Selected Fairy Tales by Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm

Source of book: I own this.

 

This year, for our annual “Spooky Lush” party, our founders and hosts chose Grimm's Fairy Tales as the text, and selected a couple dozen or so stories to feature. This was fun in no small part because there were so many potential costumes to choose from - I went as a woodcutter, but we also had everything from the Goose Girl to the Prince to The Girl Without Hands. It was a blast as usual. (Related, local readers are welcome to join. Go follow The Literary Lush Book Club on Facebook, and sign up for a monthly meeting.) 

 

I won’t give much of an introduction to the Grimms - their history is pretty well known. The stories are versions of the many folk tales they heard from the disappearing class of oral storytellers in a modernizing Germany. 

 

Our discussion was a lot of fun this time, because the stories give plenty to talk about. Many people are only familiar with the Disney versions, which are sanitized for the tastes of adults who think they know what is good for children. (Real life children have more of an appetite for gore than many adults realize, and are capable of deeper thinking than “happily ever after.”) I mean, wouldn’t Cinderella have been better if the step-sisters had chopped off their toes? 

 

I’ll start by listing the stories on the list, as well as some additional ones I read for fun. 

 

Snow White and Rose Red

King Thrushbeard

The Maiden Without Hands

The Poor Miller’s Boy and his Cat

Show White and the Seven Dwarves

Rumpelstiltskin

Little Red Riding Hood

Cinderella

Rapunzel

Hansel and Gretel

The Frog Prince

The Bremen Town Musicians

The Cat and Mouse in Partnership

The Devil and His Grandmother

The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces

The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage

 

I also read:

 

The Wonderful Fiddler

The Fox and the Cat

The Magic Fiddle

Three Little Tales About Toads

The Singing Bone

 

There were other stories that other members read as well. 

 

A few of the stories were new to me, such as “The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage.” After all, not too many fairy tales have anthropomorphic sausages. Talking animals, yes, but not foodstuffs. 

 

Likewise, “The Devil and His Grandmother,” sometimes named “The Dragon and His Grandmother,” was an interesting twist on the idea of a bargain with the Devil. Want to get out of it? Go talk to his Grams. 

 

One of the questions raised in our meeting was whether the stories all had morals or not. There were a few that were so all over the place that it was difficult to find any single moral. Others were more straightforward. And some seemed just for fun, not moral instruction. 

 

A common thread running through many of the stories, however, is that pride and vanity either results in bad things happening to you, or, it might make you the villain of the story. 

 

In contrast, being “clever and crafty” could go either way. If linked to pride, being clever and crafty is a bad thing. Better to be “innocent and simple.” But on the other hand, if you are humble, cleverness and craftiness may lead you to wealth and honor.

 

There are a few bits I wanted to mention that seemed interesting to me. First, in “Rumpelstiltskin,” among the other names that queen tries out, she guesses Casper, Melchior, and Balzar. Those of us raised in a certain religious tradition will recognize those as the names church tradition assigns to the Magi - who are given neither names or a number in the Bible. 

 

I also liked that, in “The Maiden Without Hands,” the poor abused and neglected girl finally finds her way to a cottage with “Everyone who dwells here is safe” on a sign. In our troubled times, my goal is to be that kind of place, where people are safe. Fortunately for the maiden, the owner of the house is the good kind of woman - the good fairy. And not one of the witches. 

 

“King Thrushbeard” also has an interesting moment. The impossibly picky - and insulting - princess finds herself married to a rough peasant (who is the king in disguise of course) who makes her (gasp!) do housework and other tasks. He does not want a “helpless” wife - and he is wise in that. While I do not hold to the specific gendered tasks of the old stories, a woman (or a man!) who is incapable of basic tasks, relying on servants or one’s spouse for all that is indeed undesirable. 

 

Finally, I want to mention the old woodcuts in my book (which purports to be the complete Grimm tales.) I have a soft spot for woodcuts in general, and the sort that old books are illustrated with in particular. I can’t even remember when I got this book - it has been decades, but it is a nice hardback from 1981, reproducing the early English translations from unknown dates in the 1800s. 

 

In closing, I want to mention that, while I by no means want a return to brutal and punitive treatment of children, I do think that in some ways our modern parenting tends to be a bit overprotective. My own kids were raised rather “free range,” and were expected to do chores, solve problems on their own when able, and take responsibility for themselves. 

 

Part of this was not policing their reading. They were encouraged to read what they wanted, both from the public library and our own extensive collection of books. We read to them stuff that was a bit beyond their current level (as did my parents when I was a kid), stretching their skills. 

 

The old fairy tales - ones from all around the world - were a part of this. Rather than try to overprotect our kids, we read difficult stuff, with dark themes at times. Ditto for our audiobooks - you can find those all over this blog. It was surprising how thoughtful my kids were at very young ages, and how well they handled more difficult ideas. Kids are stronger than we assume. 

 

The old fairy tales are not perfect - they reflect the values of certain times and places - but they are an interesting look into the human psyche, which is why they tend to have common elements all around the world. Kids should read them. But also adults - we too can benefit.