The Grimm brothers

By Illa Vij

THE world famous fairy tales usually beginning with once upon a time and ending with ‘and they lived happily ever after’ were gifted to the happy world of children by the two brothers, Jakob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm. Since they both worked together on these immortal tales, they are called the Grimm brothers.

The brothers, who gave to the world such wonderful stories to read, were born in Hanau, Germany. They were the eldest sons of a family of six children. Their father was a lawyer. They too studied law as they had promised their father before his death that they would do so.

Jakob was serious-minded, with a small built and sharp, blue eyes. He was a teetotaller. He did not even get married. He stayed with his brother and worked along with him. Wilhelm, a year younger than Jakob, was poetic and more romantic. He was an extrovert and enjoyed singing and rejoicing with friends.

Wilhelm got married at the age of 40. His wife helped him and Jakob in their writings. Together, the three made a wonderfully happy and a hardworking family. Wilhelm had three children, who found a lot of happiness and love in the ‘fairytale home’.

The Grimm brothers were initially inspired by their professor, who urged them to take up historical research. As they dug into the past, they came across some fascinating stories for children. Some were stored in the form of books, some on paper, some on parchment while some were handed down verbally from one generation to the next — they all had never been published.

Jakob and Wilhelm began looking for people who were willing to "tell tales". It did seem funny to see such grown up men listening intently to tales meant for little children. A large number of stories began pouring in, and in a span of five years they had collected 86 stories. The stories came from shepherds, old women, farmers, tailors, bakers and so on. Since they were scholars, they kept the stories with their other references. These stories might have remained unpublished had Achim Von Armin not read them. Achim was a friend of the Grimm brothers. When he read the stories, he was absolutely delighted and insisted that they get them published immediately.

In 1812, a few days before Christmas, the first edition of Tales for children and the Hearth was found at book stalls. Since the stories had been written in a simple language and seemed to be straight from a narrator’s mouth, the children loved them. The book gained instant and enormous popularity. Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs, Tomb Thumb, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel were amongst the many tales in this volume. Later, two more volumes followed and the collection totalled to 210 tales. The stories had originated from myths or beliefs. Many were also imaginary works of mothers who spun tales to inspire and encourage their children. It was a good way to convey that hard work, honesty, kindness and other such virtues are rewarded and that, dishonesty, cruelty and other vices lead to misery and punishment.

The published stories found a special place in every home. Children craved for more and more. The stories were then published in different languages in different parts of the world. Even minor alterations, suiting the culture of the people, were made. For example, in Africa, the witch’s house in Hansel and Gretel is made of salt and not chocolates and candies. Salt is a delicacy in parts of Africa. In another version, Cinderella goes to the ball in a canoe. Over the years many stories turned into ballads, operas and plays.

The brothers could read about a dozen languages. During the last few years of their lives, they began writing a colossal dictionary, which would have been another masterpiece of the Grimm brothers. Wilhelm died of heart trouble and asthma five years later. Jakob was writing words under the letter F in the dictionary, when he fell very sick and died.

In 1960, the dictionary was finally published in 32 volumes, but it never became as popular as the tales. Millions of copies of the fairy tales had been published in more than 50 languages in about 40 countries. The tales have a special place in every child’s heart and greatly assist parents in imparting values and courage to their children.