What are the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm about? True fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. Full version

Surely everyone knows the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Perhaps, in childhood, many people were told fascinating stories by their parents about the beautiful Snow White, the good-natured and cheerful Cinderella, the capricious princess, and others. The grown children then read the fascinating fairy tales of these authors themselves. And those who did not particularly like to spend time reading books were sure to watch animated films based on the works of legendary creators.

Who are the Brothers Grimm?

Brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are famous German linguists. Throughout their lives they worked to create German. Unfortunately, they never managed to finish it. However, this is not why they became so popular. They were glorified folk tales. The Brothers Grimm became famous during their lifetime. "Children's and Household Tales" were translated into English with extreme speed. different languages. The Russian version came out in the 60s of the 19th century. Today their tales are read in almost 100 languages. Many children from different countries were raised on the works of the Brothers Grimm. In our country, they gained wide popularity in the 30s of the last century thanks to the retellings and adaptations of Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak, and

What is the secret of the popularity of Brothers Grimm fairy tales?

All fairy tales have a unique and interesting plot, happy ending, victory of good over evil. The entertaining stories that came from their pens are very instructive, and most of them are dedicated to kindness, courage, resourcefulness, bravery, and honor. In the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, the main characters are people. But there are also stories in which birds, animals or insects become the characters. Typically, such stories ridicule the negative traits of a person: greed, laziness, cowardice, envy, etc.

There are also elements of cruelty in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. For example, the murder of robbers by a brave tailor, the stepmother’s demand to bring her the internal organs (liver and lung) of Snow White, the harsh re-education of his wife by King Thrushbeard. But do not confuse elements of cruelty with pronounced violence, which is not here. But the frightening and scary moments present in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm help children realize their existing fears and subsequently overcome them, which serves as a kind of psychotherapy for the child.

Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm: list

• An extraordinary musician.
• Brave little tailor.
• About a fisherman and his wife.
• Mrs. Blizzard.
• Golden bird.
• The poor man and the rich man.
• Ungrateful son.
• Belyanochka and Rosette.
• Hare and Hedgehog.
• Golden Key.
• Queen of bees.
• Friendship between cat and mouse.
• Successful trading.
• Bell.
• Straw, coal and bean.
• White Snake.
• About a mouse, a bird and fried sausage.
• Singing bone.
• Louse and flea.
• A strange bird.
• Six swans.
• Knapsack, hat and horn.
• Golden goose.
• Wolf and fox.
• Gusyatnitsa.
• Kinglet and bear

The best fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm

These include:

• A wolf and seven little kids.
• Twelve brothers.
• Brother and sister.
• Hansel and Gretel.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
• Bremen street musicians.
• Smart Elsa.
• Thumb Boy.
• King Thrushbeard.
• Hans is my hedgehog.
• One-eyed, two-eyed and three-eyed.
• Mermaid.

To be fair, it is worth noting that this list is far from the ultimate truth, since the preferences of different people can differ radically from each other.

Annotations to some fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm

1. "Hans is my hedgehog." The fairy tale was written in 1815. It tells about an extraordinary boy and his difficult fate. Outwardly, it resembled a hedgehog, but only with soft needles. He was not liked even by his own father.
2. "Rumpelstichtsen." It tells the story of a dwarf who has the ability to spin gold from straw.
3. "Rapunzel". A fairy tale about a beautiful girl with gorgeous long hair. She was imprisoned in a high tower by an evil witch.
4. “Seat the table yourself, golden donkey and club from a bag.” A tale of the mind-blowing adventures of three brothers, each of whom possessed a magical object.
5. "The Tale of the Frog King or Iron Henry." The story is about an ungrateful queen who did not appreciate the action of the frog who took out her favorite golden ball. The little frog turned into a beautiful prince.

Description of Jacob and Wilhelm

1. "Brother and sister." After the stepmother appears in the house, the children have a hard time. So they decide to leave. There are a lot of obstacles on their way that they need to overcome. Complicating everything is the witch-stepmother, who bewitches the springs. By drinking some water from them, you can turn into wild animals.
2. "The Brave Tailor" The hero of the fairy tale is a brave tailor. Having had his fill of a calm and boring life, he sets off to perform heroic deeds. On the way, he encounters giants and a vile king.
3. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". It tells the story of the king’s delightful daughter, who was joyfully accepted by the seven dwarves, saving and protecting her in the future from her evil stepmother, who owns a magic mirror.

   

4. "King Thrushbeard." A fairy tale about a city and a beautiful princess who did not want to get married. She rejected all her potential suitors, mocking their real and imagined shortcomings. As a result, her father gives her away to the first person he meets.
5. "Mistress Blizzard." Can be categorized as " New Year's tales Brothers Grimm." It tells the story of a widow who had own daughter and reception. The stepdaughter had a hard time with her stepmother. But a sudden accident, in which the unfortunate girl dropped a spool of thread into the well, put everything in its place.



Categories of fairy tales

Conventionally, we can divide the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm into the following categories.

1. Fairy tales about beautiful girls whose lives are constantly ruined by evil sorceresses, witches and stepmothers. Many of the brothers’ works are imbued with a similar storyline.
2. Fairy tales in which people turn into animals and vice versa.
3. Fairy tales in which various objects are animated.
4. which people and their actions become.
5. Fairy tales whose heroes are animals, birds or insects. They ridicule negative character traits and praise positive features and inherent advantages.

