The Brothers Grimm were a big part of my childhood and even though their stories can be a little scary sometimes, they can also be funny and teach important lessons. I didn’t know the following story before working with it now, but I thought it was very interesting!

Author
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in 1785 and 1786 in Hanau in Hessen. After finishing school they went to Marburg to study law, where their interest in the German language and literature grew. They started to collect and write stories during their studies and in 1812 the collection of their work was published. Since then they were translated into more than 170 languages. In 1829 the brothers attended the University of Goettingen and in 1840 they transferred to the Academy of Sciences in Berlin. Wilhelm died 19 years later, in 1859 and Jacob died in 1863. Because they didn’t want to be separated from one another they were buried side by side in Berlin.

Summary
The story starts with a wealthy man who sadly didn’t have any kids with his wife. He even got mocked on the street and it made him so unhappy that he finally said that he just wants a child; even it would be a hedgehog. As if he called it his wife did birth to a boy whose top half was a hedgehog and they named him “Hans my Hedgehog”. They practically abandoned him and only gave him the absolute minimum care possible. He slept behind the stove and after eight long years, the father just wished for him to die. One day the boy asks his dad for bagpipes from the fair and to get his rooster ready so that he can leave and never come back. One day, after many years, a king rode by and heard the music of the hedgehog. He was fascinated and asked if he knows the way back to the kingdom. The hedgehog said he would tell him the way if the king would promise to give him the first thing he sees at home in return. They compose a written promise but since the hedgehog cannot read, the king wrote down that he won’t give him anything in return. When the king arrives at home, his daughter greets him excitedly and he tells her about his meeting with the hedgehog and how he tricked him. Later he met another king that was lost in the woods and made the exact same arrangement with him. This time, he didn’t get tricked and when the king arrived and his daughter was the first thing he saw, he told her about it and she promised to go with the hedgehog. Hans-My-Hedgehog then makes his way to the first kingdom and threatens the king’s and his daughter’s lives if he doesn’t give him what he promised. Scared, the king gave his daughter away and Hans-My-Hedgehog drove off with her. Later he returned her injured from his sharp spikes to her father because he found out that he was betrayed. Afterwards, he rode to the second kingdom and there he was welcomed with open arms. The daughter was terrified but still went with him and married him and on their wedding night the hedgehog suddenly takes off his skin and burns it. This reveals a good-looking young man under the hedgehog facade.

For the original story, click here! https://sites.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm108.html

I hope you liked the introduction to the lives of the Brothers Grimm and one of their works!