Grimm Reading

Join us for the second annual Grimm Reading Christmas Party! We get into the festive spirit once more with port, mince pies and crackers! We also exchange gifts, enjoy an epic Christmas story, and have a bit of a round up of the year's scores. Thank you once again to everyone who has messaged us, supported us on Patreon and social media, and listened to the podcast throughout the year - it's been a really fun one and we're both excited for the year to come! Keep it Grimm. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko (+ sleigh bells) Other Music: Tchaikovsky's "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" from The Nutcracker Suite Performed by Gabriel Antonio Hernandez Romero on Piano // Tchaikovsky's "The Magical Castle in the Kingdom of Sweets" and "The Christmas Tree" from The Nutcracker Suite - from the music.org European Archive

In this week’s episode, a young girl embarks on a psychedelic quest to rescue her brothers. after their father accidentally turns them into ravens. Glass mountains, dwarf butlers and helpful stars all make an appearance in the strange, gothic tale The Seven Ravens. We discuss the significance of the motifs, learn about ravens in folklore, and contemplate a popular socio-historical approach to the meaning of the story. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other Music: Schubert's Serenade // Schubert's Impromptu No. 4, op. 90.2  

  After escaping her murderous witchy step-mother, a girl and her sweetheart take flight on a magical journey of heartbreak and betrayal. In this week’s epic, lovelorn story, meet a lonely Shepard, a house-keeping flower, talking drops of blood, a complicated couple, and some pushy village girls. After the tale, we discuss the thorny issue of sexism in fairy tales, consider the peculiar Hansel and Gretel connection, and recount the incredible french story Hop o’ My Thumb.  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: Ravel's Sonatine: I. Modere, performed by Francois-Joel Thiollier, piano // Chopin's Etude in G flat major, Op. 25, No. 9.1, performerd by Martha Goldstein 

  The cock and hen continue their mischievous adventure, this time with some new friends and a souped-up carriage. In part two of The Adventures of Chanticleer and Partlet, the motley crew pay a visit to the unfortunate Mr. Korbes where things escalate quickly.  After the story, we look into the history of Chanticleer and his dealings with Reynard the Fox, Geoffrey Chaucer, US mountain ranges, the French national rugby team, and of course Shakespeare. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Chopin’s Concerto #2 in F Minor 1st and 2nd Movements, performed by the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra

A poor cobbler, an illiterate sweeper and a distraught mother all have run ins with some cheeky elves – it’s finally time for the festive tale 'The Elves and the Shoemaker'! After the story, we discuss the history of elves from the Anglo-Saxons to Queen Elizabeth, Iceland and Victorian Christmas, as well as belief in changelings and the surprisingly early theory of relativity. Finally, we choose the next batch of stories we’ll be reading and reveal the results of our first Patreon listener story poll! 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 III. Anitra's Dance, recorded at Omega Studios, Edward S. Petersen conducting // Liszt's Liebesträume

A passing queen hears a daughter being beaten, she intervenes and whisks her off to the royal palace. Setting her a spinning challenge, the girl loses all hope before three mysterious women come to her aid... In the three spinners, a lazy girl has the chance to escape poverty, will she find her way out of a life of spinning? After the story, we discuss the importance of spinning through history and the surprising incarnations of the three spinners through time. Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Handel's Messiah, 1st Movement performed by the MIT Concert Choir, Cutter // Haydn's Symphony No. 101 in D major (Hoboken 1/101) - 2nd movement: "The Clock" performed by Amigos do JPC with Pedro Carlos Silva, violin

After a vicious duck attack, a cock and a hen find shelter at an inn. But the host is unsure about this unscrupulous bunch, and after first refusing them entry, he eventually lets them in. Will they prove his prejudices wrong? Find out why you should always judge a book by its cover, and why you should never put an egg shell near a fire, in this week’s story: The Pack of Ragamuffins. The sound quality isn't great during the story but rest assured, it gets better after the first few minutes. It won't happen again, promise! Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Chopin's Concerto 2 in F Minor 3rd Movement performed by the Seattle Philharmonic // Chopin's Mazurka D Major Op.33 no. 2 performed by Lubka Kolessa

With the help of a sticky golden goose, Dummling, the youngest of three brothers, inadvertently woos an overly serious princess and proves he’s not so dumb after all. This week, discover how kindness always pays, why you should never cross small magical grey men, and what Venetian skater shoes have to do with German folklore. We’re back from our summer break with a new series and a Patreon to go with it! Find out more info on how you can support the podcast and what goodies you can claim here: https://www.patreon.com/grimmreading Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Sonata No. 11 in B Flat Major Op. 22 performed by Daniel Veesey / Chopin's Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes D flat major performed by Martha Goldstein

For our first series finale we finish off with Rapunzel, the famous story of a well coiffured heroine trapped in a tower. We find many surprises in what may be thought of as the most childish of the Grimm’s tales, including silk ladders, salad addiction, barren deserts, and a villain with more depth than first meets the eye. After the story we discuss the more adult themes of the tale, why witches get such a bad rep, a Lithuanian long hair festival, and how it can all be traced back to 17th century Naples. See the animated video by our competition winner here: http://tiny.cc/mqvi7y  Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Live instrumental performance of “Beau Soir” (Beautiful Evening) written by Claude Debussy // Chopin’s Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes (F Major) Performed by Martha Goldstein 