The events of all fairy tales take place in different time years without focusing on it. Therefore, it is impossible to single out, for example, the spring fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Like, for example, A.N. Ostrovsky’s “The Snow Maiden,” which is accompanied by the title “a spring fairy tale in four acts.”



"Witch Hunters" or "Hansel and Gretel"?

The latest film based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale is “Witch Hunters.” The film premiered on January 17, 2013.

The fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” is presented in a condensed form at the beginning of the film. Native father for unknown reasons, he leaves his son and daughter in the forest at night. In desperation, the children go where their eyes are looking and come across a bright and tasty house of sweets. The witch who lured them to this house wants to eat them, but the savvy Hansel and Gretel send her to the oven.

Further events unfold according to the director’s own plans. Many years later, Hansel and Gretel begin a witch hunt, which becomes the meaning of their lives and a way to make good money. By the will of fate, they end up in a small town infested with witches who steal children to perform their rituals. Heroically, they save the entire city.

As you can see, director Tommy Wirkola filmed the Brothers Grimm fairy tale in a laconic form, adding his own continuation to it in a new way.

Conclusion

All children, without exception, need fairy tales. They are able to broaden their horizons, develop fantasy and creative imagination, and cultivate certain character traits. Be sure to read fairy tales by different authors to your children, including the Brothers Grimm.

Just when choosing works, do not forget to pay attention to their publication. After all, there are publications in which episodes are missing or added. This is often not mentioned in the notes. And this is not a small nuance, but a significant flaw that can distort the meaning of the fairy tale.

It will also be great if you find time to talk about the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm or play your favorite ones in your spare time.

Our page contains all the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm list is a complete collection of all works. This list included fairy tales Brothers Grimm, fairy tales about animals, new fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm. The world of fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm is amazing and magical, filled with a plot of good and evil. The best fairy tales The Brothers Grimm can be read on the pages of our website. Reading fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm online is very exciting and comfortable.

Fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm list

1. (Der Froschk?nig oder der eiserne Heinrich)
2. (Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)
3. Child of Mary (Marienkind)
4. The Tale of the One Who Went to Learn from Fear (M?rchen von einem, der auszog das F?rchten zu lernen)
5. The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats (Der Wolf und die sieben jungen Gei?lein)
6. Faithful Johannes (Der treue Johannes)
7. Successful trade / Profitable business (Der gute Handel)
8. The Extraordinary Musician / The Eccentric Musician (Der wunderliche Spielmann)
9. Twelve Brothers (Die zw?lf Br?der)
10. The Ragged Rabble (Das Lumpengesindel)
11. Brother and Sister (Br?derchen und Schwesterchen)
12. Rapunzel (Bell)
13. Three men in the forest / Three little forest men (Die drei M?nnlein im Walde)
14. Three spinners (Die drei Spinnerinnen)
15. Hansel and Gretel
16. Three snake leaves (Die drei Schlangenbl?tter)
17. White snake (Die weisse Schlange)
18. Straw, coal and bean (Strohhalm, Kohle und Bohne)
19. About a fisherman and his wife (Vom Fischer und seiner Frau)
20. The Brave Little Tailor (Das tapfere Schneiderlein)
21. Cinderella (Aschenputtel)
22. Riddle (Das R?tsel)
23. About the mouse, the bird and the fried sausage (Von dem M?uschen, V?gelchen und der Bratwurst)
24. Mrs. Blizzard (Frau Holle)
25. The Seven Ravens (Die sieben Raben)
26. Little Red Riding Hood (Rotk?ppchen)
27. Bremen Town Musicians (Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten)
28. The Singing Bone (Der singende Knochen)
29. The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs (Der Teufel mit den drei goldenen Haaren)
30. Louse and flea beetle (L?uschen und Fl?hchen)
31. The Girl Without Arms (Das M?dchen ohne H?nde)
32. Intelligent Hans / Clever Hans (Der gescheite Hans)
33. Three languages ​​(Die drei Sprachen)
34. Smart Elsa (Die kluge Else)
35. The Tailor in Paradise (Der Schneider im Himmel)
36. Set yourself a table, a golden donkey and a club from a sack (Tischchen deck dich, Goldesel und Kn?ppel aus dem Sack)
37. Thumb Boy (Daumesdick)
38. The Wedding of the Lady Fox (Die Hochzeit der Frau F?chsin)
39. Brownies (Die Wichtelm?nner)
40. The Robber Groom (Der Rüberbrüutigam)
41. Mr. Korbes
42. Mr Godfather (Der Herr Gevatter)
43. Mrs. Trude / Frau Trude
44. Death of the godfather / Death in the godfathers (Der Gevatter Tod)
45. Thumb Boy's Journey (Daumerlings Wanderschaft)
46. Strange Bird (Fitchers Vogel)
47. About the Enchanted Tree (Von dem Machandelboom)
48. Old Sultan (Der alte Sultan)
49. Six swans (Die sechs Schw?ne)
50. Briar Rose / Sleeping Beauty (Dornr?schen)
51. Foundling / Foundbird (Fundevogel)
52. King Thrushbeard (K?nig Drosselbart)
53. Snow Maiden / Snow White (Schneewittchen)
54. Knapsack, hat and horn (Der Ranzen, das H?tlein und das H?rnlein)
55. Junk (Rumpelstilzchen)
56. Dear Roland (Der liebste Roland)
57. Golden Bird (Der goldene Vogel)
58. The Dog and the Sparrow / The Dog and the Sparrow (Der Hund und der Sperling)
59. Frieder and Katherlieschen
60. Two Brothers (Die zwei Br?der)
61. Little Man (Das B?rle)
62. Queen Bee / Queen Bee (Die Bienenk?nigin)
63. Three feathers (Die drei Federn)
64. Golden Goose (Die goldene Gans)
65. Variegated Pelt (Allerleirauh)
66. Bunny's Bride/Hare's Bride (H?sichenbraut)
67. Twelve Hunters (Die zw?lf J?ger)
68. The Thief and His Teacher (De Gaudeif un sien Meester)
69. Jorinda and Joringel
70. Three lucky ones / Three lucky ones
71. Six of us will go around the whole world / Six of us, we will go around the whole world (Sechse kommen durch die ganze Welt)
72. The Wolf and the Man (Der Wolf und der Mensch)
73. The Wolf and the Fox (Der Wolf und der Fuchs)
74. The Fox and the Lady Godmother (Der Fuchs und die Frau Gevatterin)
75. The Fox and the Cat (Der Fuchs und die Katze)
76. Carnation (Die Nelke)
77. Resourceful Gretel (Die kluge Gretel)
78. Old grandfather and granddaughter (Der alte Gro?vater und der Enkel)
79. The Little Mermaid / Ondine (Die Wassernixe)
80. About the death of a chicken (Von dem Tode des H?hnchens)
81. Brother Veselchak (Bruder Lustig)
82. Hansl the Player (De Spielhansl)
83. Lucky Hans (Hans im Gl?ck)
84. Hans gets married (Hans heiratet)
85. Golden Children (Die Goldkinder)
86. The Fox and the Geese (Der Fuchs und die G?nse)
87. The poor man and the rich man (Der Arme und der Reiche)
88. The whining and leaping lion lark (Das singende springende L?weneckerchen)
89. Goose house (Die G?nsemagd)
90. The Young Giant (Der junge Riese)
91. Underground Man (Dat Erdm?nneken)
92. The King from the Golden Mountain (Der K?nig vom goldenen Berg)
93. Crow (Die Rabe)
94. The Clever Daughter of a Peasant (Die kluge Bauerntochter)
95. Three birds (De drei V?gelkens)
96. Living Water (Das Wasser des Lebens)
97. Doctor Allwissend
98. The Spirit in a Bottle (Der Geist im Glas)
99. The devil's grimy brother (Des Teufels ru?iger Bruder)
100. The Bugbear (Der B?renh?uter)
101. The Kinglet and the Bear (Der Zaunk?nig und der B?r)
102. Smart people (Die klugen Leute)
103. Tales of already / M?rchen von der Unke (M?rchen von der Unke)
104. The poor farmhand at the mill and the cat (Der arme M?llersbursch und das K?tzchen)
105. Two Wanderers (Die beiden Wanderer)
106. Hans is my hedgehog (Hans mein Igel)
107. Small Shroud (Das Totenhemdchen)
108. The Jew in the Thorn Bush (Der Jude im Dorn)
109. The learned huntsman (Der gelernte J?ger)
110. The Flail from Heaven / The Flail from Heaven (Der Dreschflegel vom Himmel)
111. Two Royal Children (De beiden K?nigeskinner)
112. About the resourceful little tailor (Vom klugen Schneiderlein)
113. The clear sun will reveal the whole truth (Die klare Sonne bringt’s an den Tag)
114. Blue candle (Das blaue Licht)
115. Three paramedics (Die drei Feldscherer)
116. The Seven Brave Men (Die sieben Schwaben)
117. Three apprentices (Die drei Handwerksburschen)
118. The king's son, who was not afraid of anything (Der K?nigssohn, der sich vor nichts f?rchtete)
119. Were-Donkey (Der Krautesel)
120. The Old Lady in the Forest (Die Alte im Wald)
121. Three Brothers (Die drei Br?der)
122. The Devil and His Grandmother (Der Teufel und seine Gro?mutter)
123. Ferenand the Faithful and Ferenand the Unfaithful (Ferenand getr? und Ferenand ungetr?)
124. Iron stove (Der Eisenofen)
125. The lazy spinner (Die faule spinnerin)
126. The Four Skillful Brothers (Die vier kunstreichen Br?der)
127. One-Eyed, Two-Eyed and Three-Eyed (Ein?uglein, Zwei?uglein und Drei?uglein)
128. Beautiful Katrinel and Nif-Nasr-Podtri (Die sch?ne Katrinelje und Pif Paf Poltrie)
129. The Fox and the Horse (Der Fuchs und das Pferd)
130. Shoes trampled in dancing (Die zertanzten Schuhe)
131. Six Servants (Die sechs Diener)
132. White and black brides (Die wei?e und die schwarze Braut)
133. Iron Hans (Der Eisenhans)
134. Three Black Princesses (De drei schwatten Prinzessinnen)
135. Lamb and Fish (Das L?mmchen und Fischchen)
136. Mount Simeliberg
137. On the way (Up Reisen gohn)
138. Donkey (Das Eselein)
139. The Ungrateful Son (Der undankbare Sohn)
140. Turnip (Die R?be)
141. The Newly Forged Man (Das junggegl?hte M?nnlein)
142. The Rooster Log (Der Hahnenbalken)
143. The Old Beggar Woman
144. Three Lazy Men (Die drei Faulen)
145. The Twelve Lazy Servants (Die zw?lf faulen Knechte)
146. The Shepherd Boy (Das Hirtenb?blein)
147. Thaler stars (Die Sterntaler)
148. The Hidden Heller (Der gestohlene Heller)
149. Bride (Die Brautschau)
150. Garbage (Die Schlickerlinge)
151. Sparrow and his four children (Der Sperling und seine vier Kinder)
152. The Tale of an Unprecedented Land (Das M?rchen vom Schlaraffenland)
153. Dietmar's fairy tale (Das dietmarsische L?genm?rchen)
154. Tale-riddle (R?tselm?rchen)
155. Snow White and Little Red (Schneewei?chen und Rosenrot)
156. The Clever Servant (Der kluge Knecht)
157. Glass coffin (Der gl?serne Sarg)
158. Lazy Heinz (Der faule Heinz)
159. Bird vulture (Der Vogel Greif)
160. Mighty Hans (Der starke Hans)
161. Skinny Lisa (Die hagere Liese)
162. Forest House (Das Waldhaus)
163. Joy and sorrow in half (Lieb und Leid teilen)
164. Kinglet (Der Zaunk?nig)
165. Flounder (Die Scholle)
166. Bittern and Hoopoe (Rohrdommel und Wiedehopf)
167. Owl (Die Eule)
168. Lifetime (Die Lebenszeit)
169. Harbingers of Death (Die Boten des Todes)
170. Goose house at the well (Die G?nsehirtin am Brunnen)
171. The Unequal Children of Eve (Die ungleichen Kinder Evas)
172. The Mermaid in the Pond (Die Nixe im Teich)
173. Gifts from Little People (Die Geschenke des kleinen Volkes)
174. The Giant and the Tailor (Der Riese und der Schneider)
175. Nail (Der Nagel)
176. The poor boy in the grave (Der arme Junge im Grab)
177. The Real Bride (Die wahre Braut)
178. The Hare and the Hedgehog (Der Hase und der Igel)
179. Spindle, weaving shuttle and needle (Spindel, Weberschiffchen und Nadel)
180. The Man and the Devil (Der Bauer und der Teufel)
181. Guinea pig (Das Meerh?schen)
182. The Master Thief (Der Meisterdieb)
183. Drummer (Der Trommler)
184. Ear of bread (Die Korn?hre)
185. Grave Hill (Der Grabh?gel)
186. Old Rinkrank
187. Crystal ball (Die Kristallkugel)
188. Maid Maleen (Jungfrau Maleen)
189. Buffalo Boot (Der Stiefel von B?ffelleder)
190. The Golden Key (Der goldene Schl?ssel)

