608.4K
Downloads
128
Episodes
Join two amateur Grimmologists round the fire to read and discuss the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Episodes
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
Sunday Oct 06, 2019
After a vicious duck attack, a cock and a hen find shelter at an inn. But the host is unsure about this unscrupulous bunch, and after first refusing them entry, he eventually lets them in. Will they prove his prejudices wrong?
Find out why you should always judge a book by its cover, and why you should never put an egg shell near a fire, in this week’s story: The Pack of Ragamuffins.
The sound quality isn't great during the story but rest assured, it gets better after the first few minutes. It won't happen again, promise!
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Patreon
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Chopin's Concerto 2 in F Minor 3rd Movement performed by the Seattle Philharmonic // Chopin's Mazurka D Major Op.33 no. 2 performed by Lubka Kolessa
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
Sunday Sep 29, 2019
With the help of a sticky golden goose, Dummling, the youngest of three brothers, inadvertently woos an overly serious princess and proves he’s not so dumb after all.
This week, discover how kindness always pays, why you should never cross small magical grey men, and what Venetian skater shoes have to do with German folklore.
We’re back from our summer break with a new series and a Patreon to go with it! Find out more info on how you can support the podcast and what goodies you can claim here: https://www.patreon.com/grimmreading
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Sonata No. 11 in B Flat Major Op. 22 performed by Daniel Veesey / Chopin's Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes D flat major performed by Martha Goldstein
Tuesday May 28, 2019
Tuesday May 28, 2019
For our first series finale we finish off with Rapunzel, the famous story of a well coiffured heroine trapped in a tower.
We find many surprises in what may be thought of as the most childish of the Grimm’s tales, including silk ladders, salad addiction, barren deserts, and a villain with more depth than first meets the eye.
After the story we discuss the more adult themes of the tale, why witches get such a bad rep, a Lithuanian long hair festival, and how it can all be traced back to 17th century Naples.
See the animated video by our competition winner here: http://tiny.cc/mqvi7y
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Live instrumental performance of “Beau Soir” (Beautiful Evening) written by Claude Debussy // Chopin’s Opus 10 Twelve Grand Etudes (F Major) Performed by Martha Goldstein
Saturday May 11, 2019
Saturday May 11, 2019
In The Hare’s Bride, a young maiden minding her cabbages gets whisked off to an unexpected wedding under a rainbow.
In desperately trying to unpick the meaning of the story, we discuss ‘animal bridegrooms’ in folklore, beauty and the beast, and blade runner.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #2 - Performed by Martha Goldstein// Ludwig van Beethoven's Sonata no. 15 in d major, op. 28 'pastorale' - iv. rondo. allegro, ma non troppo - Performed by Karine Gilanyan
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
Sunday Apr 28, 2019
Decapitation, magical singing birds, and human black puddings – it can only be the long-awaited story 'The Juniper Tree'.
After we read the story, we discover what Björk, the bible, and a painter named Philipp have to do with it all.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring" by Corey Cerovsek, (violin) & Paavali Jumppanen (piano) // Chopin's Opus 10, No. 7, Twelve Grand Etudes C Major performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
Sunday Apr 14, 2019
In ‘The Riddle’, a princess pits her wits against a wandering king’s son. But who will win? And where does a gang of murders, a witch, a hungry raven, golden syrup and Batman fit into all this?
After the story, we go on a riddling journey through time from the Queen of Sheba to Turandot.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Johannes Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #4 Performed by Martha Goldstein // Ludwig Van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op 101 Movement II performed by Daniel Veesey
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
After three stories of carnage and mayhem, has the fox finally met his match?
In the final episode of The Fox Quadrilogy the fox boasts to a friendly cat of his skills, but perhaps the cat knows something the fox doesn't.
An Greek proverb unlocks the key message behind the entire Quadrilogy, sending us on a journey from medieval France to ancient India.
And we pick the next four stories we'll be reading and we read out some listener messages.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Red by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au), Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 Movements I and III performed by Daniel Veesey.
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Monday Mar 18, 2019
In this episode our old friend Thumbling is back with more wacky adventures! In Thumbling as Journeyman (AKA Thumbling’s Travels) our hero joins a gang of thieves on a heist job before trying his luck as a barman.
