We take a look at a handful of the Brothers Grimm’s more obscure works
If you were brought up just about anywhere in the Western world, there’s a good chance that some of the very first stories you were told were the magical and macabre fairy tales found in Kinder-und Hausmärchen ( or Grimm’s Fairy Tales as the collection is commonly known in English.)
First published in 1812, with a second volume appearing three years later, the collection was compiled by brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm and went on to become one of the most popular collections of fiction ever committed to print.
The tales are now extremely popular as children’s fiction, but several of the original stories are anything but kid-friendly. Indeed when the first volumes were originally published the collection attracted criticism for the perceived adult nature of some of the content, to the extent that several details were later adapted or omitted altogether.
While everyone knows the likes of Hansel & Gretel, Rapunzel and Cinderella, there are in total more than 200 tales, many of which are far more obscure than the aforementioned three. Here are just three of the lesser discussed stories:
Donkey Cabbages
Perhaps one of most peculiar revenge tales of all time, Donkey Cabbages follows the adventures of an unnamed huntsman. After an encounter with an old woman, the huntsman learns that by shooting into a crowd of nine birds who are fighting at a nearby tree, he can obtain a cloak that will grant him the ability to transport himself anywhere he wishes. Furthermore by swallowing the heart of the bird he kills, he will also wake up with a golden coin under his pillow every day.
Having done this, the huntsman uses the cloak and his newfound riches to travel the world, eventually coming to live in a castle with a maiden, whom he falls in love with, and her mother, who happens to be a witch. The witch then orchestrates a plan for her daughter to steal both the bird’s heart and the cloak, a plan which is carried out successfully, leaving the huntsman alone and seemingly without hope.
However, in a strange twist of fate, the huntsman stumbles upon a cabbage garden in which exist two different cabbage plants with very odd properties. One of the two will turn whoever eats it into a donkey, and the other will return them to their human form. After stocking up on both plants, the huntsman disguises himself and returns to the home of the witch and her daughter, tricking them into eating the cabbage, thus turning them into donkeys, and selling them to a miller.
At the stories close we find that the first donkey – the witch – has died, but that the huntsman has taken pity on the maiden, who he allows to return to her human form. The maiden then informs the huntsman that she only took part in her mother’s plan because she was forced, and the two marry, living happily ever after.
Fair Katrinelje and Pif Paf Poltrie
The wonderfully named Fair Katrinelje and Pif Paf Poltrie takes the form of a nonsense poem in which the character Pit Paf Poltrie attempts to arrange a marriage with Fair Katrinelge. The title characters are not the only ones with interesting names, with other characters including Father Elderberry-Tea, Mother Milk-Cow, Brother High-Pride and Sister Cheese-Love.
The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage
You might not expect a tale with a relatively amusing title to be one that is especially morbid, but alas, you would be mistaken – this story is not one for the faint-hearted.
In a rather bizarre living arrangement, a mouse, a bird and a sausage all live together under one roof. The house is a happy one, with each of the three having assigned roles: the mouse carries water and makes the fire, the bird fetches wood from the nearby forest, and the sausage cooks the meals.
But this all changes when the bird meets another of its species one day while gathering wood. The second bird convinces the first that he is being unfairly treated and is doing more work than his housemates, and so on returning home, the bird proposes that they all swap roles for a time.
Despite some resistance from the mouse and the sausage, it is decided that from now on they will swap roles – but this proves disastrous. The sausage, is abducted by a dog while collecting wood, the mouse is burned alive while attempting to cook, and the bird is drowned while fetching water. No happily ever after in this one, that’s for sure!
