Grimms' Fairy Tales

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Samaira Book Publishers

For most children, reading the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm is an essential experience when growing up. Grimm's Fairy Tales collects fifty-five of the best-known fairy and folk tales set down by the Brothers Grimm, including 'Sleeping Beauty,' 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,' 'Little Red Riding Hood,' 'Hansel and Gretel,' 'The Frog-Prince,' and 'Rumpelstiltskin'. The Brothers Grimm rediscovered a host of fairy tales, telling of princes and princesses in their castles, witches in their towers and forests, of giants and dwarfs, of fabulous animals and dark deeds.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859), were born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, in the German state of Hesse. Throughout their lives they remained close friends, and both studied law at Marburg University. Jacob was a pioneer in the study of German philology, and although Wilhelm’s work was hampered by poor health the brothers collaborated in the creation of a German dictionary, not completed until a century after their deaths. But they were best (and universally) known for the collection of over two hundred folk tales they made from oral sources and published in two volumes of ‘Nursery and Household Tales’ in 1812 and 1814. Although their intention was to preserve such material as part of German cultural and literary history, and their collection was first published with scholarly notes and no illustration, the tales soon came into the possession of young readers. This was in part due to Edgar Taylor, who made the first English translation in 1823, selecting about fifty stories ‘with the amusement of some young friends principally in view.’ They have been an essential ingredient of children’s reading ever since.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Short Stories, Childrens, Mythology

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 20, 1812

About the author

German philologist and folklorist Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm in 1822 formulated Grimm's Law, the basis for much of modern comparative linguistics. With his brother Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859), he collected Germanic folk tales and published them as Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812-1815).

Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.

This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .

Adapted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

my becoming-a-genius project, part 15!

the background:
i have decided to become a genius.

to accomplish this, i'm going to work my way through the collected stories of various authors, reading + reviewing 1 story every day until i get bored / lose every single follower / am struck down by a vengeful deity.

in this case, i'm out of collected stories and really want to read some fairytales but this has 150 stories in it and i will NOT be reading the same book for 5 months so...5 stories a day it is. insert sunglasses emoji. i also won't be individually rating them, because they're like 3 sentences long.

PROJECT 1: THE COMPLETE STORIES BY FLANNERY O'CONNOR
PROJECT 2: HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES BY CARMEN MARIA MACHADO
PROJECT 3: 18 BEST STORIES BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
PROJECT 4: THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
PROJECT 5: HOW LONG 'TIL BLACK FUTURE MONTH? BY N.K. JEMISIN
PROJECT 6: THE SHORT STORIES OF OSCAR WILDE BY OSCAR WILDE
PROJECT 7: THE BLUE FAIRY BOOK BY ANDREW LANG
PROJECT 8: GRAND UNION: STORIES BY ZADIE SMITH
PROJECT 9: THE BEST OF ROALD DAHL BY ROALD DAHL
PROJECT 10: LOVE AND FREINDSHIP BY JANE AUSTEN
PROJECT 11: HOMESICK FOR ANOTHER WORLD BY OTTESSA MOSHFEGH
PROJECT 12: BAD FEMINIST BY ROXANE GAY
PROJECT 12.5: DIFFICULT WOMEN BY ROXANE GAY
PROJECT 13: THE SHORT NOVELS OF JOHN STEINBECK
PROJECT 14: FIRST PERSON SINGULAR BY HARUKI MURAKAMI
PROJECT 15: THE ORIGINAL FOLK AND FAIRY TALES OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM

STORY 1: THE FROG KING, OR IRON HENRY
personally i'd rather be called the frog king. sounds cooler.

2: THE COMPANIONSHIP OF THE CAT AND MOUSE
ben and jerry!
wait. tom and jerry is the cat and mouse. ben and jerry is the ice cream. i am a fool.

3: THE VIRGIN MARY'S CHILD
the virgin mary plays a real rumpelstiltskin role in this one.

4: GOOD BOWLING AND CARD PLAYING
sounds like my kinda night!
minus what turns out to be a beating-cats-to-death part. can't win em all.

5: THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN KIDS
kids as in goats. what a twist.

6: THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE BLINDWORM
me standing next to my pretty friends.
just kidding. i'm pretty and i don't have friends :)

7: THE STOLEN PENNIES
ghost story!!!!!!!

8: THE HAND WITH THE KNIFE
gotta love the stories that are no moral, just suffering.

9: THE TWELVE BROTHERS
evil mother-in-law. a classic.

10: RIFFRAFF
great word.

11: LITTLE BROTHER AND LITTLE SISTER
so many kings hunting in so many forests and finding so many beautiful maidens to be dazzled by.

12: RAPUNZEL
in this version, the prince climbs up rapunzel's hair to get her pregnant.
more realistic.

13: THE THREE LITTLE MEN IN THE FOREST
this is almost exactly the same as little brother and little sister. and not just because they both have little in the title.

14: NASTY FLAX SPINNING
the moral of this story is that only ugly people should have to work.

15: HANSEL AND GRETEL
i know this gingerbread house is about to make me so hungry.
yuuuum. roof made of cake.

16: HERR FIX-IT-UP
this book is fond of the phrase "a thousand million," which makes me fond of it.

17: THE WHITE SNAKE
gotta love when back to back stories are exactly the same.

18: THE JOURNEY OF THE STRAW, THE COAL, AND THE BEAN
this one has an alternate ending to itself right in the text. life hack.

19: THE FISHERMAN AND HIS WIFE
the first sentence of this includes both the phrase "once upon a time" and the equally beloved and oft-used "lived in a piss pot."

20: A STORY ABOUT A BRAVE TAILOR
a more straightforward title than "the brave little tailor."
it's the same, though, except it ends with "[The rest of this story is missing.]" another ending hack!

21: CINDERELLA
heavy hitter alert!

22: HOW SOME CHILDREN PLAYED AT SLAUGHTERING
there are 5 characters in this story and the body count of this story is 5.

23: THE LITTLE MOUSE, THE LITTLE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE
i've said it before and i'll say it again: tag yourself.

24: MOTHER HOLLE
this describes someone as "like the Cinderella of the house." meta.

25: THE THREE RAVENS
a lamer east of the sun, west of the moon.

26: LITTLE RED CAP
in this version the wolf is described as gobbling up the "fat chunks" of little red. disturbing in and of itself.

27: DEATH AND THE GOOSE BOY
so many chances to tag yourself, so little time.

28: THE SINGING BONE
why are any murders unsolved? just make the bones into mouthpieces for your instruments and they'll tell you what happened?

29: THE DEVIL WITH THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS
gotta love when all the heroism is done by an uncredited woman.

30: LITTLE LOUSE AND LITTLE FLEA
read that as "louise" the first 3 times.

31: MAIDEN WITHOUT HANDS
pretty good album name.

32: CLEVER HANS
this ends by saying God protect us from geese. and it's right to say it.

33: PUSS IN BOOTS
shrek fans activate.

34: HANS'S TRINA
"Hans's Trina was lazy and didn't want to do any work." and who can blame her?

35: THE SPARROW AND HIS FOUR CHILDREN
this is about a group of birds who like...REALLY love god.

36: THE LITTLE MAGIC TABLE, THE GOLDEN DONKEY, AND THE CLUB IN THE SACK
what more do you need in this life?

37: THE TABLECLOTH, THE KNAPSACK, THE CANNON HAT, AND THE HORN
sensing a theme here...

38: MRS. FOX
fingers crossed she's fantastic.

39: THE ELVES
this is three stories, just about the kind of stuff that elves get up to.

40: THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM
this is about a princess who watches her grandmother's murder and then carries her chopped-off finger for 24 hours for threat reasons. it's good.

41: HERR KORBES
the classic story of a group of animals and inanimate objects who take a trip to visit some dude and then kill him because he was kinda late.

42: THE GODFATHER
coppola, explain!

43: THE STRANGE FEAST
this has: two sausages who are best friends; a violent sausage who is a "blood sausage"; the most important character referred to as "someone - I don't know who it was." a goddamn masterpiece.

44: GODFATHER DEATH
if you guessed that this would slightly more badass but deeply similar to the godfather, you'd be right.

45: THE WANDERING OF THUMBLING, THE TAILOR'S SON
thumbelina is cooler.

46: FITCHER'S BIRD
screaming that this bluebeard-type story contains the transition phrase "Back at his place,"

47: THE JUNIPER TREE
this is about a mom who gets so excited to have a baby that she spontaneously dies, and then a stepmother who accidentally kills said baby and then frames her kid for the murder, and dines on a soup made of the body and flavored by the tears of the framed killer.

48: OLD SULTAN
sultan is a dog's name. bet you didn't see that one coming.

49: THE SIX SWANS
if there's one thing fairytales love almost as much as kings finding hot girls in the woods, it's 6 brothers turning into birds.

50: BRIAR ROSE
classic check!

51: THE FOUNDLING
every story should end like this: "They were very happy, and if they haven't died, they're still alive."

52: KING THRUSHBEARD
i always think that women are right and men are wrong, and this story (in which the punishment for a girl making a joke about a man's chin is years of poverty, mockery, starvation, and suffering) only proves i'm right.

53: LITTLE SNOW WHITE
the first story i felt obligated to tweet about.

54: SIMPLE HANS
crazy how some things never change. like we still determine paternity by giving a kid a lemon and sending him to church and whoever he hands it to is his dad.

55: RUMPELSTILTSKIN
my favorite creepy little goblin creature <3

56: SWEETHEART ROLAND
maybe it's just me, but i think if a guy turns his girlfriend into a rock and forgets about her he shouldn't get to marry her.

57: THE GOLDEN BIRD
one single golden feather was worth more than this bozo's whole kingdom. sounds like a real sh*thole.

58: LOYAL GODFATHER SPARROW
gotta admire a story that's like 60% death threats.

59: PRINCE SWAN
this is #1 with a bullet in the Most Confusing rankings.

60: THE GOLDEN EGG
this is a "fragment," which is a nice way of saying it's short and doesn't have an ending.

61: THE TAILOR WHO SOON BECAME RICH
eat the tailor.

62: BLUEBEARD
bluebeard!!! i love this freak!

63: THE GOLDEN CHILDREN
turn your name into a fairytale title! just start with "THE GOLDEN" and put any word at all after that.

64: THE SIMPLETON
finally, some representation.

