Brothers Grimm (Crane), Reading A

I've always been a big fan of Grimm brothers' fairy tale stories. Obviously, I think Grimm Brothers' fairy tale stories are the best of European fairy tale stories. I especially enjoyed the readings in the Reading A section, so I decided to review and do the reading notes for it.

Grimm brothers' works are truly creative and fascinating. I've read several of them, but I haven't read this particular story of The Robber Bridegroome. It's relatively less known story of Grimm Brothers. There is no Disney version or a movie about it. So unless someone is truly interested in fairy tales, people wouldn't know much about this fascinating story. It was one of my favorite reads indeed.

The story begins in an interesting plot: there was a miller who had a pretty daughter, but despite her beauty the miller was unsure about her marriage success: "If a decent sort of man comes and asks her in marriage, I will give her to him."

A suitor came and asked the miller daughter, and the miller said yes, not knowing his disadvantages at the time.

Wow.. this is a powerful disappointment: "she had no confidence in him; as often as she saw him or thought about him, she felt a chill at her heart." I thought it's better not to marry him if she wasn't happy like that. 

This sounded forceful to me: ""You must come and pay me a visit next Sunday; I have already invited company, and I will strew ashes on the path through the wood so that you will be sure to find it." The bridgegroome didn't ask her before he planned all these. 

This sounded like a preparation to possible escape: "nevertheless, at each step she cast to the right and left a few peas on the ground."

It sounded like a really eerie place: "So she went on the whole day until she came to the middle of the wood, where it was the darkest, and there stood a lonely house, not pleasant in her eyes, for it was dismal and unhomelike. She walked in, but there was no one there, and the greatest stillness reigned."

Even this dismal sound is really horrific: "

Turn back, turn back, thou pretty bride,

Within this house thou must not bide,

For here do evil things betide.

Then she realized that she wasn't a bride. But a prey for cannibals. 

I thought the old woman was also suspicious. She asked the bride to hide like a mouse.

Another bride was kidnapped and chopped into pieces. Yikes.. they really were true cannibals. 

The cannibals went to look for the chopped finger with gold ring. The old woman was clever: "Come to supper and leave off looking till to-morrow; the finger cannot run away."

So laying the peas turned out to be a really good proactive action: "but the peas and lentils had budded and sprung up, and the moonshine upon them showed the way."

The bride told the bridegroom about her dream as she actually experienced it: "And here is the finger with the ring!" The thugs were all executed in the end. 

I thought this story is very similar to Mr. Fox. Although the characters are different and there is no mention about the bridegroom being so attractive like Mr. Fox, the plots are very similar. It was an amazing reading. 

Laying the peas on the ground. Source: Clever lady

Bibliography:

 Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm, translated by Lucy Crane and illustrated by Walter Crane (1886).