Rapunzel
The Rapunzel that the Grimm’s wrote about is very different than the more commonly known one, at least in some aspects.
A man and his wife wished for a baby. Finally she got pregnant, but began to have cravings for the rapunzel herb that grew in her neighbor’s garden. Her cravings grew so strong, that he husband grew scared of her and stole her some. But he was caught by the sorceress who owned the garden, and made to promise that in retribution he would give her the baby if it was a girl. It was, and she took the child, naming her Rapunzel after the herb her parents stole.
When she was twelve the sorceress locked her in a tower far in the woods, with no way in or out but a window at the top. She would simply call out for the girl to let down her long blonde hair and pull her up when she needed to get in. A prince was passing through and heard her say this, and decided to give it a try.
First Rapunzel was afraid, but then made plans with the prince to run away. Every night when he visited he was to bring her a scrap of silk for her to make a ladder with so she could get down. One day though, Rapunzel made the mistake of asking the witch why she was heavier than the prince. The witch cut off her hair and cast her into the wilderness. That night, she lured the prince in with Rapunzel's cut hair, and when he learned she was gone, he cast himself out of the tower window, blinding himself on the thorns below. After wandering in the wilderness he came across Rapunzel singing to the two children she had borne him in the wild. She recognized him, and her tears healed his wounds. He then took her and their children to his castle.
Underlying Meaning
First of all, this tale is obviously not a children's tale, as Rapunzel and the prince obviously have sexual relations when she is in the tower, in order for her to be able to bear him children. The Prince here is also a Christ-like figure, sacrificing his sight for his love for her. The sin of gluttony is present in this story too - the mother says she wants nothing more than to have a child, but in the end she cares more for her craving of rapunzel herb than for the child herself. There is no mention of her fighting for the child, and the father is a coward abandoning his unborn child to the hands of a witch, thus including the abandonment theme. The forest is present here, and the tower can be considered a "little house within the forest" per say, as Rapunzel's awakening about the outside world, as well as her sexual awakening occurs there.