The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break: The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

120. The Three Journeymen Jan 06, 2023

Three traveling journeymen agree to a strange request from the devil.

119. The Seven Swabians Dec 30, 2022

Seven guys from southern Germany set out across the world to have adventures.

118. The Three Army Surgeons Dec 21, 2022

Three surgeons brag they know all there is to know about surgery when in reality they have a magic salve. Their boasts come back to haunt them.

117. The Stubborn Child Dec 20, 2022

A stubborn child is killed by the lord, and apparently only a spanking can give him peace.

116. The Blue Light Apr 09, 2013

A wounded soldier is dismissed by an uncaring king. He finds a magical friend and gets revenge.

115. The Bright Sun Will Bring it to Light Mar 27, 2013

A poor wandering tailer robs and kills a fellow traveller.The victim’s last words were “the bright sun will bring it to light”. It took many years, but eventually, with the help of the bright sun, the tailor’s crime became known.

114. The Clever Little Tailor Jan 09, 2013

An unassuming little tailor correctly answers a princess’s riddle and is then entitled to marry her, but he must first spend a night with a bear.

113. The Two Kings' Children Jan 07, 2013

A young prince is kidnapped by foreign king and must pass a series of challenges. If he fails, he will be put to death, but if he succeeds, he will win one of the king’s daughters for his bride.

112. The Fleshing Flail from Heaven Dec 20, 2012

A farmer drops a turnip seed and it grows into a tree that reaches all the way up into heaven. So, naturally, he climbs it.

111. The Expert Marksman Dec 06, 2012

With the aid of a magical gun, a huntsman tricks and kills three evil giants. In doing so, he wins the hand of a princess.

110. The Jew in the Thornbush Nov 16, 2012

Warning! This story contains offensive racial stereotypes from another era, and is not suitable for all audiences. A journeyman apprentice is granted magical items and powers after being kind to a dwarf, but he later uses them to toment a jew he meets along the road.

109. The Little Shroud Oct 26, 2012

A beloved boy dies, and returns to tell his mother to stop crying.

108. Hans My Hedgehog Oct 24, 2012

A farmer and his wife give birth to a son who is half boy, and hedgehog. He grows up to play the bagpipes, ride a rooster, and inherit a kingdom.

107. The Two Travelers Oct 23, 2012

Two craftsmen, one a tailor and the other a shoemaker, one good and the other bad, travel together through the country.

106. The Poor Miller's Apprentice and the Cat Oct 02, 2012

A miller is nearing retirement age and has no family to pass his mill down to. He tells his three hired men that whichever goes out into the world and brings back the best horse can have the mill. One of them, a very simple man, finds a magical cat along the way.

105. Tales About Toads Sep 21, 2012

Three very short and sad tales (fragments, really) about toads.

104. The Clever People Sep 19, 2012

Good-hearted but dim-witted people get taken advantage of by greedy people.

103. The Sweet Porridge Sep 17, 2012

A cautionary tale about having a magic item but forgetting how to use it.

102. The Wren and the Bear Sep 14, 2012

A chronicle of the short war between the animals that walk and the animals that fly.

101. Bearskin Sep 13, 2012

A desolate soldier is given a proposition by the devil: live for seven years like a beast and be set for life, or forfeit his soul. The soldier passes the challenge and finds a wife in the process, but the devil also comes out a winner.

100. The Devil's Sooty Brother Sep 07, 2012

A down and out discharged soldier gets hired on to become the Devil’s assistant. He serves well enough for seven years, and is well paid for his service.

99. The Spirit in the Glass Bottle Aug 31, 2012

A student discovers a mean spirit in a glass bottle. He outsmarts the spirit, and once he sets the spirit free, he is rewarded with a magical item that sets him and his poor father up for life.

98. Doctor Know-It-All Aug 30, 2012

A farmer asks a doctor how he too could become a doctor. The doctor gives him a sarcastic response, but the farmer follows it anyway. He then lucks into fame and fortune.

