For our first series finale we finish off with Rapunzel, the famous story of a well coiffured heroine trapped in a tower.

We find many surprises in what may be thought of as the most childish of the Grimm’s tales, including silk ladders, salad addiction, barren deserts, and a villain with more depth than first meets the eye.

After the story we discuss the more adult themes of the tale, why witches get such a bad rep, a Lithuanian long hair festival, and how it can all be traced back to 17th century Naples.

See the animated video by our competition winner here: http://tiny.cc/mqvi7y 

Twitter

[email protected]

Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other music: Live instrumental performance of “Beau Soir” (Beautiful Evening) written by Claude Debussy // Chopin’s Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes (F Major) Performed by Martha Goldstein