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Join two amateur Grimmologists round the fire to read and discuss the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Episodes
Sunday May 08, 2022
Sunday May 08, 2022
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Brahms’ Rhapsody in G minor, op. 79 no. 2 performed by Martha Argerich // Brahms’ Tragische Ouvertüre performed by Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra // Brahms’ Waltz 11 performed by Martha Argerich
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
Sunday Apr 24, 2022
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 Reynard the Fox (the archetypal trickster fox of Medieval epics), including his incredible connection Disney's Robin Hood. And finally we unveil a new section of the show, "Fox News", where we hear some shocking Kitsune news fresh out of Japan.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Robert Schumann's Scenes from Childhood, Op. 15 - III. Blind Man's Buff // Chopin's Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65 - II. Scherzo // Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.28 in A Major, Op.101 - III & IV.
Sunday Apr 10, 2022
Sunday Apr 10, 2022
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
Sunday Apr 03, 2022
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 do these methods work? And can they really prove the existence of stories before the invention of writing?
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.
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
Sunday Mar 20, 2022
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 - this story is a truly a grimm reading epic. After we've recovered, we discuss its relation to other stories in the Grimms' collection, as well as taking a brief trip to pronunciation corner before heading around the world, to see where this strange tale is found elsewhere and exploring its relation to the Firebird of slavic lore.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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.
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
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 up? And what does the new bride think of all these shenanigans? Find out (or possibly don't find out) in this week's exciting Grimm tale.
After the story, we unpick the manifold plot holes before exploring the 'forgotten fiancé' trope in an erased Grimm tale called Prince Swan.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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.
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
Sunday Feb 20, 2022
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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.
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
Tuesday Feb 08, 2022
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 moral philosophical genius and discover how the story it connected to one of the oldest tales in human existence, The Smith And The Devil.
This episode is Certified Grimm and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
Sunday Jan 23, 2022
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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).
Monday Dec 20, 2021
Monday Dec 20, 2021
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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
Sunday Nov 28, 2021
Sunday Nov 28, 2021
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
Sunday Nov 14, 2021
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.
Finally, we play a clip from a chat Matt had with Rachel O'Brien - who's recently written her thesis on the Grimms and the holocaust - where she shares her thoughts on the hidden side of anti-semitism in the Grimms.
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
Sunday Oct 31, 2021
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
Sunday Oct 17, 2021
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.
Patreon
grimmreadingpodcast@gmail.com
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.)
Sunday Sep 19, 2021
Sunday Sep 19, 2021
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 26th September 2021)
And do give a listen to our pod-friend Tudoriferous.