Looking for a short fairy tale? Here are ten classic fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. Writing in Germany in the 1800s, Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm crafted and compiled some of the most famous fairy tales of all time, including “Snow White” and “Hansel and Gretel.” Their stories of enchantment, revenge, and occasional dismemberment have held readers captive for centuries. Each of these stories is under 4,000 words so you can easily enjoy these short fairy tales in a quick sitting when you have the time.
The Seven Ravens
“The Seven Ravens” is the story of a sister born after seven brothers. When her brothers turn into ravens, she must find a way to save them and make them human again.
The Juniper Tree
“The Juniper Tree” is the dark tale of an evil stepmother, her comically inadequate plot to hide her murder of her stepson, and his ultimate revenge.
The Six Swans
“The Six Swans” tells the tale of the children of a king. After the sons are turned into swans by their evil stepmother, their sister must find a way to turn them back.
Rapunzel
“Rapunzel” is a classic fairy tale about a girl trapped in a tower who lets down her beautiful golden hair for a prince to climb up. It has been adapted many times, most notably into the Disney movie Tangled.
The Frog Prince
“The Frog Prince” lets us hear the story of a prince who turns back into his human self from his frog form, not by being kissed, but by being thrown against a wall, rather satisfactorily.
To read these stories for yourself, you can find them free online or you can get a collection of them from your local library, bookstore, or Bookshop.org. (Penny Magic is a Bookshop affiliate, so buying through that link helps support our work!)
If you’re looking for more modern and unconventional fairy tales, Penny Magic’s first volume of stories, Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups is available for free to read online or in print in our store.