12 Fairy Tale Retellings I Want to See

I've loved fairy tales for a long time. Especially the beautifully illustrated ones you can find for children. Aren't they gorgeous? Not only are the stories fantastical and full of whimsy, they're also great because they often have such excellent morals.

Anyway, retellings are super popular right now. They're fun to write and read, and it gives us a new look at old tales. I love stories like Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast as much of the next person, but I'm getting tired of the same four stories being told over and over.

In this post, I'm going to share twelve fairy tales that I would love to see written. Or write myself, depending. I'll give you a quick summery of each tale (which is probably horrible, so if you're interested in any of these, you should look them up for the full story) and some ideas on what you could do with it.

1: Snow White and Rose Red

Snow White and Rose Red is about two sisters who are kind to a talking bear that shows up at their house one night. They become friends. In the end, it turns out he was a prince turned into a bear by a nasty dwarf, who the prince kills. Snow White marries the prince, and Rose Red marries his brother (because princes always have brothers in these types of tales.)

This story has it all: romance, a prince in disguise, an evil dwarf, treasure, and death. I could see this set in a modern setting, or maybe in space. What if the two girls were foster sisters? Or the bear was really evil, not the dwarf? Who doesn't love some deception?

2: Hansel and Gretel

You probably already know the story of Hansel and Gretel, but I'll fill you in anyway. Hansel and Gretel were two children with a loving father and evil stepmother (surprise, surprise). She tries to get rid of them by sending them out in the forest to collect wood. The first time, they leave stones to find their way back, but the second time, they use breadcrumbs, which get eaten. They get lost and find a house made of candy where a witch lives. She catches them and locks them up to eat. But when she takes Hansel, or sometimes Gretel, out of the cage to eat, she's pushed into the stove and the children find their way home.

I know this story has been told before, but it always seems to make the siblings witch hunters. There's got to be more ways to retell the story than that. What about the witch has a scheme to capture lots of children for something, and Hansel and Gretel have to stop her? Or do something like Wicked and make the witch good and the kids bad?

3: Anything from One Thousand and One Nights

One Thousand and One Nights is full of one thousand different tales. There a many wonderful, unique tales to choose from, including famous ones like Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor. With so many stories, you're sure to find something to use for a retelling.

How you retell these stories depend on which one you pick. What about Sinbad, but with a girl instead? Or a modern day Aladdin? This would also be a good place to use some unique cultures, magical creatures, and mythology. Your problem is probably going to be picking a story to use.

4: The Six Swans

A king has six sons and one daughter. After his wife dies, he marries a new woman who is jealous of of the children. She turns his sons into swans, and they can only turn back for a few minutes every evening. Their sister sets out to find a way to turn them back, which is to sew six shirts of nettles for seven years without making a sound. While she's doing that, a prince finds her and falls in love. They marry. His mother-in-law, who is obviously wicked, takes away her first child when she gives birth and claims the girl got rid of it. She's sentenced to be burned at the stake. Her brothers show up just as she's about to be burned. She puts the shirts on them and saves them and herself.

I love this story because it features a family, a girl protagonist, and magic. I read one version of this set in space, and while it wasn't very good, that is a good idea to update the tale. Or what if she had to make shirts from something else, or put it in a different setting. And brainstorm more ways about why she can't talk? What will happen if she does?

5: Bearskin

Bearskin is about a man who makes a deal with a devil after the war. He has to wear a coat and skin and not cut his hair or nails for seven years. If he does so he'll be rich. The man agrees, but people are so revolted by him he can't find anywhere to stay. He finds an old man who is about to be sent to jail for not paying the innkeeper and leave his daughters without anyone to care for them. Bearskin gives him money to pay his debt and in return, the man says he can marry one of his daughters. Only the youngest agrees. He gives her a ring and promises to come back in a few years. After the time is up, Bearskin finishes his deal and returns to the girl. They marry and live happily.

This tale is a bit morbid, but it's a unique tale. There's plenty you could do with this story. Place it in the future with aliens. Change the devil to an imp or genie. Who doesn't like a tale with some true love and people in disguise?

6: Bluebeard

Bluebeard is a horrible, ugly nobleman who marries young women that mysteriously disappear. Another young woman is chosen as his wife. He gives her the keys to the house, but forbids her to go in the basement room. Obviously, she goes in to discover all his former wives dead and hanging on the walls. She runs from the room and tells her friend about it. Bluebeard returns from his trip and discovers what she did. He is about to kill her. She is saved by her friend's husband, who kills Bluebeard.

Bluebeard is a creepy and disgusting tale, but you could really go somewhere with it. It's got all the elements of a great story. A horrible villain, a curious woman, bodies in the basement. Maybe this could be made into a murder mystery. Or the girl could agree to marry him to discover what happened to the other wives. On second thought, I may not enjoy reading a retelling of this one, depending on the way it's told.

