"The she-wolf brought forth a young one, and invited the fox to be godfather. 'After all, he is a near relative of ours,' said she, 'he has a good understanding, and much talent; he can instruct my little son, and help him forward in the world.'" The next tale in a series of wolf stories, Gossip … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: Gossip Wolf and the Fox

"A Fox was one day talking to a Wolf about the strength of man. 'No animals,' he said, 'could withstand Man, and they were obliged to use cunning to hold their own against him.' The Wolf answered, 'If ever I happen to see a Man, I should attack him all the same.' 'Well, I can … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Wolf and the Man

"A wolf and a fox once lived together. The fox, who was the weaker of the two, had to do all the hard work, which made him anxious to leave his companion." I am unaware of any evidence pointing to this tale as the origin for the term "sly fox," but it is certainly a … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Wolf and the Fox

"There was once on a time an old goat who had seven little kids, and loved them with all the love of a mother for her children." A couple of surprises can be found in this tale, some more horrific than others. The goat mother has to go out into the woods to gather some … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids

"A Spider and a Flea dwelt together in one house, and brewed their beer in an egg-shell." As odd and fun that first sentence is, this tale continues on in a mildly terrifying manner, and ends quite terribly for the characters we meet along the way. The spider unfortunately and immediately falls into the "beer-tub" … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Spider and the Flea

"A cat having made acquaintance with a mouse, pretended such great love for her, that the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together." Before summarizing and putting down my thoughts on this tale, I feel the need to warn you that, unfortunately, the poor mouse meets an unfavorable end at the hands … Continue reading Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales: The Cat and the Mouse in Partnership