65: ALL FUR
"I am nothing and am good for nothing except for having boots thrown at my head."
new catchphrase alert.

66: HURLEBURLEBUTZ
if anyone's looking for name ideas.

67: THE KING WITH THE LION
if you're allowed to wish for anything you want, a pretty badass option is "11 clones."

68: THE SUMMER AND THE WINTER GARDEN
this is literally, exactly, top to bottom beauty and the beast.

69: JORINDA AND JORINGEL
we are rich in potential baby names.

70: OKERLO
i cannot do this one, which includes cannibals and screwball comedy and conveniently placed 7 mile boots that only walk 1 mile and hairdos made of butter, justice.

71: PRINCESS MOUSESKIN
the baby name jokes are too easy.

72: THE PEAR REFUSED TO FALL
this is...the worst song of all time.

73: THE CASTLE OF MURDER
if my new husband were going to move me into a place called "the castle of murder," i would simply refuse to go. no offense to this girl but i'm different.

74: JOHANNES WATERSPRING AND CASPAR WATERSPRING
gotta love a water feature-based immaculate conception.

75: THE BIRD PHOENIX
bit redundant.

76: THE CARNATION
the beautiful princess in this is named Lisa.

77: THE CARPENTER AND THE TURNER
suddenly i want to reread alice.

78: THE OLD GRANDFATHER AND THE GRANDSON
a nice little tale of elder abuse.

79: THE WATER NIXIE
nixie goes to church!!!!!
i have been eagerly anticipating this since emma told me of it in the comments, and it lived up to my internal hype.

80: THE DEATH OF LITTLE HEN
this story is called the death of little hen, but in fact everyone who appears in this story dies.

81: THE BLACKSMITH AND THE DEVIL
if you suck so bad even hell doesn't want you, you can go to heaven.

82: THE THREE SISTERS
imagine having three daughters and managing to sell ALL of them into matrimony with a different wild animal.

83: THE POOR MAIDEN
if you give all your clothes away and live as a nudist you'll be rewarded in wealth.

84: THE MOTHER-IN-LAW
you probably love your mother in law

85: FRAGMENTS
aaaaand there's the anti-semitism.

86: THE FOX AND THE GEESE
"Then he laughed and said, 'Ho, I've come at just the right moment.'" 😈

87: THE POOR MAN AND THE RICH MAN
volume 2 baby! skipping the preface because obviously.

88: THE SINGING, SPRINGING LARK
an exact mix of beauty and the beast and east of the sun, west of the moon. all-star pairing.

89: THE GOOSE GIRL
the real moral of this story is that if you treat your employees so poorly that switching places with them is a horrific curse, then you deserve it.

90: THE YOUNG GIANT
pretty good band.

91: THE GNOME
my favorite way to travel is playing a flute that was hanging on my wall and for every note i play another gnome comes and then each gnome grabs a strand of my hair and flies to my destination.

92: THE KING OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAIN
i'm getting real tired of people "lousing" each other.

93: THE RAVEN
nevermore?

94: THE CLEVER FARMER'S DAUGHTER
i also think that the most romantic thing your spouse can do for you is some light kidnapping.

95: THE GENIE IN THE GLASS
wish i'd read this story years ago, so i'd know that you're supposed to pay off your student loans by turning steel into silver with a magic band-aid.

96: THE THREE LITTLE BIRDS
seems like telling fairytale readers that if they hit a dog in the face it'll turn into a handsome prince is a bad idea? but what do i know.

97: THE WATER OF LIFE
back to back stories where the protagonist's two siblings are the villains. i gotta watch out for my sisters.

98: DOCTOR KNOW-IT-ALL
amazing burn.

99: THE FROG PRINCE
the princess in this sleeps with a frog in exchange for a nice glass of water.

100: THE DEVIL'S SOOTY BROTHER
"The soldier looked so dreadful, even more frightening than a scarecrow."
did a crow write this?

101: THE DEVIL IN THE GREEN COAT
the devil was living in the grimm brothers' heads rent free.

102: THE WREN AND THE BEAR
this involves birds going on hunger strike for compliments, which i respect immensely.

103: THE SWEET PORRIDGE
imagine loving oatmeal so much you write a fairytale about it.

104: THE FAITHFUL ANIMALS
the REAL magic is the redistribution of wealth.

105: TALES ABOUT TOADS
f*ck. yes.

106: THE POOR MILLER'S APPRENTICE AND THE CAT
it's a 20-story day, folks.

107: THE CROWS
horror movie check!

108: HANS MY HEDGEHOG
a half hedgehog half boy who plays the bagpipes.

109: THE LITTLE SHROUD
this shows how important is is, when your child dies, to just shut up about it.

110: THE JEW IN THE THORNBUSH
somehow even more anti-semitic than i expected.

111: THE EXPERT HUNTSMAN
imagine carrying 3 giant tongues in your backpack for months.

112: THE FLESHING FLAIL FROM HEAVEN
what the hell is a fleshing flail?

113: THE CHILDREN OF THE TWO KINGS
gay dads???

114: THE CLEVER LITTLE TAILOR
déjà vu.

115: THE BRIGHT SUN WILL BRING IT TO LIGHT
more anti-semitism. but at least it's like...not okay in this one?

116: THE BLUE LIGHT
i'm not jealous. i have multiple items that emit blue light.

117: THE STUBBORN CHILD
when a child is stubborn he deserves to die, and his mom will beat his corpse up.

118: THE THREE ARMY SURGEONS
turns out surgery is just rubbing salve on stuff.

119: THE LAZY ONE AND THE INDUSTRIOUS ONE
if you're lazy, you'll be turned into a raven and then you'll die because no one will kiss a lazy bird.

120: THE THREE JOURNEYMEN
journeymen are the old timey version of travel bloggers.

121: THE HEAVENLY WEDDING
say it with me, jacob and wilhelm: RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA IS NOT A FAIRYTALE.

122: THE LONG NOSE
hate when the evil princess loses in the end.

123: THE OLD WOMAN IN THE FOREST
i wish i had a tree boyfriend.

124: THE THREE BROTHERS
maybe the most boring story so far.

125: THE DEVIL AND HIS GRANDMOTHER
okay so i'm obsessed with the concept of satan's nana.

126: FAITHFUL FERDINAND AND UNFAITHFUL FERDINAND
when you don't wanna marry someone, just cut their head off and be like oops, no take backs, i can't put it back.

127: THE IRON STOVE
the repetition is starting to get to me.

128: THE LAZY SPINNER
this story, about a woman who hides in the woods and speaks in rhyme about the wickedness of work so her husband will overhear and be too spooked out to make her do it, is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

129: THE LION AND THE FROG
these siblings love each other a little too much. that's all i'll say.

130: THE SOLDIER AND THE CARPENTER
this soldier was very enthusiastic about killing three innocent animals.

131: PRETTY KATRINELYA AND PIF-PAF-POLTREE
90% sure i've seen this title before in a white woman's twin name idea tiktok.

132: THE FOX AND THE HORSE
charlie mackesy stolen valor.

133: THE WORN-OUT DANCING SHOES
barbie was right. the twelve dancing princesses is a much better title.

134: THE SIX SERVANTS
this is a fairytale based purely on the various forms of body shaming.

135: THE WHITE BRIDE AND THE BLACK BRIDE
i got a bad feeling about this one.

136: THE WILD MAN
the finest gift you can give someone is chicken stuffed with money.

137: THE THREE BLACK PRINCESSES
another new catchphrase: "You cursed dog, our blood shall cry out for vengeance!"

138: KNOIST AND HIS THREE SONS
started with a naked man and ended with a religious verse. keeping me on my toes.

139: THE MAIDEN FROM BRAKEL
anyone who calls a saint a stupid brat in a church is a friend of mine.

140: THE DOMESTIC SERVANTS
two servants who both have husbands named Chain and babies named Scab.

141: LITTLE LAMB AND LITTLE FISH
little lamb is one of my dog's 57 nicknames!

142: SESAME MOUNTAIN
as in open, sesame, or as in bagel, sesame?
update: open.
update: i'm disappointed.

143: THE CHILDREN OF FAMINE
religious suicide for kids!

144: THE LITTLE DONKEY
this is the same as hans my hedgehog, but worse.

145: THE UNGRATEFUL SON
men, am i right?

146: THE TURNIP
the genius character in this is an astrology girl.

147: THE REJUVENATED LITTLE OLD MAN
this is from title to end incredible.

148: THE ANIMALS OF THE LORD AND THE DEVIL
god created all animals except goats, which are evil.

149: THE BEAM
GIRLS. ARE. ALWAYS. RIGHT.

150: THE OLD BEGGAR WOMAN
this is scarier than any serial killer episode of any tv show.

151: THE THREE LAZY SONS
me and the word limit are fighting. and it's violent. and i'm losing.

152: SAINT SOLICITOUS
sainted bearded virgin woman.

153: THE TALE ABOUT THE LAND OF COCKAIGNE
hehe. "cockaigne." heh.

154: THE TALL TALE FROM DITMARSH
i have now edited, reformatted, and pared down this review 3 times. don't say i've never done anything for you.
i mean, this is maybe for me.

155: A TALE WITH A RIDDLE
i love a riddle!!!
wait this isn't a riddle. it's an answer.
i'm suing the grimms. fairytale descendants: watch your backs

156: THE GOLDEN KEY
this is the end of the book, which means this WHOLE THING ends with us waiting to see what is revealed when a boy who is about to freeze to death finds a key and finishes unlocking the casket he just dug up.

OVERALL
this was the weirdest thing ever, but it was almost always fun, and for that: 3.5 rounded up!

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm thrilled that this book contains the nasty version of Cinderella, where the stepsisters not only cut off parts of their feet in an attempt to wear the slipper, but also get their eyes pecked out by birds during the royal wedding.

That'll learn 'em.

These "children's classics" are fairly dripping with blood - particularly the evil blood of those who seek to keep true love from running its natural, ho-hum course.

These were dark and scary times to be a stepmother.
Even though Snow White is stupid enough to fall for the wicked queen dressed as a peddler woman bearing poisoned goodies on THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, it's the queen who's forced to don "red-hot iron shoes" and dance until she drops dead. Then there is the wicked stepmother in The Twelve Brothers. She is put to death in a barrel filled with boiling oil and venomous snakes - (boiling-oil-resistant serpents, one must presume), where she died "an evil death."