The Brothers Grimm were born into the family of an official in the city of Hanau (Hanau). Their father was first a lawyer in Hanau, and then dealt with legal issues for the Prince of Hanau. The elder brother, Jacob Grimm (01/04/1785 - 09/20/1863), was born on January 4, 1785, and the younger brother - Wilhelm Grimm (02/24/1786 - 12/16/1859) - on February 24, 1786. As linguists, they were one of the founders of scientific German studies and compiled the etymological “German Dictionary” (in fact, all-German). The publication of the German Dictionary, which began in 1852, was completed only in 1961, but has since been regularly revised.

From early childhood, the Brothers Grimm were united by a friendship that lasted until their death. After the death of their father, in 1796, they had to go into the care of their maternal aunt and only thanks to her, they graduated educational institution. Perhaps it was precisely being left without parents early that rallied them into fraternal bonds for the rest of their lives.

The Brothers Grimm were always distinguished by their desire to study, they even entered the University of Marburg to study law, following the example of their father. But fate decreed otherwise and she truly found her calling in the study of literature.

The most famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are “The Town Musicians of Bremen”, “Tom Thumb”, “The Brave Tailor”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”. The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm list will provide you with a complete collection of all fairy tales. Each of us worried about the difficult fate of the boys, left alone in the forest, looking for their way home. And “smart Elsa” - all the girls wanted to be like her.

Almost seventy percent of all adults on Earth love to read fairy tales. Reading fairy tales, you seem to be immersed in another Magic world, moving away from real realities. Each storyteller had his own style of writing fairy tales: Charles Perrault wrote in a romantic style, Andersen wrote about life and everyday life common people, and the Brothers Grimm had a slight mysticism in their fairy tales, and some of their fairy tales can confidently be called frightening. Let's talk today about the brothers Grimm: folklorists, linguists, researchers of German folk culture, and then storytellers from Germany Jacob and Wilhelm.

