Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel is a well-known fairytale that was featured on ABC's hit television series Once Upon a Time. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812.

Traditional Plot
Once upon a time, there lived a poor woodcutter with a cruel second wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. One day, when a great famine plagues the land, the second wife convinces the woodcutter to take the children to the nearby woods and leave them there to fend for themselves. That way, with just herself and her husband, she would have fewer mouths to feed.

The woodcutter becomes upset at the plan, but the stepmother arugues with the woodcutter until he decides to go through with the horrible plan the next morning. However, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them from their bedroom, and create a plan to foil the stepmother's scheme. Late that night, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers bright white pebbles and returns to his room once he is finished collecting them all. He reassures the frightened Gretel that they will be able to return to the house.

The next day, the woodcutter takes the children deep into the woods. Unbeknownst to him, Hansel is leaving a trail of white pebbles as they walk. After the woodcutter abandons them, the children wait for the full moon to illuminate the pebbles. Following this trail, they return home safe and sound, much to their stepmother's horror.

A few weeks later, another famine hits the land and the stepmother commands her husband to take the two even further in the woods and leave them there. Once again, Hansel and Gretel overhear, but when they try to sneak out to gather pebbles, they find the doors locked and are unable to leave the house.

The next morning, the woodcutter takes them to the woods. This time, Hansel uses a trail of bread crumbs to use to get home. However, after they are abandoned, they discover that the animals of the forest ate all of the crumbs, and the two become lost in the woods. After many days of wandering, they spot a beautiful white bird and follow it.

The bird leads them to a large gingerbread house with many types of candy and sweets on it. Exhausted, the children begin to eat the house. A blind woman comes out and lures the children inside with promises of warm beds and a hot meal. However, what they do not know is that the old woman was actually a witch who cooked and ate children.

The next morning, the witch locks Hansel in a cage behind the house and forces Gretel into becoming a slave. She feeds Hansel daily to fatten him up, but whenever she tries to find out whether he is plump enough to eat, he gives her a bone that he found in the cage in his stead. Thus, the witch would think he was still too skinny to eat whenever she felt his finger, which was actually the bone. After many weeks of this, the witch grows impatient and decides to eat him.

As she prepares the cooking oven for Hansel, she decides that she is hungry enough to eat Gretel. She forces Gretel to stand in front of the open, roaring oven, and tells her to lean over to see if the fire is hot enough to cook Hansel. Gretel knows what the witch's intent is, however, and pretends to not understand what she means. The witch becomes angry and demonstrates.

As soon as she leans over, Gretel pushes her into the oven and locks the door, leaving the witch to be burned alive. Gretel frees Hansel from the cage, and together, they discover a secret room filled with riches. They put the treasure into their clothes and set off for home.

When they reach the house, they discover that their stepmother has died, and that their father has spent his days mourning his children's deaths. When he sees them, he becomes happy again. The family becomes rich, thanks to the witch's treasure, and they all live happily ever after.

Show Adaptation

 * Gretel was the older sister of Hansel, when she is usually portrayed as the younger sister.Also they're twins as said by Emma.
 * The Blind Witch was young, not old, and held the poisoned apple that the Evil Queen uses to curse Snow White in her possession.
 * The Evil Queen sends the two to steal from the Blind Witch; they do not stumble upon her by chance.
 * The stepmother does not make an appearance, and the siblings' father is kidnapped by the Evil Queen.

Characters Featured

 * Hansel
 * Gretel
 * The Woodcutter
 * Blind Witch (True North)