What was Rapunzel's evil stepmother's name?

Mother Gothel isn’t, strictly speaking, a full-fledged stepmother. The character kidnaps Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) from her parents when she’s just a baby, and spends the next seventeen years raising her as if she were her own child. Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) pretends to have Rapunzel’s best interests at heart, but her only real reason for keeping the girl alive and healthy is so that she can exploit the fountain-of-youth qualities of her magical hair. If Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) hadn’t stumbled on the tower, Mother Gothel would have kept Rapunzel to herself forever.

More Info: disney.wikia.com

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54 Comments

William Laughlin

This story is much older than one specific animated film. It goes back to the original Brothers Grimm tale published in 1812. Why not simply discuss the story? The actors who played roles in a Disney animated film are unnecessary. This story has been told many more times in live action or animation, for TV or theatrical release than indicated by naming actors from one specific animated Disney film!

David Stokes

Shallow - sometime I wonder who vets these questions and answers. The brothers Grimm who first put this folk tale to print did not give the evil "step mother" a name. I see below a comment that Disney didn't invent "all" fairytales. Actually, the Disney corporation, to date, has not "invented" one true fairy tale.

Kathleen Kennedy

Disney's version is not the one that most people over a certain age (maybe many of us who participate) are familiar with.

John McLardie

Who passed this rubbish? Anybody who knows the fairytale knows that her stepmothers' name was not mentioned.

Jeff Webster

I have to agree with the people calling "foul" on this question. I have never seen this movie "Tangled". I'm 60 years old and have read the story of Rapunzel to many children long before Disney made a Rapunzel movie. It would be interesting to see what Disney would do with "The Red Shoes" and see if they figured out a way for the little girl to keep her feet.

Kevin D. Ramkissoon

The question is imprecise. It should refer to the Disney version specifically. In the original version by the Brothers Grimm, the stepmother was unnamed.

Peter de Loriol

Hmmm. The Grimm Brothers never mentioned the stepmother's name. So therefore for this question is wrong.

pdeloriol

Why not stick to the original stories? When one says something has been Disneyed, it means the story has been twisted to suit the market - this is the case of all the fairy tales re-hacked by the Disney team. I am bitterly disappointed by the questioner's inability to see beyond the present.

dmarkc

Again, the answer provides the question's parameters.

Bill Cain

Talk about Stockholm Syndrome, go from kidnapper to stepmother!

Susan Lake-Harris

In the original story, I don't think it was ever mentioned. Now if the question had said "According to Disney..."

teacherchicky

It's Dame Gothel, but that's in the cartoon, I don't remember it being mentioned in the original story.

Player

I have read many fairy tales but I have seen very few that are Disney movies. Questions should specify when it is Grimm and when it is Disney. They are different.

Chris Braid

No idea who Mandy Moore is or what on earth she has to do with a fairytale from the 19th century!

Louella Wilson

The Brothers Grimm stated that Rapunzel's evil stepmother was named Dame Gothel. Disney appears to have morphed dame into mother.

james parrillo

Ken Glatzer, Players are allowed one bonus quiz of ten questions per day. The bonus quiz email will stop at one question, if the person has already answered the ten. Thank you, Christine, James's wife

james parrillo

Jenny Smith, Some people buy questions. There is also a bonus quiz that should arrive by email every day, with ten additional questions for the day. Pressing the games button will reveal the types of games to buy with coins or actual money. One example is unlimited questions for the day. Thank you, Christine, James's wife