97. The Water of Life Aug 29, 2012

A King lies dying, and only the hard to find Water of Life can save him. His three sons, two wicked ones and one younger good one, go out to find it. Along the way, everyone gets what they have coming.

96. The Three Little Birds Aug 28, 2012

Three sisters marry a king and two of his ministers. The new queen births three children, but her two sisters conspire to throw the babies into the river. They are rescued by a fisherman, and with the help of a magical bird, all is made right.

95. Old Hildebrand Aug 23, 2012

A farmer’s wife and a priest have an affair, and the farmer’s neighbor helps him learn the truth.

94. The Clever Farmer's Daughter Aug 22, 2012

A king is impressed by a farmer’s daughter’s cleverness.

93. The Raven Aug 17, 2012

After a princess is accidentally turned into a raven, and woodsman faces many challenges to break her from the spell.

92. The King of the Golden Mountain Jul 24, 2012

A rich merchant loses his riches, but a dwarf offers to restore them in exchange for a mystery item. That item turns out to be the merchant’s own son. Instead of becoming a slave to the dwarf, the boy manages to escape and have a number of adventures, including becoming king of a distant kingdom.

91. The Gnome Jul 11, 2012

After eating an apple off their father’s favorite tree, three princesses are magically cursed to be deep undreground where they must pick lice off dragons. Three huntsmen brothers, while searching for the princesses, stumble upon a gnome who lives in those same underground caverns. The two wicked eldest brothers try to cheat the youngest out of the reward for rescuing the princesses.

90. The Young Giant Jul 10, 2012

A young farmer’s son, who was no bigger than a thumb, suckles at the breast of a giant and becomes a giant himself (and quite a bit ill-mannered, too). He then goes out to make his way in the world.

89. The Goose Girl Jul 06, 2012

A meek princess is usurped by her servant and is forced to tend to the geese in silence. A talking horse witnesses the events and, despite being killed, helps bring the usurper to justice.

88. The Singing, Springing Lark Jun 26, 2012

A story of enchantment with lions, dragons, griffins, talking doves, true love, gifts from the sun, moon, and the four winds, and more.

87. The Poor Man and the Rich Man Jun 06, 2012

The Lord was travelling the world disduised as a simple man, as he often used to do. He was treated very differently by a rich man and a poor man, and each received an appropriate reward.

86. The Fox and the Geese May 31, 2012

A hungry fox happens upon a meadow full of young, plump geese.

85. The Golden Children May 30, 2012

This is kind of a greatest hits remix story, involving a talking wish-granting golden fish, golden brothers with matching golden lillies and horses, travels through the wide world, a sudden marriage, and a witch in the woods who can turn men to stone. And they all live happily ever after.

84. Hans Gets Married May 24, 2012

A poor farmer uses homonyms to convince a rich farmer to let him marry the rich man’s daughter.

83. Lucky Hans May 22, 2012

Hans, who must have been born under a lucky star, starts a journey with a nugget of gold the size of his head and is able to trade along the way until he ends up with what he really wanted most of all.

82. Gambling Hans May 21, 2012

Hans has such a gambling problem, he continues his habit right into the afterlife.

81. Brother Lustig May 18, 2012

A discharged soldier impresses St. Peter (who is disguised as a soldier). But as they travel together, St. Peter sours on the man. After having many adventured, the man arrives at heaven to find St. Peter barring the gates to him.

Episode 81: 80. The Death of the Hen May 16, 2012

You can tell from the title that this isn't a happy tale, but it's worse than you think. The last line is "And then, everyone was dead." You have been warned.

Episode 80: 79. The Water Nixie May 09, 2012

A very short tale about children who are captured by, and then escape from, a creature at the bottom of a well.

Episode 79: 78. The Old Man and His Grandson May 08, 2012

A four year old boy must remind his parents to respect their elders.

Episode 78: 77. Clever Gretel May 04, 2012

A fashionable cook, who is also a bit of a lush, eats all of the dinner she was supposed to serve to her master and his guest, so she quickly has to think of a story to cover her deeds.

Episode 77: 76. The Pink Flower May 03, 2012

An evil cook learns what should have been an obvious lesson:don't kidnap a prince who has the power to make his own wishes come true.

