Fairy Tale Friday: National Geographic Presents…the Brothers Grimm?!

Whilst searching for something appropriate to post this fine Fairy Tale Friday, I came across a marvelous little website. Weirdly enough, it’s from National Geographic and it’s all about the Brothers Grimm. Apparently at some point in 1999, National Geographic decided a Grimms Fairy Tales website was just the thing that they needed to really spice things up. Thus, National Geographic proudly presents: The Brothers Grimm: Fairy Tales, History, Facts, and More.

Although the promises of history, facts, “and more” seem to go unheeded (although the accompanying article can be found after some Googling), the stories are definitely there and ready to access in a pretty fun way. In short, National Geographic boils down a variety of different Grimm stories into archetypes (i.e. stories about wicked stepmothers or stories about getting lost in the woods) and then creates a “choose your own adventure” type of site where you can explore the stories based on the type of Grimm tale you’d like to hear, rather than combing through titles.

There are only 12 different stories available on the site, but they’re still fun to sift through and play with the variations available. I chose “the young girl who goes on a journey and meets an old woman with big teeth,” aka “Mother Holle.” So take a moment and waste some of your Friday choosing your own Grimm adventure, courtesy of National Geographic.

–Corey