The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

By Eric Wagoner

What's The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm about?

A few times a week, over my lunch break, I will record, edit, and publish one of the original 250 fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm and translated to English by Dr. Jack Zipes.

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The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm episodes:

03.25.2024
122: The Lettuce Donkey
A huntsman helps an old woman and is rewarded with an unusual way to get gold coins and a cloak of teleportation. A witch steals them from him but he outsmarts her with lettuce that turns people into donkeys and...
04.20.2023
121. The Prince Who Feared Nothing
An extremely cocky prince goes out to adventure in the world, and it seems to pay off for him when a friendly lion defends him from a troublesome giant. The story ends with an awkward usage of the color black...
01.06.2023
120. The Three Journeymen
Three traveling journeymen agree to a strange request from the devil.
12.30.2022
119. The Seven Swabians
Seven guys from southern Germany set out across the world to have adventures.
12.21.2022
118. The Three Army Surgeons
Three surgeons brag they know all there is to know about surgery when in reality they have a magic salve. Their boasts come back to haunt them.
12.20.2022
117. The Stubborn Child
A stubborn child is killed by the lord, and apparently only a spanking can give him peace.
04.09.2013
116. The Blue Light
A wounded soldier is dismissed by an uncaring king. He finds a magical friend and gets revenge.
03.27.2013
115. The Bright Sun Will Bring it to Light
A poor wandering tailer robs and kills a fellow traveller.The victim’s last words were “the bright sun will bring it to light”. It took many years, but eventually, with the help of the bright sun, the tailor’s crime became known.
01.09.2013
114. The Clever Little Tailor
An unassuming little tailor correctly answers a princess’s riddle and is then entitled to marry her, but he must first spend a night with a bear.
01.07.2013
113. The Two Kings' Children
A young prince is kidnapped by foreign king and must pass a series of challenges. If he fails, he will be put to death, but if he succeeds, he will win one of the king’s daughters for his bride.
12.20.2012
112. The Fleshing Flail from Heaven
A farmer drops a turnip seed and it grows into a tree that reaches all the way up into heaven. So, naturally, he climbs it.
12.06.2012
111. The Expert Marksman
With the aid of a magical gun, a huntsman tricks and kills three evil giants. In doing so, he wins the hand of a princess.
11.16.2012
110. The Jew in the Thornbush
Warning! This story contains offensive racial stereotypes from another era, and is not suitable for all audiences. A journeyman apprentice is granted magical items and powers after being kind to a dwarf, but he later uses them to toment a...
10.26.2012
109. The Little Shroud
A beloved boy dies, and returns to tell his mother to stop crying.
10.24.2012
108. Hans My Hedgehog
A farmer and his wife give birth to a son who is half boy, and hedgehog. He grows up to play the bagpipes, ride a rooster, and inherit a kingdom.
10.23.2012
107. The Two Travelers
Two craftsmen, one a tailor and the other a shoemaker, one good and the other bad, travel together through the country.
10.02.2012
106. The Poor Miller's Apprentice and the Cat
A miller is nearing retirement age and has no family to pass his mill down to. He tells his three hired men that whichever goes out into the world and brings back the best horse can have the mill. One...
09.21.2012
105. Tales About Toads
Three very short and sad tales (fragments, really) about toads.
09.19.2012
104. The Clever People
Good-hearted but dim-witted people get taken advantage of by greedy people.
09.17.2012
103. The Sweet Porridge
A cautionary tale about having a magic item but forgetting how to use it.
09.14.2012
102. The Wren and the Bear
A chronicle of the short war between the animals that walk and the animals that fly.
09.13.2012
101. Bearskin
A desolate soldier is given a proposition by the devil: live for seven years like a beast and be set for life, or forfeit his soul. The soldier passes the challenge and finds a wife in the process, but the...
09.07.2012
100. The Devil's Sooty Brother
A down and out discharged soldier gets hired on to become the Devil’s assistant. He serves well enough for seven years, and is well paid for his service.
08.31.2012
99. The Spirit in the Glass Bottle
A student discovers a mean spirit in a glass bottle. He outsmarts the spirit, and once he sets the spirit free, he is rewarded with a magical item that sets him and his poor father up for life.
08.30.2012
98. Doctor Know-It-All
A farmer asks a doctor how he too could become a doctor. The doctor gives him a sarcastic response, but the farmer follows it anyway. He then lucks into fame and fortune.
08.29.2012
97. The Water of Life
A King lies dying, and only the hard to find Water of Life can save him. His three sons, two wicked ones and one younger good one, go out to find it. Along the way, everyone gets what they have...
08.28.2012
96. The Three Little Birds
Three sisters marry a king and two of his ministers. The new queen births three children, but her two sisters conspire to throw the babies into the river. They are rescued by a fisherman, and with the help of a...
08.23.2012
95. Old Hildebrand
A farmer’s wife and a priest have an affair, and the farmer’s neighbor helps him learn the truth.
08.22.2012
94. The Clever Farmer's Daughter
A king is impressed by a farmer’s daughter’s cleverness.
08.17.2012
93. The Raven
After a princess is accidentally turned into a raven, and woodsman faces many challenges to break her from the spell.
07.24.2012
92. The King of the Golden Mountain
A rich merchant loses his riches, but a dwarf offers to restore them in exchange for a mystery item. That item turns out to be the merchant’s own son. Instead of becoming a slave to the dwarf, the boy manages...
07.11.2012
91. The Gnome
After eating an apple off their father’s favorite tree, three princesses are magically cursed to be deep undreground where they must pick lice off dragons. Three huntsmen brothers, while searching for the princesses, stumble upon a gnome who lives in...
07.10.2012
90. The Young Giant
A young farmer’s son, who was no bigger than a thumb, suckles at the breast of a giant and becomes a giant himself (and quite a bit ill-mannered, too). He then goes out to make his way in the world.
07.06.2012
89. The Goose Girl
A meek princess is usurped by her servant and is forced to tend to the geese in silence. A talking horse witnesses the events and, despite being killed, helps bring the usurper to justice.
06.26.2012
88. The Singing, Springing Lark
A story of enchantment with lions, dragons, griffins, talking doves, true love, gifts from the sun, moon, and the four winds, and more.
06.06.2012
87. The Poor Man and the Rich Man
The Lord was travelling the world disduised as a simple man, as he often used to do. He was treated very differently by a rich man and a poor man, and each received an appropriate reward.
05.31.2012
86. The Fox and the Geese
A hungry fox happens upon a meadow full of young, plump geese.
05.30.2012
85. The Golden Children
This is kind of a greatest hits remix story, involving a talking wish-granting golden fish, golden brothers with matching golden lillies and horses, travels through the wide world, a sudden marriage, and a witch in the woods who can turn...
05.24.2012
84. Hans Gets Married
A poor farmer uses homonyms to convince a rich farmer to let him marry the rich man’s daughter.
05.22.2012
83. Lucky Hans
Hans, who must have been born under a lucky star, starts a journey with a nugget of gold the size of his head and is able to trade along the way until he ends up with what he really wanted...
05.21.2012
82. Gambling Hans
Hans has such a gambling problem, he continues his habit right into the afterlife.
05.18.2012
81. Brother Lustig
A discharged soldier impresses St. Peter (who is disguised as a soldier). But as they travel together, St. Peter sours on the man. After having many adventured, the man arrives at heaven to find St. Peter barring the gates to...
05.16.2012
Episode 81: 80. The Death of the Hen
You can tell from the title that this isn't a happy tale, but it's worse than you think. The last line is "And then, everyone was dead." You have been warned.
05.09.2012
Episode 80: 79. The Water Nixie
A very short tale about children who are captured by, and then escape from, a creature at the bottom of a well.
05.08.2012
Episode 79: 78. The Old Man and His Grandson
A four year old boy must remind his parents to respect their elders.
05.04.2012
Episode 78: 77. Clever Gretel
A fashionable cook, who is also a bit of a lush, eats all of the dinner she was supposed to serve to her master and his guest, so she quickly has to think of a story to cover her deeds.
05.03.2012
Episode 77: 76. The Pink Flower
An evil cook learns what should have been an obvious lesson:don't kidnap a prince who has the power to make his own wishes come true.
05.02.2012
Episode 76: 75. The Fox and the Cat
The fox is extremely rude to the cat, but the cat gets her revenge thanks to a huntsman's dogs.
04.27.2012
Episode 75: 74. The Fox and His Cousin
The fox continues to vex his cousins, the wolves.
04.26.2012
Episode 74: 73. The Wolf and the Fox
The wolf bosses the fox around and constantly threatens to eat him. The cunning fox thinks up a few plans to trick the wolf into being caught by humans so he can finally live in peace.

