What is the German title of the Grimm tale known in English as 'Cinderella'?

The German title of the Grimm tale known in English as “Cinderella” is “Aschenputtel.”

“Aschenputtel” is the title used for the Brothers Grimm’s version, recorded as KHM 21 in their Kinder- und Hausmärchen. The name refers to the heroine’s association with ashes: her stepfamily forces her to perform degrading kitchen work and sleep near the hearth.

The Grimm story differs from Charles Perrault’s better-known French version, “Cendrillon.” Instead of a fairy godmother, pumpkin coach, and glass slipper, Grimm’s heroine receives help connected with a tree planted on her mother’s grave and with birds. Her shoes are golden in the Grimm tradition, not glass.

The story has deep international roots. Related versions include Giambattista Basile’s “The Cat Cinderella,” published in the seventeenth century, and Perrault’s “Cendrillon” from 1697. Disney’s English-language film helped make “Cinderella” the dominant English name, but “Aschenputtel” remains the standard German Grimm title.