Reading more than 50 of these stories in a row tends to get a bit monotonous. In fact, many seem to be the SAME story re-told with only slight changes.

Here are the fairy tale rules:

1) Share your food and drink with tiny forest folk. Kindness to animals is always rewarded.
2) Teeny tiny men seem to have trouble staying out of cows' stomachs.
3) A multitude of tasks must be completed before one is allowed to marry royalty.
4) When three siblings set out on quests, it's always the youngest, weakest, most childlike and kindhearted who succeeds. That one also always goes last, does not make the same mistakes as his or her predecessors, and wins the heart of the prince or princess who is cleverly disguised as an old man or woman.
5) For some reason, tailors see a lot of action.

If you haven't read these, you really should...though I recommend sampling one every now and then, rather than all in one fell swoop.

Too many happily ever afters can leave a sour taste in your mouth. Not to mention a disturbing amount of sympathy for stepmothers.

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book isn’t just a collection of picturesque fairy tales… The Book is a set of immemorial and immortal archetypes…
Hero is always on a quest… Hero always wins… Ugliness turns into beauty…

But when she was in bed he crept to her and said: “I am tired, I want to sleep as well as you, lift me up or I will tell your father.” At this she was terribly angry, and took him up and threw him with all her might against the wall. “Now, will you be quiet, odious frog,” said she. But when he fell down he was no frog but a king’s son with kind and beautiful eyes. He by her father’s will was now her dear companion and husband. Then he told her how he had been bewitched by a wicked witch, and how no one could have delivered him from the well but herself, and that to-morrow they would go together into his kingdom.

Wisdom defeats stupidity… Villainy is punished… Kindness triumphs… Good destroys evil…
And those ancient archetypes are never out of date – they repeat again and again…

The old woman had only pretended to be so kind; she was in reality a wicked witch, who lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hänsel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly: “I have them, they shall not escape me again!

The fairy tale goes on…
“How seriously is she playing? In a conquered country, one’s own occupied country, it’s better, she believes, to enter into some formal, rationalized version of what, outside, proceeds without form or decent limit day and night, the summary executions, the roustings, beatings, subterfuge, paranoia, shame… though it is never discussed among them openly, it would seem Katje, Gottfried, and Captain Blicero have agreed that this Northern and ancient form, one they all know and are comfortable with – the strayed children, the wood-wife in the edible house, the captivity, the fattening, the Oven – shall be their preserving routine, their shelter, against what outside none of them can bear – the War, the absolute rule of chance, their own pitiable contingency here, in its midst…” Thomas Pynchon – Gravity’s Rainbow
The fairy tale is retold…
“The screaming continued. Henry yelled and released her, and she slid to the floor. Flames and thick, black smoke shot from the microwave.
She wanted to laugh. So Hansel, so little Gretel, cooking a witch is not quite so easy as you thought, nicht wahr? Henry jerked a cord from the wall. Tina noted with amusement that it was the cord of the electric can-opener.” Gene Wolfe – In the House of Gingerbread
There is nothing new under the sun but everything keeps renewing, constantly and incessantly.

[Jen Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

People often ask me which edition of Grimm they should pick up. THIS ONE.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm is a 2014 Open Road Media publication. (Originally published in 1812)

This compilation is a sampling of Grimm’s Fairy Tales- featuring some of the more well-known stories like ‘Rapunzel’ and ‘Briar Rose’- aka ‘Sleeping Beauty'. However, I didn’t know well over half of the stories included in this book.

So, it was fun to read ‘new to me’ Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

While some of my favorite stories as a child came from the Disney adaptations, which were seriously toned down, I do remember hearing the original versions of some of these tales.

One of my favorite stories is the ‘The Elves and the Shoemaker'. I read that story over and over as a child. So, it was fun revisiting some old favorites, and discovering ones I’d never read before.

Some of the stories are similar, and some were far better than others. Some were barely a page long, while others were several pages in length. Some readers, younger than I am, who may be discovering these tales for the first time, might be taken aback by the dark and violent nature of some of the stories, and some may find some attitudes off putting. Some younger children could find a few of these tales disturbing.

However, keep in mind the time frame in which the books were written and try not to judge them too harshly. Frankly, I appreciated the moral of many of these tales- and everything always works out in the end.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the books in this collection, bringing back a few childhood memories and providing me with a nice change of pace, as well.

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love storytelling. I knew Grimm's Tales were far from cute Disney adaptations and often amoral.
However, despite all the assets I had in hand, these Tales bothered me a lot. First, blame it on their often vain appearance, without moral, lesson, or teaching. I then read in the preface that their goal was not to educate or enlighten children but to show them that life is made up of trials and will be overcome with the help of good people, luck, or persistence. Interesting, but I didn't get it at all.
The harsh and often dull style didn't appeal to me, nor did the countless repetitions: how usually will a character find alone in the forest at night? Be afraid of wild animals. And climb a tree to sleep? Knowing that, unless I am mistaken, there were lynxes in Brothers Grimm's Germany and that lynxes can climb trees. These Tales have many other repetitions: repeating words, sometimes entire paragraphs, repeating the horrible tortures and unworthy parents who abandon/sell/hurt their children, repeating the magic hat/horse/boots that make up the teleport, or turning everything into gold.
Finally, the silly and cutesy side annoyed me. That's no happy ending to a marriage if it is incestuous or if the spouses have known each other for a quarter of an hour. A gaggle of semi-blind or idiotic characters who no longer recognize their relatives after a few months. Ridiculous turns of phrases like 'Little mirror darling' or Jeannot and Margot, who have always called (at least with me) Hansel and Gretel.
Far from me pretending to judge the Brothers Grimm negatively, the Tales have rocked and will rock children's generations (unless they give them nightmares). They are part of our shared cultural heritage as a legacy of popular myths and traditions. It's just that they stayed close to me, except for some funny moments, for example, in front of Cinderella's stepmother, who cuts off her daughters' feet, or the tale that ends in a snub because the narrator has forgotten the rest of the story.

[Praveen · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I share with you how I decided to read this book. Read my silly coincidence!

A prelude fairy tale :)
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It was dark already when I was getting down through the steps, from my rooftop after my lazy late evening walk; I found a little creature jumping over my feet. I got scared for a moment, quickly came down, took a torch in my hand and climbed up back to the stairs.
There, not to my surprise, a little frog had placed himself just at the corner of a step. At the ground level of my building, there is a good amount of greenery and in and around rainy season small and medium-sized frogs and toads are found hopping here and there but I was surprised how this little frog had reached such a height in the building. As it was dark in the stairs, so I threw light from the torch on his husky little form but he did not jump anywhere. Seeing him stationary I sat one step below him. I noticed, while my torch through its piercing light had been staring at his rumpled form, the little frog’s curious eyes were staring at me.

Without the slightest sense of fear, he kept looking at me with a natural throbbing on his part of the body below his mouth, probably his throat. In fact, it was pounding strongly when I tried to touch him, he did not resist and only wiggled his head. His eyes still fixed on me, entire body steadfast, throbbing and beating still there in his throat. I switched on and off my torch several times to get him frightened but this brave frog was still staring at me stiffly with unfailing good spirits. Then clueless of what to do next to scare him, I came down, brought my phone with me to take some of his pictures.

To my astonishment, after the first flash of my phone, when the first picture of the frog was captured, he suddenly tilted his body to the left… His head still looking towards the phone, his eyes now fixed on my phone camera.
This way he was posing perfectly the right side of his body to my phone. I felt this behavior so strange and human-like that I kept cogitating for some time as if he was anticipating such a photoshoot. Then in a pleased mental state, I took a few more pictures, touched his head and the crusty surface of his back softly. This time he jumped quickly and disappeared in the dark towards the roof side.

OK Now, I won’t irritate you further with my silly tale…but before talking anything about the book you have to read what I saw that night!

--------
A Dream
--------
I saw a dream then at night, a frog was hopping along with me, beside my sluggishly moving bare feet in the green dew filled morning grass in a park. When I bowed down to touch him, he hopped in such a dramatic and frightening way that in his first jump he crossed the entire park and with his next he just flew like a bird… high… high… and very high… up to the clouds… and then within a moment became a cloud. A white cloud....and then turned dark a moment later!

---------
The Library
---------
Next morning after having finished the daily work I went to the library, as I do frequently when I have time and reached the segment where the books of my taste are found in the shelves.
The first book I picked was a bulky one. I read the title. I felt pleased and after sitting in my reading chair when I read the first story in the book, to my greatest surprise … I found the frog here again….Oh ! what a Froggy experience!
The title was…“The Frog Prince or the Iron Henry”…and there was a frog in the story that talked like a man.

When to get her ball from a deep spring, a princess, the most beautiful daughter of a king, takes help of this frog in the wild and promises him that she will allow him to stay with her and then after getting her ball back, she backs out and runs away to her palace.

Then one day someone says at her door, this:

“Open the door, my princess dear,
Open the door to thy true love here!
And mind the words that thou and I said
By the fountain cool, in the greenwood shade.”

Then the princess runs to the door and opens it, and there she sees the frog, whom she had quite forgotten.

Now at this point in time, I remembered my frog as well and saw the pictures I had taken last night on my phone and then looked at the picture of a frog at the door of the princess, made on a page of this book.

And I realized then...... Frogs are really powerful creatures ! I underestimated them !

They can’t only hop around ..... they can guide you to your right next book read in a strange dreamy way as well! :)

--------------
The book Finally :)
--------------
OK!... So this was my fairy tale leading me to this book!

Finally, let me say something about the book. A book with 210 fairy tales compiled in it by the Grimm brothers, Jacob, and Wilhelm in the early 19th century.
It includes many tales, some of them you might have heard from your parents and grandparents in your childhood. Like...

Cinderella, Snow White, Clever Hans, Girl without hands, Gossip wolf and the fox… etc.

These tales are full of enchantment and rapture, terror and wisdom, tragedy and beauty. These stories are kept alive by German peasants of the time told around the fireplace to entranced listeners.
This book has influenced people worldwide and is a principal source for artists and composers, who are re-creating these tales in new and innovative ways around the world.

I did not read all the tales in this book, but the reading of 50 odd tales from this book educated me enough to alter my views that these tales were made for the children only!

I think one must read these fairy tales to one’s children. However, the older people should read them twice because these are filled with such wisdom and simplicity that sometimes in the ruckus of life even one fairy tale from this book can fill your heart with childlike innocence and peace!

