A poor girl's stepmother and stepsisters mistreat her after her father remarries. The girl flees into a forest where she finds a cottage belonging to seven dwarfs who take her in. She cleans the house, cooks meals, and tends to the dwarfs' needs. The king invites all maidens to a ball, but Ashenputtel has no suitable gown. A fairy godmother appears and provides her with a beautiful dress and shoes that fit perfectly. At the ball, she dances with the prince, but must leave before midnight when the magic wears off. Ashenputtel loses one of her glass slippers on the way out, which the prince finds and sets out to find the girl who fits it. The stepsisters try to fit into the slipper by cutting off their toes, but it doesn't work. Ashenputtel's foot fits perfectly, and she is revealed as the true owner of the slipper. The king orders his guards to bring him the girl whose foot fits the slipper. When they arrive at Ashenputtel's house, her stepsisters try to trick them by hiding in a bed, but they are discovered when the prince arrives and sees their mutilated feet.
By Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm · First published 1812 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore