Top 10 Differences Between "Cendrillon" and "Aschenputtel" (Two Versions of the "Cinderella" Tale)
"Cinderella" is a classic European folk tale and an often-adapted work of literature. It tells the story of a young woman who is pure of heart but is forced by her wicked stepmother and stepsisters to work for them as a maid. Through magic, she receives a makeover that lasts until midnight, when the spell is broken. She attends a ball organized by a king, where she falls in love with the prince. As she flees at midnight, she loses one of her slippers. The prince then searches for the woman who fits the shoe, finds Cinderella, and recognizes her when she tries it on. They live happily ever after.This plot is common to nearly all versions of the tale, but over time and across different countries, certain differences in the storytelling have developed. Some of these differences are minor, while others are more significant.
"Cendrillon," by Charles Perrault, is a French adaptation from 1697. "Aschenputtel," by the Brothers Grimm, is a German version from 1819 (an earlier version from 1812 exists, but the 1819 version is the more popular one). While neither adaptation represents the original version of the story, both rank among the best-known renditions. Depending on the country, one may be considered the definitive version. Disney's famous film adaptation is based on "Cendrillon," as are most American movies inspired by the tale. However, several Central European films depict the "Aschenputtel" version.
Overall, the main difference between the two lies in their tone. "Cendrillon" is far more family-friendly, even somewhat playful, and offers a peaceful resolution. "Aschenputtel" is darker, more violent, and rich in symbolism. It goes further in characterizing the people involved, rewarding the kind-hearted and punishing the cruel.
Personally, I believe both are timeless moral tales in their own right. If you want to share an enchanting, magical story with your child that emphasizes how modesty and kindness ultimately triumph, choose "Cendrillon." If you prefer a more intense tale in which evildoers are severely punished and that contains poetic and metaphorical imagery, opt for "Aschenputtel."

This is the most apparent difference. Those who mainly know the Disney version are familiar with the fairy who helps Cinderella get her time to shine. The ultimate moral in the French version is that sometimes one needs the help of a friend to achieve success.
In the German tale, however, Cinderella asks her father to get her a twig that she wants to plant on her mother's grave (her stepsisters want him to get them beautiful clothes and jewelry). With her tears, it grows into a tree that she wishes upon to be able to go to the ball. This wish is fulfilled as beautiful clothes fall down from it. This is what I meant by the German version being more metaphoric and having a certain poetry.

This is one moment in which the Brothers Grimm version is more intense. It also shows how far the stepmother goes for wealth by telling her daughters to mutilate their feet, and how greedy they are by actually doing it. At first, the prince is fooled, but then Cinderella's doves tell him to look inside the shoe.

Doves play a crucial part in "Aschenputtel". They appear when she wishes upon the tree, help her when the lentils are poured, and tell the prince to look inside the shoe when the stepsisters wear it (there's blood in it). Ultimately, they attack the stepsisters. What that means is left open to your interpretation.

This is one of the best-known moments of the tale in German-speaking territories, but it does not occur in the French version. The stepmother, who doesn't want Cinderella to go to the ball, tells her to pick up the lentils in two hours. Even though she succeeds with the help of her doves, the stepmother and her daughters go to the ball without her.
This is one of the moments in which the stepfamily is crueler to her than in the French version, where she is merely forbidden to go to the ball. This seemingly impossible task is humiliating for Cinderella, and even when she succeeds, it is all in vain. This is just one instance in which they not only abuse Cinderella as a maid but also psychologically torture her.

In "Cendrillon", the end is all about forgiveness. Even after all the events, and being a princess now, Cinderella is too good-hearted to punish her stepsisters. They end up with some rich men they met at the king's court.
In "Aschenputtel", the final punchline occurs at the wedding, where the stepsisters try to ingratiate themselves with Cinderella. Suddenly, the doves arrive and attack them, picking at their eyes and robbing the vain girls of their beauty.

In the beginning of "Aschenputtel", Cinderella's loving mother is on her deathbed and talks to her daughter. The mother is also symbolically important, as her grave is the place where the magic occurs after Cinderella cries tears of loss. It can be interpreted that the doves are the angelic manifestation of the mother. Overall, the grief over her mother is what keeps the story going.

In both versions of the story, Cinderella visits the ball on several evenings and always runs off before midnight, although both she and the prince fall in love with each other. In "Cendrillon", she simply loses the slipper for no particular reason. In "Aschenputtel", the prince goes further to get the girl. On the third evening, he smears the stairs with pitch, which causes the slipper to get stuck.


Pretty self-explanatory. No Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo in the German version.

While the father is alive in "Cendrillon" (in many adaptations, he's dead), he is not part of the taunting of Cinderella and is blind to what's going on. He appears more often in "Aschenputtel", and when the prince arrives at his house with the slipper for the stepsisters to try on, he calls his own daughter a mere maid.