This compilation is truly a legacy of vibrant oral tradition!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adored fairy tales as a child... wait, I've always adored them, even now when I'm... not a child... so many different interpretations -- truly the foundation for many of today's TV shows, movies, children's books... a must read! Who doesn't know the stories of Hansel & Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, etc. These are powerful parables meant to teach us all the lessons we need. Of course, they're fun and imaginative. But their the basics to start from. Love them.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Advents- und Weihnachtszeit ist für mich auch eine Zeit der Märchen. Ich liebe Märchen, manche natürlich mehr, manche auch weniger. Aber die meisten Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm gefallen mir eigentlich, und vor allen Dingen sind sie auch immer wie eine kleine Reise zurück in die Kindheit. Ich weiß noch, dass meine Oma mir früher immer viel aus dicken Märchenbüchern vorgelesen hat. Das war einfach schön.
Und so habe ich es genossen, mir mit diesem dicken Märchenbuch noch einmal ein paar alte Geschichten zurück ins Gedächtnis zu rufen!

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was originally was going to give this a 3 because it is uneven strange, and sometimes surprisingly amoral, but then i realized how much I acutally had to say about it, and just how much I enjoyed reading these goofy stories. So bear with me while i recount some of the best and worst stories and some of the strange themes of grimm's fairy tales. (I have to admit, I write these reviews almost entirely for myself)

Some themes/things you should know:
-If you are an evil stepmother or witch, and you are looking for a brother and sister or pair of lovers, they've probably turned themselves into a duck and a lake, respectively.
-people or animals geting released from wolf's stomaches and then placing stones in their place.
-if you kill a dragon, giant or other fearsome creature, always cut out the tongue and hang onto in case you are betrayed by someone who claims to have killed the beast himself (when confronted, the deceiver will always claim that the beast had no tongue, but no one will believe him)
-if you rescue someone (a fair maden, of course) from the bottom of the well while your companions are above ground, always put something else in the basket to replace your weight, because they will drop you and try to kill you.
-Never bet against:
-A tailor
-Anyone named Dummling, or Thumbling
-The youngest of 3 brothers
-Anyone that can talk to, or is kind to animals, or who is kind to old women
-basically anyone young, pretty, and poor.
-Always bet against:
-ugly people

Best stories.
Two Brothers-two brothers wander the world with a shitload of animals at their beck and call, so many in fact, that they decide to split up. they stab some knife or something into a tree that they can look at to see if the other is ok. One becomes a king (after killing a dragon), the other wanders the world. the king goes hunting, gets turned into stone by a witch. the other brother her saves him. lots of other things happen. it's one of the longest and strangest stories and it's just great.
Rumpelstiltskin-One of the classics that the one I knew was actually very similar to the original. NOthing quite as funny as how upset the little guy gets when she figures out his name.
Brother Lustig-Another long and weird story, this is different in that Brother Lustig first appears to be a good guy, then he is kind of a jerk, but he sort of gets picked on by a priest and then he tricks his way into heaven. it's weird.
The Man of Iron-Robert Bly wrote a whole book on manliness based upon this fairy tale, and I can see why. It just a really good story, and very rich with male stereotypes. Not that stereotypes are necessarily good, but it just really well written and interesting.
The Straw, The Coal and The Bean-my favorite. So funny. Contains this passage, as the coal tries to cross the river by walking on the straw: "The straw, however, beginning to burn, and the Coal slipping after, hissed as it reached the water, and gave up the ghost. The Bean, which had prudently remaned up the shore, was forced to laugh at this accident, and the joke being so good, it laughed so immoderately that it burst itself." Fortunately a wandering tailor is able to stitch the bean back up.

3 disturbing stories:
The Frog Prince: Did you know that in the original, the frog is turned into a prince after being thrown against the wall?! She gets pissed at him because she is supposed to be his companion (because he retrieved her ball), but then he turns into a prince and they marry. what kind of lesson does that teach?? Actually the story is really more about the last paragraph, about the prince's loyal servant, Henry, who had tied bands around his heart which broke of happiness upont the prince's return.
Cinderella: one stepsisters tries to get into the shoe by cutting off a toe, the other by cutting off a heel. Their punishment for failure? They get their eyes pecked out by birds.
The Poor Boy in his Grave
An orphaned boy is adopted by a cruel farmer and wife. The farmer beats for his honest or endearing mistakes, like eating a bundle of grapes because he was a hungry. While baling hay while they are out, his sweater gets caught in the hay. Knowing he will be beaten, his despair leads him to drink what the the farmer's wife said was poison, but is actually honey. At this point you still think things are going to end up well. And it's kind of funny, he says "I thought death would be bitter, but it is so sweet!" He then moves onto to the fly-poison, about which he was also lied to, because it turns out to be wine. Still funny. But then his drukeness makes him feel a bit woozy, so he thinks he might be dying so, he goes and lays in an open grave, and the cold and the wine kill him! He lays in the grave forever. The farmer's house burns down later on and he and his wife live in poverty and misery, but come on!!

That's all. See, I told you I had a lot to say.

[هدى يحيى · Rating 3 out of 5]

ألتقط أنفاسي قليلاً
أعود إلى سحر الطفولة المفقود في عالمي
وأرخي أعصابي بين دفتي كتاب حكايات كبير


أتذكّر أمي حين كنتُ في العاشرة .. السابعة .. الخامسة
ورأسي على ذراعها الممدود قبل النوم ، تحكي لي كل ما توارثته عن أمها من حكايات عجيبة ‏كانت تثير خيالي النهم إلى عوالم كل شيء فيها ممكن

أتذكر سقف غرفتنا المهدم
كنت أرى في النتوءات الغريبة التي تركها الجير والأسمنت عالماً بأكمله
وبينها تشكّلتْ أبطال القصص
فكنتُ أصنع وجوهاً معبرة بخيالي تبتسم .. تصرخ .. تبكي
وأذرع مفتوحة أو ضاربة أو ملوحة بالوداع
وسيوف وملابس وأدوات تجميل

يالله من هذا السقف الذي شهد سنوات من تخيلاتي قبل النوم وفي الصباح حين أصحو


*********************

الأخوان جريم من أهم المساهمين في إحياء التراث الألماني الأدبي واللغوي
فلا تقتصر أهميتهما على جمع الحكايات الشعبيّة التي كانت التي (ترويها النساء الألمانيّات لأطفالهن حول المدافئ في البيوت والأكواخ)ء
بل قاما بتعديلها وإضافة بعض جمل الحكايات الشهيرة من مثل
كان يا مكان

كما وضعا معجم جريم للغة الألمانية
كانت بداية نشرهما للحكايات في عام ‏1812‏
واستمرا في النشر على مدار أعوام مضيفين حكايات جديدة من تراثهم الشيق

حكايات الأخوين جريم من أهم الحكايات الخرافية في التراث الإنساني
وأنا سعيدة بقراءتها مجمعة في كتاب واحد احتجت للغوص فيه جدا في تلك هذه الفترة

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes, you just have to hand it to people based on sheer innovation alone.

For example, the buttered popcorn jellybean may be disgusting on a level previously undiscovered by man, bringing together an unholy combination of unexpected texture and profoundly unpleasant taste in a way that should be reserved solely for punishing our society’s most reprehensible criminals, but don’t you have to acknowledge the sheer evil genius of those whimsical folks at the Jelly Belly corporation for making history?

Same goes for this book, which manages to make some of the most fantastic tales of all time straight-up boring.

This is hands down the worst and most tragic translation of the Grimm tales I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot of those glorified gentrifiers.

Where is the SPARK. Where is the FUN. Where is the OVERWROUGHT LANGUAGE and the REPETITIVE DESCRIPTIONS OF PRETTY GIRLS and the ADVENTURE.

This book sucks, but you kind of have to give it props just for managing to take something like “guy who doesn’t know what fear is gets up to hilarious hijinks in a haunted house and is handed a princess for it” or “girl highkey needs to get laid and so she accidentally discovers her husband is a bear and then it’s like oh sh*t we have to save this guy from the world’s ugliest woman”...and making it boring.

It is so unimpressive that it actually comes full circle and is impressive again.

Bottom line: Read literally any volume of fairy tales other than this one.

-------------

the brothers grimm want what andrew lang has!!!

review to come / 2 stars

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going to be offline for a couple days. i'm trying to learn how to shudder and this king guy said if i stay in a haunted castle for three nights i can marry his daughter

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are not the sanitised (or Disneyfied) fairy tales we have come to love as children: these are politically incorrect, sexually explicit and gloriously gory folktales told around a roaring campfire in a German forest, as a group of frightened peasants huddled around expecting the forest sprites to appear any moment and devour them - or worse. However, for an Indian who has been fed on a diet of Hindu mythology during childhood

of Narasimha disembowelling Hiranyakashipu,



Bheema tearing Jarasandha in two and

)

Bheema drinking Dushasana's blood,


these stories seem tame to me.

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.24180327 stars (pretty close to pi)- the average of tales of 89 to 210 as I lost the ratings of the first 88 stories

2016 - The Most Fun (nest) Review to Write

" The folk tale is the primer of the picture-language of the soul" -Joseph Campbell

If the Grimms were around today this is the tale I would recount to them:

In the near past in the kingdom of Toronto there lived a distinguished middle aged Duke. He was handsome, cool, level-headed and fastiduous. He lived in a grand apartment with his gray kitty but after two unhappy marriages was looking to reconnect with another nobleperson and attempt happiness once again. He decided to host a dinner and had three countesses scour the city for suitable candidates. These three countesses were lovely to Duke Xavier and wanted the best for him despite not being able to nab him for themselves. The third countess was especially sweet and asked the Duke if he would consider somebody more pedestrian but pleasant, devoted and a bit odd.
Xavier looked at her sweetly and said "Why the hell not?"

The dinner day arrived and the four suitors awaited in the lobby. First there was Sir Adonis. Sculpted like a greek god, with a face so handsome that both men and women fainted just by looking. Second there was Lady Haha. Fashionable, brilliant and cooler than her more famous relative Lady G...no we cannot say it. Thirdly there was Dame Cait....sophisticated, intelligent and a tigress in bed (by reputation really.) Lastly there was roly poly Jade. Not a prince or nobility and looked rather bashful in his maroon smoking jacket that his aunty picked out for him for this occasion.

