Ashputtel, or Cinderella, is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression and triumphant reward. In it, a young girl is forced by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters to a life of servitude. Sleeping next to the fireplace, she earns the nickname Ashputtel.

Elements of the Grimm treatment of this story are much more intense than other versions (Perrault and Disney, for example), with the stepsisters experiencing a more violent conclusion. The theme of the persecuted heroine whose attributes go unrecognized has remained popular in modern storytelling, movies, and media.