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When in Rome -

The origins of the evil stepmother myth can possibly be traced back to ancient Rome. Livia Drusilla, the first Roman empress, was the second wife of Emperor Caesar Augustus, who ascended to power after Julius Caesar was killed. 

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Successors -

Livia was already mother to a son named Tiberius. And Augustus' daughter from a previous marriage had given birth to two sons, Gaius Caesar and Lucius Caesar. One of them was set to succeed Augustus as emperor, but they both died.

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Rumors -

Rumors soon began circulating that Livia was behind the deaths—especially after Agrippa Postumus, Augustus' grandson and another potential heir to the throne, was banished and murdered. Eventually, Livia's son Tiberius, rather than a direct descendant from Augustus' bloodline, became emperor.

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Attacking the empress -

In ancient Rome, it was looked down on to openly criticize those in power, particularly the emperor. Therefore, people would often express their displeasure by attacking the empress, which was due to her gender. However, one man responsible for cementing Livia's role as an evil step(grand)mother was the historian Tacitus.

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Livia in Tacitus' eyes -

In Tacitus' version of Roman history, which was written decades after Augustus' death in 14 CE, Livia was ruthless and power-hungry, and would do anything to secure her son's place on the throne. This shows that powerful women weren't looked upon favorably, a trend still present to this day.

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Around the world -

Around the world, stories of female rivalry emerged. In some regions of Africa and Asia, the stepmother took the form of a wicked second wife who tortured the virtuous first wife. And in parts of Europe, she became a jealous sister or mother-in-law.

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A rivalry between two women -

When looking at the evil stepmother myth, the core is the same. It basically demonstrates the toxic rivalry between an older woman and a younger woman. That is, the stepmother and stepdaughter.

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The evil stepmother in fairy tales -

In the early 19th century, when Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were collecting German fairy tales, they were shocked by how many of them contained evil mothers.

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Introducing the stepmothers -

The Brothers Grimm therefore changed a lot of the mothers and mothers-in-law to stepmothers.

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The reality of the times -

Another reason stepmothers feature prominently in folktales from this era is because they reflect the time period. Childbirth was dangerous, and many women didn't survive the experience. For this reason, many children grew up with a possible stepparent.

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Marrying for money -

Another important thing to note from the era of the Brothers Grimm was that marrying for love was basically a foreign concept. Women needed men's earnings to survive. So if a woman married a man, it was because of money or status rather than love.

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Inheritance issues -

That said, inheritance was an issue that women had to worry about. If a woman's husband died, children he had from a prior marriage could inherit more money than her. As a result, many stepmothers would do what they could to push their stepchildren away.

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Popularity of the fairy tales -

The Brothers Grimm fairy tales became wildly popular and served as the basis for many Disney films, from 'Snow White' (1937) to 'Tangled' (2010).

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From fairy tales to movies -

These movies, as well as those inspired by the 19th-century Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, gave us some of the most iconic villains ever put on screen. And many of them are evil stepmothers.

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Famous evil stepmothers -

From Lady Tremaine in 'Cinderella' (1950) to the Evil Queen in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937), there have been many memorable evil stepmothers.

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Fiona Montgomery - 'A Cinderella Story' (2004) -

One of Jennifer Coolidge’s most iconic roles, who'll ever forget her as Hilary Duff's greedy, tanned, and super vain stepmom?

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Queen Narissa - 'Enchanted' (2007) -

The ruler of the fantasy realm Andalasia, and stepmother to the handsome Prince Edward, Susan Sarandon's Queen Narissa is 100% evil.

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Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent - 'Ever After' (1998) -

Anjelica Huston has made a name for herself portraying some of the most memorable villains, and Baroness Rodmilla de Ghent is no different.

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The Evil Queen – 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' (1937) -

Probably one of the most iconic animated characters ever, the Evil Queen was the first-ever Disney villain, and the worst stepmother.

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Queen Ravenna - 'Snow White and the Huntsman' (2012) -

Charlize Theron's take on the Evil Queen shows a realistic, vain, and power-hungry version of the iconic stepmother.

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Queen Clementianna - 'Mirror Mirror' (2012) -

Another version of the Evil Queen is Julia Roberts' character in 'Mirror Mirror.' In this rendition of the classic fairy tale, she plays the imperious and autocratic stepmother.

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Lady Tremaine – 'Cinderella' (1950) -

In this 1950s animated feature, Lady Tremaine is presented as cold-hearted and emotionally abusive to her stepdaughter, Cinderella.

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Lady Tremaine – 'Cinderella' (2015) -

In the live-action version of 'Cinderella,' Cate Blanchett steals the show as the memorable Lady Tremaine.

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Lady Mary Van Tassel - 'Sleepy Hollow' (1999) -

Miranda Richardson's Lady Mary Van Tassel avoids the title of evil stepmother for most of the film. However, the movie's ending reveals her as the villain all along.

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Moving away from the myth -

As society continues to break down stereotypes and the portrayals of women, Disney has started to rehabilitate many of its wicked stepmother figures. They have even skipped them entirely in movies like 'Moana' (2016) and 'Frozen' (2013).

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Showing a different kind of villain -

There has also been a change in how villains are portrayed. For example, in 'Maleficent' (2014), the antagonist is a caring but misunderstood figure.

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Change in media -

Modern media has also started to show more varied stories of stepmothers. For example, in 'Juno' (2007), the protagonist receives affectionate support from her stepmother.

Sources: (BBC) (Live Science) 

See also: Classic cinema's most notorious villains

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