The three countesses came down to the lobby of the apartment and saw Lady Haha with her little poodle that had shat three times already on the marble. "Lady Haha...you cannot bring that beast into the sumptuous rooms. The Duke's gorgeous feline will have an epileptic fit" Well if Lady Poodle Rara is not welcome then I am off to find a king that will appreciate me" Off she huffed. Sir Adonis smirked. Dame Cait grimaced. Roly poly Jade quickly applied some lip balm and quickly smelled his armpits as he was oh so nervous.

The countesses brought the three to the apartment and seated there in grey and mauve elegance was Duke Xavier. He greeted all warmly and then dismissed the three countesses to the kitchen to finish dinner.

The Duke said "the first test is the talent show."

Sir Adonis jumped up. He ripped open his shirt and started to pose. His biceps and triceps were oh so delicious and the three countesses were mesmerized at the sight. Duke Xavier snapped and said "Away ladies do not burn our dinner". Dame Cait said "Well I'm feeling rather moist now" Jade looked down at his roly poly stature and lost all courage.

Dame Cait pulled out a long cigarette holder, lighted it. She then began to recite Virginia Woolf, Dante, Neruda, Aristotle, Rumi and even Anne Rice by rote memory. She did it with such class and with a british accent that was divine to listen to. Sir Adonis yawned. The three countesses were charmed and Jade headed for the door.

Duke Xavier gently said. "Please do not go. Please share your talent" Jade looked up and said. "Duke Xavier do you happen to have a karaoke machine" The three countesses were prepared and slid one out on a very chic dolly.

This is what roly poly Jade sang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdvZa...

Sir Adonis yawned. Dame Cait grimaced. The three countesses melted. Duke Xavier got a glimmer in his beautiful sad brown eyes.

Dinner was served. Sir Adonis took the choicest pieces of meat. Dame Cait criticized every dish. Roly poly Jade got gravy on his maroon smoking jacket and died of embarassment.

Duke Xavier asked the last question of the evening and it was this: "How will you love me?"

Sir Adonis answered the question with the question: "No Duke -how will you love me?"

Dame Cait answered thoughtfully: "I will organize the nicest soirees, connect you to the most beautiful and intelligent people and spend your money in a thoughtful way so that I always look chic, desirable and you will be the envy of every nobleperson in the entire kingdom"

Roly poly Jade uttered quickly: "I am not sure I can love you just like that. I will get to know you, comfort you and make sure that most of the time you are happy. If I do fall in love with you Duke Xavier I will remain devoted to you for the rest of your days. I will eat all your baked goods with relish, I will procrastinate on all the household chores, I will sing endlessly to you especially show tunes and songs from the 1980s. I will always have your best wishes at heart and take care of you and make you laugh. I am not beautiful. I am only semi-smart but my heart will always be open to you forever"

The three countesses had tears in their eyes.

Duke Xavier stood up and gave Sir Adonis a warm hug. He sweetly kissed Dame Cait on the lips.

He held out his hand to roly poly Jade and said "Come on pumpkin, let's Rock"

THE END.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original Grimm's Brothers fairy tales were a far cry from the Perrault collection of many of the same stories, the Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, or, God forbid, Walt Disney. The Brothers Grimm told stories with meat on their bones, where the good people were heroes and the bad people were really, really bad. The outcome of a particular story rose and fell on the consequences of the actions of the characters. The evil stepsisters in Cinderella, for example, did not go to the wedding of Cinderella and the Prince - no - their eyes were pecked out by crows.

Bruno Bettleheim had a theory that if children are reared hearing fairy tales and folk tales, they will develop a rich fantasy life while young, and won't need to turn to drugs and alcohol later on. I don't know if that is really the case, but I do know that the Grimm Brothers occupied an enormous space in my psyche as a child, along with Hans Christian Anderson and Carlo Collodi. No wonder children today love J.K. Rowling and Phillip Pulliam. Whatever else you think about their stories, their child heroes inhabit universes where actions are followed by consequences, and not all the good survive. Children are hungry for truth, and in books like Grimm's Fairy Tales, they find it.

[El Librero de Valentina · Rating 5 out of 5]

La mejor manera de acercarse a un clásico es con estos cuentos que tantas vemos visto en el cine, historias que hemos romantizado y que, aquí, se narran de una manera más real.

[Taufiq Yves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairy tales are usually the first stories kids get into, right? They're magical, fun, and full of adventure - but they also quietly shape how kids see the world, think about themselves, and build their values.

The problem is, a lot of these stories sneak in outdated gender stereotypes. And because kids absorb this stuff so early, it sticks. Over time, it can really influence how they see themselves and others - especially when they’re making big life decisions later on.

Honestly, the more fairy tales a girl reads, the more likely she is to grow up thinking she needs saving instead of being strong and independent. And boys - they start believing they’re supposed to be the heroes all the time, which I think, feeds into a cycle of inequality that just keeps going.

Take Snow White, for example. She’s bullied, cries a lot, and ends up eating a poisoned apple from a stranger - 0 survival instincts there. Her whole story revolves around waiting for a prince to rescue her. Even the 7 dwarfs seem like a weird message: flawed men are still somehow the 1 who get to protect and save women. And that whole “true love’s kiss” thing? Really? Poisoned apple meets magical lips and she’s alive again? That’s some wild logic, don’t you think?

And the Grimm brothers didn’t stop there. They had a princess kiss a frog, locked Rapunzel in a tower thanks to her unstable dad, and then had a random prince climb her hair to “rescue” her. These stories have been around for centuries, passed down like treasured classics, but they keep pushing the same tired idea: women are weak, passive, and obsessed with love, while men are brave, capable, and always in control.

So it’s no surprise that girls who grow up on these tales might start valuing looks and romance over independence, while boys get the message that they’re supposed to be dominant and that women are just side characters in their story.

Yes, these are just fairy tales. But they still matter. That’s why I think it’s so important to be thoughtful about the stories we share with our kids. Read with them, talk about what’s happening, and help them understand the real message behind the magic. Because teaching the right values early on - that’s the real happily ever after.

[Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

حين درست اللغة الألمانية في الثانوية العامة
درسنا مدينة Hessen وكان من أهم أسئلة الحضارة Landskunde
أين يقع منزل الأخوين جريم ؟
أو ما أهم المعالم السياحية في مدينة "هيسين" ؟
لم أكن أهتم بمن هم الأخوين جريم ولا ما الداعى لجعل منزلهم من معالم المدينة السياحية
لكن حينما قرأت هذة المجموعة الرائعة اكتشفت كم الجهد المبذول في وصول هذا التراث الرائع إلينا والذي جمعه الأخوان في 51 عاما !
أعجبتنى العديد من القصص
و اكتشفت أن قصصا عالمية ك"سنووايت" و "رابونزل" ألمانية الأصل حتى سندريلا لها نسخة ألمانية (أشن بوتيل)
قصة ذات المنديل الأحمر(الفتاة والذئب)
التأثيرالدينى المسيحي واضح جدا على بعض القصص مثل :-
قصة الثعبان الأبيض : مستوحاة من قصة سيدنا سليمان
وردة الشوك : مستوحاة من قصة عزير
قصة الدعبوب اللعوب : ظهر فيها القديس بطرس
قصة ابنه مريم : ظهرت فيها مريم العذراء
قصة اثنا عشر اخا: مستوحاة من قصة سيدنا يوسف حتى أن الأخ الأصغر اسمه بنيامين

أكثر القصص التى أضحكتني بشدة
حكاية الذي ارتحل لتعلم الخوف
قصة الصياد وزوجته (مثل نكتة السيدات ومول الرجال)
قصة القشة والجمرة وحبة اللوبيا

الترجمة أكثر من رائعة
فيكفي جدا أنها ترجمت الأبيات الشعرية بقافية وهذا ما أراه من ضروب المستحيل

وتبدأ دائما ب
كان ياما كان في بلاد الألمان
وتنتهي أبدا ب

كان يا مكان.. حدوتة الزمان
حكاية يرويها.. الدهر والمكان
وأخرى يطويها.. العمر والنسيان
وهذه يحكيها.. جريم الأخوان
لكَ هُنا، والآن

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book read in Norwegian and it's rather an interesting folklore research than a fascinating read.
The book contains all the famous fairy tales which plots I remember mostly from their "polished" cartoon versions. Although there're a couple I've never heard of before.
Anyway, it's definitely not for children. Except of expected violence - you can find modern horrors less bloody and cruel then this, ideas very outdated. Medieval morals and norms simply don't work anymore. These stories teach - presumably mostly girls - blind obedience, submissiveness and to work hard without slightest complain. Which is quite annoying to read today.
As for the fairy tales a s a mean to learn new language, it wasn't a good idea because the language itself is obsolete and very specific. I got used to it fast due to its repetitiveness, but it'll be no use to me in everyday communication in Norwegian 😂

[Piyangie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm resigned to feeling differently about my childhood favourites now. I do realize that what I've read when I was young were either edited or abridged versions. And regarding Grimm's Fairy Tales, I think what I've read before is only a collection of fairy tales, which is heavily edited and rewritten, and not the complete compilation. I would have been in for a shock, had I not known the history pertaining to these writings. The knowledge that they weren't originally intended as children's tales and that it was only an attempt to study and preserve German folklore by the Grimm brothers helped me overlook certain prejudices and cruelties that filled many of these tales.

My rating here is the overall average of 210 tales which I rated separately. It shows that many of the tales have been ordinary. There were only a small number of original stories and many were repetitions. Some had no meaning as stories and were boring to death. I only enjoyed about a quarter of the tales, and those were the popular ones. While reading this complete edition, I also read a few from the first volume of the original tales written by the Grimm brothers, and I must say that I liked the direct and somewhat unpolished tales more than the later rewritten refined ones. I have a mind to read the whole volume sometime later, for I feel I'll enjoy it more.

Frankly, I enjoyed only about a quarter of the tales out of this complete collection. But I'm not disappointed. Those I enjoyed were the ones truly etched in my memory from childhood. It was nice revisiting them, for they certainly took me years back to the happier days.

