"Hansel and Grethel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Grethel are a young brother and sister kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch living in a forest, in a house constructed of cake, confectionery, candy, and many more treats than are imaginable. The two children escape with their lives by outwitting her. The story is set in medieval Germany. Hansel and Grethel are the children of a poor woodcutter. When a famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's wife decides to take the children into the woods and leave them there to fend for themselves, so that she and her husband do not starve to death. The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally reluctantly submits to his wife's scheme. They were unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Grethel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers as many white pebbles as he can , then returns to his room, reassuring Grethel that God will not forsake them...