Briefly about the life and choice of profession of the Brothers Grimm

Brothers Jacob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm were born eight years apart into an ordinary family in the German city of Hanau. The brother storytellers' love for folklore manifested itself in childhood, when their mother told them old legends and tales, and in adolescence, their interest grew first into a hobby, and then into the meaning of their lives. The strange brothers traveled all over the country in search of surviving witnesses of ancient folklore, collected eyewitnesses and recorded information valuable to them from their words. Throughout their lives and creative activities, Jacob and Wilhelm created and published several collections called “Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm,” which very quickly became popular and reached our ears. Now let's remember the most famous, most interesting and most terrible fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm.

"The Tale of the Frog King, or Iron Henry"

This tale is the very first story in the first volume of their collection of fairy tales and legends. A story about an ungrateful princess and a kind frog who regretted crying girl and believed her promises of eternal friendship, took her golden ball from the bottom of a deep well. But as soon as the princess received her ball back, she immediately forgot her promise. The frog turned out to be a real enchanted prince, but this will become clear much later.

"White and Rosette"

I wanted to put this fairy tale at the very beginning of our list, since it is my favorite. A fairy tale about two sisters Belyanochka and Rozochka with kind hearts who fell in love with a bear and a falcon, not knowing that these were the bearded prince and his friend enchanted by the formidable forest sorcerer.

One of the most instructive fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm is that pride and arrogance are bad allies and friends. The proud princess could not choose her betrothed and simply ridiculed all the contenders. And one day a real king came to the palace to ask for her hand, and in response he heard offensive speeches. And then the wise king decided to teach the cruel princess a lesson, pretending to be a poor musician.

The most famous and popular fairy tale of the storyteller brothers, who knew how to tell life stories in a fairy-tale manner. The beautiful princess, nicknamed Snow White for her snow-white skin, was born too beautiful, which crossed the path of her evil stepmother and part-time witch, who wanted to be the most beautiful in the whole kingdom. The king's father could not destroy his daughter, but also leave her in the palace, so he abandoned her in the forest, but even here Snow White's kind heart found refuge and joy among the little gnomes - the inhabitants of this wonderful forest.

This fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm can be called the most beloved and popular not only in the post-Soviet space, but throughout the world. Traveling animal musicians to the city of Bremen travel around the world singing songs and performing to open air for curious spectators and onlookers. But one day, a donkey, a rooster, a cat and a dog stumble upon the hut of bandits and with their singing force them to leave their house and run away wherever they look, and the cunning musician friends forever remain the masters of their house.

And about the best, read on our website by clicking on the link.

A magical tale about a king and his curious servant who poked his nose into everything. The king always ordered another dish to be brought after a long meal. No one could know what kind of dish this was, not even the servant. But one day curiosity overcame the guy so much that he could not resist and opened the lid of the dish. He was very surprised by what he saw; there was a white snake lying on the dish. The servant could not resist trying such a tasty morsel. As soon as he put it in his mouth, he heard outside the window not the usual singing of birds, but voices as thin as a ray of sunlight. He realized that the snake's meat was magical and now he could hear the voices of animals. From that day on, the servant no longer wanted to serve the king; he decided to wander the world in search of a better life. And as happens in fairy tales, after many dangerous (and not so dangerous) adventures, he found his princess, married her and became king.

Very cautionary tale about wanderings and dangerous adventures brother and sister who were betrayed by their parents and left to die in the forest. What helped two small children survive in terrible, impassable places where there are many wild animals and evil robbers? This, of course, is friendship and trust. And also the fearlessness of his older brother Hansel, whose goal and great desire was to protect his sister Gretel from the terrible hands of the evil sorceress. The fairy tale was created for children, but we, parents, should read it and rethink a lot and learn a lot from these persistent and not childishly sensible children, and most importantly, understand that there is no greater happiness and wealth in the world than our own children. And no sorrows or misfortunes should force us to abandon them in trouble.

By the way, on our website there is an interesting article about, which should be on every child’s shelf.

From the first lines of the fairy tale, we learn about the difficult fate of the little stepdaughter, about the evil stepmother and lazy daughter, which was cherished and pitied when the stepdaughter got all the dirty and hard work. Once the stepdaughter dropped a spindle into the well, confessing this to her stepmother, she heard an angry answer: “Dropped it yourself and get it out.” The poor girl had no choice but to jump into the well. When she touched the bottom with her feet, she saw Wonderland. Walking past the windows of a beautiful house, the stepdaughter saw Mrs. Metelitsa. She liked the girl so much and invited her to serve with her. The stepdaughter stayed, she was hardworking and did her job conscientiously. When the time came to return home, Mrs. Metelitsa generously presented the girl with gifts. Seeing this, the stepmother burst into anger, envy overcame her heart. She sent her daughter into the well and ordered her to bring even more gifts. But the lazy and clumsy daughter only deserved a cauldron of tar that overturned on her. The stepmother was never able to wash her away from her daughter. Laziness and envy are bad travel companions, it is better to be kind and hardworking - this is the moral of this fairy tale.

