The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes (Danish: De røde sko), written by Hans Christian Andersen, is a fairytale about a spoiled little girl forced to dance on and on in her new shoes.

Hans Christian Andersen relates the following story about how the idea for this fairy tale came about:

When he was very young, his father was a shoemaker. He was watching one day when his father received a piece of red silk ribbon from a wealthy customer.

The rich women wanted a pair of dancing shoes made for her daughter using the piece of red ribbon. Andersen watched as his father looked and looked and finally found a fine piece of red leather to match the red silk ribbon.

His father worked hard and long combining the two to make a beautiful pair of shoes. When the rich lady saw the shoes she said 'They're awful, nothing but trash and you ruined my piece of fine red silk ribbon'.

Andersen's father said, 'In that case, I might as well ruin the shoes I made as well'. He then took a knife and cut up the shoes!

A color drawing of a young girl in a ballerina dress and red shoes, dancing.

"The Red Shoes" was published by C.A. Reitzel on 7 April 1845, in a collection of his fairy tales called "New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Third Collection". This collection includes "The Elf Mound", "The Jumpers", and The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep".

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The Red Shoes

About the red shoes fairy tale. The Red Shoes centers around a poor young girl named Karen who becomes obsessed with a pair of red shoes she has acquired. The red shoes are magical and, once worn, force the wearer to dance uncontrollably.

Karen is adopted by a wealthy woman when her mother dies. The wealthy old woman adopts her, spoils her and gives her anything she wants. Karen remembers that, as a child, she had a pair of old and scruffy shoes that were red. So, she asks the wealthy old woman to buy her a new pair of shoes that are a very bright and beautiful red color.

Karen wants to wear her shoes to church, but her "mother" tells her she can't do that. Karen ignores her, and wears her shoes everywhere, even to church.

A strange old soldier tells her that her shoes are perfect for dancing. He puts a spell on the shoes, and from that day on, Karen dances everywhere. And she discovers that she cannot take the shoes off!

In her desperation, Karen begs for mercy and seeks help from an executioner, who ends up cutting off her feet to free her from the cursed shoes.

A black-and-white sketch of a woman on stone steps, looking back at a pair of magic shoes

Karen has her feet cut off!

The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of vanity, materialism, and disobedience. It also highlights the importance of humility, repentance, and the need to resist temptation.

In the end, Karen is forgiven for her past actions and is granted entry into Heaven.

Over the years, "The Red Shoes" has been adapted into various forms of media over the years, including ballets, films, and stage plays, each interpreting the story's themes and messages in their own unique way.

You can see our list of 24 different Fairy Tales here.

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