This time we read the shocking tale of Frau Trude. A young girl is enamoured with her neighbour Mrs. Trude. But her parents absolutely forbid her to go on a visit. Naturally, the young girl ignores her parents and before long we've got heads literally on fire among other bizarre happenings. 

Will the girl escape or has curiosity killed the cat? Join us round the fire as we try to decipher this strange, dark little story. Our musings lead us once again face-to-face with Baba Yaga, before settling in for a brief history of witches and witchcraft - from it's ancient origins, to the early-modern European witch trials, as well as the development of the iconic witch of fiction.

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: Prokofiev's Montagues & Capulets performed by Filarmónica Juvenil de Cámara de Bogotá  // Beethoven's Sonatas No. 12 in A Major & 17. in D Minor performed by Paul Pitman

In this episode, we talk with Dr Jamie Tehrani of Durham University about his research into the origins of fairy tales.

In his 2016 paper, co-authored with Sara Graça da Silva, they took phylogenetic modeling techniques - borrowed from the world of evolutionary biology where they're used to trace genetic lineages - and put them to work tracing the origins of folk tales.

We'd read the news articles and had a go at reading the paper, but we still didn't understand exactly how it worked. Fortunately, Dr Tehrani graciously offered up his time to explain how it was done. And we round things off with a fantastic story: The King And The Bishop.

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Join the king's youngest son on an adventure of a lifetime, as he seeks the mystical golden bird that's been pinching his dad's apples. Helped by a patient, omnipotent fox, the prince gets more than he bargained for when he deceives his way into a princess's bathing house.

Will he ever find the golden bird? And will his older brothers' jealously drive them to do the unthinkable? Find out in this week's story: The Golden Bird!

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Stravinsky's Firebird Suite - Final Hymn, performed by the Columbia Symphony Orchestra // Chopin's Etude Op. 10, no. 2 in A minor - 'Chromatique', performed by Edward Neeman.

Twelve hunters, three lovers, and one sexist lion - join us for the Brothers Grimm story The Twelve Huntsmen!

A prince and princess are happily engaged. But when the prince’s dying father makes him promise to marry another, the princess is cast aside. Unperturbed, the princess gathers together twelve doppelgangers and gets the team employed as her ex's huntsmen. But when a magical sexist lion threatens to reveal her identity, she finds herself facing two impossible challenges.

After the story, we unpick the manifold plot holes before exploring the 'forgotten fiancé' trope in an erased Grimm tale called Prince Swan.

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 18 in E Flat Major 'The Hunt', Op. 31 no. 3 - II. performed by Paul Pitman // The Carnival of the Animals - XIII. The Swan (Solo piano version) performed by Markus Staab.

When a king is forced to marry a witch’s daughter, his new bride turns her seven step sons into swans. Now it’s up to their only sister to undo the curse. But when her new husband condemns her to death for baby eating, it looks like all might be lost.

In fan favourite The Six Swans, we find magical yarn, star flowers, and a strip tease up a tree (no joke).

It’s the final installment in 'The Maiden Who Rescues Her Brothers' trilogy and after reading the story we discuss its place in the trilogy, before following its historical thread to the medieval story of The Swan Knight.

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Camille Saint-Saen's Carnival of the Animals, The Swan, performed by the Malmo Symphony Orchestra, Gabriel Schwabe on cello //  Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Waltz, performed by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra, with conductor Dmitry Yablonsky.

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?

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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 Performed by Filharmonický orchestr Iwasaki

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.

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Dvořák's Slavonic Dances Op.72 No. 2: Allegretto Grazioso (Herbert von Karajan; Berliner Philharmoniker) // Mozart's Serenade in G, Eine kleine Nachtmusik // Chopin's Valse No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 ('Minute' Waltz).

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. 

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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 the music.org European Archive

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.

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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.