The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes (Danish: De røde sko), written by Hans Christian Andersen, is a fairy tale 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.  He 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'.  His 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.

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

 "The Red Shoes" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. First published in 1845, this story centers around a young girl named Karen who becomes obsessed with a pair of red shoes she acquires. The red shoes are magical and, once worn, force the wearer to dance uncontrollably.

Synopsis of  "THE Red Shoes"  Fairy Tale    

"The Little Red Shoes" is a reference to the fairy tale "The Red Shoes" by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. First published in 1845, this story centers around a young girl named Karen who becomes obsessed with a pair of red shoes she acquires. The red shoes are magical and, once worn, force the wearer to dance uncontrollably.

Despite warnings from her adoptive mother and the village clergyman, Karen insists on wearing the red shoes to church. The shoes take control and cause her to dance, leading her on a journey of pain and suffering. 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.

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. Over the years, "The Red Shoes" has been adapted into various forms of media, including ballets, films, and stage plays.

About the red shoes fairy tale

"The Red Shoes" is a fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, first published in 1845. The story revolves around a young orphan girl named Karen who becomes enamored with a pair of magical red shoes. The tale serves as a cautionary message about the consequences of vanity, materialism, and disobedience.

After the death of her parents, Karen is taken in by a kind, elderly woman. One day, she sees a pair of beautiful red shoes in a store window and becomes obsessed with owning them. Despite warnings from her adoptive mother and the local clergyman, Karen insists on wearing the red shoes to church.

Once she puts them on, the shoes take control, forcing Karen to dance against her will. The magical shoes lead her on a painful and exhausting journey, causing her great suffering. Karen, desperate to be rid of the shoes, seeks help from various people, including an angel and an executioner. The executioner ultimately cuts off her feet, freeing her from the cursed shoes.


A poor girl named  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 as a child that she had  a pair of old and scruffy shoes that were red.  So, she has the wealthy old woman buy her a new pair of shoes that are a very bright and beautiful red .

Karen wears her shoes to church, but her "mother" tells her she can't do  that.  She ignores the request and wears her shoes every where, even to church.  A strange old soldier tells her that her shoes are perfect for dancing. He put a spell on the shoes and from that day on, Karen dances everywhere.

This was just about the beginning of the fairy tale.  As the story develops , the little girl  gets into more and more trouble with her Red Shoes.

To  read the rest of the story Click Here.

In the end, Karen learns the importance of humility, repentance, and resisting temptation. She is forgiven for her past actions and is granted entry into Heaven.

"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.

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