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Grimm Brothers' Home Page

compiled by

D. L. Ashliman
© 1999

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Contents

1. Chronology of their life

2. What they wrote
   • Major joint publications of the "Brothers Grimm"
   • Major individual works of Jacob Grimm
   • Major individual works of Wilhelm Grimm

3. The Grimms' Children's and Household Tales and their Aarne-Thompson type numbers. (This is a separate file.)

4. Links to external sites relating to the Brothers Grimm
   • General
   • Biographical
   • Studies of specific tales
   • Electronic texts of the Grimms' tales and legends
   • Journals and Encyclopedias. Web sites associated with academic journals and reference works that often include articles about the Grimms' tales.

Chronology of their life

1785. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm is born January 4, 1785, in Hanau, Germany, son of Philipp Wilhelm Grimm (a lawyer and court official) and his wife Dorothea Grimm, née Zimmer.

1786. Wilhelm Carl Grimm is born February 24, 1786, in Hanau, Germany, son of Philipp Wilhelm Grimm and Dorothea Grimm.

The children of Philipp Wilhelm Grimm and Dorothea Grimm

1. Friedrich Hermann Georg Grimm (1783-1784)
2. Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785-1863)
3. Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786-1859)
4. Carl Friedrich Grimm (1787-1852)
5. Ferdinand Philipp Grimm (1788-1844)
6. Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790-1863)
7. Friedrich Grimm (1791-1792)
8. Charlotte (Lotte) Amalie Hassenpflug, neé Grimm (1793-1833)
9. Georg Eduard Grimm (1794-1795)

1796. Philipp Wilhelm Grimm, father of eight Grimm brothers and one Grimm sister, dies January 10, 1796, at the age of 44. Three of his nine children have preceded him in death. His oldest surviving child, Jacob, is 11 years old.

1798. Jacob and Wilhelm move to Kassel, their mother's home city, to enter secondary school. The 13 and 14 year old boys will live with an aunt.

1802. Jacob begins his study of law at the University of Marburg.

1803. Wilhelm begins his study of law at the University of Marburg.

1806. Jacob and Wilhelm, influenced by the folk poetry collection of Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, begin to collect folktales (Märchen).

1808. Dorothea Grimm, mother of eight Grimm brothers and one Grimm sister, dies May 27, 1808, at the age of 52. In order to support his younger brothers and sister, Jacob takes a position as a librarian at Kassel. Wilhelm will follow soon.

1812. The Grimm brothers publish volume one of Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children' and Household Tales), an unpretentious book containing 86 numbered folktales.

1814. Volume two of Kinder- und Hausmärchen appears in print, pre-dated 1815, adding 70 stories to the previous collection. This famous work will see six additional editions during the Grimms' lifetime. In its final version it will contain 200 numbered stories plus 10 "Children's Legends." It is destined to become the best known and most influential book ever created in the German language.

1816, 1818. The Grimms publish two volumes of Deutsche Sagen, a collection totalling 585 German legends.

1819. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm receive honorary doctorates from the University of Marburg. Their scholarly work on linguistics, folklore, and medieval studies continues, resulting in many publications.

1825. Wilhelm Grimm marries Henriette Dorothea (Dortchen) Wild, who -- together with other members of her family -- had provided the Jacob and Wilhelm with many of their best folktale texts.

1829-1830. The Grimms resign their positions as librarians in Kassel and accept positions at the University of Göttingen as librarians and professors.

1837-1841. Professors Grimm join five of their university colleagues in a formal protest against a constitutional violation of Ernst August, King of Hannover. The seven professor (Die Göttinger Sieben) are fired. The Grimm brothers receive many offers for new positions, and finally accept appointments at the University of Berlin.

1842-1852. The Grimms continue their scholarly work and political activities, but finally give up their formal appointments at the University of Berlin (Jacob in 1848, Wilhelm in 1852) in order to dedicate themselves to their own studies and research.

1859. Wilhelm Grimm dies December 16, 1859, at the age of 73.

1863. Jacob Grimm dies September 20, 1863, at the age of 78.

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What they wrote

In addition to the works listed below, the Grimms (especially Jacob) wrote many substantive articles, reviews, forewords, and chapters, and published numerous editions and translations. Their achievements as pioneering folklorists, linguists, and medievalists are astounding by any measure.

