Grimm, Jakob

Grimm, Jakob

Grimm, Jakob (yäˈkôp grĭm), 1785–1863, German philologist and folklorist, a founder of comparative philology. His interest in the relationship among Germanic languages led to his formulation of Grimm's law. His German grammar (1819–37) and his German Mythology (1835, tr. 1880–88) were works of first importance. He is best known, however, for his two-volume compilation of German folk tales, known as Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812–15, rev. eds. 1819–57), which he collected with his brother, Wilhelm Grimm (vĭlˈhĕlm) (grĭm), 1786–1859, and which did much to encourage the romantic revival of folklore. Among their best-known stories are “Hansel and Gretel,” “Rapunzel,” “The Breman Town Musicians,” “Red Riding Hood,” and “Rumpelstiltskin.” The brothers Grimm also planned and inaugurated the great German dictionary (16 vol., 1854–1954).

Bibliography

See M. Tatar, ed., The Annotated Brothers Grimm (2004), L. Segal et al., The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm (1973), and P. Pullman, ed., Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm (2012); J. Zipes, The Brothers Grimm (1989).

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