Deutsche Ecke

Es war einmal…

The Year 3, 4, 5s have been learning about Märchen (fairytales). It has been a wonderful journey of discovery learning about the Grimm Brothers and their darker versions of the Disney favourites: Schneewittchen (Snow White) Aschenputtel (Cinderella), Rotkäppchen (Red Riding Hood), Dornröschen (Sleeping Beauty), Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel und Gretel and der Froschkönig (The Frog Prince). 

But how much do you know about Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm?

1. They were from a family of 9 children!
2. Remember the story of Hansel and Gretel? And how they are taken to the forest because their father and mother can no longer feed them? The roots of many fairy tales reach down to times when hunger was a very real thing – it certainly was for the brothers.
3. The Grimm brothers didn’t travel much to collect their fairy tales. They stayed at home, and the fairy tales came mostly from people in their extended social circle or from old books.
4. The Brothers Grimm also created a German dictionary. The ‘Deutsche Märchenstraße’ (German Fairy Tale Route) is a real-life route which includes all of the fairy tales and events in the lives of the Brothers Grimm.
5. The critics did not like the fairy tales written by the Brothers Grimm. Apparently, they said, “these tales need a warning label, they are not fit for children.”

Fun fact: the German for ‘Once upon a time…” is Es war einmal…

Gruesome fact: the evil witch in Snow White cooks and eats what she believes is Schneewittchen’s heart! A bit different to the version most of us know!

Want to know more? Check out this website: https://ukgermanconnection.org/kids/find-out-en/40/