Episode 76: 75. The Fox and the Cat May 02, 2012

The fox is extremely rude to the cat, but the cat gets her revenge thanks to a huntsman's dogs.

Episode 75: 74. The Fox and His Cousin Apr 27, 2012

The fox continues to vex his cousins, the wolves.

Episode 74: 73. The Wolf and the Fox Apr 26, 2012

The wolf bosses the fox around and constantly threatens to eat him. The cunning fox thinks up a few plans to trick the wolf into being caught by humans so he can finally live in peace.

Episode 73: 72. The Wolf and the Man Apr 25, 2012

In this very short tale, the wolf disbelieves the fox, and discovers that a man is a very strong creature indeed.

Episode 72: 71. How Six Made Their Way in the World Apr 20, 2012

A disgruntled soldier assembles a team of extraodinary characters, who set out to make their way in the world.

Episode 71: 70. The Three Sons of Fortune Apr 19, 2012

Three sons go out into the world to earn their fortune, with only a rooster, a scythe, and a cat.

Episode 70: 69. Jorinda and Joringel Apr 18, 2012

A witch lures young maidens to her forest castle and changes them into birds, which she keeps in cages. After capturing hundreds of maidens this way, the betrothed of her latest catch dreams of a way to free them all from the spell.

Episode 69: 68. The Thief and His Master Apr 12, 2012

A man prays for guidance on a career for his son, receives a sign that he should become a thief, and so apprentices him out to a master thief.

Episode 68: 67. The Twelve Huntsmen Apr 09, 2012

A prince fails to keep his promise to marry a princess, instead becoming engaged to another. The spurned princess and eleven lookalikes disguise themselves as huntsmen and try to win him back.

Episode 67: 66. The Hare's Bride Apr 05, 2012

A short tale where a hare kidnaps a maiden so he can marry her, she escapes, and he becomes sad.

Episode 66: 65. All Fur Apr 03, 2012

In his grief over losing his beautiful wife, a king sets to marry his beautiful daughter, who reminds him of the wife he lost. She escapes, disguises herself, and hides in another king's castle. Before long, she is discovered by that king, who makes her his queen.

Episode 65: 64. The Golden Goose Mar 28, 2012

Unlike his clever brothers, a simple fellow is nice to a dwarf. His kindness gets repaid many times over, and he eventually becomes a king.

Episode 64: 63. The Three Feathers Mar 27, 2012

Three princes, the youngest a simpleton, are given a contest by their father to see who would become the next king. The two older brothers dismiss the youngest, but with the help of a magical toad, he wins the contest.

Episode 63: 62. The Queen Bee Mar 23, 2012

After a simple prince keeps his two older brothers from harming ants, ducks, and bees, the animals re-pay his kindness when they find a kingdom where everyone has been turned to stone.

Episode 62: 61. Little Farmer Mar 22, 2012

The poorest farmer in the village becomes the town's richest, and only, resident.

Episode 61: 60. The Two Brothers Mar 20, 2012

This is the longest fairy tale in the collection. Two young twin brothers eat the magical heart and liver of a golden bird, which bestows upon them the gift of a gold coin under their pillow each monring. Their father believes it to be the work of the devil, so he abandons them in the forest. A huntsman finds them, adopts them as his own, and teches them to be huntsmen as well. When they set out as young adults to make their way in the world, they collect a menageria of talking animals. Eventually, they go their separate ways, splitting their animals among them. One brother makes his way to a kingdom emperiled by a seven-headed dragon. The kingdom is down to its last virgin, the king's daughter, to appease the dragon. The king promises his daughter and the kingdom to whoever can slay the dragon. The brother and his animals do this, but the king's marshal kills the young huntsman and takes credit for the victory. The brother is resurected with the help of his animals (though his head is temporarily put on backwards). The brother exposes the lie and takes his rightful place as the prince of the kingdom. One day, while out hunting, the brother and his animals are set upon by a witch, who turns them all to stone. The other brother wanders by at this time, and is able to rescue the first brother and his animals, revive them, and kill the witch. And everyone lives happily ever after.