Gusyatnitsa

A fairy tale about a beautiful princess who, by the will of fate, had to herd geese. Through the deception and slander of the evil maid who took her place, the princess was left in the castle out of pity and allowed to help the goosekeeper. Over time, they began to call her that - Gusyatnitsa. But the girl was so beautiful, sophisticated and aristocratic that everyone who saw her did not believe that she was a commoner. The princess had a talking horse named Falada. The maid, who pretended to be the queen, was very afraid that Falada would expose her and ordered the horse to be slaughtered.

The princess was very upset, but there was nowhere to go, she asked the flayer to nail the horse’s head under the gate leading from the castle. So he did, and every morning the princess spoke to the horse's head as she drove the geese to pasture. Time passed, and the princess would have herded the geese like this for a long time, but the old king found out about it, and everything became clear to him. He took the real princess by the hand and led her to the prince, and ordered the maid to be executed. Good always defeats evil, if not in life, but at least in a fairy tale.

The most scary tale Brothers Grimm

One day, Lucifer himself came to the miller and demanded that for all the wealth that he had once given him, he now give him what he had behind the mill, and at that time the miller’s daughter was sitting there spinning yarn. When the miller's daughter refused to go with Satan, he ordered her father to cut off her hands and drive her out of the house. So, the poor girl wandered through the forest for a long time until the king met her and fell in love with her, despite her injuries.

The shortest fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm

"Three Spinners"

The plot of this tale is indeed quite laconic and short. One day, driving past a village, the queen heard a girl crying and stopped to ask about the reasons. The girl’s mother could not tell the queen that her daughter did not know how to spin and lied that she could not tear her daughter away from the spinning wheel; she spins so much, and since she cannot do what she loves, she cries bitterly. Then the queen wanted to take the girl with her, because she had enough yarn for the whole kingdom and if she spun all the flax in a short time, then the queen would marry her to her son. Three spinners came to the aid of the girl who did not know how to spin...

Finally

Each storyteller has his own style and manner of writing fairy tales. Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm from old Germany, for some reason, all their stories and retellings turned out to be quite dark, mystical, and in places even scary, but no less intriguing and interesting. Today we remembered the most beloved and famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm; each of their fairy tales, as you may have noticed, has its own morality and science.

In the first edition of 1812 - that is, in the bloodiest and most terrible. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, as well as Charles Perrault together with the Italian storyteller Giambattista Basile, they did not invent stories, but rewrote folk legends for subsequent generations. The primary sources make your blood run cold: graves, severed heels, sadistic punishments, rape and other “unfairytale” details. AiF.ru has collected original stories that should not be told to children at night.

Cinderella

It is believed that the earliest version of Cinderella was invented in Ancient Egypt: While the beautiful prostitute Phodoris was bathing in the river, an eagle stole her sandal and took it to the pharaoh, who admired the small size of the shoes and ended up marrying the harlot.

The Italian Giambattista Basile, who recorded a collection folk legends"Tale of Tales", everything is much worse. His Cinderella, or rather Zezolla, is not at all the unfortunate girl we know from Disney cartoons and children's plays. She didn’t want to endure humiliation from her stepmother, so she broke her stepmother’s neck with the lid of the chest, taking her nanny as an accomplice. The nanny immediately came to the rescue and became a second stepmother for the girl; in addition, she had six evil daughters; of course, the girl had no chance of killing them all. A chance saved the day: one day the king saw the girl and fell in love. Zezolla was quickly found by His Majesty's servants, but she managed to escape, dropping - no, not glass slipper! - a rough pianella with a cork sole, such as was worn by the women of Naples. The further scheme is clear: a nationwide search and a wedding. So the stepmother's killer became queen.

Actress Anna Levanova as Cinderella in the play “Cinderella” directed by Ekaterina Polovtseva at the Sovremennik Theater. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergey Pyatakov

61 years after the Italian version, Charles Perrault released his tale. It was this that became the basis for all “vanilla” modern interpretations. True, in Perrault’s version the girl is helped not by her godmother, but by her deceased mother: she lives on her grave white bird, fulfilling wishes.

The Brothers Grimm also interpreted the plot of Cinderella in their own way: in their opinion, the poor orphan’s mischievous sisters should have gotten what they deserved. Trying to squeeze into the treasured shoe, one of the sisters cut off her toe, and the second cut off her heel. But the sacrifice was in vain - the prince was warned by the pigeons:

Look, look,
And the shoe is covered in blood...

These same flying warriors of justice eventually pecked out the sisters’ eyes—and that’s where the fairy tale ends.

Little Red Riding Hood

The story of a girl and a hungry wolf has been known in Europe since the 14th century. The contents of the basket varied depending on the location, but the story itself was much more unfortunate for Cinderella. Having killed the grandmother, the wolf not only eats her, but prepares a tasty treat from her body, and a certain drink from her blood. Hidden in bed, he watches as Little Red Riding Hood eagerly devolves her own grandmother. Grandma's cat tries to warn the girl, but she also dies a terrible death (the wolf throws heavy wooden shoes at her). This apparently does not bother Little Red Riding Hood, and after a hearty dinner she obediently undresses and goes to bed, where the wolf is waiting for her. In most versions, this is where it all ends - they say, serves the stupid girl right!

