The Surprising Origin of The Frog Prince

The iconic Frog Prince tale is the very first story in the famous Brothers Grimm collection. Published in 1812, this German folktale features the mysterious Iron Henry, a character often omitted in modern retellings.

While most people know the story as a simple romantic transformation, the original version was titled The Frog Prince or Iron Henry. The Iron Henry character was a loyal servant who had iron bands wrapped around his heart to keep it from breaking with grief when his master turned into a frog. It is fascinating how the most famous fairy tales often evolve to lose their darkest or most complex characters over two centuries.