In The Hare’s Bride, a young maiden minding her cabbages gets whisked off to an unexpected wedding under a rainbow. In desperately trying to unpick the meaning of the story, we discuss ‘animal bridegrooms’ in folklore, beauty and the beast, and blade runner. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #2 - Performed by Martha Goldstein// Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata no. 15 in d major, op. 28 'pastorale' - iv. rondo. allegro, ma non troppo - Performed by Karine Gilanyan

Decapitation, magical singing birds, and human black puddings – it can only be the long-awaited story 'The Juniper Tree'. After we read the story, we discover what Björk, the bible, and a painter named Philipp have to do with it all. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring" by Corey Cerovsek, (violin) & Paavali Jumppanen (piano) // Chopin's Opus 10, No. 7, Twelve Grand Etudes C Major performed by Martha Goldstein

In ‘The Riddle’, a princess pits her wits against a wandering king’s son. But who will win? And where does a gang of murders, a witch, a hungry raven, golden syrup and Batman fit into all this? After the story, we go on a riddling journey through time from the Queen of Sheba to Turandot. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #4 Performed by Martha Goldstein // Ludwig Van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op 101 Movement II performed by Daniel Veesey  

After three stories of carnage and mayhem, has the fox finally met his match? In the final episode of The Fox Quadrilogy the fox boasts to a friendly cat of his skills, but perhaps the cat knows something the fox doesn't. An Greek proverb unlocks the key message behind the entire Quadrilogy, sending us on a journey from medieval France to ancient India. And we pick the next four stories we'll be reading and we read out some listener messages. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Red by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au), Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 Movements I and III performed by Daniel Veesey.

In this episode our old friend Thumbling is back with more wacky adventures! In Thumbling as Journeyman (AKA Thumbling’s Travels) our hero joins a gang of thieves on a heist job before trying his luck as a barman. After the story, we deep-dive into the fascinating world of different thumbling stories, exploring the mysterious roots of this tale type from Tom Thumb in the UK to The Inch-High Samurai in Japan.   Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Johannes Brahms' Waltz Op 39 No 15 performed by Paul Cantrell / Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #1 performed by Martha Goldstein  

Tricked by a lying goat, a tailor kicks out his three sons. After acquiring magical gifts, they head back home to their father, but a dastardly inn-keeper has other plans… In "The Wishing-table, The Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack" we meet a table with no appearance, a gold-depositing donkey, and a time-keeping cudgel. The story then leads us to investigate a potentially out of business London ice cream parlour and the grisly French fairy tale ‘Donkey Skin’. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Sonata 'Waldstein', Op. 53 - III. Rondo-Allegretto moderato by Michael Hawley / Chopin's Concerto 2 in F minor, 3rd movement performed by the Seattle Philharmonic conducted by Nico Snel

Welcome to a special episode where we reveal the winner of our book competition and read out some of our listener’s messages and votes. Afterwards, we treat ourselves to one of the “hands down freakiest” of the Brothers Grimm tales: The Strange Feast. This leads us on nicely to exploring why the brothers erased many of their stories and uncovering the history behind the deleted tales. And finally, we give our review of the 2005 Brothers Grimm movie! Thank you so much to everyone who got involved in the competition. If we didn’t read out your message, hold tight - we’re planning to get round to them in our forthcoming episodes. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Brahms' 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #12 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, 2nd & 3rd movements  

Three unlikely kitchen survivors set off on an adventure. But will they overcome their first challenge, a very small stream? In 'The Straw, The Coal And The Bean' we learn why you shouldn’t mock the misfortune of others and uncover the truth behind that biggest of mysteries - how beans got a black seam. The competition is now closed! Thanks to everyone who entered and sent us such lovely messages, the winner will be announced in the next episode! Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music:Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #8 and #15 performed by Martha Goldstein

It’s a double whammy of foxy fun as we read parts two and three of The Fox Quadrilogy: The Wolf And The Man & The Wolf And The Fox. 

Afterwards, we delve into the spicy world of the Kitsune: the shapeshifting nine-tailed fox of Japanese folklore. 

Join us by the fire as we try to answer The Riddle of the Sphinx, finally discover what a cudgel is, and Adam chooses the next four stories we’ll be exploring on Grimm Reading. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 - III & IV performed by Daniel Veesey / 和風管弦楽「イザナギ・イザナミ by 魔界 Symphony

On an adventure with his brothers, an insignificant dwarf rescues some animals before stumbling upon a mysterious castle. In return, they help him unlock the bedroom door of identical triplet princesses. But will he pass the three deadly challenges and deliver the castle from enchantment? In ‘The Queen Bee’ we meet a rampaging unicorn, hear how a Greek man became a lion’s pet, and we learn why kindness always triumphs. Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #1 and #9 performed by Martha Goldstein

Witches and breadcrumbs, giant ducks and gingerbread houses. This week we explore one of the most famous fairy tales of all time: Hansel and Gretel. After our surprise Christmas episode, we thought why stop the fun there? We're kicking off 2019 with a bona fide classic! We discover how this story was used in a U.S supreme court ruling, learn how it all started with a terrible famine, and we dissect various highfalutin analyses of this uber famous story.  Happy new year everyone! Twitter Facebook Instagram grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko Other music: Beethoven's Piano Trio No7 in B-flat Major Op97 / Chopin's Mazurka D major Op.33 no.2 performed by Lubka Kolessa / Hänsel and Gretel Opera: Evening Prayer performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ambrosian Singers / Chopin's Liszt Zyczenie (The Maiden's Wish) performed by Brian Young