How Grimm Trivia Quiz

Answer: Wilhelm

The brothers came from a large family of nine children. Three of their siblings died in infancy, followed by their father when Jacob was 11. They also lost their grandfather two years later, which left the family in straitened circumstances. The brothers were responsible for collecting and publishing 'Grimm's Fairy Tales' rather than actually writing them; the collection was originally known as 'Children's and Household Tales'.

Answer: Rose Red

In the story 'Snow White and Rose Red', the bear is in fact a handsome prince who has been enchanted by the wicked dwarf, but as the story develops the bear kills the dwarf, breaking the spell. The handsome prince then reveals himself to the sisters, who had been kind to him and given him shelter when he needed it. He marries Snow White and his brother marries Rose Red.

Answer: one hundred years

Sleeping Beauty slept for one hundred years after pricking her finger on a spindle. The prince awakened her with a kiss and they lived happily ever after... The title of the Brothers Grimm's version of the story we know as 'Sleeping Beauty' (and the name of the princess) was actually 'Briar Rose'; 'Sleeping Beauty' was from the Perrault version of the tale.

Answer: a wolf

There have been various different versions of this tale, but the one published by the Brothers Grimm remains the best known. The part where Little Red Riding Hood exclaims 'what big teeth you have' and the wolf replies 'all the better to eat you with!' must be one of the best-known pantomime scenes of all time.

Answer: crocodile

Several animals play a part in the tales, but the crocodile is not mentioned (although a crocodile is one of the characters in the German television show "Simsala Grimm", which features adaptations of a number of their stories). There are, however, many types of birds - the owl, goose, wren, lark and swan to name but a few, even the pairing of the bittern and the hoopoe in one (very short) tale.

Answer: pumpkin

The version of the story of Cinderella collected by the Brothers Grimm featured the orphaned Cinderella wishing on a tree placed upon her dead mother's grave, instead of being helped by a Fairy Godmother. This story is called "Aschenputtel".

Answer: two

The 'Ugly Sisters', generally portrayed by men, are among the most famous pantomime villains ever. Funnily enough, in the story they were merely vain rather than ugly.

Answer: very long fair hair

She may well have had all these features, but the one that she is famous for is her very long golden hair, which she uses as a ladder to enable the wicked witch (and later of course the prince) to climb up to visit her in the tower where she is imprisoned.

Answer: The Frog Prince

This story is also known as 'The Frog King' and the additional, lesser-known title 'Iron Heinrich' ('Iron Henry'). Again, it is a story that has changed with the telling over the years. In the Grimm Brothers' original version, the frog changes to a handsome prince when the princess throws him against a wall.

In the better-known version of more recent times the change is effected when the princess kisses the frog, a much more romantic tale!

Answer: a house made of cake and candy and a wicked witch

In the story the house is made of cake and candy, although in modern times it is sometimes described as being made of gingerbread. Whatever the house was made of, this was quite a scary tale for young children!