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Join two amateur Grimmologists round the fire to read and discuss the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Episodes
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
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
Sunday Dec 09, 2018
A tale of familial betrayal, divine justice and rampaging boars. Thanks to a magical horn, a body has been discovered under the bridge (downtown), but what is the story behind this tragedy? And how will the truth ever come to light?
’The Singing Bone’ sees a forensic team, led by a maverick King, uncover the truth behind a brutal murder.
In this episode, the haunting, powerful story of justice and peace leads us on a journey across Europe and on to America where stories and ballads of singing body parts have become a staple of the folk and country tradition. In doing so we discover our new favourite folk sub-genre: the murder ballad.
This episode is Certified Grimm for ‘dark themes’ and ‘upsetting situations’ and may not be suitable for all listeners.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #3 Performed by Martha Goldstein / Beethoven's Piano Trio B-Flat Major No.7 Op.97 / Chopin's Mazurka D-Maj Op.33 #2 performed by Lubka Kolessa
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018
Viking vampires, Cretan honey murderers and dyscalculic snakes - yes, Grimm Reading is back!
War, death and infidelity feature in a rollercoaster of an adventure this week, as a young hero fights for his life (and his wife) with the help of magical foliage in ‘The Three Snake-Leaves.’
We go deep into the history of this story type and have a few addendums to confess to as well. This leads us nicely onto discussing a debate raging at the heart of the study of folklore - are fairy tales the true voice of the people or just literary creations of the learned?
Thanks for waiting patiently, we’re now once again firmly and happily planted by the Grimm castle fireside.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op. 39, #4 performed by Martha Goldstein / Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #1 performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
Sunday Oct 14, 2018
A magical gift destroys a family, but perhaps out of the ashes something beautiful will bloom.
In this week's episode we read 'The Pink': a tale of deception, love, justice, health and safety breaches and fire-breathing poodles.
There's also an extra special treat in the form of 'The Myrtle', a related story by the titanic Neapolitan fairy tale writer Giambattista Basile. Seduction, murder and high drama - it's quite the roller coaster.
And finally, we pick the next four stories we'll be giving the Grimm Reading treatment.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor I. Allegro and F Minor II. Adagio performed by David Ezra Okonsar / Brahms's 16 Waltzes, Op.39, #13 performed by Martha Goldstein
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
Sunday Sep 30, 2018
A kindly wolf invites cousin fox to be her child’s godfather to teach it some valuable foxy skills. But the dastardly fox has other intentions and leads the wolf through the worst day of her life…
In part 3 of The Fox Quadrilogy - the epic story of the rise and fall of the Reynard the fox- discover how peasants wash and why you should never get a barn and stable confused.
We reflect on some shocking fox behaviour and trace the idea of the trickster fox from Aesop through to medieval France and Geoffrey Chaucer, where along the way he picks up the name Raynard.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101 - IV performed by Daniel Veesey
Sunday Sep 16, 2018
Sunday Sep 16, 2018
Sneakily gorging on some delectable white snake gives one servant extraordinary powers and sets him on the journey of a lifetime.
With the help of new faunistic friends, the servant tackles a series of perilous challenges to win the heart of a fair princess.
We hunt down other stories featuring white snakes in Europe to try to discover what it all means and why everyone is chowing down on yummy albino serpents.
Over in Botswana, Matt outlines his outlandish pagan snake theory and in China we learn why you should never go into business with an immortal snake women.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Beethoven's Piano Trio No7 in B-flat Major Op97
Monday Sep 03, 2018
Monday Sep 03, 2018
Shakespeare, Dickens, cannabalistic serial killers and talking birds all make an appearance in this week's twisted episode 'The Robber Bridegroom' as voted for by our wonderful listeners!
Yet another miller has promised his daughter away to a mysterious, handsome suitor. But our bride is filled with horror at the thought of him and only after much cajoling does she reluctantly agrees to visit his house in the deep dark woods.
Standing on the threshold of the forest, a trail of ash leads the way to the lonely house and our heroine begins a terrifying escapade in what uncannily resembles a modern horror movie.
This week's story introduces many new fairy tale tropes as well as a brand new colour of deadly wine. We also explore other stories from the ATU type 955 including the fantastic English story, Mr. Fox.
Thank you so much to everyone who voted, we're very excited to present the listener poll's winning story this week and hope you enjoy!
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music:
Ludwig Van Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major performed by Paul Rosenthal and Edward Auer
Ludwig Van Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 — 3rd Movement performed by Paul Rosenthal and Edward Auer