In Germanic folklore, the trolls & witches were actually based on jews.

This began in the Middle Ages- 1144 when a case in Norwich, England spread across Europe, leading to pogroms & expulsions of jewish communities.

It was said that jews kidnapped, tortured & ritually sacrificed Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals, such as making matzah for Passover.

They were described as having large noses, being greedy, hoarding treasure & living on the outskirts of society plotting against Christians.

Many stories were created as a warning after missing Christian children were found to be the victims of jewish sacrifice/ ritual murder across Europe, this happened over centuries.

In “Hansel and Gretel,” the witch’s oven and child-eating directly echo stories where jews were accused of baking children or using their remains.

Similar motifs appear in other tales, like the witch in “Rapunzel” (Mother Gothel) kidnapping a child for magical purposes.

The Grimms’ collection itself includes stories, such as “The jew in the Brambles” & legends like “The Girl Who Was Killed by jews”.