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The authors of The Grimm Fairy Tales were not just two men; they were brothers which had a bond greater than blood, an aspect that many people do not realize. On January 4th, 1785, the eldest of the brothers, Jakob Karl Grimm was born in Hanau, Germany with his younger counterpart, Wilhelm Karl, following a year later on February 24th. From that moment on, the boys were inseparable, even in adulthood. Both boys seemed to follow the same path, including studying law at the University of Mayburg. The Grimm Brothers eventually realized their true passion; uncovering stories about the past of Germany. From there, they bounced around different to different librarian jobs at universities and cities (“Brothers Grimm”). The Grimm Brothers were close, something many sibling can claim, but their bond reached far beyond that. They stuck together not only in their childhood, but in their adult life. They realized their purpose together, and so that is how they would complete the steps to accomplish that goal.
Besides being the closest of brothers, another point that is often surprising is that Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were not necessarily the creators of the legends themselves. The brothers began to travel around Germany to preserve its past cultures, which led to them being known as “… the most important of these early language and folklore romantic historians” (“Brothers Grimm”). They collected the tales from the peasants and villagers in the German country side. The brothers would copy the tales down, and Wilhelm would then tweak the stories a bit, adding his own soft touch. Around the year 1812, two volumes of Kinder-und Hausmarchen (Children and Household Stories) were published, and were to later be known as The Grimm Fairy Tales (“Brothers Grimm”). The tales preserved stories full of German culture that were thought to be lost (Dalton). The Grimm Brothers’ contributions to the stories were extremely important. It took a lot of time away from their lives to travel town to town, writing story after story, and then the brothers still had to edit them. They even saved German myths thought to be forgotten from the grave they lay in.
Besides being the closest of brothers, another point that is often surprising is that Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were not necessarily the creators of the legends themselves. The brothers began to travel around Germany to preserve its past cultures, which led to them being known as “… the most important of these early language and folklore romantic historians” (“Brothers Grimm”). They collected the tales from the peasants and villagers in the German country side. The brothers would copy the tales down, and Wilhelm would then tweak the stories a bit, adding his own soft touch. Around the year 1812, two volumes of Kinder-und Hausmarchen (Children and Household Stories) were published, and were to later be known as The Grimm Fairy Tales (“Brothers Grimm”). The tales preserved stories full of German culture that were thought to be lost (Dalton). The Grimm Brothers’ contributions to the stories were extremely important. It took a lot of time away from their lives to travel town to town, writing story after story, and then the brothers still had to edit them. They even saved German myths thought to be forgotten from the grave they lay in.