Grimm Reading

By Grimm ReadingSociety & Culture

Grimm Reading episodes

November 29, 2020 Mother Holle
A magic well, a prickly spindle, talking bread, and snowy beds - this week’s tale is our latest patron story poll winner, Mother Holle (Frau Holle)!
An evil step-mother and wicked step-sister force a young maiden into a parallel universe. When she reaches an enchanting cottage, she finds a scary old lady waiting. Will she pass the test of Mother Holle? And what will her nasty family do if she returns?
After this festive tale, we hear from German listeners about what Mother Holle means to them to today, and we trace Holle’s origins all the way to her ancient roots as a pagan goddess.
Our competition is still in full swing too! Let us know which story you think deserves a different score and you could win some awesome prizes!
Story leaderboard: https://grimmreading.podbean.com/p/2020-competition-story-scores/
Pook Press bookshop: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Vivaldi's Four Seasons "Winter" Violin Concerto in F minor, RV 297 // Carl Czerny's Variations on a popular Viennese Waltz by Franz Schubert, Op. 12 // Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Op. 46 III. Anitra's Dance, recorded at Omega Studios, Edward S. Petersen conducting
49 min
November 22, 2020 Jorinda And Joringel
In Jorinda and Joringel, young love is cruelly interrupted when an evil witch kidnaps Jorinda, forcing Joringel into a lonely shepherding career. But will a prophetic dream provide him with the means to rescue his beloved from the witch's castle, or is Jorinda doomed forever?
Join us as we tumble down rabbit holes, exploring ancient myths, sad birds, and vampires.
Our competition is still in full swing too! Let us know which story you think deserves a different score and you could win some awesome prizes!
Story leaderboard: https://grimmreading.podbean.com/p/2020-competition-story-scores/
Pook Press bookshop: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 1st, 2nd and 3rd movements performed by Debbie Hu
48 min
October 31, 2020 Fitcher's Bird
In Fitcher's Bird (aka Fowler's Fowl), we join an evil wizard as he kidnaps pretty girls, takes them to his fancy pad, and puts them to the test. But this sick sorcerer get's more than he bargained for with our plucky, clucky, and crafty heroine.

We talk serial killing folklore, egg metaphors, and finally dip our toes into the creepy world of the infamous Bluebeard!

This episode is certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Our competition is still in full swing too! Let us know which story you think deserves a different score and you could win some awesome prizes!
Story leaderboard: https://grimmreading.podbean.com/p/2020-competition-story-scores/
Pook Press bookshop: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z
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Patreon

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's sonata for violin and piano No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30, No. 2, Finale, performed by Corey Cerovsek (violin) and Paavali Jumppanen (piano) // Jules Massenet's Toccata, performed Jean Dube // Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, performed by Paul Pitman
50 min
October 18, 2020The Brothers Grimm Biography – The Extraordinary Lives Of The Brothers Grimm
A long time in the making, we are delighted to present our super special biography of the Brothers Grimm! 
From humble beginnings to super professor stardom, we follow the brothers as they traipse across Germany in a tumultuous time of war and instability. Please don your history hats and settle by the fire as we embark on our biggest adventure yet, somehow starting in ancient Rome and landing squarely in 21st century.
Chapter index:
Once Upon a Time (04:08)
University and the Magic Horn (14:24)
Occupation and Fairy Tales (19:16)
German Liberation (28:43)
Peace and Publishing (36:15)
Gottingen and Exile (47:21)
Berlin and a Dictionary (55:24)
For more information on some of the topics covered, we couldn’t recommend these podcasts more highly: Rex Factor, Totalus Rankium, Pontifacts, and The History of English Podcast.
Our competition is still in full swing! Let us know which story you think deserves a different score and you could win some awesome prizes!
Story leaderboard: https://bit.ly/3j7S3W7
 Pook Press bookshop: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z
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[email protected]
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's Douze Danses Allemandes - 1 Do majeur.
Episode image by Leanna Hughes.
1 hr 14 min
October 04, 2020 King Thrushbeard
After a princess insults her suitors, her angry father forces her marry a singing fiddler and she's plunged into a life of poverty. But will their new crockery start-up save them from hunger and plight? And how many plot holes can a story have before it stops making sense?
Find out in our latest tale King Thrushbeard, where we learn why princesses need to do what they're told, which bird has the most crooked beak, and what exactly Shakespeare and Henry VIII have to do with it all.
Our competition is still in full swing too! Let us know which story you think deserves a different score and you could win some awesome prizes!
Story leaderboard: https://grimmreading.podbean.com/p/2020-competition-story-scores/
Pook Press bookshop: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Patreon

[email protected]
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Brahms' “Rhapsody in B minor” - Op. 79 No. 1 performed by Muriel Nguyen Xuan // Brahms' Schicksalslied, Op. 54 performed by MIT Concert Choir
47 min
September 27, 2020 The Frog King, Or Iron Henry (aka The Frog Prince)
We’re back for series 3! When a petulant princess loses her golden ball, an overly friendly frog comes to the rescue. But when he tries to hop in her bed the princess has other ideas.

