Famous Folklorists

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. Andersen began writing fairy tales in 1835 and many of his stories such as The Ugly Duckling and The Princess and the Pea are still in circulation.

Andersen won a grant from the King of Sweden which gave him the opportunity to travel and develop his writing skills. In 1845, his translated stories reached English audiences.

He died in Copenhagen on August 4, 1875.

Recueil de contes d'Andersen / par Kathleen Fitzgerald; illustrés par Gilbert James. (London, [1908])

The stories of Hans Christian Andersen have been translated into many languages, such as this French compilation of his stories.

The little mermaid and other stories / by Hans Christian Andersen; translated by R. Nisbet Bain; illustrated by J.R. Weguelin. (London, 1893)

The original tale of The Little Mermaid is a far harsher story than the sanitized Disney version. In order to save herself and return to her world as a mermaid, the Little Mermaid has to kill the prince who is married to another woman. The story ends with the Little Mermaid sacrificing herself.

Andersen's fairy tales: selected and edited for children / Hans Christian Andersen. (London), [19-?]

Andersen's fairy tales: selected and edited for children / Hans Christian Andersen. (London), [19-?]

Andersen's fairy tales: selected and edited for children / Hans Christian Andersen. (London), [19-?]

Andersen's fairy tales: selected and edited for children / Hans Christian Andersen. (London), [19-?]

Hans Christian Andersen wrote 168 fairy tales and some these are as popular today as when they were first written.

The Brothers Grimm

They are best known for writing Grimm’s Fairy Tales.

Born in Germany, brothers Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (b. January 4, 1785, d. September 20, 1863) and Wilhelm Carl Grimm (b. February 24, 1786, d. December 16, 1859) compiled collections of folk music and folk literature. Jacob in particular undertook important work in historical linguistics and Germanic philology, which included the formulation of Grimm’s Law.

This recognised:

‘Prominent correlations between the Germanic and other Indo-European languages of Europe and western Asia. The law was a systematic and coherent formulation, well supported by examples, of patterns recognized as early as 1814 by the Danish philologist Rasmus Kristian Rask. It is important for historical linguistics because it clearly demonstrates the principle that sound change is a regular phenomenon and not a random process affecting only some words, as had been thought previously’.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Brothers-Grimm

Grimms' goblins and wonder tales / J. Grimm; translated from the German by Mrs H.B. Paull and Mr L.A. Wheatley. (London), [189-?]

Brothers Grimm, German folklorists and linguists (known for Grimm’s Fairy Tales), built on the traditions of other countries such as: Scandinavia, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, England, Serbia, and Finland.

Pohádky o skřítcich: [Tři lesni skřítkové / Illustroval Jiří Běhounek]. (Prague, 1964) [SCM 11771] [Fairy Tales: [Three Forest Elves]]

Produced in the Czech Republic, this edition includes visual depictions of the elves in the story of The Elves and the Shoemaker.

Cherryblossom and other stories from Grimm / illustrated by Helen Stratton. (London, [191?])

Cherryblossom and other stories from Grimm / illustrated by Helen Stratton. (London, [191?])

Cherryblossom and other stories from Grimm / illustrated by Helen Stratton. (London, [191?])

The stories written by the Brothers Grimm were often brightly depicted.