The Brothers Grimm Were More Than Mere Storytellers

On September 20, 1863, Jacob Grimm, German philologist, folklorist, and editor of "Grimm's Fairy Tales", died at the age of 78.
An excerpt from the article:

"Besides the well-known Kinder-und Hausmärchen, the Grimms continued to publish other books about German mythology, sayings, and language. With their book "Die Deutsche Grammatik" (The German Grammar), they were the first two authors who researched the origin and development of the German dialects and their grammatical circumstances. Also, they worked on their most lavish project, the first German dictionary. This "Das Deutsche Wörterbuch" was published in the 19th century but was really completed in the year 1961. It is still the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of the German language.

While living in Göttingen, at that time part of the Kingdom of Hannover, and fighting for a united Germany, the Grimm brothers published several polemics criticizing the king. They were dismissed from the university along with five other professors and also kicked out of the kingdom. First, both lived again in Kassel but were invited to Berlin by the Prussian king, Friedrich Wilhelm IV, in order to continue their academic work there. They lived there for 20 years. Wilhelm died in 1859, his brother Jacob in 1863.

To this day, the Grimm brothers' literary contributions are known all over the world and their work is tightly bound to the German cultural heritage. Until the European currency, the Euro, was introduced in 2002, their visages could be seen on the 1.000 Deutsche Mark bill.

The themes of Märchen are universal and enduring: good versus evil in which the good (Cinderella, Snow White) are rewarded and the wicked (stepmother) are punished. Our modern versions—Pretty Woman, Black Swan, Edward Scissorhands, Snow White and the Huntsman, and others show just how relevant and powerful these tales remain today."