Another classic story brought to you by Grimm Reading, but this is not the tale you think you know! Who is iron Henry? Why isn’t he the frog prince? And where is that famous froggy kiss? Discover the answers to all this and more, in our opening episode The Frog King.

We’ve also launched a competition!
Here’s our story leaderboard: https://grimmreading.podbean.com/p/2020-competition-story-scores/
And you can sign up to Pook Press's newsletter and see their bookshop here: http://ow.ly/7VRY50Bau0z

And here's a link to the Jingle Bells video Adam mentioned: https://bit.ly/3i7uLPF
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Chopin's Opus 32 No. 2 in A flat Major performed by Willem Wim // Chopin's Etude Op. 10, no. 8 in F major // Debussy's Children's Corner, Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum
51 min
June 14, 2020 The Sleeping Beauty (Briar Rose)
Evil curses, dangerous spinning, long lie-ins, and daring princes – in our series two finale we tackle one of fiction’s most enduring stories: The Sleeping Beauty (or Briar Rose).
A spurned wise woman puts a castle to sleep for a hundred years. Many princes have tried to breach its wall of thorns but none have ever succeeded. Has the time finally come for the right man to lift the curse?
We discuss prudish victorians, fatalism, and creepy frogs, before finally venturing on an epic journey to trace the evolution of Sleeping Beauty from viking Iceland to Walt Disney.
Thank you so much to everyone who’s stuck with us on this journey, we’ve had a blast this series and can’t wait to join you back at Grimm Castle later in the year for series 3. Until then, stay safe and keep it grimm.
This episode is “Certified Grimm” for adult content, and may not be suitable for all listeners.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Debussy's Arabesque No. 1, performed by Steve's Bedroom Band // Chopin's Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes A flat major performed by Martha Goldstein // Debussy's Arabesque No. 1 (on piano) andantino con moto, performed by Gerluz // Tchaikovsky's No. 6 Grande valse villageoise (Garland Waltz) from The Sleeping Beauty ballet, performed by the Kirov Orchestra
1 hr
June 04, 2020 Thousandfurs
Taboos abound in this week's episode, Thousandfurs, where things take a decidedly dark turn. On her deathbed, a queen makes an ill-judged demand of her husband, and he decides to marry his own daughter. Escaping into the woods, the princess is captured and put to work in a castle kitchen. But she sees the chance of salvation when the king of this castle throws an elaborate festival...

After the story, we look into sparkly dresses and Germanic spinning courtship rituals, before turning our attention to the elephant in the room - incest, and it's place in folklore and myth.
Finally, we hear the jaw-droppingly twisted Italian version of this fairy tale: She-Bear.
This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Brahms' Symphony No. 4 - Allegro non troppo, Op. 98 performed by New York Philharmonic Orchestra // Brahms' String Sextet No. 1, Op. 18 performed by Musicians From Marlboro // Brahms' String Sextet No. 2, Op. 36 performed by the Borromeo String Quartet with Liz Freivogel (viola) and Daniel McDonough (cello)
1 hr 1 min
May 17, 2020 An Interview With Maria Tatar
Welcome to Extra Grimm, where we delve deeper into the world of the Brothers Grimm for the curious.
In this episode, we chat to fairy tale expert Maria Tatar about all things Grimm. Maria is a Harvard professor specialising in folklore, myth and germanic literature, and she's the author of several books on fairy tales including her new book "The Fairest of Them All: Snow White and 21 Tales of Mothers and Daughters".

Topics covered include such classics as sexism in fairy tales, how to read these stories to children, the monogenesis vs. polygenesis debate, why the Grimms had such a big impact, and much more besides - even Quentin Tarantino pops up at one point.

When lockdown engulfed the world we wanted to try something a little different. Having read her brilliant book "The Hard Facts Of The Brothers Grimm", we thought it would be amazing to hear directly from Maria about the Brothers Grimm and fairy tales. We hope you enjoy this eye-opening chat.

You can find Maria on Twitter @mariamtatar
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38 min
May 03, 2020 The Three Languages
In The Three Languages, a Swiss boy narrowly escapes execution at the hands of his father. With nothing but an expanded linguist repertoire, he sets out to make his way in the world. Will he survive an angry pack of spectral dogs? And will he heed the call of a frog’s prophecy?

After the story, things get intellectually rigorous as Adam is presented with three theories as to what’s going on: an historical interpretation of the tale, a Romantic interpretation, and a psychological one.
Finally we pick the next stories we’ll be reading and reveal the result of our Patreon story poll.
This is our first remote recording and unfortunately the quality isn’t super high. We’ve fixed it now and future recordings will be up better quality!
We are also delighted to present our first ever podcast collaboration with the wonderful Pontifacts! They make a special guest appearance and provide fascinating historical information for us to mull on.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Chopin's Andante Spianato, Op. 22 performed by Stefano Ligoratti // Chopin's Mazurka in B flat major performed by Christoph Zbinden // Byrd's Mass for Four Voices - I. Kyrie Eleison performed by the Ensemble Morales // Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21 - II. Larghetto performed by Neal O'Doan
51 min