Grimm Reading

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. 

In The Three Feathers, an old king tests his three sons to see who will inherit the kingdom after his death. When the youngest brother emerges triumphant - thanks to an overweight toad - the older brothers demand satisfaction, and plot a jump to the death to settle the succession once and for all.

Join us on the final adventure of The Simpleton Trilogy, where we find magical turnips, a popcorn-munching monarch, and a secret underground world.

After the story we discuss fatalism, pub names, and take a deep-dive into the taboo world of animal-human love - a surprisingly popular and potent part of folklore.

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Bach's Harpsichord Concerto No.3 in D major, BWV 1054 performed by the Paillard Chamber Orchestra & Robert-Veyron-Lacroix // Bach's Harpsichord Concerto no. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 - III. Allegro - European Archive // Debussy's Arabesque No. 1. Andantino con moto performed by Gerluz

We’re back for series 4! We open the series with a poor family starving to death and the Virgin Mary abducting their daughter. Years later, the Virgin goes off on a work trip and forbids the girl from opening a certain door. When the inevitable happens, the child is banished from heaven and things get weirder from there.

Join us once more round the fire for “Our Lady’s Child” (aka “Mary’s Child”), where we meet an unlikely assortment of characters including the 12 Apostles, James Bond, Cousin Itt, and Nelly Furtado.

After the tale, we discuss Pandora’s Box and explore the earliest stories of ‘curious women’. Finally we reveal the results of our last story poll, launch a new one, and put to rest some lingering Puss In Boots business.

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Ravel's string Quartet in F major - II. Assez vif, très rythmé // Dvořák's serenade for Strings Op.22 3 Scherzo (Piano arr.)

Another mini-special before the new series. This time we shamelessly plug our Patreon!

We explain how you can support the podcast through our Patreon platform, then we announce some exciting new things we've got coming up for our patrons - including a Q&A episode and the release of The Pied-Piper.

We then play a clip from our patron-only podcast Grimm Fables, before finally giving some patron shout-outs.

Greetings from a grim meadow! Massive constitutional changes are afoot in this special episode as we share our roundup of the winners and losers of series 3 for the first time for non-Patrons.

We then share a piece of deleted audio from our Little Snow White recording - the incredible connection between Snow White and the siege of Troy.

Finally we're pleased to announce our new Grimm Reading Spotify playlists:

Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Komiko.

It’s the series 3 finale so it’s time for a big one - settle in for an epic adventure as we read Little Snow White!



Filicide, attempted cannibalism, talking mirrors, seven little helpers, a very poisonous apple - it’s the story you know and love but even more unpleasant and violent.

Chatting with her mirror, a queen learns that her step-daughter has grown more beautiful than she is. So she decides to kill her and eat the girl's heart. But Little Snow White escapes and finds shelter in a strange cottage, home to seven unexpected tenants. When the queen discovers Snow White is alive, she beings to weave dastardly plots, determined to put an end to Snow White for good.

After the story we ask the important questions, including why would you drink wine from a mug? And is Snow White really a shoe? We then compare the story with other incarnations of the folktale, speculate on the validity of the “real-life” Snow White, hear tell of the incredible connection to Alan Turing, and finally explore the true meaning of the tale. 

We’ve had a total blast this series, we hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have. Stay safe and keep it grimm! 

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Beethoven's Allegretto in B-flat Major, WoO. 39 performed by the Claremont Trio // Chopin's Étude Op. 10, no. 5 in G flat major - 'Black Keys' // Carl Czerny's Variations on a popular Viennese Waltz by Franz Schubert

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Brahms' Violin Concerto, Op.77 Performed by Henryk Szerng & Orchestre National de France

Hans is back! In his first starring role since the pilot episode, we follow Hans as he attempts to woo Gretel by demanding presents from her. Will Hans get the girl of his dreams? Or will it all end with some livestock losing their eyes? And how is this story related to quantum physics? Find out all this and more, as we slip into a the nightmare groundhog day that is Clever Hans by the Brothers Grimm.

After the story, we try and piece together the shaky Grimm Reading cinematic universe, hear a 15th century version of the tale, and finally dip into the fascinating history of Clever Hans the magical German maths horse.

Hear the other stories mentioned in the episode:

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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko

Other Music: Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46 - I. Morning performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra // Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte, Op.19b - 3. Molto allegro e vivace performed by Benjamin Moser // Chopin's Etude Op. 10, no. 8 in F major