Selections from Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales

The oldest brothers Grimm;
 drawn by Emil Ludwig.

       Jakob Ludwig Grimm was a German jurist and philologist; born at Hainau, January 4, 1785. He studied at Marburg, and was chosen professor at Gottingen in 1830, but was on account of his liberal principles removed from that position seven years later. He accepted in 1841 an invitation to Berlin, where he was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences. He was the author of several valuable works apart from the collected fairy tales that Americans know him for. He died in 1863.

       Jakob was the oldest of nine children and the second child born into this large German family, 1786, was Wilhelm Karl, a German linguist. It was these two brothers that recorded and condensed the fables and fairy tales that are listed below.

       Emil Ludwig , born in 1790, became a painter and engraver. He was eventually elected professor in the Academy of Painting at Cassel in 1832. This brother died in 1863. He drew the portrait included here of his elder brothers together.

More Links to The Brother's Grimm:

• Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
• Hanau Germany where Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born.
• Philipps Universitat Marburg where the brothers attended university.
• The Museum Bruder Grimm Haus where the brothers grew up. The official town website of Steinau an der Straße.

       A fairy tale, wonder tale, magic tale, or Märchen is an instance of a folklore genre that takes the form of a short story. Such stories typically feature entities such as dwarfs, dragons, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, griffins, mermaids, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. In most cultures, there is no clear line separating myth from folk or fairy tale; all these together form the literature of preliterate societies.

       A Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral lesson (a "moral"), which may at the end be added explicitly as a pithy maxim or saying. 

       Both genres appear in the original collections by the Grimm brothers. In later publications, the fables were removed, especially those texts published for the American market. However, I will attempt to include many more of the fables here in the future. 

       Those of you who only know these old fairy tales because of Walt Disney's retelling of them through film, may be a bit surprised by how many of the elements differ in the original stories? But remember that fairy tales and fables were collected by the brothers from the peasants of their own time, who had a culture different from our own. The stories that every culture tells their own children change, adapt, and evolve. I imagine that what we know today to be "Cinderella" will be somewhat unrecognizable two hundred years from now.

More About The Grimm's History:

• How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale
• The Fairytale Language of the Brothers Grimm
• The Most Beautiful Illustrations from 200 Years of Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales

Selections from The Brother's Grimm Complete Fairy Tales & Fables: Originally transcribed by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm: Edited by Kathy Grimm

1. The Frog Prince and Wise Words, "'But if you would love me . . . I dive below the water and fetch you your golden ball again."
2. The Moon  and Wise Words, "There he reduced the dead to subjection, bade them He down in their graves again, took the moon away with him, and hung it up in heaven."
3. Rapunzel  and Wise Words, ""I certainly like him much better than old mother Gothel,"
4. The Golden Key and Wise Words, ". . . where the key was, the lock must be also"
5. The Nail and Wise Words, "A nail is wanting . . . '
6. Sweet Porridge and Wise Words, ". . . whosoever wished to return to the town had to eat his way back."
7. Cinderella and Wise Words, "And so they were condemned to go blind for the rest of their days because of their wickedness and falsehood."
8. Old Rinkrank and Wise Words, "Old Rinkrank, I will not open the door for you."
9. The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean and Wise Words, "we will join in good fellowship together"
10. The Death of the Hen and for ''Wise Words" here there are none.
11. The Sleeping Beauty and Wise Words, ""The Princess shall not die, but fall into a deep sleep for a hundred years."
12. The Rabbit's Bride and Wise Words, "she made a figure of straw, and dressed it in her own clothes"
13. The Dog and the Sparrow and Wise Words, "I will give you plenty."
14. Old Sultan and Wise Words, "he deserves food and shelter in his old age."
15. Hansel and Gretel and Wise Words, "It would be better to share one's last morsel with one's children."
16. The Three Spinners and Wise Words, "Do not forget what you have promised, and it will be all the better for you."
17. Mr. Korbes and sometimes there are no Wise Words at all...
18. The Vagabonds  the same sentiments as Mr. Korbes
19. Rumpelstiltskin and Wise Words, "No, I would rather have something living than all the treasures of the world."
20. The Peasant In Heaven and Wise Words, "but a rich man like this does not come more than once in a hundred years!"
21. The Queen Bee and Wise Words, ""Leave the little creatures alone, I will not suffer them to be disturbed."
22. Poverty and Humility Lead to Heaven and Wise Words, "How well must all be with one up there in heaven!"
23. The Poor Boy in the Grave and Wise Words, "folks say death is bitter, but it tastes very sweet to me."
24. The Old Grandfather's Corner and Wise Words, "I am making a little bowl for papa and mamma to eat their food in when I grow up,"
25. The Owl and Wise Words, "This is no time for thinking of expense, and stinginess would be ill applied."
26. The Bremen Town Musicians  and Wise Words, "the four Bremen town musicians found themselves so  well off where they were, that there they stayed."
27. The Hazel Branch and Wise Words, ""As the hazel bush has been my protection this time, it shall in future protect others also." 
28. The Wonderful Musician and Wise Words, "Whoever means harm to him had better take care of himself, for he will have to deal with me !"
29. The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage and none had anything wise to say!
30. The Crumbs on the Table and Wise Words, "Nay, nay, we must let it alone, we must not go."
31. The Rose and Wise Words, "One the same morning, the rose was in full bloom."
32. The Wolf and the Man and Wise Words, "You throw your hatchet so far that you can't get it back again."
33. Gossip Wolf and the Fox and for these who would deceive both themselves and be decieved by others who are natural born enemies, there are no wise words to be had. Gossip is eventually it's own enemy.
34. The Golden Goose and Wise Words, "As you have such a kind heart, and share what you have so willingly, I will bestow good luck upon you."
35. Little Red Riding Hood and Wise Words, "Oh dear, how frightened I have been! It is so dark inside the wolf."
36. The Aged Mother and Wise Words, "Behold, so would it have been with them if they had lived, and if the good God had not taken them to Himself when they were innocent children."
37. The Stolen Pennies and Wise Words, "The parents gave the money at once to a poor man, and after that the child was never seen again."
38. The Drummer and Wise Words, 'This is my true bride," said he; "if I marry the other, I shall do a great wrong."
39. The Golden Bird  and Wise Words, "I cannot tell, except that I was sad, and now I am joyful; it is to me as if my rightful bridegroom had returned,"
40. Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs and Wise Words, "I dare not take anything."
41. The Ear or Corn and Wise Words, 'Men however are so made, that when they are too well off they no longer value the blessings which come from God, but grow indifferent and careless.''
42. The Three Languages and Wise Words, "Only let me in to these barking hounds, and give me something to throw to them; they will not harm me."
43. The Star Money and Wise Words, She was, however, good and pious. And as she was thus forsaken by all the world, she went forth into the open country, trusting in the good God.
44. The Shroud and Wise Words, ''the mother gave her sorrow into God's keeping, and bore it quietly and patiently''
45. The Flail from Heaven and Wise Words, "and took the flail with him as a token of his truth."
46. Eve's Various Children and Wise Words, "Each shall have his own place, so that one shall support the other, and all shall be fed like the limbs of one body."
47. The Tailor in Heaven  and Wise Words, ''said the Lord, "were I to judge as you judge, how do you think you could have escaped so long?"
48. Little Red Riding Hood and there aren't any wise words in this tale, only a wise forester...