Major joint publications of the "Brothers Grimm"

• The Grimms' first collection of folktales was not published during their lifetime. It was a manuscript containing 53 stories, some written out in detail, others sketched in brief outline form. In December 1810 they submitted this collection to Clemens Brentano and Achim von Arnim for inclusion in a planned third volume to their successful collection of folk poetry entitled Des Knaben Wunderhorn (The Boy's Magic Horn, 3 volumes, 1806, 1808, 1808), which was to be dedicated to folktales. This fairy-tale volume never materialized, and the manuscript was not returned to its authors, but the Grimms' interest in collecting and editing folklore did not die. In 1812 they came out with their own fairy-tale collection.

• Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Children's and Household Tales), vol. 1, 1812; vol. 2, 1814 (pre-dated 1815).
  2nd edition, 1819.
  volume 3, Anmerkungen (Commentary), 1822.
  3rd edition, 1837.
  4th edition, 1840.
  5th edition, 1843.
  6th edition, 1850.
  7th edition, 1857. This final version is the basis for most editions and translations published after the Grimms' death.

  The final version of this pioneering collection consists of 200 numbered stories plus ten "Children's Legends." The standard abbreviation for the collection is KHM, from the German title.

• Altdeutsche Wälder (Old German Forests), 3 volumes, 1813, 1815, 1816. Miscellaneous writings on linguistics, folklore, and medieval studies.

• Der arme Heinrich von Hartmann von der Aue (Poor Heinrich by Harmann von der Aue), 1815. An edition with commentary of an important medieval German epic.

• Lieder der alten Edda (Lays from the Elder Edda), 1815.

• Deutsche Sagen (German Legends), 2 volumes, 1816, 1818.

• Irische Elfenmärchen (Irish Fairy Tales), 1826. This is a translation, with a long and insightful introductory essay, of Thomas Crofton Croker's book Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (London, 1825).

• Deutsches Wörterbuch (German Dictionary), 32 volumes, 1852-1960. The Grimms themselves saw only the entries A through Forsche of this monumental historical dictionary published during their lifetime. The remaining parts were published by several generations of scholars over a 100 year span.

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Major individual works of Jacob Grimm

• Deutsche Grammatik (German Grammar), 4 volumes, 1819, 1826, 1831, 1837.

• Deutsche Rechtsaltertümer (German Legal Antiquities), 1828.
  2nd edition, 1854.

• Deutsche Mythologie (German Mythology -- also translated as Teutonic Mythology), 1835.
  2nd edition, 2 volumes, 1844.
  3rd edition, 1854.

• Geschichte der deutschen Sprache (History of the German Language), 2 volumes, 1848.
  2nd edition, 1853.

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Major individual works of Wilhelm Grimm

• Altdänische Heldenlieder, Balladen und Märchen (Old Danish Heroic Lays, Ballads, and Folktales), 1811. A translation.

• Über deutsche Runen (On German Runes), 1821.

• Die deutsche Heldensage (The German Heroic Legend), 1829.

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Links to external sites relating to the Grimm Brothers

General

English language sites

• Yahoo!: Arts: Humanities: Literature: Genres: Children's: Fairy Tales & Folktales: Brothers Grimm.

• A walking tour of downtown Kassel, where the Grimms lived and worked from 1798 until 1830, and where they produced their best-known works.

German language sites

• Zurürick in die Kindeit auf der Deutschen Märchenstraße. A tourist highway in Germany connecting the principal cities associated with the Grimms and their tales.

• Hanau-Online. A home page for Hanau, Germany, the city of the Grimm brothers' birth.

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Biographical

German language sites

• Brüder Grimm, Lebensdaten. A year-by-year chronology of their life.

• Gebrüder Grimm. A brief sketch of their life, plus links to electronic texts of their fairy tales and legends (in German).

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Studies of specific tales

1. The Frog King; or, Iron Henry (Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich)

• The Frog King or Iron Heinrich by the Brothers Grimm. A comparison of the versions of 1812 and 1857.

• Frog Kings. Folktales about slimy suitors from around the world.

• Der Froschkönig oder der eiserne Heinrich von den Brüdern Grimm. Ein Vergleich der Fassungen von 1812 und 1857.

2. Cat and Mouse in Partnership (Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)

• Cat and Mouse. Fables about cats and mice.

21. Cinderella (Aschenputtel)

• Cinderella. Aarne-Thompson folktale type 510A and related stories of persecuted heroines translated.

• Cinderella Stories. From the Children's Literature Web Guide of David K. Brown, University of Calgary.

• The Cinderella Project, University of Southern Mississippi.

26. Little Red-Cap (Rotkäppchen)

• Little Red Riding Hood and other tales of Aarne-Thompson type 333.

• "Ich bin der Weg" - Rotkäppchen. An article about the Grimms' "Little Red-Cap", in German, by Silke Bost.