[Теодор Панов · Rating 5 out of 5]

May 11, 2021

Новото издание на класическите приказки на Братя Грим от издателство Колибри е наистина разкошно. С възможно най-добрия превод на Димитър Стоевски, като е допълнено от нови, прекрасни илюстрации. Беше страхотно да си поприпомня част от тези приказки, в същия им вид, който ми е познат от детството. Всички истории ми харесаха, но най-отличителни си останаха:

Снежанка
Хензел и Гретел
Храбрият млад шивач
Белоснежка и Червенорозка
Братче и сестриче
Духът в бутилката
Трите пера
Котаракът в чизми
Вълкът и седемте козлета
Баба Хола

А сред най-забавните ми бяха:

Умницата Грета
Златната гъска

Има и още много други, разбира се 🤗

May 04, 2021
music for reading
➡ Peder B. Helland - Spring (3 hours)
➡ Peder B. Helland - Peaceful music mix • Relax in a field of flowers (1 hour)

Apr 27-29, 2021
Малко ъпдейт на информацията от днес, че вчера нещо не ми се пишеше. Та получих книгата вчера (заедно с „Къщата в лазурното море“) и изглежда повече от страхотно. С красиви твърди корици и не по-малко красиви цветни илюстрации отвътре. Прехвърлих я набързо. Съдържа 85 приказки в превод на Димитър Стоевски, та тук е излишно да казвам, че като качество на текста нещата са изпипани до съвършенство. Като цяло книгата е 600 страници чиста радост 🤗 Започвам я моментално, щом приключа със сегашните си.

Ето ги и обещаните ми снимки:
➡ Най-новите ми книжни попълнения

Книгата отвътре:
➡ Снежанка
➡ Марулка (Рапунцел)
➡ Котаракът в чизми

Apr 10, 2021
Очаквам с горещо нетърпение новото издание на приказките на Братя Грим. Последната ми тяхна книга беше „Детски и домашни приказки“ от 2017 и тя наистина беше с отлично качество – корици, хартия и т.н. Сега в новото издание на Колибри, освен твърдите корици, ще има и много красиви цветни илюстрации. Така че очакванията ми определено са завишени. 😊

[E. G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note to the Expanded Second Edition
Note to the Expanded Third Edition
Once There Were Two Brothers Named Grimm, by Jack Zipes
A Note on the Translation

--1. The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich
--2. The Companionship of the Cat and the Mouse
--3. The Virgin Mary's Child
--4. A Tale About the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
--5. The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids
--6. Faithful Johannes
--7. The Good Bargain
--8. The Marvellous Minstrel
--9. The Twelve Brothers
--10. Riffraff
--11. Brother and Sister
--12. Rapunzel
--13. The Three Little Gnomes in the Forest
--14. The Three Spinners
--15. Hansel and Gretel
--16. The Three Snake Leaves
--17. The White Snake
--18. The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean
--19. The Fisherman and His Wife
--20. The Brave Little Tailor
--21. Cinderella
--22. The Riddle
--23. The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage
--24. Mother Holle
--25. The Seven Ravens
--26. Little Red Cap
--27. The Bremen Town Musicians
--28. The Singing Bone
--29. The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs
--30. The Louse and the Flea
--31. The Maiden Without Hands
--32. Clever Hans
--33. The Three Languages
--34. Clever Else
--35. The Tailor in Heaven
--36. The Magic Table, the Golden Donkey, and the Club in the Sack
--37. Thumbling
--38. The Wedding of Mrs Fox
--39. The Elves
--40. The Robber Bridegroom
--41. Herr Korbes
--42. The Godfather
--43. Mother Trudy
--44. Godfather Death
--45. Thumbling's Travels
--46. Fitcher's Bird
--47. The Juniper Tree
--48. Old Sultan
--49. The Six Swans
--50. Brier Rose
--51. Foundling
--52. King Thrushbeard
--53. Snow White
--54. The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
--55. Rumpelstiltskin
--56. Sweetheart Roland
--57. The Golden Bird
--58. The Dog and the Sparrow
--59. Freddy and Katy
--60. The Two Brothers
--61. Little Farmer
--62. The Queen Bee
--63. The Three Feathers
--64. The Golden Goose
--65. All Fur
--66. The Hare's Bride
--67. The Twelve Huntsmen
--68. The Thief and His Master
--69. Jorinda and Joringel
--70. The Three Sons of Fortune
--71. How Six Made Their Way in the World
--72. The Wolf and the Man
--73. The Wolf and the Fox
--74. The Wolf and His Cousin
--75. The Fox and the Cat
--76. The Pink Flower
--77. Clever Gretel
--78. The Old Man and His Grandson
--79. The Water Nixie
--80. The Death of the Hen
--81. Brother Lustig
--82. Gambling Hans
--83. Lucky Hans
--84. Hans Gets Married
--85. The Golden Children
--86. The Fox and the Geese
--87. The Poor Man and the Rich Man
--88. The Singing, Springing Lark
--89. The Goose Girl
--90. The Young Giant
--91. The Gnome
--92. The King of the Golden Mountain
--93. The Raven
--94. The Clever Farmer's Daughter
--95. Old Hildebrand
--96. The Three Little Birds
--97. The Water of Life
--98. Doctor Know-It-All
--99. The Spirit in the Glass Bottle
--100. The Devil's Sooty Brother
--101. Bearskin
--102. The Wren and the Bear
--103. The Sweet Porridge
--104. The Clever People
--105. Tales About Toads
--106. The Poor Miller's Apprentice and the Cat
--107. The Two Travellers
--108. Hans My Hedgehog
--109. The Little Shroud
--110. The Jew in the Thornbush
--111. The Expert Huntsman
--112. The Fleshing Flail From Heaven
--113. The Two Kings' Children
--114. The Clever Little Tailor
--115. The Bright Sun Will Bring It to Light
--116. The Blue Light
--117. The Stubborn Child
--118. The Three Army Surgeons
--119. The Seven Swabians
--120. The Three Journeymen
--121. The Prince Who Feared Nothing
--122. The Lettuce Donkey
--123. The Old Woman in the Forest
--124. The Three Brothers
--125. The Devil and His Grandmother
--126. Faithful Ferdinand and Unfaithful Ferdinand
--127. The Iron Stove
--128. The Lazy Spinner
--129. The Four Skilful Brothers
--130. One-Eye, Two-Eyes, and Three-Eyes
--131. Pretty Katrinelya and Pif Paf Poltree
--132. The Fox and the Horse
--133. The Worn-out Dancing Shoes
--134. The Six Servants
--135. The White Bride and the Black Bride
--136. Iron Hans
--137. The Three Black Princesses
--138. Knoist and His Three Sons
--139. The Maiden From Brakel
--140. The Domestic Servants
--141. The Little Lamb and the Little Fish
--142. Simelei Mountain
--143. Going Travelling
--144. The Donkey
--145. The Ungrateful Son
--146. The Turnip
--147. The Rejuvenated Little Old Man
--148. The Animals of the Lord and the Devil
--149. The Beam
--150. The Old Beggar Woman
--151. The Three Lazy Sons
--152. The Twelve Lazy Servants
--153. The Star Coins
--154. The Stolen Pennies
--155. Choosing a Bride
--156. The Leftovers
--157. The Sparrow and His Four Children
--158. The Tale About the Land of Cockaigne
--159. A Tall Tale From Ditmarsh
--160. A Tale With a Riddle
--161. Snow White and Rose Red
--162. The Clever Servant
--163. The Glass Coffin
--164. Lazy Heinz
--165. The Griffin
--166. Strong Hans
--167. The Peasant in Heaven
--168. Lean Lisa
--169. The House in the Forest
--170. Sharing Joys and Sorrows
--171. The Wren
--172. The Flounder
--173. The Bittern and the Hoopoe
--174. The Owl
--175. The Moon
--176. The Life Span
--177. The Messengers of Death
--178. Master Pfriem
--179. The Goose Girl at the Spring
--180. Eve's Unequal Children
--181. The Nixie in the Pond
--182. The Gifts of the Little Folk
--183. The Giant and the Tailor
--184. The Nail
--185. The Poor Boy in the Grave
--186. The True Bride
--187. The Hare and the Hedgehog
--188. Spindle, Shuttle, and Needle
--189. The Peasant and the Devil
--190. The Crumbs on the Table
--191. The Little Hamster From the Water
--192. The Master Thief
--193. The Drummer
--194. The Ear of Corn
--195. The Grave Mound
--196. Old Rinkrank
--197. The Crystal Ball
--198. Maid Maleen
--199. The Boots of Buffalo Leather
--200. The Golden Key

Religious Tales for Children

--201. Saint Joseph in the Forest
--202. The Twelve Apostles
--203. The Rose
--204. Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven
--205. God's Food
--206. The Three Green Twigs
--207. The Blessed Virgin's Little Glass
--208. The Little Old Lady
--209. The Heavenly Wedding
--210. The Hazel Branch

The Omitted Tales

--211. The Nightingale and the Blindworm
--212. The Hand With the Knife
--213. Herr Fix-It-Up
--214. How Some Children Played at Slaughtering
--215. Death and the Goose Boy
--216. Puss in Boots
--217. The Tablecloth, the Knapsack, the Cannon Hat, and the Horn
--218. The Strange Feast
--219. Simple Hans
--220. Bluebeard
--221. Hurleburlebutz
--222. Okerlo
--223. Princess Mouseskin
--224. The Pear Refused to Fall
--225. The Castle of Murder
--226. The Carpenter and the Turner
--227. The Blacksmith and the Devil
--228. The Three Sisters
--229. The Stepmother
--230. Fragments
--231. The Faithful Animals
--232. The Crows
--233. The Lazy One and the Industrious One
--234. The Long Nose
--235. The Lion and the Frog
--236. The Soldier and the Carpenter
--237. The Wild Man
--238. The Children of Famine
--239. Saint Solicitous
--240. Misfortune
--241. The Pea Test
--242. The Robber and His Sons

Selected Tales from the Annotations of 1856

--243. The Three Daughters and the Frog King
--244. The Young Man Who Went Out in Search of Fear
--245. The Golden Maiden
--246. The White Dove
--247. Fool's Gold
--248. The Winter Rose
--249. Prince Swan
--250. The Short Tale

Jacob Grimm's Tales

--251. Snow White, Snow White, or The Unfortunate Child (1806)
--252. Rumpenstunzchen (1806)
--253. Stepmother (1806)
--254. The Virgin Mary's Child (1806)
--255. The Fox and Mrs Fox (1806)
--256. The Moon and His Mother (1806)

Published Tales

--257. Good Bowling and Card Playing (1810), Wilhelm Grimm
--258. The Fairy Tale About the Faithful Sparrow (1812), Jacob Grimm
--259. The Little Tale About the Crawling Mouse (1812), Jacob Grimm
--260. The Fairy Tale About the Tailor Who Came to Heaven (1818), Wilhelm Grimm
--261. The Celebration of the Underground Creatures (1826), Wilhelm Grimm
--262. The War of the Wasps and the Donkey (1853), Wilhelm Grimm

Selected Tales from the Annotations of 1856

--263. The Fool
--264. Small People
--265. The Luck of the Dumb
--266. Little Kurt Bingeling
--267. The Liar
--268. The Lazy Ones

Selected Tales From the Posthumous Papers of the Brothers Grimm

--269. The Grateful Dead Man and the Princess Rescued From Slavery
--270. The Faithful Wife
--271. The Princess in the Coffin and the Sentry
--272. St. Peter's Mother
--273. Why Dogs and Cats and Cats and Mice Are Enemies
--274. Why Dogs Sniff One Another
--275. Sharp Ears, the Runner, the Blower, and the Strongman
--276. The Little Mouse and the Little Sausage
--277. King Ironhead
--278. The Old Soldier and the White Horse
--279. The Silver Poplar

Notes
Index

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lessons of the Brothers Grimm

The Golden Bird -- If you are the “Chosen One” you can eschew all advice, screw up constantly, and still come out on top.

