We tie a bow on the latest series as we reveal the winning and losing Grimm stories from the season. Who gave out the most points? How many 9s did we give? What does it take to become the worst ever story? Discover all in 'Story Stats', where we please everyone by bringing out the spreadsheets and crunching some numbers. After that, we share a piece of 'Bonus Audio' from Little Red Riding Hood - in the main episode we learnt about the development of the story, but what does it mean ? Matt shares...
Jun 12, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 15
It’s the series four finale so it’s time for a big bad story - join us round the fire for a rendition of the one, the only, Little Red Riding Hood (aka Little Red Cap)! A young girl heads out from home to her grandmother’s - but en route she meets a wolf in the deep of the woods. After engaging in some polite small talk, the wolf weaves a dastardly plan to capture girl and granny alike. Will it end in delicious victory for the wolf? Or will Little Red Cap emerge triumphant in the end? After the ...
May 22, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Have you ever been so thirsty you’d risk turning into a tiger? Can you die from an overly hot bath? Is there a dark side of the moon? Discover the answers to all this and more in our latest episode on the Brothers Grimm story Little Brother and Little Sister. When an evil witchy step-mother turns her step-son into a fawn, he and his sister move into a cottage together. But when the fawn boy is chased down by the king's huntsmen, the king decides to marry his sister and it looks like we're due a ...
May 08, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 13
This time we read the final story from the first volume of the Grimms' fairy tales: The Fox and the Geese. A tale in which our trusty cunning fox may have taken on more than he bargained for... After the story things get mega foxy as we hear two other stories - that's right, two! - where things don't turn up entirely roses for Reynard: "The Hare And The Fox" by Ludwig Bechstein, and "Beasts In A Pit" collected by Alexander Afanasyev. And that's not all! We also take the time to reintroduce Reyna...
Apr 24, 2022•52 min•Season 4Ep. 12
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 ...
Apr 10, 2022•47 min•Season 4Ep. 11
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. The results seemed to prove that many fairy tale narratives can indeed be traced back several thousand years. But how exactly ...
Apr 03, 2022•56 min
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! Dastardly deception, desperate decapitation, and omnipotent foxes - th...
Mar 20, 2022•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 10
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. Will the game be u...
Mar 06, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 9
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, ...
Feb 20, 2022•54 min•Season 4Ep. 8
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? Find out in this epic buddy road caper, filled with haunted castles, undead princesses, and magical knapsacks. After the tale, we try to unpick this piece of mor...
Feb 08, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 7
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 s...
Jan 23, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 4Ep. 6
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 fo...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Season 4Ep. 5
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 autho...
Nov 28, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 4
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. Fin...
Nov 14, 2021•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 3
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 t...
Oct 31, 2021•53 min•Season 4Ep. 2
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 It...
Oct 17, 2021•58 min•Season 4Ep. 1
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. Check out our patreon . Buy our episode The Pied-Piper at payhip.com (available from 26t...
Sep 19, 2021•36 min•Season 3Ep. 21
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: Series 1 Grimm Reading Soundtrack Series 2 Grimm Reading Soundtrack Series 3 Grimm Rea...
Sep 05, 2021•43 min•Season 3Ep. 20
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 ...
Jun 13, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 19
In Hans Married, Hans’s uncle decides to take matters into his own hands and get his nephew a wife. With his cunning, fool-proof method for securing a bride, Hans miraculously gets engaged to a rich peasant’s daughter. How does he do it? And will it all end happily ever after? Find out in the final installment of the Hans Saga, our penultimate episode of Series 3. It’s a quick, punchy story this week so we also read out lots of listeners messages, and take the opportunity to choose the opening s...
May 30, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 18
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 1...
May 23, 2021•53 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Welcome to Extra Grimm, where we delve a little deeper into the world of the Brothers Grimm for the curious. In this episode, we talk to Brothers Grimm expert Jack Zipes. The conversation centers around a particular folk tale type, that of ATU 325 “The Magician And His Apprentice”. The interview starts with Jack recalling how his journey into this tale type all started with wondering why the Harry Potter series has achieved such phenomenal success. Eventually, he concluded that it’s because it’s...
