published by Charles Perrault in 1697 and later retold by the Brothers Grimm in their story collection.
Famous Retellings: Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. (Did you know the theme from Tchaikovsky’s ballet was adapted for the score in Disney’s animated movie?) Princess Aurora is also a character in the ABC TV show “Once Upon a Time.”
PRINCE GUSTAV
Source Fairy Tale: Rapunzel
Origins: German fairy tale “Persinette” first published in 1698 by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force, and later retold by the Brothers Grimm in 1812.
Famous Retellings: Disney’s animated movie Tangled, Rapunzel is also a featured character in the movie Shrek the Third.
For the comments: Tell us about YOUR encounters with these original fairy tales!
Novel Novice 