Hans in Luck -- Half-wits can be happy with anything.

Jorinda and Jorindel -- You can trespass unreservedly, so long as “the Other” owns the land.

The Traveling Musicians -- Robbing the rich to give to yourself is fine if your victim is a robber.

Old Sultan -- Obey your master to the detriment of your friends, especially if your friends threaten your master’s property.

The Straw, The Coal and The Bean -- Death is the funniest joke of all...and tailors are always nice.

Briar Rose -- Disney can reduce anything -- even a story about slights and righteous indignation -- into a ninety minute indoctrination of the fantasy of good and evil.

The Dog and The Sparrow -- Vengeance is fine if you are the first person wronged, but if you wrong one, then are wronged in return you may not seek vengeance -- even if the vengeance wrought upon you is out of proportion for your crime. This is also known as the “carpet bomb Afghanistan” fable.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses -- Listen to whatever an old hag tells you because her ugliness must equal wisdom.

The Fisherman and His Wife -- Be happy with your station in life. Ambition above your station cannot make you happy. Marx would love this one.

The Willow-Wren and the Bear -- No matter the idiocy of a war and its cause, the defeated should pay reparations, regardless of how humiliating.

The Frog Prince -- Spoiled, nasty, unlikable though one may be, if one is royalty and does what one’s father tells one, living happily ever after is one’s right, and one's inevitable destiny.

Cat and Mouse in Partnership -- The meek will inherit nothing. They will be devoured. No idealism here.

The Goose Girl -- The ideal wife should be meek and mild and of the right station. Also, beauty will out.

The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet -- “How They Went to the Mountains to Eat Nuts,” “How Chanticleer and Partlet Went to Visit Mr. Korbes,” & “How Partlet Died and was Buried, and How Chanticleer Died of Grief:” Everyone dies, so live for yourself while you can.

Rapunzel -- Vengeance thy name is woman, but if you’re a Prince everything works out in the end.

Fundevogel -- If you’re going to be boiled by a crazy cook...run. Unless you are a shape shifter...of course.

The Valiant Little Tailor --Make people believe you’re a bad ass and you’ll never have to prove it.

Hansel and Gretel -- If you kill a “godless witch” you will be rewarded beyond the dreams of avarice, and if you are a father who abandons your children at the behest of your second wife but feel bad about it, you too will be rewarded. And if you catch the mouse you can make a hat out of it.

The Mouse, The Bird and the Sausage -- Stick to your proper social roles or you will DIE!

Mother Holle -- If you are ugly you must be lazy. If you are ugly and lazy you will be punished. Your punishment will be having your skin covered in pitch that will never come off, so according to the Grimm Brothers ugly = lazy = black skinned. Yikes.

Little Red-Cap -- Listen to your mother because she is always right, and kill all the predatory wildlife you can because it will eat you otherwise. Oh, and if you are “devoured” by a wolf you can be cut out soon and revived.

The Robber Bridegroom -- Never leave witnesses, and always check for missing body parts.

Tom Thumb -- There’s no place like home is the stated lesson, but the real moral is that cheaters and crooks prosper.

Rumpelstiltskin -- The rich and powerful do not have to honour contracts and agreements. That is the lot of the poor.

Clever Gretel -- Lie your face off to protect the secret of your eating disorder and your alcoholism.

The Old Man and His Grandson (possibly the best story in the tales; it’s certainly one of my favourites) -- Treat others as you’d like to be treated lest you be treated ill.

The Little Peasant -- Lie, cheat, steal and commit murder, even mass murder, and you will flourish, so long as you are preying on the idiocy of your neighbours.

Frederick and Catherine -- Dizzy blondes always prosper.

Sweetheart Roland -- If you love your man and remain faithful, he’ll always come back to you, no matter his own unfaithful transgressions.

Snowdrop (also known as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves) -- Creepy men will always come to the rescue of a too-young girl...if she is lovely enough.

The Pink -- Apparently pink has always been the colour of homosexuality (of course, it could just be that I was feeling particularly gay when I read that night).

Clever Elsie -- Divorce is as simple as a fowling net and bells tied around your moron spouse’s neck. At least if you are a Clever Hans.

The Miser in the Bush -- Someone always pays.

Ashputtel (aka Cinderella) -- The Brothers Grimm really made no sense at all, and they must have had a wicked step-mother of their own. These boys had issues.

The White Snake -- Be kind to lesser beasts and you will some day be rewarded, but you can still kill any domesticated beasts indiscriminately.

The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids -- Predators are evil and must die; prey are good and must live. Prey can also torture and kill predators whenever they want.

The Queen Bee -- Be nice to animals and they will make you richer than Daffy Duck in the Genie's lair.

The Elves and the Shoemaker -- Naked dwarf/elves make kick ass shoes.

The Juniper Tree -- Killers should be killed, so their victims will be born again.

The Turnip -- There is virtue in con artistry.

Clever Hans -- THE BEST STORY EVER! The whole crew giggled their brains out at the escapades of Clever Hans. Of course, it could have been my silly Austrian accent. In fact, every Grimm Tale would be better with an Austrian accent.

The Three Languages & Lily and The Lion -- Leave the fairy tales behind for a few days and they are totally forgettable.

The Fox and The Horse -- Domesticated animals deserve much better than wild ones. Haven't I seen that somewhere before?

The Blue Light -- It’s terrible for a Princess to be forced into menial labour. A capital offence, in fact.

The Raven -- Useless men are the perfect men for a wronged princess.

The Golden Goose -- Always feed homeless men, it’ll make you a King. And here I thought the most you could get from such a deed was a dipped ice cream cone.

The Water of Life -- The good guys always win. Silly isn’t it?

The Twelve Huntsman -- Sexism will always help a lady get her man.

The King of the Golden Mountain -- Midgets and dwarves are nothing but magical. Bad people have black faces. Kings can steal anything they want. That's the Brothers Grimm in a nutshell.

Doctor Knowall -- Idiots are fated to riches. See...there was ntohing new about Forrest Gump.

The Seven Ravens -- Father’s are never responsible for their crimes against their children.

The Wedding of Mrs. Fox -- First Story: Genetic anomalies are easy to overlook if you are a fox. Second Story: Racial purity must be maintained. Hey...weren't these cats German?!

The Salad -- Turn a woman into an ass, and she will drop to her knees and do anything you want, making you happy forever.

The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was -- The longer the story (or title) the more idiotic the moral.

King Grisly-Beard -- Any shrew can be tamed.

Iron Hans -- Cursed Kings will help any knob who can help them break their curse.

Cat-Skin -- There are Kings everywhere, and they’re all looking for a Princess who wants to hide her Princessness. I am not sure that PETA would be impressed with this one.

Snow-white and Rose-red -- Every talking animal is a Prince in disguise’ every pretty little girl is just waiting to be made a Princess; every dwarf is evil.

So who comes out ahead in The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales: The super rich, the rich, all nobility, the stupid, and cute animals.

Who ends up looking bad: any woman who isn’t nobility, step-moms, dwarves, the poor. folks with dark skin.

Yep, this book is crap. It is such crap that nearly every Disney adaptation is an improvement -- seriously. The last thing I can say, the thing I need to say, is YUCH. Yuch-yuchity-yuch-yuch-yuch!

But Clever Hans...now that was awesome!

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a fan of the macabre, I was eager to read the entire works of Grimm's Fairy Tales. The stories are completely different than anything I had grown up knowing. Stories like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and such were much more abbreviated than I would've imagined, all with their own dark spins. It was a long read and had a great deal of stories contained within. Unfortunately, they all started to blend into each other at a certain point, and left me unsure if I cared to finish the last portion of the book.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know all those moments in which the prince--or the monster--or the monster prince-- falls asleep with his head on the princess's lap?

In the original version of the story, she's lousing him.
Yep.
Lousing.
As in head-lice.

Ah, the romance.

You may think you know Grimms’ Fairy Tales, but if you’ve been reading them in English, I can guarantee you’ve never encountered them like this. The Grimms actually published seven different versions of the stories, starting in 1812/1815 and culminating in the “definitive” 1857 version. The Grimms found themselves rather disappointed by the reception of their 1812/1815 “Volk tales.” Assuming the stories were too coarse and unfinished, the Grimms began to edit them. In each subsequent version, the stories were a little more flowery and overblown, a little more bowdlerized, a little more pious and inoffensive to the readers of the day.

In the original version, the stories are presented in a raw, unvarnished, dialectic form, just as they were heard by the Grimms. In this form, we see the digressions into rhyme or extraneous detail, the nonsensical, often fragmented plots, and the sometimes tiresome repetition of themes and plotlines, but we also get the closest glimpse of the real stories. The differences between the versions are as fascinating as the stories themselves. Fortunately, Zipes spends quite a significant portion of the introduction contrasting the tales and highlighting the differences. (Sadly, in my advanced reader copy, the text of the appendix was so garbled and scrambled that I was often unable to understand the commentary. I was, however, able to read enough to appreciate Zipes' thorough commentary and to wish that the appendix had been complete.)

So, apart from the romance of lousing, what did I learn from the original Grimms' Fairy tales?

