Grimm Reading

In part two, discover the origins and history of cinderella as we embark on “The Story Of The Story”. First up, we follow the trail of Cinderella from ancient Greece through Basile, Perrault, and the Grimms, by way of medieval France, as we trace her literary origins. We then attempt to work out where Cinderella really came from, and seek help from some expert friends as we define the tale and explore what exactly it's trying to tell us. Enjoy the final installment of this gripping two-parter where we delve into one of the most famous stories of all time - Cinderella (aka Cenrillon, Cennerentola, and the Cinderella Cat). Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No.8 in G major 1. Allegro assai // Brahms' Waltz Op 39 No 15 // Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48: II Moderato, Tempe Di Valse

A plucky young heroine, an avian stylist, and an axe-wielding dad make for a special season 5 ending - join us round the fire for some comically extreme violence as we read the Cinderella (aka Aschenputtel). Think you know Cinderella? Well, think again! Yes, we've got the lost slipper, we've got the evil step sisters, we've got the fateful ball - but there's plenty Disney unforgivably left out. It's a momentous occasion at Castle Grimm: it's all at once the series 5 finale, the last famous Grimm story, and the final story from volume 1. As such, we've split it into two episodes.  Part 1 we hear the story and discuss our initial thoughts. We also learn about the Grimms' sources for the story - or perhaps we don't learn about the sources. In Part 2, we'll do a deep dive into the history and origins of Cinderella in the world of literature and folklore.  Settle in for an epic Grimm Reading two-parter; we're thrilled to have you along.  This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.  T

In this story, a psychopathic couple get a schooling from their son when the little boy witnesses the harsh treatment of his grandfather. Things get moralistic this week's as we read the Grimm story, The Old Man And His Grandson.  After the tale, we explore the world of old men in folktales, specifically three ATU types that deal with old men looking for care in their twilight years - finishing with a harrowing story from the Philipines, or possibly Mexico. 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' 4 Piano  Pieces, Op. 119 - 2. Intermezzo in E minor  & Sonata in C major Op.1 - III. Scherzo performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni   

On his deathbed, a King commands trusty John, his most loyal servant, to protect his son and heir. But when the boy falls in love with a forbidden painting, John's loyalty is pushed to the limit. Will he sacrifice himself for the sake of the boy? Find out in Faithful John! The Brothers Grimm story responsible for Oscar Wilde's greatest work and your favourite scene in Star Wars.  After the story, we try to tracy its lineage from West to East, by way of a medieval French romance and the unexpected story of Hercules' run in with a poisoned shirt. This episode is “Certified Grimm” for adult themes and may not be suitable for all listeners. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Dvorak's Romantic Pieces, Op. 75 - 3. Allegro appassionato // Maria Szymanowska's Polonaise No. 3  

Welcome to our fifth Christmas party AND our 100th episode! Join us round the fire as we get festive in a bumper episode. This year we get an American story, The Poor Count's Christmas, featuring a greedy giant, an underhanded fairy, and an aristocrat with a Christmas addiction. That adventure is swiftly followed by the opening few mini chapters of the classic tale The Nutcracker. But before that, we share the usual gifts, pull a cracker or two, and also take a trip around the world on a culinary tour of global festive food traditions, thanks to an amazing response from our Instagram followers. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to one and all! 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 from the music.org European Archive // Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kije Suite: Troika performed by the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra

In this episode we talk to travel writer Nicholas Jubber about his latest book The Fairy Tellers, which unearths the incredible lives of the people behind famous fairy tales. The Fairy Tellers introduces us to seven of the most influential story tellers, including Hans Christian Andersen, Dortchten Wild, Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, and Hanna Dyab, who between them gave us Hansel and Gretel, Beauty And The Beast, The Snow Queen, and Aladdin, to name a few. Who were these people? What’s behind the magic of their story telling? And just how good really is Basile? We talk about all this and more, and end with Nick sharing his favourite fairy tale. Learn more about Nick Jubber at his website. And pick up a copy The Fairy Tellers just in time for Christmas! Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com

We finally land at the feet of the longest story in the entire collection, The Two Brothers. And this one's got it all. Dragons, witches, heroes, villains, damsels - this may well be the fairy tale story you’ve been waiting for! When two brothers are banished from home, they gather a retinue of animal disciples and hit the road. Deciding to go their separate ways, the eldest battles a dragon and wins the heart of a princess. But when a tree-climbing witch turns him to stone, it’s up to the younger brother to save the day. But will he stay true when he’s mistaken for his brother? Join us on an epic adventure that eventually takes us all the way to ancient Egypt and arguably the earliest fairy tale ever recorded... Link to The History Of Egypt Podcast's episode on The Tale Of The Two Brothers. This episode is “Certified Grimm” for adult themes and may not be suitable for all listeners. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Sc

Left alone in heaven, Saint Peter hears a knock at the door; a light-fingered tailor wants in. Against the wishes of the Good Lord, Peter lets the tailor through the pearly gates and into paradise. What will happen when the big chief returns home to find heaven in disorder? And why does everyone love Spanish cavalrymen? Find out in The Tailor In Heaven! We discuss tailors in fairy tales, Odin’s special seat, a Swiss party town, and finally hear another folk tale of crafty tailors cheating their way into heaven. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata in A major D. 664 - III. Allegro (performed by Paul Pitman) // Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata no. 16 in A minor, D. 845 (performed by Paul Pitman) // Franz Schubert's Piano Sonata no. 18 in G major, D.894 (performed by Paul Pitman)

Welcome to our first ever Halloween special! Join us round the fire as we read the famous Russian fairy tale Vasilisa The Beautiful. We then have a full Baba Yaga takeover where we do a deep dive on the intriguing witch of slavic folklore.  Creepy pork-eating dolls, evil step mothers, colourful horesmen - things get spooky in the castle with this curious story, a mix of Cinderella and Hansel And Gretel with added Baba Yaga, what’s not to love? Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Aram Khachaturian's Masquerade Waltz // Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (performed by Paul Pitman) // Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet - Dance of the Knights

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.