27. The Bremen Town Musicians (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten)

• Animals in Exile: Folktales of Aarne-Thompson type 130.

28. The Singing Bone (Der singende Knochen)

• The Singing Bone and other tales of Aarne-Thompson type 780.

38. Mrs. Fox's Wedding (Die Hochzeit der Frau Füchsin)

• Widows in (Short-Lived) Mourning. Folktales of Aarne-Thompson types 65, 1350, 1352*, and 1510.

39. The Elves (Die Wichtelmänner)

• Midwife (or Godparent) for the Elves: Fairy tales of Aarne-Thompson type 476* and migratory legends of Christiansen type 5070.

• Changelings.

42. The Godfather (Der Herr Gevatter)

• Godfather Death.

43. Frau Trude

• Witchcraft Legends.

44. Godfather Death (Der Gevatter Tod)

• Godfather Death.

46. Fitcher's Bird (Fitchers Vogel)

• How the Devil Married Three Sisters and Other Type 311 Tales.

50. Little Briar-Rose (Dornröschen)

• Sleeping Beauty, folktales of type 410.

53. Little Snow-White (Sneewittchen)

• Snow White and other tales of type 709

• Snow White by Kay E. Vandergrift, Rutgers University.

• Death of the Seven Dwarfs, a folk legend from Switzerland with an ending quite different from that of the familiar fairy tale by the Grimm brothers.

55. Rumpelstiltskin (Rumpelstilzchen)

• Rumpelstilzchen, ein Vergleich der Fassungen von 1810, 1812 und 1819.

• The Name of the Helper. Folktales of type 500, and related tales, in which a mysterious and threatening helper is defeated when the hero or heroine discovers his name.

63. The Three Feathers (Die drei Federn)

• Animal Brides. Folktales of type 402.

65. All-Kinds-of-Fur (Allerleirauh)

• The Father Who Wanted to Marry His Daughter: Folktales of Aarne-Thompson type 510B.

• Incest in Indo-European Folktales.

66. The Hare's Bride (Häsichenbraut)

• How the Devil Married Three Sisters and Other Type 311 Tales.

88. The Singing, Springing Lark (Das singende springende Löweneckerchen)

• Beauty and the Beast. Tales of type 425C.

101. Bearskin (Der Bärenhäter)

• Bearskin and other tales of type 361.

106. The Poor Miller's Boy and the Cat (Der arme Müllerbursch und das Kätzchen)

• Animal Brides. Folktales of type 402.

108. Hans-My-Hedgehog (Hans mein Igel)

• Hog Bridegrooms. Tales of type 441, in which a beautiful maiden is forced to marry a hog or a hedgehog.

110. The Jew in the Thorns (Der Jude im Dorn)

• Anti-Semitic Legends.

117. The Willful Child (Das eigensinnige Kind)

• The Hand from the Grave. Folktales and legends of type 779.

179. The Goose-Girl at the Well (Die Gänsehirtin am Brunnen)

• Love Like Salt. Folktales of types 923 and 510.

182. The Little Folks' Presents (Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes)

• Fairy Gifts. Folktales and legends of type 503.

187. The Hare and the Hedgehog (Der Hase und der Igel)

• The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Races between Unequal Contestants. Folktales of Aarne-Thompson types 275A, 275A*, and 1074.

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Electronic texts of the Grimms' tales and legends

English language sites

• Grimms' Fairy Tales. These translations are from the electronic text project at Carnegie-Mellon University.

• The Frog King, with illustrations. Click on the small pictures for a larger views.

German language sites

• Märchen der Gebrüder Grimm. These texts are part of the Bibliothek der Märchen, a library of folk and fairy tales, sponsored by Projekt Gutenberg-DE, die digitale Bibliothek.

• Deutsche Sagen, herausgegeben von der Brüder Grimm. These texts are part of the Sagensammlung, a library of legends, sponsored by Projekt Gutenberg-DE, die digitale Bibliothek.

Journals and Encylopedias

• Fabula: Zeitschrift für Erzählforschung/Journal of Folktale Studies/Revue d'Etudes sur le Conte Populaire, edited by Rolf Wilhelm Brednich and Hans-Jörg Uther.

• Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies, edited by Donald Haase (Wayne State University).

• Enzyklopädie des Märchens. The web site (in the German language) of the leading reference work dedicated to the study of folk and fairy tales.

Return to:

• Table of Contents.
• Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts.
• Folk and Fairy Tales: Web Site Links
• Germanic Myths, Legends, and Sagas