Grimm Reading

Things are going well for a newly married couple until a dog steals a sausage. Before you know it the house is a wreck and some thieves have stolen all their gold.  So Frederick and Catherine set out to track down the thieves and mayhem ensues as we enjoy a generous helping of hilarious misunderstandings, before it all ends with a pastor running for his life.  After the story, we try to make sense of this bizarre little story, a close cousin of an old Grimm Reading classic Clever Elsie. And finally we talk about idiocy in fairy tales (and how surprisingly common it is) before battling to find an appropriate score. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight Of The Bumblebee (performed by US Army Band) // Schubert's Piano Sonata no. 20 in A major, D. 959 - III.  (European Archive) // Brahms' Sixteen Waltzes, Op. 39 (performed by Martha Goldstein)

Welcome to series 5 of Grimm Reading! We kick things off with The Valiant Little Tailor, story number 20 in the Grimms’ Fairy Tales. When a little tailor takes down a swarm of flies ruining his jam on toast, he can’t believe his own bravery. His studio is now too small for a man like him, so he embroiders a commemorative girdle and sets off into the world to make his name. Several vanquished giants, dehorned unicorns, pious boars, redundant soldiers and squeezed cheeses later, the tailor is set to marry a princess. But she has other ideas… Will this humble, cocky little tailor make it to the top or will he face defeat? Find out in this huge adventure, The Brave Little Tailor! After the story, we discuss how it compares to other stories and how it breaks fairy tales rules, before looking into the development of the tale and how the Grimms shaped it in strange ways. Finally we reveal the results of our season 5 story poll and the order we’ll be reading the remaining stories.  Thanks so much for hanging around f

We tie a bow on the latest series as we reveal the winning and losing Grimm stories from the season. Who gave out the most points? How many 9s did we give? What does it take to become the worst ever story? Discover all in 'Story Stats', where we please everyone by bringing out the spreadsheets and crunching some numbers. After that, we share a piece of 'Bonus Audio' from Little Red Riding Hood - in the main episode we learnt about the development of the story, but what does it mean? Matt shares four theories about the meaning of the story in a clip scooped up from the cutting room floor. We then share some listener messages before finally unveiling our plans for the next season of Grimm Reading.  Here's the link to the Series 4 Spotify Soundtrack.  And do check out Battle Royale podcast and/or God Vs. God podcast. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Dvořák's Humoresque Op.101 No. 7 // Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre, O

It’s the series four finale so it’s time for a big bad story - join us round the fire for a rendition of the one, the only, Little Red Riding Hood (aka Little Red Cap)! A young girl heads out from home to her grandmother’s - but en route she meets a wolf in the deep of the woods. After engaging in some polite small talk, the wolf weaves a dastardly plan to capture girl and granny alike. Will it end in delicious victory for the wolf? Or will Little Red Cap emerge triumphant in the end? After the tale, we take a wild wild through “the story of the story” where we discover Red Riding Hood’s origins, and how the meaning of the tale changed over time. From werewolves to sausages to medieval fashion - this episode explores new, disturbing terrain as we grapple with the strange history of the famous little red girl. This episode is Certified Grimm for adult themes and one use of offensive language and may not be suitable for all listeners. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme musi

Have you ever been so thirsty you’d risk turning into a tiger? Can you die from an overly hot bath? Is there a dark side of the moon? Discover the answers to all this and more in our latest episode on the Brothers Grimm story Little Brother and Little Sister.   When an evil witchy step-mother turns her step-son into a fawn, he and his sister move into a cottage together. But when the fawn boy is chased down by the king's huntsmen, the king decides to marry his sister and it looks like we're due a happily ever after. But the evil step-mother has other ideas...   After the story, we discuss the confusing relationship the tale has with Hansel and Gretel before exploring brothers and sisters in fairy tales where we find ourselves hearing the brilliant story Nennillo and Nennella by Giambattista Basile.   This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.   Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Brahms’ R

This time we read the final story from the first volume of the Grimms' fairy tales: The Fox and the Geese. A tale in which our trusty cunning fox may have taken on more than he bargained for... After the story things get mega foxy as we hear two other stories - that's right, two! - where things don't turn up entirely roses for Reynard: "The Hare And The Fox" by Ludwig Bechstein, and "Beasts In A Pit" collected by Alexander Afanasyev. And that's not all! We also take the time to reintroduce Reynard the Fox (the archetypal trickster fox of Medieval epics), including his incredible connection Disney's Robin Hood. And finally we unveil a new section of the show, "Fox News", where we hear some shocking Kitsune news fresh out of Japan.  Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Robert Schumann's Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15 - III. Blind Man's Buff // Chopin's Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 - II. Scherzo // Beethoven's Piano Sonata

