The Brothers Grimm

The great compilers of German Folklore and Legend, the Brother's Grimm are a priceless treasure trove for some of the world's most beloved fairy tales.

The Complete Grimms' Fairy Tales

Literary Quality:
Christian Morality: Excellent
Age Appropriateness: Child/Pre-Teen

Containing over 200 fairy tales, including Snow White, Rapunzel, Rumplstilskin, King Thrushbeard, Thousandfurs, Hansel and Gretel, The Musicians of Brehmen, and many more, this is a must for any would-be fantasy lover. Do bear in mind, though, that although Grimms toned down several of the more gruesome stories (i.e., Little Red Riding Hood), squeamish children might find one or two of these stories a little too scary. Not meant to be read straight through.

Recently, I received an e-mail questioning the rating of "excellent" morality for Grimms, which includes such tales as "Thousandfurs" which is a story (in part) about attempted incest. The question: "How can that be a good story from a Christian perspective? Maybe you read a "watered down" translation?" To all those similarly concerned, I offer the following:

Stories as "Thousandfurs" and others that deal with touchy subjects, horrible events (Snow White's stepmom for example!), etc., although included in Grimms' tales, are nonetheless judged from a Christian's moral standpoint. The father's perverted desire in "Thousandfurs" is in no way applauded by Grimms, while the second half of the story's description of love between a non-related woman and man is shown as excellent and holy. By putting these two elements together - improper desire and proper love - Grimms not only points out what is immoral in the eyes of the Lord, but what IS moral in His eyes. (Thus earning themselves an "excellent" rating at the CGF.)

This paradigm is shown again and again in the Bible - Lot and his daughters producing the horrible Moabites and Ammorites (Gen. 19:30-36), David's transgressions and repentance, the list goes on and on. If the Holy Spirit inspired his prophets not to "water down" sin, but to show it in its wretchedness *and* to then provide a greater example of His mercy and truth, why should not fictional tales do the same?

As for "watered down"? Actually, all Grimms is watered down from the original tale. Sleeping Beauty in one of its original forms involved adultery "winning over" marital love. Grimms obviously reworked this to fit into a Christian context. However, they did, unfortunately, mitigate the wages of sin in "Goldilocks" (allowing a sinner to get off without being eaten). Thus, with the possible exception of sinners being shown a little more mercy than they ought, Grimms deserves its "excellent" rating!

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Updated 22 July, 2007
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