Children’s and Household Tales, also entitled Grimms’ Fairy Tales, have justifiably become part of the world cultural heritage, since they are read worldwide, have been translated into numerous languages, issued in various editions from picture book to scientific-critical versions, and arranged for different types of art. The Grimms’ fairytales, which they considered German, express characteristics of the 19th century, which J. Zipes terms the golden age of fairytales. The analysis shows clearly that they are not monocultural, but mirror different cultures through their motifs, truncated motifs and blind motifs, e.g. the motif of ebony (Snow White), which is of Indo-European origin, the motif of silk (The Juniper Tree, The Goose-Girl at the Well, The Skilful Huntsman, Tales of the Paddock, The Water Nixie, Snow White, The Six Swans, The Frog King), which came from China, the cow motif in Cinderella (the cow as a sacred animal in India), jewels and diamonds (The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces, The Fisherman and His Wife, The Singing, Springing Lark), the tiger motif (Little Brother and Little Sister), the ostrich feathers motif (The Frog King or Iron Heinrich), the apple motif (the apple of discord from the Iliad) the Argonauts motif (the ship that sails on dry land and water: KHM 54 The Golden Goose, KHM 159 The Ditmarsch Tale of Lies, and KHM 165 The Griffin), the motif of India (The Three Black Princesses), the motif of the north (The Devil and his Grandmother) and many others, as well as truncated motifs and blind motifs.
The Grimm brothers were brought up in the spirit of the Protestant ethic and in their legends and sagas (Doctor Luther at the Wartburg, 1521) and their fairytales they used religious motifs, truncated motifs and blind motifs and values (e.g. purity, diligence, duty, honesty, orderliness and carefulness). Examples are Cinderella (asceticism), Little Red Riding Hood (decency), Snow White (housekeeping), The Frog King (duty). Even criticism of the pope is found in the fairytale The Fisherman and His Wife, where one of the themes treated is that of the pope or female pope.
The Grimms’ fairytales express the values of time and place, and textually are linked with religious and biblical motifs, Protestantism and Luther. Sometimes this intertextuality is on the level of transference, (Eve’s Unequal Children), imitation (Mary’s Child) or description (Faithful John) (Juvan 2000: 249). On the level of language expressions, proverbs (“‘I see one of them, I hear the other, and I am running after the third,’ answered the wise boy.” (The Wise Servant)) or the textual world (Doctor Luther at the Wartburg) the Grimm brothers present mythical figures, stories or situations in their fairytales. Motif-story analogies (a biblical example: Lot and his Daughters and the fairytale All-Kinds-of-Fur) are also frequent. Sometimes values are expressed directly, through literal quotation (to be humble), or indirectly, through actions.
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