May 09, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 16
While out on his daily rounds, a poor fisherman nets an enchanted fish prince. When his wife hears how he let the fish go, she demands he return and ask the fish to give them a cottage. Things then escalate fast, as the fisherman's wife gets a taste for the property market and chases a career in politics. Will they be content with their lot, or will greed see them fall to their ruin? Find out all this and more in the absolutely massive tale, The Fisherman and His Wife. After the story we discuss...
Apr 25, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 15
As a penniless woodcutter’s health fades, he leaves his three sons the only things he has in the world - a cat and scythe and a cock. To find fortune, he instructs them to seek out a country in which these things are unknown. One by one the sons head out into the wide world with their gifts. But, when the final son finds himself on an island plagued by mice and rats, the inhabitants get more than they bargained for. Will they make their fortune? And can you use a cannon for everything? Find out ...
Apr 11, 2021•51 min•Season 3Ep. 14
When the family cook plots to kill a foundling boy, his adoptive sister comes to the rescue and the two take flight, shapeshifting their way out of danger. The cook deploys her henchmen to hunt them down but when they fail, she waddles after them herself for a final showdown. Who will emerge victorious? Find out in this week’s tale, Fundevogel (aka Fledgling)! After the story, we talk similarities to other tales, shapeshifting Jesus news, and then squeeze in an extra Russian fairy tale where at ...
Mar 28, 2021•50 min•Season 3Ep. 13
Talking dead fingers, aggressive domestic appliances, and a devil under a duvet - prepare yourself for the madness that is the Brothers Grimm's "The Godfather". In this utterly bizarre story we have essentially a mashup of two Grimm stories we've heard before, namely - Godfather Death and The Strange Feast. Is this hybrid version better than the originals or a step too far? Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Hear Matt's recital of The Godfather Theme . Theme music: ...
Mar 14, 2021•37 min•Season 3Ep. 12
Finding himself alone in a forest, a musician decides to play his fiddle and entice a human friend. Before long, several animals approach and ask for music lessons. On gaining their trust, the musician cruelly entraps them and wanders on. Eventually the animals escape and together plot revenge. Will they have their justice? And where exactly does this musician get off? Find out in this week’s episode, The Wonderful Musician (aka The Strange Musician). Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmread...
Feb 28, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In Clever Gretel, a free-wheeling cook throws a party for herself at her master's expense. After she’s eaten all his chicken and drunk all his wine, Gretel’s master returns home ready for dinner… But our clever heroine plays those above her like a fiddle, and easily gets herself out of trouble. Join us as we try to dissect the mayhem and enjoy a story from The One Thousand and One Nights (aka The Arabian Nights). Twitter Facebook Instagram Patreon grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com Theme music: Bicyc...
Feb 14, 2021•41 min•Season 3Ep. 10
When the King decides to celebrate the birth of his daughter by sentencing his twelve sons to death, the boys flee to live a feral life in the woods where they vow to kill any maiden they meet. A decade later, the Princess vows the rescue her brothers and she heads out into the forest. But things take a turn for the worse when she accidentally turns them all into birds and a foreign king carries her off to another land... Will she ever rescue her brothers? Why does she have a golden star on her ...
Feb 06, 2021•44 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Happy Grimm new year! We’re kicking things off with a surprise story – the one and only Puss in Boots. When the family cat suddenly demands a pair of boots, a poor young miller spends his last few coins granting the cat's wish. A idiotic whim or the investment of a lifetime? Join us on the classic adventure of Puss in Boots, where we see our furry hero outsmarting, outwitting and outdressing everyone who comes in his path! We then hear about the many guises of puss in boots from the global oral ...
Jan 17, 2021•56 min•Season 3Ep. 8