What's The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm episodes:

122: The Lettuce Donkey

121. The Prince Who Feared Nothing

120. The Three Journeymen

119. The Seven Swabians

118. The Three Army Surgeons

117. The Stubborn Child

116. The Blue Light

115. The Bright Sun Will Bring it to Light

114. The Clever Little Tailor

113. The Two Kings' Children

112. The Fleshing Flail from Heaven

111. The Expert Marksman

110. The Jew in the Thornbush

109. The Little Shroud

108. Hans My Hedgehog

107. The Two Travelers

106. The Poor Miller's Apprentice and the Cat

105. Tales About Toads

104. The Clever People

103. The Sweet Porridge

102. The Wren and the Bear

101. Bearskin

100. The Devil's Sooty Brother

99. The Spirit in the Glass Bottle

98. Doctor Know-It-All

97. The Water of Life

96. The Three Little Birds

95. Old Hildebrand

94. The Clever Farmer's Daughter

93. The Raven

92. The King of the Golden Mountain

91. The Gnome

90. The Young Giant

89. The Goose Girl

88. The Singing, Springing Lark

87. The Poor Man and the Rich Man

86. The Fox and the Geese

85. The Golden Children

84. Hans Gets Married

83. Lucky Hans

82. Gambling Hans

81. Brother Lustig

Episode 81: 80. The Death of the Hen

Episode 80: 79. The Water Nixie

Episode 79: 78. The Old Man and His Grandson

Episode 78: 77. Clever Gretel

Episode 77: 76. The Pink Flower

Episode 76: 75. The Fox and the Cat

Episode 75: 74. The Fox and His Cousin

Episode 74: 73. The Wolf and the Fox