Hansel & Gretel
Lost forest children
Hansel and Gretel are the brother and sister in a German fairy tale who are abandoned in the forest by their parents, discover a house made of candy, and are captured by a witch who plans to eat them.
Gretel ultimately shoves the witch into her own oven.
The story appears in the Brothers Grimm collection and has become a cultural touchstone for themes of child endangerment, resourcefulness, and the dangers of temptation: a Hansel and Gretel scenario, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs like Hansel and Gretel.
Father's spouse, not birth mother
- fatherMale parent
- woodcutterOne who fells trees
- famineSevere food shortage
- povertySevere lack of resources
hunger · cruel · forest · left behind · betrayal · survival · neglect · hardship
Forested area
- gingerbread houseConfection shaped like dwelling
- lostUnable to navigate
- darkAbsence of light
- deepFar from surface
trees · path · wandering · wilderness · clearing · trail · ominous · foreboding
Evil or slang-excellent
- cannibalisticEating one's own kind
- gingerbread houseConfection shaped like dwelling
- ovenEnclosed cooking chamber
- cageBarred confinement structure
fattening · deception · old woman · crone · lure · trap · cooking · burned
Path through wilderness
- crumbsSmall food fragments
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
- pathRoute for traveling
- markingIndicating with symbols
navigation · eaten · birds · lost · trace · retracing · scattered · dropped
Male with shared parents
- sisterFemale sibling
- childrenYoung human beings
- abandonedLeft behind completely
- cleverShowing mental quickness
teamwork · loyalty · bond · protective · orphans · resourceful · cooperation · escape
stepmother
Father's spouse, not birth mother
- fatherMale parent
- woodcutterOne who fells trees
- famineSevere food shortage
poverty · hunger · cruel · forest · left behind · betrayal · survival · neglect · hardship · desperation
woods
Forested area
- gingerbread houseConfection shaped like dwelling
- lostUnable to navigate
- darkAbsence of light
deep · trees · path · wandering · wilderness · clearing · trail · ominous · foreboding · moonlight
wicked
Evil or slang-excellent
- cannibalisticEating one's own kind
- gingerbread houseConfection shaped like dwelling
- ovenEnclosed cooking chamber
cage · fattening · deception · old woman · crone · lure · trap · cooking · burned · pushed
trail
Path through wilderness
marking · navigation · eaten · birds · lost · trace · retracing · scattered · dropped · white stones
brother
Male with shared parents
clever · teamwork · loyalty · bond · protective · orphans · resourceful · cooperation · escape · bravery
Grimm
Folklorist brothers' surname
cautionary · morality · enchanted · fantasy · children · classic · oral tradition · tale · narrative · villainy
Hansel & GretelBaba Yaga
Slavic witch of legend
Rumpelstiltskin · Big Bad Wolf · ogres · predator · villain
Hansel & GretelLittle Red Riding Hood
Jack · Little Match Girl · Sleeping Beauty · Cinderella · Snow White
Hansel, Gretel, Hans, handle, hands, handed, handing, handily, handiness