This time we read the shocking tale of Frau Trude. A young girl is enamoured with her neighbour Mrs. Trude. But her parents absolutely forbid her to go on a visit. Naturally, the young girl ignores her parents and before long we've got heads literally on fire among other bizarre happenings.  Will the girl escape or has curiosity killed the cat? Join us round the fire as we try to decipher this strange, dark little story. Our musings lead us once again face-to-face with Baba Yaga, before settling in for a brief history of witches and witchcraft - from it's ancient origins, to the early-modern European witch trials, as well as the development of the iconic witch of fiction. This episode is Certified Grimm for adult content, and may not be suitable for all listeners.   Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Prokofiev's Montagues & Capulets performed by Filarmónica Juvenil de Cámara de Bogotá  // Beethoven's Sonatas No. 12 i

In this episode, we talk with Dr Jamie Tehrani of Durham University about his research into the origins of fairy tales. In his 2016 paper, co-authored with Sara Graça da Silva, they took phylogenetic modeling techniques - borrowed from the world of evolutionary biology where they're used to trace genetic lineages - and put them to work tracing the origins of folk tales. The results seemed to prove that many fairy tale narratives can indeed be traced back several thousand years. But how exactly do these methods work? And can they really prove the existence of stories before the invention of writing? We'd read the news articles and had a go at reading the paper, but we still didn't understand exactly how it worked. Fortunately, Dr Tehrani graciously offered up his time to explain how it was done. And we round things off with a fantastic story: The King And The Bishop. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com

Join the king's youngest son on an adventure of a lifetime, as he seeks the mystical golden bird that's been pinching his dad's apples. Helped by a patient, omnipotent fox, the prince gets more than he bargained for when he deceives his way into a princess's bathing house. Will he ever find the golden bird? And will his older brothers' jealously drive them to do the unthinkable? Find out in this week's story: The Golden Bird! Dastardly deception, desperate decapitation, and omnipotent foxes - this story is a truly a grimm reading epic. After we've recovered, we discuss its relation to other stories in the Grimms' collection, as well as taking a brief trip to pronunciation corner before heading around the world, to see where this strange tale is found elsewhere and exploring its relation to the Firebird of slavic lore.  Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Stravinsky's Firebird Suite - Final Hymn, performed by the C

Twelve hunters, three lovers, and one sexist lion - join us for the Brothers Grimm story The Twelve Huntsmen!   A prince and princess are happily engaged. But when the prince’s dying father makes him promise to marry another, the princess is cast aside. Unperturbed, the princess gathers together twelve doppelgangers and gets the team employed as her ex's huntsmen. But when a magical sexist lion threatens to reveal her identity, she finds herself facing two impossible challenges.    Will the game be up? And what does the new bride think of all these shenanigans? Find out (or possibly don't find out) in this week's exciting Grimm tale.    After the story, we unpick the manifold plot holes before exploring the 'forgotten fiancé' trope in an erased Grimm tale called Prince Swan.   Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 18 in E Flat Major 'The Hunt', Op. 31 no. 3 - II. performed by Paul Pitman

When a king is forced to marry a witch’s daughter, his new bride turns her seven step sons into swans. Now it’s up to their only sister to undo the curse. But when her new husband condemns her to death for baby eating, it looks like all might be lost. In fan favourite The Six Swans, we find magical yarn, star flowers, and a strip tease up a tree (no joke). It’s the final installment in 'The Maiden Who Rescues Her Brothers' trilogy and after reading the story we discuss its place in the trilogy, before following its historical thread to the medieval story of The Swan Knight. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Camille Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals, The Swan, performed by the Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Gabriel Schwabe on cello //  Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Waltz, performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Dmitry Yablonsky.

In Brother Lustig, a discharged soldier is bankrupted by Saint Peter. The two then team up to start a venture bringing the dead back to life. But when Lustig eats an undercooked lamb's heart, St. Peter decides to go his own way. Will this mismatched pair ever make up? And how will St Peter keep Brother Lustig on the straight and narrow? Find out in this epic buddy road caper, filled with haunted castles, undead princesses, and magical knapsacks.  After the tale, we try to unpick this piece of moral philosophical genius and discover how the story it connected to one of the oldest tales in human existence, The Smith And The Devil. This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.    Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Camille Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre, Op. 40 Performed by University of Chicago Orchestra & Christoph Zbinden // Josef Suk's Serenade for strings in E flat major, Op. 6 Per

A surprise story this time - the Grimms' version of Beauty And The Beast! 
Called ‘The Summer And Winter Garden’, join us on a breathtaking journey of kidnapping, heartache, and love against the odds. In the deep of winter, a father’s most beautiful daughter asks him to bring back a rose from his work trip. When he takes a rose belonging to a hideous beast, the monster demands the man’s daughter in marriage - to which he agrees. Can the daughter escape this fate? Or will she perhaps see another side to this supposed beast?