Illustration in the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood”. Photo: Public Domain / Gustave Doré

Subsequently, Charles Perrault composed an optimistic ending for this story and added a moral for everyone whom strangers invite into their bed:

For small children, not without reason
(And especially for girls,
Beauties and pampered girls),
On the way, meeting all kinds of men,
You can’t listen to insidious speeches, -
Otherwise the wolf might eat them.
I said: wolf! There are countless wolves
But there are others between them
The rogues are so savvy
That, sweetly exuding flattery,
The maiden's honor is protected,
Accompany their walks home,
They are escorted bye-bye through dark corners...
But the wolf, alas, is more modest than it seems,
The more cunning and terrible he is!

Sleeping Beauty

The modern version of the kiss that woke up the beauty is just childish babble compared to the original story, which was recorded for posterity by the same Giambattista Basile. The beauty from his fairy tale, named Thalia, was also overtaken by a curse in the form of a spindle injection, after which the princess fell into a sound sleep. The inconsolable king-father left him in a small house in the forest, but could not imagine what would happen next. Years later, another king passed by, entered the house and saw Sleeping Beauty. Without thinking twice, he carried her to the bed and, so to speak, took advantage of the situation, and then left and forgot about everything for a long time. And the beauty, raped in a dream, nine months later gave birth to twins - a son named the Sun and a daughter named Moon. It was they who woke up Thalia: the boy, in search of his mother’s breast, began to suck her finger and accidentally sucked out a poisoned thorn. Further more. The lustful king again came to the abandoned house and found offspring there.

Illustration from the fairy tale “Sleeping Beauty”. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org / AndreasPraefcke

He promised the girl mountains of gold and again left for his kingdom, where, by the way, his legal wife was waiting for him. The king's wife, having learned about the homewrecker, decided to exterminate her along with her entire brood and at the same time punish her unfaithful husband. She ordered the babies to be killed and made into meat pies for the king, and the princess to be burned. Just before the fire, the beauty’s screams were heard by the king, who came running and burned not her, but the annoying evil queen. And finally, good news: the twins were not eaten, because the cook turned out to be normal person and saved the children by replacing them with a lamb.

The defender of maiden honor, Charles Perrault, of course, greatly changed the fairy tale, but could not resist the “moral” at the end of the story. His parting words read:

Wait a little
So that my husband turns up,
Handsome and rich, too
Quite possible and understandable.
But a hundred long years,
Lying in bed, waiting
It's so unpleasant for ladies
That no one can sleep...

Snow White

The brothers Grimm filled the fairy tale about Snow White with interesting details that seem wild in our humane times. The first version was published in 1812 and expanded in 1854. The beginning of the fairy tale does not bode well: “One snowy winter day, the queen sits and sews by a window with an ebony frame. By chance she pricks her finger with a needle, drops three drops of blood and thinks: “Oh, if only I had a baby, white as snow, red as blood and black as ebony.” But the truly creepy one here is the witch: she eats (as she thinks) the heart of the murdered Snow White, and then, realizing that she was mistaken, comes up with more and more sophisticated ways to kill her. These include a strangling dress string, a poisonous comb, and a poisoned apple that we know worked. The ending is also interesting: when everything goes well for Snow White, it’s the witch’s turn. As punishment for her sins, she dances in red-hot iron shoes until she falls dead.

Still from the cartoon "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

The beauty and the Beast

The original source of the tale is no less than the ancient Greek myth about the beautiful Psyche, whose beauty was envied by everyone, from her older sisters to the goddess Aphrodite. The girl was chained to a rock in the hope of being fed to the monster, but miraculously she was saved by an “invisible being.” It, of course, was male, because it made Psyche its wife on the condition that she would not torment him with questions. But, of course, female curiosity prevailed, and Psyche learned that her husband was not a monster at all, but a beautiful Cupid. Psyche's husband was offended and flew away, not promising to return. Meanwhile, Psyche's mother-in-law Aphrodite, who was against this marriage from the very beginning, decided to completely harass her daughter-in-law, forcing her to perform various difficult tasks: for example, bring the golden fleece from mad sheep and water from rivers of the dead Styx. But Psyche did everything, and there Cupid returned to the family, and they lived happily ever after. And the stupid, envious sisters rushed off the cliff, vainly hoping that the “invisible spirit” would be found on them too.

Closer to modern history version was writtenGabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuvein 1740. Everything about it is complicated: the Beast is essentially an unfortunate orphan. His father died, and his mother was forced to defend her kingdom from enemies, so she entrusted the upbringing of her son to someone else’s aunt. She turned out to be an evil witch, in addition, she wanted to seduce the boy, and having received a refusal, she turned him into a terrible beast. Beauty also has her own skeletons in her closet: she is not really her own, but stepdaughter merchant Her real father- a king who sinned with a stray good fairy. But an evil witch also lays claim to the king, so it was decided to give the daughter of her rival to the merchant, whose daughter had just died. youngest daughter. Well, a curious fact about Beauty’s sisters: when the beast lets her go to stay with her relatives, the “good” girls deliberately force her to stay in the hope that the monster will go wild and eat her. By the way, this subtle relatable moment is shown in the latest film version of “Beauty and the Beast” withVincent Cassel And Léaille Seydoux.