Episode 60: 59. Freddy and Katy Mar 14, 2012

A young groom is vexed by the not-so-bright actions of his wife. This is essentially a longer version of the tale presented in Episode 34: Clever Else.

Episode 59: 58. The Dog and the Sparrow Mar 07, 2012

A merchant runs over a dog in the road, and the dog's friend, a sparrow, gets revenge.

Episode 58: 57. The Golden Bird Mar 06, 2012

A young prince manages to, despite ignoring almost all of the consistently correct advice given by a talking fox, obtain a golden bird, a golden horse, a beautiful princess, and a kingdom.

Episode 57: 56. Sweetheart Roland Mar 01, 2012

A beutiful maiden barely escapes with her life and her sweetheart from her stepmother, who is a real witch. They must outwit her several times thereafter, but along the way the maiden nearly loses everything she holds dear.

Episode 56: 55. Rumplestiltskin Feb 29, 2012

A miller's daughter is locked in rooms full of straw by a greedy king after her father brags that she can spin straw into gold. She can't, of course, but along comes a strangely named little man who can.

Episode 55: 54. The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn Feb 28, 2012

A down on his luck traveller finds a magical tablecloth. He uses that to trick three others and steal a knapsack, a hat, and a horn. All three have magical military powers. He uses them to overthrow a king and seize the kingdom for himself.

Episode 54: 53. Snow White Feb 22, 2012

The classic story of a witch queen's jeolousy of her beautiful step daughter princess. Also, seven dwarfs.

Episode 53: 52. King Thrushbeard Feb 21, 2012

A princess is overly critical and disrespectful of all of her potential suitors. In a fit of anger, her father marries her off to the first beggar who comes along, a travelling minstrel. The minstrel teaches her humility.

Episode 52: 51. The Foundling Feb 15, 2012

A wood cutter finds a child lost in the woods, and raises him as his own.

Episode 51: 50. Brier Rose Feb 10, 2012

An offended witch curses a young princess to die from pricking her finger on a spindle on her 15th birthday. A good witch blunts the curse by instead having her fall asleep for 100 years.

Episode 50: 49. The Six Swans Feb 09, 2012

A king is tricked by a witch into losing his six sons and his daughter. Through the witch's magic, the boys are turned into swans. The young princess sets out to undo the magic, though it takes seven years and nearly costs her her life.

Episode 49: 48. Old Sultan Feb 08, 2012

A farmer decides his old dog is too useless to keep around any longer. The dog, along with his frind the wolf, come up with a plan to convince him otherwise. The pair later get into a feud, and at a duel, a bear and a cat are their seconds.

Episode 48: 47. The Juniper Tree Feb 06, 2012

An evil stepmother kills her step-son, cooks him into a stew, and serves the stew to the boy's father. Her daughter witnesses the whole thing, and buries the boy's bones beneath a juniper tree. The boy returns as an enchanted bird, and the stepmother finds justice.

Episode 47: 46. Fitcher's Bird Feb 01, 2012

An evil warlock has a long history of kidnapping and murdering beutiful young women. One of his intended victims manages to escape and exact revenge.

Episode 46: 45. Thumbling's Travels Jan 30, 2012

A little man, no bigger than a thumb, goes out into the wide world.

Episode 45: 44. Godfather Death Jan 28, 2012

A man chooses Death to be godfather of his 13th child. When he grows older, Death grants the child the power to heal the sick, under certain conditions. Trouble happens when those conditions are broken.

Episode 44: 43. Mother Trudy Jan 19, 2012

A young girl disobeys her parents' instructions not to go visit the home of an evil witch, and comes to a bad end.

Episode 43: 42. The Godfather Jan 18, 2012

A mysterious man grants a poor man the power to heal the sick or tell when their death is inevitable.

Episode 42: 41. Herr Korbes Jan 16, 2012

A hen and a rooster go visit Herr Korbes. Along the way, they're joined by several other animals and ordinarily inanimate objects who also want to go visit the man.

