There are echoes of this in the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. This region was also known for the many silver mines many villagers made their living underground and the towns' wealth came from these mines. Curious to read some of the lesser-known Harz fairy tales? You can read a sampling here. Some of the tales seem not to have traveled outside of Germany.
Many of these stories are well-known outside of Germany as well: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Tom Thumb, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, and The Wolf and the Seven Kids. The Brothers Grimm collected their stories from various places, primarily the area around Kassel about 40 miles to the west, but the Harz Mountains have long been famous as an important source of German folklore. These were the scenes of childhood stories: the home of wicked witches, dwarves digging in caverns under the earth and poor woodcutters in lonely cottages. There is something familiar about these little towns tucked away in deep, wooded valleys.
0 kommentar(er)