 A powerful tale of inter-species love, this gargantuan episode is one of our longest yet so settle in for a biggie where we explore the meaning behind the tale, its French origins in the Salons of Paris, and its ancient roman cousin, Cupid And Psyche.   Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Dvořák's Slavonic Dances Op.72 No. 2: Allegretto Grazioso (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker)

It's once more time to the annual Grimm Reading Christmas party! Get cosy round the fire for another dose of festive joy, complete with presents, pies, crackers, alcohol-free mulled wine and more! We get two stories this year. Firstly, a radical choice with the unseasonal story The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen. Soon followed by the decidedly Dickensian tale The Story of a Cat by Mary De Morgan. Merry Christmas everyone! For more festive mayhem, join us over on Grimm Fables for another Andersen story. Otherwise, thanks so much for listening and we'll see you in the new year.    Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Tchaikovsky's "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker Suite Performed by Gabriel Antonio Hernandez Romero on Piano // Tchaikovsky's "Clara and the Nutcracker" for the Nutcracker Suite performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra and "Pas de Deux" from The Nutcracker Suite - from

In a village full of rich peasants, one little peasant alone remains destitute. But through a series of cunning and devious tricks, this little guy is going to turn the tables on everyone in quite spectacular fashion. Join us for The Little Peasant by the Brothers Grimm, where we meet a fatally gullible Shepard, a soothsaying squeezable raven and - shocker - a nice miller! After the story we uncover other tales that use similar motifs of trickery, including in works by legendary fairy tale authors Straparola, Basile (of course), and even Hans Christian Andersen.   Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5  performed by Kassia & Arthur Nickisch // Brahms' 4 Piano Pieces Performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni  

In The Good Bargain, a peasant loses all his money and possessions to some animals. Angered, he goes to the king for justice. But instead of helping him, the king has other ideas.  This 'humorous' tale is the first one we've come across that is anti-Semitic. So, once we've finally deciphered the convoluted story, we then explore antisemitism in the Grimm's collection, putting the Grimm brothers on trial. We also look into how the Nazis co-opted the Grimms to spread propaganda in Nazi Germany.  Finally, we play a clip from a chat Matt had with Rachel O'Brien - who's recently written her thesis on the Grimms and the holocaust - where she shares her thoughts on the hidden side of anti-semitism in the Grimms.   

In The Three Feathers, an old king tests his three sons to see who will inherit the kingdom after his death. When the youngest brother emerges triumphant - thanks to an overweight toad - the older brothers demand satisfaction, and plot a jump to the death to settle the succession once and for all. Join us on the final adventure of The Simpleton Trilogy, where we find magical turnips, a popcorn-munching monarch, and a secret underground world. After the story we discuss fatalism, pub names, and take a deep-dive into the taboo world of animal-human love - a surprisingly popular and potent part of folklore. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No.3 in D major, BWV 1054 performed by the Paillard Chamber Orchestra & Robert-Veyron-Lacroix // Bach's Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 - III. Allegro - European Archive // Debussy's Arabesque No. 1. Andantino con moto performed by

We’re back for series 4! We open the series with a poor family starving to death and the Virgin Mary abducting their daughter. Years later, the Virgin goes off on a work trip and forbids the girl from opening a certain door. When the inevitable happens, the child is banished from heaven and things get weirder from there. Join us once more round the fire for “Our Lady’s Child” (aka “Mary’s Child”), where we meet an unlikely assortment of characters including the 12 Apostles, James Bond, Cousin Itt, and Nelly Furtado. After the tale, we discuss Pandora’s Box and explore the earliest stories of ‘curious women’. Finally we reveal the results of our last story poll, launch a new one, and put to rest some lingering Puss In Boots business. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Ravel's string Quartet in F major - II. Assez vif, très rythmé // Dvořák's serenade for Strings Op.22 3 Scherzo (Piano arr.)

Another mini-special before the new series. This time we shamelessly plug our Patreon! We explain how you can support the podcast through our Patreon platform, then we announce some exciting new things we've got coming up for our patrons - including a Q&A episode and the release of The Pied-Piper. We then play a clip from our patron-only podcast Grimm Fables, before finally giving some patron shout-outs. Check out our patreon. Buy our episode The Pied-Piper at payhip.com (available from 26th September 2021) And do give a listen to our pod-friend Tudoriferous.

Greetings from a grim meadow! Massive constitutional changes are afoot in this special episode as we share our roundup of the winners and losers of series 3 for the first time for non-Patrons. We then share a piece of deleted audio from our Little Snow White recording - the incredible connection between Snow White and the siege of Troy. Finally we're pleased to announce our new Grimm Reading Spotify playlists: Series 1 Grimm Reading Soundtrack Series 2 Grimm Reading Soundtrack Series 3 Grimm Reading Soundtrack And please do check out the excellent Stories From Lore podcast. Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Komiko.