Rapunzel

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Rapunzel

Illustration of Rapunzel and the witch on a 1978 East German stamp
Author	Unknown but collected by the Brothers Grimm
Country	Germany
Language	German
Genre	Fairy tale
Publication date	1812
Media type	Print

"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale. It was first published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales. The best known line in the story is "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair".

The story starts with a lonely couple that wants a child. They live next to a walled garden that belongs to an evil witch named Dame Gothel. The wife is pregnant with a girl. When she gives birth, Dame Gothel takes her newborn and names her Rapunzel.

Rapunzel is taken into a tower to be shut out from the world. One day a prince chances upon Rapunzel and asks her to marry him. She agrees. Dame Gothel finds out about the prince who is planning to free Rapunzel, so she cuts Rapunzel's hair off and sends her to a faraway desert.

The following night the prince climbs up the tower only to find Dame Gothel holding Rapunzel's cut hair. Dame Gothel throws the prince out of the tower, leading him to fall on thorny bushes and become blind.

Months later, the prince, who is still blind, finds Rapunzel through her singing. Rapunzel cries into his arms, and her tears bring back the prince's sight. The prince takes Rapunzel to his kingdom, where they lived happily ever after.

There have been many stories, books and films made overtime based on the story. In 2011, Disney released a film titled Tangled.

• 
  Illustration by Johnny Gruelle, done in 1922
• 
  Illustration by Walter Crane,1882
• 
  Citing Rapunzel, in a tower, in Lindau, at Lake Constance
• 
  Rapunzel tower, near Marburg, in Germany
• 
  A series of postage stamps telling the story

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