Grimm Reading

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.

It’s the series 3 finale so it’s time for a big one - settle in for an epic adventure as we read Little Snow White!

 Filicide, attempted cannibalism, talking mirrors, seven little helpers, a very poisonous apple - it’s the story you know and love but even more unpleasant and violent. Chatting with her mirror, a queen learns that her step-daughter has grown more beautiful than she is. So she decides to kill her and eat the girl's heart. But Little Snow White escapes and finds shelter in a strange cottage, home to seven unexpected tenants. When the queen discovers Snow White is alive, she beings to weave dastardly plots, determined to put an end to Snow White for good. After the story we ask the important questions, including why would you drink wine from a mug? And is Snow White really a shoe? We then compare the story with other incarnations of the folktale, speculate on the validity of the “real-life” Snow White, hear tell of the incredible connection to Alan Turing, and finally explore the true meaning

In Hans Married, Hans’s uncle decides to take matters into his own hands and get his nephew a wife. With his cunning, fool-proof method for securing a bride, Hans miraculously gets engaged to a rich peasant’s daughter. How does he do it? And will it all end happily ever after? Find out in the final installment of the Hans Saga, our penultimate episode of Series 3.   

It’s a quick, punchy story this week so we also read out lots of listeners messages, and take the opportunity to choose the opening stories of Series 4 and finally launch a new Patron Story Poll.   Listen to previous episodes in the Hans Saga: Hans In Luck
 Clever Hans -- Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Brahms' Violin Concerto, Op.77 Performed by Henryk Szerng & Orchestre National de France

Hans is back! In his first starring role since the pilot episode, we follow Hans as he attempts to woo Gretel by demanding presents from her. Will Hans get the girl of his dreams? Or will it all end with some livestock losing their eyes? And how is this story related to quantum physics? Find out all this and more, as we slip into a the nightmare groundhog day that is Clever Hans by the Brothers Grimm. After the story, we try and piece together the shaky Grimm Reading cinematic universe, hear a 15th century version of the tale, and finally dip into the fascinating history of Clever Hans the magical German maths horse. Hear the other stories mentioned in the episode: Hans In Luck Hansel And Gretel Clever Gretel Clever Elsie -- Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - I. Morning performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra // Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte, Op.19b - 3. Molto

Welcome to Extra Grimm, where we delve a little deeper into the world of the Brothers Grimm for the curious. In this episode, we talk to Brothers Grimm expert Jack Zipes. The conversation centers around a particular folk tale type, that of ATU 325 “The Magician And His Apprentice”. The interview starts with Jack recalling how his journey into this tale type all started with wondering why the Harry Potter series has achieved such phenomenal success. Eventually, he concluded that it’s because it’s really a gigantic version of “The Magician And His Apprentice.” From this bombshell opening, we discuss Richard Dawkins concept of memes as well as why fairy tales are so important, Hegel's theory of dialectics, and how ATU 325 is perhaps one of the most important tales in the history of oral storytelling. Fortunately, we have already done one of the Grimm’s two stories of this type - you can hear our episode The Thief And His Master here. (highly recommended background homework for this episode!) You can pick up

While out on his daily rounds, a poor fisherman nets an enchanted fish prince. When his wife hears how he let the fish go, she demands he return and ask the fish to give them a cottage. Things then escalate fast, as the fisherman's wife gets a taste for the property market and chases a career in politics.  Will they be content with their lot, or will greed see them fall to their ruin? Find out all this and more in the absolutely massive tale, The Fisherman and His Wife. After the story we discuss it's meaning and form, including the idea of an anti-fairy and the shadow of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Grimms then lead us back to our old friend Shakespeare, and finally we learn about the legend of Pope Joan thanks to our pod-friends Pontifacts. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Ravel's Miroirs - III. Une barque sur l'ocean performed by Robert Ewen Birchall // Byrd's Mass for Four Voices - I. Kyrie Eleison performed by

As a penniless woodcutter’s health fades, he leaves his three sons the only things he has in the world - a cat and scythe and a cock. To find fortune, he instructs them to seek out a country in which these things are unknown. One by one the sons head out into the wide world with their gifts. But, when the final son finds himself on an island plagued by mice and rats, the inhabitants get more than they bargained for. Will they make their fortune? And can you use a cannon for everything? Find out all this and more in The Three Sons of Fortune.  After the story, the Grimm’s lead us down the rabbit hole where we meet the famous English folk hero Dick Whittington and delve into the history of Dick Whittington and his cat. Finally, deep in the rabbit hole, we find ourselves exploring the history of pantomime and its roots in the ancient world. Hey, someone had to do it. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Beethoven's Vi

When the family cook plots to kill a foundling boy, his adoptive sister comes to the rescue and the two take flight, shapeshifting their way out of danger. The cook deploys her henchmen to hunt them down but when they fail, she waddles after them herself for a final showdown. Who will emerge victorious? Find out in this week’s tale, Fundevogel (aka Fledgling)! After the story, we talk similarities to other tales, shapeshifting Jesus news, and then squeeze in an extra Russian fairy tale where at long last we have the pleasure of welcoming Baba Yaga to Grimm Castle. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Bach's English Suite no. 3, BWV 808 performed by Radek Materka // Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto no. 3, Op. 30 - III. Finale: Alla breve performed by Sinfonia of Leeds

Talking dead fingers, aggressive domestic appliances, and a devil under a duvet - prepare yourself for the madness that is the Brothers Grimm's "The Godfather". In this utterly bizarre story we have essentially a mashup of two Grimm stories we've heard before, namely - Godfather Death and The Strange Feast. Is this hybrid version better than the originals or a step too far? Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Hear Matt's recital of The Godfather Theme. Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Two versions of Tchaikovsky's Sentimental waltz no. 6 from Op. 51: firstly, a piano and cello arr. with Elizaveta Sushchenko on cello; secondly, a piano version performed by Peter Bradley-Fulgoni // Chopin's Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53   

Finding himself alone in a forest, a musician decides to play his fiddle and entice a human friend. Before long, several animals approach and ask for music lessons. On gaining their trust, the musician cruelly entraps them and wanders on. Eventually the animals escape and together plot revenge. Will they have their justice? And where exactly does this musician get off? Find out in this week’s episode, The Wonderful Musician (aka The Strange Musician). Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 61 - III. Rondo: Allegro performed by the US Marine Chamber Orchestra

In Clever Gretel, a free-wheeling cook throws a party for herself at her master's expense. After she’s eaten all his chicken and drunk all his wine, Gretel’s master returns home ready for dinner… But our clever heroine plays those above her like a fiddle, and easily gets herself out of trouble. Join us as we try to dissect the mayhem and enjoy a story from The One Thousand and One Nights (aka The Arabian Nights). Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon   grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Chopin's Etude Op. 25 no. 8 in D flat major - 'Sixths' // Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 in C Minor 'Pathétique' // Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade: The Young Prince and the Princess

When the King decides to celebrate the birth of his daughter by sentencing his twelve sons to death, the boys flee to live a feral life in the woods where they vow to kill any maiden they meet.  A decade later, the Princess vows the rescue her brothers and she heads out into the forest. But things take a turn for the worse when she accidentally turns them all into birds and a foreign king carries her off to another land...  Will she ever rescue her brothers? Why does she have a golden star on her forehead? And can snakes survive in boiling oil? We answer all these questions and more in this week's episode: The Twelve Brothers. 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' Serenade No.1 in D major Op.11 - VI. Rondo - Allegro and String Quartet No.1 in C minor Op.51, No.1 - IV. Allegro from the European Archive