Who Were the Brothers Grimm?

Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786-1859) are known as The Brothers Grimm. They were German librarians who were proficient in psychology (the language used in historical books). During the 19th century, The Brothers Grimm also performed the role of cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who collected and published local folklore.

Despite all the rumours that Jacob and Wilhelm were associated with Rapunzel and Snow White, they had never written fairy tales. In fact, it was proven that all the stories were already written even before their birth before the 18th century. However, in 1812, they published ‘Nursery and Household Tales’ as a part of their collection, which is now referred to as ‘Grimm’s Fairy Tales.’

The fairy tales rose to prominence as an academic study for adults while the brothers started collecting German folklore in the 1800s. Their stories never amused children and even never meant for them as they included violence, sex, incest, and copious footnotes. The early editions of Nursery and Household Tales were comprised of profound dark elements, which would have brought a negative impact on children if they had ever read it.

In 1830, at A university named Gottingen, where both the brothers used to teach German studies, king Ernest Augustus demanded oaths of allegiance from all the professors, including Jacob and Wilhelm. Both of them and 5 other professors refused to take the vow, so they were forced to leave the city. This made their situation miserable and coerced them to borrow money from other people to work further on the story collection.

Wilhelm died in 1859, whereas at that time, The Grimm’s collection was in its 7th edition. During that time, the collection was amplified to more than 200 stories and included complex illustrations.

After a few years, Jacob also died in 1863, who got into severe depression after his brother Wilhelm’s death. It was said that both of them shared deep emotions and held a close bond throughout their life. It was also witnessed that Shakespeare and the Bible outsold their collection of stories.