After the story, we deep-dive into the fascinating world of different thumbling stories, exploring the mysterious roots of this tale type from Tom Thumb in the UK to The Inch-High Samurai in Japan.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Johannes Brahms' Waltz Op 39 No 15 performed by Paul Cantrell / Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #1 performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Sunday Mar 03, 2019
Tricked by a lying goat, a tailor kicks out his three sons. After acquiring magical gifts, they head back home to their father, but a dastardly inn-keeper has other plans…
In "The Wishing-table, The Gold-Ass, and the Cudgel in the Sack" we meet a table with no appearance, a gold-depositing donkey, and a time-keeping cudgel.
The story then leads us to investigate a potentially out of business London ice cream parlour and the grisly French fairy tale ‘Donkey Skin’.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Sonata 'Waldstein', Op. 53 - III. Rondo-Allegretto moderato by Michael Hawley / Chopin's Concerto 2 in F minor, 3rd movement performed by the Seattle Philharmonic conducted by Nico Snel
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
Sunday Feb 24, 2019
Welcome to a special episode where we reveal the winner of our book competition and read out some of our listener’s messages and votes.
Afterwards, we treat ourselves to one of the “hands down freakiest” of the Brothers Grimm tales: The Strange Feast.
This leads us on nicely to exploring why the brothers erased many of their stories and uncovering the history behind the deleted tales.
And finally, we give our review of the 2005 Brothers Grimm movie!
Thank you so much to everyone who got involved in the competition. If we didn’t read out your message, hold tight - we’re planning to get round to them in our forthcoming episodes.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Brahms' 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #12 and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, 2nd & 3rd movements
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Sunday Feb 17, 2019
Three unlikely kitchen survivors set off on an adventure. But will they overcome their first challenge, a very small stream?
In 'The Straw, The Coal And The Bean' we learn why you shouldn’t mock the misfortune of others and uncover the truth behind that biggest of mysteries - how beans got a black seam.
The competition is now closed! Thanks to everyone who entered and sent us such lovely messages, the winner will be announced in the next episode!
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music:Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #8 and #15 performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
Sunday Feb 03, 2019
It’s a double whammy of foxy fun as we read parts two and three of The Fox Quadrilogy: The Wolf And The Man & The Wolf And The Fox.
Afterwards, we delve into the spicy world of the Kitsune: the shapeshifting nine-tailed fox of Japanese folklore.
Join us by the fire as we try to answer The Riddle of the Sphinx, finally discover what a cudgel is, and Adam chooses the next four stories we’ll be exploring on Grimm Reading.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 - III & IV performed by Daniel Veesey / 和風管弦楽「イザナギ・イザナミ by 魔界 Symphony
Sunday Jan 20, 2019
Sunday Jan 20, 2019
On an adventure with his brothers, an insignificant dwarf rescues some animals before stumbling upon a mysterious castle. In return, they help him unlock the bedroom door of identical triplet princesses. But will he pass the three deadly challenges and deliver the castle from enchantment?
In ‘The Queen Bee’ we meet a rampaging unicorn, hear how a Greek man became a lion’s pet, and we learn why kindness always triumphs.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #1 and #9 performed by Martha Goldstein
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
Tuesday Jan 01, 2019
Witches and breadcrumbs, giant ducks and gingerbread houses. This week we explore one of the most famous fairy tales of all time: Hansel and Gretel.
After our surprise Christmas episode, we thought why stop the fun there? We're kicking off 2019 with a bona fide classic!
We discover how this story was used in a U.S supreme court ruling, learn how it all started with a terrible famine, and we dissect various highfalutin analyses of this uber famous story.
Happy new year everyone!
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Piano Trio No7 in B-flat Major Op97 / Chopin's Mazurka D major Op.33 no.2 performed by Lubka Kolessa / Hänsel and Gretel Opera: Evening Prayer performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Ambrosian Singers / Chopin's Liszt Zyczenie (The Maiden's Wish) performed by Brian Young
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
Tuesday Dec 25, 2018
Join us at Castle Grimm for our first ever Grimm Reading Christmas party! In this special festive episode we indulge in some yuletide treats including port, mince pies, and maybe even the odd Christmas fairy tale...
Thank you so much to everyone who's been listening to us, sending messages and writing kind reviews. We hope you enjoy this special episode!
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Tchaikovsky - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy performed by Kevin Macleod // Holst - First Suite Intermezzo performed by the U.S. Marine Band