ABSTRACT
While in folk tradition there appears to exist a reasonable bal-ance between the number of male and female protagonists in fairy tales, in printed collections and in the minds of literate audiences, the female folk fairy tale seems to dominate. "Snow White" (AT 709), "Cinderella" (AT 510), "Sleeping Beauty" (AT 410), "Rapunzel" (AT 310), "Beauty and the Beast" (AT 425), "Little Red Riding Hood" (AT 333), and "Hansel and Gretel" (AT 327A) are just some of the most commonly remembered fairy tales that have female protagonists.
