WIY: Most early folk tales (that modern “fairy tales” are based off of) are quite gruesome. That was normal in peasant life. It represented taking down the establishment. French and German folk tales are the most gruesome, with English and Italian being tamer. Hans Christian Anderson tales are most similar to our Disney-fied fairy tales today.
rebyidd: That’s okay. In the original French folk tale (“La Belle.. La Monster, if I recall the title correctly), he married a dozen women then ate them after the wedding, which is why he was cursed to be the Beast.