Episode 41: 40. The Robber Bridegroom Jan 13, 2012

A miller promises his daughter to the first semmingly nice man who come courting, but he turns out to be a robber and murderer. The bride to be is able to escape the terrible plans he has in store.

Episode 40: 39. The Elves Jan 12, 2012

Three short stories of the elves interacting with our world, including the story of elves helping the poor shoemaker while he sleeps.

Episode 39: 38. The Wedding of Mrs. Fox Jan 10, 2012

Two tales of Mrs. Fox remarrying after her beloved Mr. Fox passes away. The first time, though, he was only pretending to have died.

Episode 38: 37. Thumbling Jan 06, 2012

A farmer and his wife have a son perfect in every way, but no bigger than a thumb.

Episode 37: 36. The Magic Table, the Golden Donkey, and the Club in the Sack Jan 04, 2012

A tailor's three sons go out into the world and acquire three useful magical items. The main story is bookended with another story about an ornery goat.

Episode 36: 35. The Tailor in Heaven Jan 03, 2012

A tailor bluffs his way into heaven, where he causes trouble.

Episode 35: 34. Clever Else Jan 02, 2012

A husband and wife have a clever daughter who must prove how smart she is before her suitor will marry her.

Episode 34: 33. The Three Languages Dec 28, 2011

A count's son has trouble learning anything of use, but he does learn how to talk to dogs, frogs, and birds. Those skills end up coming in handy for the fellow.

Episode 33: 32. Clever Hans Dec 27, 2011

A young man loses his bride by being not that bright.

Episode 32: 31. The Maiden Without Hands Dec 22, 2011

A maiden loses her hands when her father bargained her away to the devil. The girl escapes the devil and evenually marries a king. The devil continues to cause her trouble, but she eventually lives happily ever after.

Episode 31: 30. The Louse and the Flea Dec 21, 2011

A louse and a flea set up a happy home together, but things very quickly go terribly wrong one day while they are brewing beer.

Episode 30: 29. The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs Dec 20, 2011

A boy is born as fortune's favorite, destined to marry the king's daughter. The king didn't care for the idea, and did what he could to prevent it. The boy ends up going to hell and back to fulfill his destiny.

Episode 29: 28. The Singing Bone Dec 14, 2011

A murdered man's bones sing the story of his betrayal.

Episode 28: 27. The Bremen Town Musicians Dec 13, 2011

A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster are no longer appreciated by their human owners, so they all run off to make a new life for themselves as musicians in the town of Bremen. Along the way, they encounter a band of theives.

Episode 27: 26. Little Red Cap Dec 12, 2011

A girl known for wearing her little red hat takes a basket of treats to her grandmother's house, though the woods. A big bad wolf has other plans.

Episode 26: 25. The Seven Ravens Dec 07, 2011

In a fit of anger, a father curses his seven sons and they turn into ravens. Their younger sister travels to the end of the earth to lift the curse.

Episode 25: 24. Mother Holle Dec 05, 2011

A widow spoils her daughter, and makes her stepdaughter do all the work. The stepdaughter falls down a well and discovers the home of Mother Holle (who rules the weather). While their, her industriousness earns her a reward of gold. After returning home, the other daughter tries to follow in her step-sister's footsteps, but her idle nature earns her nothing but pitch.

Episode 24: 23. The Mouse, The Bird, and The Sausage Dec 02, 2011

A mouse, a bird, and a sausage meet and set up house. Everything is happy until the bird gets convinced he's being taken advantage of. He tries for a different arrangement with disasterous results.

Episode 23: 22. The Riddle Dec 02, 2011

A prince travels the world, and along the way defeats a witch and a band of muderers. He uses the experience to win the hand of a princess via a riddle contest.

Episode 22: 21. Cinderella Dec 01, 2011

The familiar story of a girl marrying a prince, despite her evil step-sisters doing their best to keep her down. This original version is a bit more bloody than the one you may know, however.

Episode 21: 20. The Brave Little Tailor Nov 30, 2011

A little tailor kills seven flies with one blow, and milks the feat for all it's worth. And then some.

