Grimm Reading

We’re back for series 3! When a petulant princess loses her golden ball, an overly friendly frog comes to the rescue. But when he tries to hop in her bed the princess has other ideas. Another classic story brought to you by Grimm Reading, but this is not the tale you think you know! Who is iron Henry? Why isn’t he the frog prince? And where is that famous froggy kiss? Discover the answers to all t...

  Evil curses, dangerous spinning, long lie-ins, and daring princes – in our series two finale we tackle one of fiction’s most enduring stories: The Sleeping Beauty (or Briar Rose). A spurned wise woman puts a castle to sleep for a hundred years. Many princes have tried to breach its wall of thorns but none have ever succeeded. Has the time finally come for the right man to lift the curse? We disc...

  Taboos abound in this week's episode, Thousandfurs, where things take a decidedly dark turn. On her deathbed, a queen makes an ill-judged demand of her husband, and he decides to marry his own daughter. Escaping into the woods, the princess is captured and put to work in a castle kitchen. But she sees the chance of salvation when the king of this castle throws an elaborate festival...   After th...

Welcome to Extra Grimm, where we delve deeper into the world of the Brothers Grimm for the curious.  In this episode, we chat to fairy tale expert Maria Tatar about all things Grimm. Maria is a Harvard professor specialising in folklore, myth and germanic literature, and she's the author of several books on fairy tales including her new book " The Fairest of Them All: Snow White and 21 Tales of Mo...

In The Three Languages, a Swiss boy narrowly escapes execution at the hands of his father. With nothing but an expanded linguist repertoire, he sets out to make his way in the world. Will he survive an angry pack of spectral dogs? And will he heed the call of a frog’s prophecy? After the story, things get intellectually rigorous as Adam is presented with three theories as to what’s going on: an hi...

A magical fish, a boy dressed as a bear, and a nosy father in law all make an appearance in this week’s episode: The Gold Children. After the story, discover how this largely unknown tale is connected to a tale from the Neapolitan Pentamarone, as well as to a German marketing agency and a heavy metal band. Tw itter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz...

When two clumsy children fall down a well, a Water Nixie forces them to do unpleasant chores for her. Will they ever get out? And how will a hairbrush and slippery mirror come to their aid? Find out in the shortest story we’ve ever read: The Water Nixie. After the tale, we present a mental-somersault of a theory on what the story could mean, before being taken on a journey by Jacob Grimm into the...

In The Dog And The Sparrow, a callous waggoner gets his comeuppance after he destroys a blossoming friendship between a dog and a sparrow. Learn why you should never mess with sparrows, how bad deeds don't go unpunished, and where Alfred Hitchcock got inspiration for his masterpiece 'The Birds'. We also hear what Shakespeare, the bible, and Chaucer have to say about these common little birds, and...

In The Thief and His Master, an unholy priest prank leads one boy on an unforgettable journey where he learns the dual arts of thievery and shapeshifting. However, things turn south when his master doesn't receive his desired pay. After the Story, we discuss thievery in fairy tales and explore two related stories: the original Venetian version by Straparola and the myth of the Welsh witch Ceridwen...

In Jacob Grimm's official favourite story, a jealous fox puts his wife to the test by playing dead. But will any of her new suitors hold a candle to her late husband's attributes? As their family cat servant tries to control the ensuing mayhem, we get an impromptu crash course in butter beer and bread milk making. Find out how this strange story taps into a world of suppression in occupied Napoleo...

In Gambling Hansel, an anti-hero with a chronic gambling addiction has dangerous run ins with Luficier, God, St. Peter, and our old friend Death. In what we’re calling 'Hansel and Gretel Part II', Hansel threatens to destabilize heaven itself with the aid of loaded dice, a troupe of demons, and a magical tree. Will he win his battle against celestial deities? Or will his dark-side prove his downfa...

  In our final adventure of the cock and hen trilogy, things go south fast for the incurable rascals and Chanticleer is soon faced with a life without Partlet. Can he ever move on? And will the beasts of the forest ever make it to the funeral?   Meet some old friends, find out the true meaning behind the trilogy, and discover what two murderous chickens have to do with The 12 days of Christmas, in...

