<P> "Hansel and Gretel" (also known as Hansel and Grettel, Hansel and Grethel, or Little Brother and Little Sister) (/ ˈhænsəl / or / ˈhɑːnsəl / and / ˈɡrɛtəl /; German: Hänsel und Gretel (Hänsel und Grethel) (ˈhɛnzl̩ ʊnt ˈɡʁeːtl̩)) is a well - known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 . Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery . The two children escape with their lives by outwitting her . The tale has been adapted to various media, most notably the opera Hänsel und Gretel (1893) by Engelbert Humperdinck . Under the Aarne--Thompson classification system, "Hansel and Gretel" is classified under Class 327 . </P> <P> Hansel and Gretel are the children of a poor woodcutter . When a great 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, because the kids eat too much . The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally, and reluctantly, submits to his wife's scheme . They were unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel 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 Gretel that God will not forsake them . </P>

When was hansel and gretel written by the grimm brothers