In the Brothers Grimm tale “Cinderella,” Cinderella’s slippers are made from gold.
The Grimms’ version is titled “Aschenputtel,” the German name often translated as Cinderella. In this story, the heroine’s magical helpers are birds associated with a tree growing from a branch planted on her mother’s grave. The birds help her obtain clothing and attend the royal celebration.
The prince tries to identify the mysterious young woman by using the slipper she leaves behind. Unlike the famous French version associated with Charles Perrault, the Grimm tale describes golden slippers rather than glass slippers. This difference is one of the most common comparisons made between the two traditions.
The Grimm story is also darker in places. The stepsisters attempt to force their feet into the slipper, and birds later punish them by pecking out their eyes. The golden slipper detail therefore belongs specifically to the Grimm version, not to every Cinderella story.