Some Fairy Tale Characters That Are Inspired By Real-life People

Fairy tales are so ingrained in our culture and life that we rarely question their origin or who may have inspired those characters in them.

Folklore and fairy tales originate from a number of sources, and they keep evolving over the years as they are told and retold. But did you know that some of these fairy tale characters have drawn inspiration from real-life people, whose lives either created the story’s genesis or changed it along the way? The supposed truth behind these narratives and the figures who inspired them are probably more baffling than fiction. Let us explore some popular fairy tale characters that are inspired by real-life people.

Beauty and the Beast: Petrus Gonsalvus and Catherine

In 1527, there lived a young boy named Petrus Gonsalvus, whom people called a beast. He had a rare condition called hypertrichosis, which causes an abnormal growth of hair all over the body, commonly known as "werewolf syndrome." Gonsalvus was 10 when he was sent to King Henry’s court in France as a court jester. King Henry groomed him as a nobleman, and they married him to a beautiful woman named Catherine, who immediately fell for "the beast." They spent 40 happy years together and had seven beautiful kids.

Cinderella: Rhodopis

Rhodopis was a Greek girl who was abducted and sold in Egypt as a slave. Some stories claim that one night, Rhodopis’ fellow slaves went to a festival, but she could not attend it; So, god Horus took the form of a falcon, and stole one of her sandals, and dropped it on the lap of the pharaoh. The pharaoh searched for its owner, found Rhodopis, and finally married her. Despite the unrealistic fantasy elements, there are historical records that suggest, a courtesan with the same name existed during Pharaoh Amasis II’s reign, and she eventually emerged as one of the Egyptian queens.

Rapunzel: Saint Barbara

Barbara had many suitors lusting at her legendary beauty. But her father did not take it well and locked her away in a tower to keep all men away. He also did not want to expose her to Christianity because his faith lay in the Greco-Roman religious system. He wanted her to follow the same faith. Barbara, for years, lived in the tower and received laundry and food through a basket tied to a rope. One day, someone mischievously left a book on Christianity in that basket, piquing her interest in a different religion. When her father found out about her conversion, he beheaded her.

Unlike most fairy tales, the real-life figures that inspired the creation of these famous characters did not always meet a happy ending.