The myth of the wicked stepmother.
The wicked stepmother is also far more of a creation of the Grimms than a true artefact of the stories themselves. In the 1812/1815 version of the tales, it is the biological mother who tempts Snow White with a poisoned apple and sends Hansel and Gretel into the forest. However, because the Grimms believed in the sanctity of motherhood, those less-than-ideal maternal examples were quickly transformed into the wicked stepmothers we know and love. In fact, most of the powerful women in the 1812 version are transformed from fairies, queens, and saints into the ubiquitous witches of the 1857 version.

Ah, the romance.
As fairy tales have been reshaped and retold, they have gained in sensibility and romanticism, so that the original versions come as something of a shock. One of my favourite altered stories is that of "Rapunzel". In the 1857 version, the half-witted Rapunzel blurts out that the prince climbs up her hair far faster than the evil witch. In the original story, Rapunzel’s clothes start...ahem... fitting rather tightly around her stomach, causing the fairy to cast out her “godless child.” And Snow White isn’t saved by a kiss; instead, a servant exasperated with cleaning the glass case eventually slaps her, accidentally performing some variant of the Heimlich maneuver and causing the chunk of apple to fly out of her throat. (Life lesson, Snow White: when offered a magical apple, chew, don’t gobble.)

The morality of the tale.
If it is the case that “good” always triumphs in fairy tales, then “good” had a rather peculiar definition in 1812. In quite a few of the tales, the only moral of the story seems to be that "might is right." Several of the protagonists are gleefully cruel, vindictive, and violent, and it is only these less-than-kindly actions that lead to a happily-ever-after. For example, in "The Frog Prince," it requires parental pressure for the princess to grudgingly fulfil her bargain with the frog, and even then, when the frog petitions to sleep in her bed, she tries to kill him by throwing him against the wall, causing him to turn into a handsome prince, at which point she does indeed promptly take him into her bed.

Slap a cross on it.
The injection of Christian piety is often superficial at best; for example, in one of the stories, the Virgin Mary takes on a role that seems more suited to a fairy or pagan goddess, making a deal with one woman for her newborn child and punishing another by repeatedly spiriting off her children into a palace in the clouds. The devil takes the place of the giant in the Jack-and-the-beanstalk stories, complete with sympathetic wife.

In this original form, the collection is somewhat difficult to read, as the stories are often fragmentary and repetitive. The collection contains a smattering of "just so" stories, a few of the Epaminondas style, and even some possible origins of Pinnochio and the phrase, "Open Sesame." Most of the stories have a similar theme: a protagonist who is virtuous, but makes a mistake, and must fulfil a series of nearly impossible tasks to achieve redemption. Not all of the stories end happily; for example, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" had a less uplifting ending than the better-known version, but in general, things turn out well for simple or innocent protagonists. Yet the stories contain that intrinsic charm that only fairy tales possess. Good deeds are guaranteed to produce tangible rewards, so they can be performed not out of kindness but because of an expectation of karmic payback. One should always follow the edicts of a mysterious man or woman in the woods, no matter how insane the commands might be. Everything can be set aright without explanation; a prince or princess can be restored to life, a marriage to a less desirable woman can be nullified without question, a child can be found and restored, a curse can be instantly undone. Evil is obvious and evildoers can be destroyed without mercy. Overall, although this wasn't perhaps a particularly absorbing read--the sheer amount of repetition made the stories quickly tiresome--I greatly appreciated the opportunity to see the stories in their most unvarnished form.

Excerpted from my review on BookLikes.

~~I received this ebook through NetGalley from the publisher, Princeton University Press, in exchange for my honest review. ~~

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boldly ventured is half won.

As always, Grimm Brothers didn't disappoint me. I enjoyed this tale more than I expected.

OVERVIEW
There is a princess who proclaims that whoever solves her riddle, she will marry him. Princess is 100% sure that nobody can solve it but a tailor solves it. In state of shock, Princess refuses to marry him and gives him another test to pass in exchange of marriage. She puts him in the cage of bear. If he stays alive all the night, princess will marry him.


This tale was a fun read for me. It shows that no matter how much difficult a task is, don't be discouraged! There are many things we don't try. Because we think we can't do them. Because they seem impossible. I don't know about you guys but I feel this. Look at this tale, when the tailor was ordered to spend a night with bear, he could reject it. But he didn't. He didn't get discouraged. He tried it. And ultimately accomplished his goal by using his mind.

Overall, it's great. I would recommend it.

[Bionic Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Kinder-und Hausmärchen” is a key German contribution to world literature. It comprises about 250 traditional tales, which were collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, and first published in 1812, with a second volume dated 1815. Although the most accurate translation of this title would be “Children’s and Household Tales”, most English readers know these stories as Grimms’ Fairy Tales, sadly often with the apostrophe misplaced, as “Grimm’s Fairy Tales”.

Between 1824 and 1839, Edgar Taylor had translated these tales into English, again in two volumes. In 1870, Wilhelm’s eldest son, Hermann, edited what has come to be known as the definitive edition of “Kinder- und Hausmärchen”. In 1901, Marian Edwardes made a selection of these tales, and it is on her selection which most modern collections are now based. There is a typical “English Grimm”, which always comprises around fifty stories; not always the same fifty, but all chosen from a list of around half of the original number of 250 in the 1870 edition.



Charles Folkard - “Hansel and Gretel”

The list is short, because these were tales for children, and some were little more than riddles or anecdotes. Some were merely variations on the same theme. And in addition to those banned by the Victorians for their impropriety, the 20th century rejected some for their brutality, horror and anti-Semitism. It is easy enough to find a list of all 250 online, and some of the little known ones are indeed hair-raising to read.

Here I have listed all the ones in this volume, along with alternative names I have discovered they are also known by. I have added the number according to the original classication and order in which they were published. These are based on Marian Edwarde’s selection, and checked against Edgar Taylor’s for authenticity. The text therefore cannot be bettered, in English.



Charles Folkard - “The Three Dwarfs in the Wood”

It has to be said though, that the presentation of the volume is a disappointment. The illustrations are by Charles Folkard, whose watercolours are very much in the tradition of the golden age children’s illustrators, Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac and Kay Nielsen. They match the style of tales perfectly, but there are only eight colour plates in the entire book, two of which I have included here. The volume is roughly the size of a hardback novel, and there are line drawings at the beginning of each story, plus occasional ones in between. The less said about the cover illustration the better. It is not credited, but clearly drawn by a staff artist of the time, who created a contemporary feel. I prefer to do away with this cover, as underneath the cloth-bound book is printed with a silhouette repeated design of the girl and the deer, but this is a personal preference.

Because of my disappointment with the reproductions of the art work, I am keeping this review at my default rating of 3 stars.


1. The Dancing Shoes - “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”, “The Worn-Out Dancing Shoes” or “The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces” - 133
2. The House in the Wood - “The Hut in the Forest” - 169
3. The Golden Bird - 57
4. The Twelve Huntsmen - 67
5. The White Snake - 17
6. Little Red Riding Hood - “Little Red Cap” - 26
7. The Singing Lark - “The Singing, Springing Lark”, “The Singing, Soaring Lark”, “The Lady and the Lion” or “Lily and the Lion” - 88
8. The Brave Little Tailor - “The Valiant Little Tailor” or “The Gallant Tailor” - 20
9. Rapunzel - 12
10. The Iron Stove - 127
11. Jorinda and Joringel - 69
12. Hansel and Gretel - “Hansel and Grettel”, “Hansel and Grethel”, or “Little Brother and Little Sister” - 15
13. The Boy Who Set Out to Learn what Fear Was - “The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was” or “The Story of a Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear” - 4
14. Donkey-Wort - “The Donkey” - 144
15. Old Sultan - 48
16. The Fox and the Horse - 132
17. The Travelling Musicians - “Town Musicians of Bremen”, “The Bremen Town Musicians” - 27
18. The Golden Goose - 64
19. The Wishing Table - “The Magic Table, the Gold-Donkey, and the Club in the Sack”, “The Wishing-Table, the Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack” - 36
20. Tom Thumb - “Thumbling” and “Thumbling’s Travels” (also known as “Thumbling as Journeyman” - 37 and 45 *
21. Snow White - “Little Snow White” - 53
22. The Three Dwarfs in the Wood - “The Three Little Men in the Wood” or “The Three Little Gnomes in the Forest” -13
23. The Four Craftsmen - “The Four Skilful Brothers” - 129
24. Snow-White and Rose-Red - “The Ungrateful Dwarf” - 161
25. The Twelve Brothers - 9
26. Jack My Hedgehog - Hans My Hedgehog - 108
27. The Sleeping Beauty - “Little Briar Rose”, “The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods” - 50
28. The Raven - 93
29. Bearskin -101
30. Cinderella - “The Little Glass Slipper” - 21
31. Three Spinning Fairies - “The Three Spinning Women”, “The Three Spinners” - 14
32. Rumpel-Stilts-Ken - “Rumpelstiltskin”, “Tom Tit Tot” - 55
33. Mistress Holle - “Mother Holle”, or “Mother Hulda”, or “Old Mother Frost” - 24
34. King Thrush-beard 52
35. Thumbling the Dwarf and Thumbling the Giant - *
36. The Water of Life - 97
37. The Blue Light - 116
38. The Fisherman and his Wife - 19
39. The Goose Girl - 89
40. The Water Fairy - “The Water Nixie” or “The Water-Nix” - 79
41. The Frog Prince - “The Frog King”, or “Iron Henry” - 1
42. The Elves and the Cobbler - “The Elves”, or “The Elves and the Shoemaker”, - 39
43. Giant Golden Beard - “The Giant and the Three Golden Hairs”, or “The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs” - 29
44. King of the Golden Mountain - 92
45. The Two Brothers - 60
46. Hans in Luck - 83
47. The Turnip - 146

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its hard to rate a book when they are filled with multiple stories where some are bad and some are good, hence why it has received a 3 stars

I only really read the stories that I were interested in reading. Most of them, after a certain point, I didn't read.

The ones that I did read I enjoyed.

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read. Reminds me of my childhood days when my Grandma used to read these fairy tales to me. They are pretty graphic however. I recommend this book to all. Read to your children folks. It will create a love of reading and a thirst for knowledge. Enjoy and Be Blessed.
Diamond

[Dez the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super dark and super fun fairy tales. Not your average rainbows and butterflies here!