An unspoiled child absorbs fairy tales during this period of its life, with an eagerness similar to the hunger and intensity with which a baby absorbs its mother’s milk. Children between the ages of four and eight correspond approximately in their development with that period of humanity's childhood in which fairy tales originated. According to the principles of biogenetic law, children pass briefly through the different stages of mankind’s evolution. It is a well-known fact that fairy tales have their origin in the period of humanity’s own childhood, in far-distant times when people lived in a naive dreamlike state of soul, before the unfolding of intellectual capacities. Rudolf Steiner inspired teachers to make use of the fairy tale in a much deeper and more extensive way than it had been done heretofore. At least fairy tales are accepted today as a means of entertainment-'leaving a substantial by-product which has a moral significance.” They are accepted today as a simple form of literature and thus have become again an everyday nourishment for many children.

Luckily today we have passed that period of educational decline when fairy tales were banned from the schoolrooms and the homes of intellectuals. They realized the educational value of the stories, and learned to read between the lines. The scientific age had come in full swing and many people had little or no understanding of those 'old, superstitious and untrue tales.' The Grimm brothers thought differently, and when they listened to old Frau Viehmannin, the wife of a cowherd, who told her stories with great exactness and no variations in repetitions, they penetrated into the imaginative dream world of a child and experienced the healthy, original strength that is inborn in these stories. We strove to penetrate into the wild forests of our ancestors, listening to their noble language, watching their pure customs, recognizing their ancient freedom and hearty faith.' Their aim was to preserve ancient wisdom which, during their lifetime, was still alive among some of the old people. One of the brothers said: 'Our first care was faithfulness to the truth.

They kept close to the original story, adding nothing of circumstance or trait.

In relating their collected fairy tales the Grimm brothers sought the purity of straightforward narration. Download the article: The Value of Grimm's Fairy Tales

GRIMM FAIRY TALES #0 by Joe Brusha