The Twelve Dancing Princesses
Worn-out shoes reveal a secret journey beneath the castle
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The Twelve Dancing Princesses
A king had twelve daughters who slept in one room, yet every morning their shoes were worn through as if they had danced all night. There were twelve beds side by side.
He wanted to discover where his daughters went dancing after everyone else had gone to bed. The sisters kept their secret.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
The king promised a daughter’s hand in marriage and his future kingdom to anyone who solved the mystery within three nights. The reward was great.
Anyone who failed would lose their life, and several princes had already failed after falling asleep each night. They had watched from the room next door.
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
A wounded soldier on the road to the king’s town told an old woman he was thinking of trying the challenge. He was no longer a young man.
She warned him not to drink the wine he would be offered, and gave him a cloak that would make him invisible. He should pretend to be sound asleep.
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Browse all storiesAbout this retelling
Explore this illustrated story at four reading levels. Each level follows the same essential events.
Collection: Fairy tales
Retelling: Germany · Brothers Grimm
For parents: After Grimm tale 133, The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces, in Margaret Hunt’s Household Tales (1884). Retains the dangerous challenge, sleeping wine, invisibility cloak, three forests and tokens, lake princes, three nights, confession, eldest sister’s marriage and princes’ continuing enchantment. Earlier challengers’ deaths are mentioned without graphic detail. All marrying characters are adults.
Public-domain source: View the recorded source edition