Still from the movie "Beauty and the Beast"

From early childhood, we all know fairy tales about Cinderella, the Sleeping Princess, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and the musicians from Bremen. Who brought all these characters to life? To say that these tales belong to the Brothers Grimm would be a half-truth. After all, the entire German people created them. What is the contribution of famous storytellers? Who were Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm? The biography of these writers is very interesting. We suggest you familiarize yourself with it in this article.

Childhood and youth

The brothers saw the light in the city of Hanau. Their father was a wealthy lawyer. He had a practice in the city, and also worked as a legal adviser to the Prince of Hanau. The brothers were lucky to have a family. Their mother was affectionate and caring. In addition to them, the family also raised three brothers and a sister, Lotta. Everyone lived in peace and harmony, but brothers of the same age, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, especially loved each other. It seemed to the boys that their path in life had already been determined - a happy childhood, a lyceum, a university law faculty, practice as a judge or notary. However, a different fate awaited them. Jacob, born on January 4, 1785, was the first-born and eldest in the family. And when their father died in 1796, the eleven-year-old boy took upon himself to take care of his mother, younger brothers and sister. However, if there is no education, there is no decent income. Here one cannot overestimate the contribution of the aunt, the mother's sister, who helped financially to enable the two eldest sons - Jacob and Wilhelm, who was born on February 24, 1786 - to graduate from the lyceum in Kassel.

Studies

At first, the biography of the Brothers Grimm did not promise to be particularly interesting. They graduated from the Lyceum and, as befits the sons of a lawyer, entered the University of Marburg. But jurisprudence did not interest the brothers. At the university, they became friends with the teacher Friedrich Karl von Savigny, who aroused the young people's interest in philology and history. Even before receiving his diploma, Jacob traveled with this professor to Paris to help him research ancient manuscripts. Through F. K. von Savigny, the Grimm brothers also met other collectors of folk art - C. Brentano and L. von Arnim. In 1805, Jacob graduated from the university and entered the service of Jerome Bonaparte, moving to Wilhelmshöhe. There he worked until 1809 and received the degree of statistical auditor. In 1815, he was even delegated to the congress in Vienna as a representative of the Electorate of Kassel. Wilhelm, meanwhile, graduated from the university and received a position as secretary of the library in Kassel.

Biography of the Brothers Grimm: 1816-1829

Despite the fact that Jacob was a good lawyer, and his superiors were pleased with him, he himself did not feel joy from his work. He was somewhat jealous of his younger brother Wilhelm, who was surrounded by books. In 1816, Jacob was offered a professorship at the University of Bonn. This would be an unprecedented career rise for his age - after all, he was only thirty-one. However, he rejected the tempting offer, resigned from service and took a position as a simple librarian in Kassel, where Wilhelm worked as a secretary. From that moment on, as the biography of the Brothers Grimm shows, they were no longer lawyers. Out of duty - and for their own joy - they took up what they loved. While still at university, they began collecting folk tales and legends. And now they went to all corners of the Electorate of Kassel and the Landgraviate of Hesse to collect interesting stories. Wilhelm's marriage (1825) did not affect the brothers' joint work. They continued to collect stories and publish books. This fruitful period in the brothers' lives lasted until 1829, when the library director died. His place, by all rights, should have gone to Jacob. But as a result, it was taken over by a complete stranger. And the indignant brothers resigned.

Creation

Over the years of work in the library, Jacob and Wilhelm collected a huge number of beautiful examples of German folklore. Thus, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are not theirs. own composition. Their author is the German people themselves. And the oral bearers of ancient folklore were ordinary people, mostly women: nannies, wives of simple burghers, innkeepers. A certain Dorothea Feeman made a special contribution to filling the books of the Brothers Grimm. She served as a housekeeper in the family of a pharmacist from Kassel. Wilhelm Grimm did not choose his wife by chance either. She knew many fairy tales. So, “Table, cover yourself,” “Mistress Blizzard” and “Hansel and Gretel” were recorded from her words. The biography of the Brothers Grimm also mentions the case when the collectors folk epic received some of their stories from retired dragoon Johann Krause in exchange for old clothes.

Editions

The folklore collectors published their first book in 1812. They entitled it “Children's and Family Tales.” It is noteworthy that in this publication the Brothers Grimm provided links to where they heard this or that legend. These notes show the geography of Jacob and Wilhelm's travels: they visited Zweren, Hesse, and the Maine regions. Then the brothers published a second book - “Old German Forests”. And in 1826, the collection “Irish Folk Tales” appeared. Now in Kassel, in the Brothers Grimm Museum, all their fairy tales are collected. They have been translated into one hundred and sixty languages ​​of the world. And in 2005, the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm were included in the UNESCO international register under the heading “Memory of the World”.

Scientific research

In 1830, the brothers entered the service of the University Library of Göttingen. And ten years later, when Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia ascended the throne, the Grimm brothers moved to Berlin. They became members of the Academy of Sciences. Their research concerned Germanic linguistics. Towards the end of their lives, the brothers began compiling an etymological “German Dictionary”. But Wilhelm died on December 16, 1859, while work was underway on words starting with the letter D. His older brother Jacob died four years later (09/20/1863), at the table, describing the meaning of Frucht. Work on this dictionary was completed only in 1961.