Episode 20: 19. The Fisherman and His Wife Nov 16, 2011

A fisherman catches a wish-granting flounder, and his wife wishes for more and more outlandish things.

Episode 19: 18. The Straw, the Coal, and the Bean Nov 15, 2011

A peice of straw, a smoldering coal, and a bean escape from a poor old woman's house and head off for a foreign country. Along the way, we learn why beans to this day have a black seam.

Episode 18: 17. The White Snake Nov 14, 2011

A servant secretly tastes the king's food, and is given the power to talk to animals.

Episode 17: 16. The Three Snake Leaves Nov 11, 2011

A young man makes a name for himself, and is able to marry a king's beautiful daughter. An illness takes her, but a snake provides three miraculous leaves that he uses to bring her back to life. Unfortunately, she returns a changed woman, and conspires to kill her husband. His servant uses the same leaves to bring him back to life, and she meets justice.

Episode 16: 15. Hansel and Gretel Nov 09, 2011

A poor woodcutter can afford to feed his children, so he abandons them in the forest. They find an edible house, but the witch who lives inside ensnares them and want to cook them. They escape, and live happily ever after.

Episode 15: 14. The Three Spinners Nov 02, 2011

A lazy girl doesn't want to spin flax, but her mother's lie to the queen finds her in the middle of three rooms full of the stuff. Three women with odd features happen by and agree to spin the flax for her. They do, and the girl never has to spin again.

Episode 14: 13. The Three Little Gnomes in the Forest Nov 01, 2011

A good girl is tortured by her evil stepmother and stepsister, but thanks to the gifts bestowed by three gnomes in the forest, everything works out for the good girl and her tormentors come to a terrible end.

Episode 13: 12. Rapunzel Oct 31, 2011

The classic story of a maiden with long hair locked in a tower, but maybe a bit darker than you remember. Still, she and her prince live happily ever after.

Episode 12: 11. Brother and Sister Oct 28, 2011

A brother (who gets turned into a deer) and a sister (who becomes a ghost) get tormented by their evil stepmother (who is also a witch). But in the end, they live happily ever after.

10. Riffraff Oct 24, 2011

A rooster and hen, along with a duck, a pin, and a needle, don’t make for the best houseguests.

9. The Twelve Brothers Oct 21, 2011

Twelve princes lose everything after their father has a strange prophesy regarding their young sister. They stew in the forest for a while and eventually reconcile with her, only to be turned into ravens. Their young sister then endures extreme hardship to save them.

8. The Marvelous Minstrel Oct 19, 2011

The Marvelous Minstrel: A bored minstrel walking through the forest wants a companion. Beasts need not apply.

7. The Good Bargain Oct 17, 2011

A dumb farmer is outsmarted by frogs and dogs, but still manages to strike a good bargain with a soldier and a Jew. (Yeah, I know. But for this podcast, I’ll be reading *all* the Grimm’s stories.)

6. Faithful Johannes Oct 12, 2011

A dying King, a young king, their servant who is faithful to the end, a kidnapped princess, talking ravens, and beheaded princes, who all manage to live happily ever after.

5. The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids Oct 11, 2011

A wolf eats the mother goat’s kids, but ends up with a belly full of stones.

4. A Tale About the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was Oct 10, 2011

A simple boy who just wants to be frightened.

3. The Virgin Mary's Child Oct 05, 2011

The Virgin Mary adopts a child who lies, grows up, lies again, repents, and is forgiven.

2. The Companionship of the Cat and Mouse Oct 04, 2011

A mouse lives with a cat, and the cat eats all the fat.

1. The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich Oct 03, 2011

A princess loses her ball down a well, a frog retrieves it, and a servant’s heart grows three sizes.

0. Introduction Sep 30, 2011

This is the introductory episode of “The Brothers Grimm Lunch Break”. Over the next year or so, hopefully several times a week, during my lunch break I will record, edit, and publish one of the original 250 storyies colelcted by the Brothers Grimm in the 1800s and translated into English by Dr. Jack Zipes. Welcome!

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