7: The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Almost everyone knows this one. There is a king with twelve beautiful daughters that he won't let marry anyone. They are discovered to have holes in their shoes every night and looking tired, like they've been out all night. However, no one sees them leave. The king offers a reward of a princess to whoever can figure out the mystery. A young man decides to try his luck. On his way to the castle, an old woman gives him some advice. Following what she said, he finds out the princesses are going to a magical land each night and dancing there. He reveals the secret and marries a daughter.

There have retellings of this one already, but it's such a pretty fairy tale, I'd love to see more. What if you placed it in a modern setting? Or add a mystery, like the princesses have to go to the magical land and the man has to figure out why? Or make it something besides dancing?

8: The Brave Little Tailor

A tailor is about to eat lunch when he sees flies gathering on his bread. He kills them and discovers seven. Being proud of that, he makes a belt that says "Seven with one blow". He decides to set out and seek his fortune (I guess he got an inflated ego). He meets some giants and tricks them into thinking he's strong and can kill seven men with one blow. He then joins the military, but everyone is too afraid of him. The king sends him on several impossible tasks, each of which the tailor completes. In the end he gets the princess's hand in marriage and half the kingdom.

I like this story because the tailor, despite having no skills, manages to convince everyone that he's some great hero, and comes out better for it. I could see this story being a really fun one, with a trickster main character. And someone who knows his secret, possibly threatening to reveal it unless the trickster does what he says.

9: Fairer-than-a-Fairy

This one's a bit complicated, so look it up if you want the full thing. Basically, this king names his daughter Fairer-Than-A-Fairy, which is a bad idea. An ugly old fairy comes and takes the girl away to be her servant. The girl grows up, falls in love with a prince the fairy turned into a rainbow, and manages to escape the fairy.

I've always found this tale interesting because it's so complicated. The girl has to do all sorts of stuff to get free of the fairy. I could totally see this tale set in a fantasy world, or in space. And maybe with some wicked twists. Like what if the prince doesn't love her, he's only trying to use to her get free?

10: The Goose Girl

There's a princess with a talking horse and a magical charm to protect her. She gets sent to marry a prince, and on the way loses her charm. Her maid takes advantage of that and forces her to change places. When they arrive at the castle, the maid claims to be the princess. The princess is made a goose girl. The boy she works with notices strange things about her and tells the king. The king tries to convince the girl to tell him, but she can't. He tells her to tell an iron stove instead, and hides inside it while she talks. Thus he learns about the maid's trickery. The king tells the maid about the false servant and asks her to pick a punishment. She says she should be dragged through town in a barrel full of spikes until she dies, so that's exactly what happens to her. The prince and princess marry and live happily ever after.

Don't you just love a story where the villain comes to a nasty end? Plus, the princess in this story has a very Cinderella attitude, which is nice compared to some of the people in today's novels. This tale could be made into quite the story. Add some tension. Maybe the maid is a evil creature in disguise. Maybe the princess doesn't want the prince in the end because he couldn't tell the difference between a princess and a maid.

11: The Pied Piper

This is another famous tale. There's a town called Hamlin that's over-run with rats. A man shows up and offers to get rid of the rats in one day. The people don't think it's possible, so they agree to his price. He pulls out a flute and plays. The rats follow him right out of town. But the townspeople, being greedy, don't want to pay him. He warns them to pay him or they'll regret it. They don't, so he plays his flute again and takes away the children, who are never seen again.

Interesting fact: this story is based off of a real town in France where there were no children. Some people speculate it might have been the plague. Can't you just see what a creepy story this could make? Or what if you picked up after the story, telling about what happened to the children? Or told the story from the piper's point of view?

12: The Water of Life

There was a king who was dying, so he sent his three sons out to find the water of life to heal him. The two older brothers were mean to a dwarf on their journey, so he punished them. Only the youngest was kind and the dwarf told him how to find the water of life. He meets a princess on the way and they fall in love. The youngest brother returns to the kingdom with his brothers, being the only one with the water of life. The older brothers take it and switch it for sea water. That makes the king sicker. When he is healed by the older brothers, he orders the young brother killed. He escapes instead. Later the king is sorry for it, learns his son lived, and asks him to come back. The youngest prince goes to retrieve the princess and the two live happily ever after.

This story is kind of a mix of elements. Mean older brothers, lots of tests, and an escape from death. This is another tale I could see doing well in space, or in the modern day. Or maybe you could reverse it, so it was sisters and a prince. Or maybe the princess is a witch trying to trap the prince.

Let's talk! What are some fairy tales you would like to see retold? Do you have any favorite tales? Tell me in the comments.