Despite the machinations of an evil king, a prophecy sees a cocky luck child marry the princess. But his happily ever after is cut short when he is forced to embark on an epic quest that will take him to the very depths of hell, and into the dress of the devil’s grandma… In our first ever Patron chosen story, we embark on one of our biggest adventures yet, where we meet confused city guards, soft-...

Join us for the second annual Grimm Reading Christmas Party! We get into the festive spirit once more with port, mince pies and crackers! We also exchange gifts, enjoy an epic Christmas story, and have a bit of a round up of the year's scores. Thank you once again to everyone who has messaged us, supported us on Patreon and social media, and listened to the podcast throughout the year - it's been...

In this week’s episode, a young girl embarks on a psychedelic quest to rescue her brothers. after their father accidentally turns them into ravens. Glass mountains, dwarf butlers and helpful stars all make an appearance in the strange, gothic tale The Seven Ravens. We discuss the significance of the motifs, learn about ravens in folklore, and contemplate a popular socio-historical approach to the...

  After escaping her murderous witchy step-mother, a girl and her sweetheart take flight on a magical journey of heartbreak and betrayal. In this week’s epic, lovelorn story, meet a lonely Shepard, a house-keeping flower, talking drops of blood, a complicated couple, and some pushy village girls. After the tale, we discuss the thorny issue of sexism in fairy tales, consider the peculiar Hansel and...

  The cock and hen continue their mischievous adventure, this time with some new friends and a souped-up carriage. In part two of The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet, the motley crew pay a visit to the unfortunate Mr. Korbes where things escalate quickly.  After the story, we look into the history of Chanticleer and his dealings with Reynard the Fox, Geoffrey Chaucer, US mountain ranges, the...

A poor cobbler, an illiterate sweeper and a distraught mother all have run ins with some cheeky elves – it’s finally time for the festive tale 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'! After the story, we discuss the history of elves from the Anglo-Saxons to Queen Elizabeth, Iceland and Victorian Christmas, as well as belief in changelings and the surprisingly early theory of relativity. Finally, we choose t...

A passing queen hears a daughter being beaten, she intervenes and whisks her off to the royal palace. Setting her a spinning challenge, the girl loses all hope before three mysterious women come to her aid... In the three spinners, a lazy girl has the chance to escape poverty, will she find her way out of a life of spinning? After the story, we discuss the importance of spinning through history an...

After a vicious duck attack, a cock and a hen find shelter at an inn. But the host is unsure about this unscrupulous bunch, and after first refusing them entry, he eventually lets them in. Will they prove his prejudices wrong? Find out why you should always judge a book by its cover, and why you should never put an egg shell near a fire, in this week’s story: The Pack of Ragamuffins. The sound qua...

With the help of a sticky golden goose, Dummling, the youngest of three brothers, inadvertently woos an overly serious princess and proves he’s not so dumb after all. This week, discover how kindness always pays, why you should never cross small magical grey men, and what Venetian skater shoes have to do with German folklore. We’re back from our summer break with a new series and a Patreon to go w...

For our first series finale we finish off with Rapunzel, the famous story of a well coiffured heroine trapped in a tower. We find many surprises in what may be thought of as the most childish of the Grimm’s tales, including silk ladders, salad addiction, barren deserts, and a villain with more depth than first meets the eye. After the story we discuss the more adult themes of the tale, why witches...

In The Hare’s Bride, a young maiden minding her cabbages gets whisked off to an unexpected wedding under a rainbow. In desperately trying to unpick the meaning of the story, we discuss ‘animal bridegrooms’ in folklore, beauty and the beast, and blade runner. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltz...

Decapitation, magical singing birds, and human black puddings – it can only be the long-awaited story 'The Juniper Tree'. After we read the story, we discover what Björk, the bible, and a painter named Philipp have to do with it all. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24...

In ‘The Riddle’, a princess pits her wits against a wandering king’s son. But who will win? And where does a gang of murders, a witch, a hungry raven, golden syrup and Batman fit into all this? After the story, we go on a riddling journey through time from the Queen of Sheba to Turandot. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other mus...