Fairy tales, often remembered for their “happily ever after” endings, frequently harbor darker themes. While some conclude sweetly, many hint at unsettling elements, introducing evil and creepy characters that threaten the well-being of fairy tale protagonists. Among these figures, some of the most memorable and chilling are the women. It’s not always about looks; it’s their actions and intentions that truly make them creepy.
Here’s a countdown of the top 10 creepiest female characters in classic fairy tales, ranked for your reading pleasure… or perhaps discomfort!
10. The Mirror-Loving Queen From Snow White
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?” This infamous question sets the stage for the Queen’s descent into madness.
Before Snow White’s rise, the Queen reigned supreme as the land’s most beautiful woman. Obsessed with maintaining this title, she relegates Snow White to a life of servitude. As Snow White blossoms into a young woman, her beauty surpasses the Queen’s, sparking a murderous rage.
Refusing to accept her fading glory, the Queen plots to kill Snow White, even hiring a huntsman for the grim task. When that fails, she resorts to disguises, ultimately succeeding with a poisoned apple. But the fairy tale’s original ending is far more gruesome than the Disney version. Snow White tricks the Queen into attending her wedding, where she’s forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until her death. Now, that’s a creepy ending!
9. Cinderella’s Stepmom Hates Glass Slippers
Cinderella’s tale, with roots in ancient Greece, gains its popularity from Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. These versions highlight the stepmother’s cruelty.
Following Cinderella’s father’s death, the stepmother subjects Cinderella to relentless abuse and an endless list of chores. She forces Cinderella to sleep on a meager mattress while her own daughters luxuriate in soft beds. In the Brothers Grimm version, they even call her “Ashfool” because she sleeps among the ashes.
When the prince announces a three-day celebration, Cinderella begs to attend, but the stepmother throws lentils into the fireplace, demanding she pick them all up before going. In Perrault’s version, Cinderella eventually forgives her stepsisters, who then marry noblemen. However, the Brothers Grimm offer a darker twist. The stepmother urges her daughters to mutilate their feet to fit the glass slipper, leading to pigeons plucking out their eyes. Talk about a horrifying ending!
8. The Cunning Sea Witch In The Little Mermaid
In “The Little Mermaid,” the underwater kingdom harbors its own form of evil. The little mermaid, desiring to become human, seeks the Sea Witch’s help to marry a prince and gain a soul to live in Heaven.
The Sea Witch, undoubtedly the creepiest woman in the ocean, resides in the most dangerous depths. After convincing the mermaid to trade her tongue for legs, she adds cruel loopholes to their agreement. The potion feels like a sword, and each step on her new legs is like walking on knives! Her deal depends on marrying the prince; failure means death from a broken heart.
Only a truly evil woman would devise such a torturous and complicated curse, making her one of the creepiest fairy tale characters.
7. The Selfish Witch From Rapunzel
Rapunzel’s story revolves around her captivity in a tower by a witch who uses her long hair to climb up. The tale begins with a man stealing rampion fruit from the witch’s garden. When caught, he agrees to give up his first child in exchange for the fruit to avoid turning into a pig!
After Rapunzel’s birth, the witch takes her, keeping her isolated in the tower. When the witch discovers Rapunzel’s affair with a prince, she cuts off her hair, causing her incredible misery. Furthering her cruelty, the witch makes the prince fall into thorny bushes, blinding him.
Ensuring a miserable life for everyone in her path, this witch’s selfishness and vindictiveness secure her place among the creepiest fairy tale women.
6. The Bitter Maleficent In Sleeping Beauty
The birth of a royal child should unite the kingdom, but in “Sleeping Beauty,” it creates chaos. When the king and queen forget to invite Maleficent to their daughter’s christening, she arrives uninvited and furious.
Noticing only twelve plates instead of thirteen for the fairies, Maleficent curses the infant. She proclaims that the princess will prick her finger on a spindle at fifteen and die. Although the last fairy alters the curse to a 100-year sleep, Maleficent’s spiteful act is undeniably creepy!
Even after the kingdom bans spindles, the princess eventually succumbs to the curse. Maleficent’s willingness to condemn an innocent child for a slight mark her as absolutely cuckoo and undeniably evil.
5. The Stuck-Up Princess From The Frog Prince
Classical fairytales often undergo alterations, and “The Frog Prince” is one such story. The original princess, unlike Disney’s Tiana, is far from adorable. She’s a stuck-up girl who doesn’t honor her promises.
The story begins with the princess losing her golden ball in the river. A frog offers to help, and she promises anything in return. But as soon as she gets her ball back, she betrays the frog. When the frog demands his due, she reluctantly complies, despising him and only half-heartedly cooperating.
In the morning, when the frog asks for a kiss, the princess happily obliges to be rid of him. But when the frog transforms into a handsome prince, she suddenly begs him to stay, entirely forgetting her previous cruelty. Her shallow nature and willingness to abandon her word make her surprisingly creepy.
4. The White Witch From The Chronicles of Narnia
C. S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” features Jadis, also known as The White Witch, one of the series’ creepiest characters. As a sorceress, she is always plotting evil.
Merciless and power-hungry, Jadis usurps the throne from its royal family and plunges Narnia into perpetual winter with a curse. Her cruelty extends to turning her subjects into stone with her wand. Her cold nature gradually incites a revolt against her rule.
The White Witch’s curses and treatment of her subjects earn her the title of the ‘coldest woman’ in Narnia, solidifying her rank as a truly creepy character.
3. The Sinister Little Red Riding Hood
“Little Red Riding Hood” has more to it than meets the eye. Some versions paint Little Red as kind of creepy. For starters, she travels alone through a dark forest to visit her grandmother, a journey that most people wouldn’t attempt.
In some versions, Little Red befriends the wolf and even lets it eat her grandmother, hoping to inherit her property. To eliminate witnesses, she also kills the wolf.
This Little Red Riding Hood is no ordinary little girl; she’s up to something sinister beneath that bloody red cap!
2. The Cannibalistic Witch In Hansel And Gretel
Hansel and Gretel learn a harsh lesson: not everyone offering treats has good intentions. Lost in a forest, they stumble upon a house made of sweets, a trap set by a witch who loves to eat children!
The witch invites the hungry children into her home, offering milk, pancakes, nuts, and apples. But once they’re comfortable, her creepy intentions emerge. She fattens them up for slaughter, caging Hansel and feeding him treats.
This cannibalistic woman’s diet is truly disturbing, and her eventual demise is one of the most just outcomes in fairy tale history. Her predilection for children makes her undeniably creepy.
1. Notorious Baba Yaga aka ‘The Bony-Legged One’
Baba Yaga, from Russian folklore, is one of the creepiest fairy tale figures ever created. The story begins with a widower’s daughter mistreated by her stepmother, who sends her to Baba Yaga, the bony-legged witch.
Baba Yaga lives in a hut that stands on giant hen’s legs! Natasha, the daughter, encounters the witch with iron teeth. Using her cunning, Natasha escapes, only to be relentlessly pursued by Baba Yaga.
Throughout their dramatic chase, Natasha outwits the witch at every turn. Baba Yaga’s intent to eat her solidifies her status as the creepiest of all, showcasing a taste for young kids that’s both tasteless and terrifying.
These women remind us that beneath the surface of enchanting tales, darkness often lurks. Their actions, driven by jealousy, greed, or sheer malice, leave a lasting impression, making them unforgettable figures in the world of fairy tales.
Who did you find the creepiest? Leave your comment below!
