Not Exactly a Fairytale: The Early Lives and Childhood of the Brothers Grimm

When talking about German cities, most people think about Berlin or Munich, but the small town of Hanau, right on the banks of the Main, has some cultural significance many of us aren’t even aware of — it is the birthplace of the famous storytellers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, aka the Brothers Grimm. Actually, storytellers might not be the right word for it as most of their contribution comes down to collecting and gathering folk tales rather than making them up. Let’s take a look at what childhood looked like for the two people who have shaped our own childhood.

The boys were born to Philipp Wilhelm and Dorothea Grimm in the late 18th century. They had their first taste of the magical world of folk tales from their father, who used to tell them all about mythical and mystical creatures like goblins and witches. Sadly, however, their father passed away in 1796 when the two were still young (Wilhelm was 10 and Jacob was 11), leaving Dorothea to care for them and their siblings. The two were quite the academics and have shown great scholastic interest and capabilities and were often seen in libraries, expanding their knowledge in different fields, most notably — folktales.

One of the brothers’ research projects was the collection of oral traditions, which they intended to use for scholarly purposes as they studied philology (the historical language development) but ended up becoming a full-on legacy. What started as a modest gathering of stories would soon become their life’s work and legacy.

Dedicating themselves to that cause was no easy feat. The two had to overcome social challenges and financial difficulties, but they were determined and stayed committed to preserving their local German folklore, no matter how harsh the narratives were (and we all know that the original versions are a lot harsher than Disney would have us believe.)

It is possible that given the struggles they faced as children, and given the viewpoint on children’s literature at the time, no topic seemed too intense for them. Luckily, today’s children get the softened version of their stories. So next time you pick out a children’s book for a special kid, think of the background and the people who unknowingly jumpstarted this entire industry.