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The Six Servants
A young prince sets out to win the hand of a beautiful princess. Along the way, he encounters six men whom he hires as his servants. Each possesses an extraordinary talent that proves invaluable, helping the prince perform seemingly impossible tasks to woo the beautiful princess. Full color.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1996
2 people are currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Jacob Grimm
6,067 books2,297 followersGerman philologist and folklorist Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm in 1822 formulated Grimm's Law, the basis for much of modern comparative linguistics. With his brother Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859), he collected Germanic folk tales and published them as
Grimm's Fairy Tales
(1812-1815).
Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.
This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .
Adapted from Wikipedia.
Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.
This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .
Adapted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 15, 2014
I have been reading the Brothers Grimm’s stories for years now and I was surprised that I found a picture book that adapted the obscure tale of “The Six Servants.” Judging by the artwork on the cover by Sergei Goloshapov, you will seriously be treated to one heck of a nightmarish journey through the land of fairy tales in this book!
In this story, a young prince hears about a queen who has a beautiful daughter and the only way that any man will marry the queen’s daughter is if they complete the three tasks that the queen sets for them. Unfortunately, none of the other suitors were able to complete the tasks set by the queen and they ended up being beheaded for their troubles. So, the young prince decided to take a journey towards the cruel queen’s palace in order to marry the princess and along the way, he meets six strange men who all possess unique abilities such as one servant being able to eat everything twice his size and another man whose gaze can shatter anything it touches. But as soon as the prince and his servants make it to the queen’s palace, the queen decides to give the prince three impossible tasks to fulfill before he marries the princess.
Can the prince and his servants complete the queen’s difficult tasks?
Read this book to find out!
This was a truly fantastic book from the Brothers Grimm about the power of trust and courage and I loved the way that there was plenty of drama and fantasy in this story as they made it really interesting to me! I especially loved the scenes where the servants showed off their unique abilities such as the fat man eating all of the oxen and wine in the queen’s cellar in one gulp and the tall man stretching himself out to get to the Red Sea to retrieve the queen’s lost ring. This story strongly reminded me of the Russian folktale “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship” (except a little darker in tone) as both stories involved the main character meeting up with several strange people who all possess special abilities that help out the main character with the tasks given to him by a royal figure who is bent on making sure that the main character does not marry their daughters. I really loved the fact that this story has so many ties to “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship” since I am a huge fan of “The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship” and I have always enjoyed reading folktales and fairy tales that are similar in tone and style to that story. Sergei Goloshapov’s artwork is both surreal and haunting to look at as the characters are drawn in exaggerated styles, especially the image of the man that can see across the world and has an extremely long neck that seems to look wobbly from the reader’s point of view.
Parents should know that this book has some nightmarish imagery as the artwork can be a little too dark and surreal for some small children to handle. There are some scenes in this book that can cause nightmares for some smaller children, such as the scene at the beginning of the book where we see several stick figures in the background being hung in the gallows after the text describes about the queen chopping off the heads of the would be suitors who did not complete her tasks. Parents might want to read over this book first to make sure their children can handle the dark themes shown throughout this book.
Overall, “The Six Servants” is a fantastic book for anyone who is a huge fan of the Brothers Grimm’s works and loves reading books that are dark and imaginative. I would strongly recommend this book to children ages six and up since some of the imagery and content in this book might be extremely disturbing for smaller children.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
March 5, 2025
This rating is for the edition translated by Anthea Bell and illustrated by Sergei Goloshapov.
September 25, 2019
When a king's son hears of a beautiful princess whose enchantress mother sets every one of her daughter's prospective suitors an impossible task, and then executes them when they fail to perform it, nothing will satisfy him but to set out to win her himself. Encountering six unusual men along his journey, each with an unexpected skill - one can hear everything in the world; another can withstand any extreme of temperature, hot or cold; a third can shatter any object, just by looking at it - the prince engages them as servants, finding their aid invaluable in his quest to win his chosen bride...
Listed as tale-type #1513 ("The Extraordinary Companions"), or, more specifically, #1513A ("Six Go through the Whole World"), in the Aarne-Thompson folktale classification system, this basic story can be found in many folk traditions, the world over. In Russia, it is known as The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship , in Mexico, as The Riddle of the Drum . The German variant, recorded by the Brothers Grimm as Die Sechs Diener, is presented here as a picture-book, and the results are quite compelling. Russian-born artist Sergei Goloshapov's artwork is dark, with a sinister, brooding quality that suits the tale. The book itself is unusually tall, ensuring that it stands out, both on the shelf, and in the memory. I can't say that this is a "pretty" book, but for those fairy-tale fans who like stories and illustrations with a bit of an edge (the prince makes sure the princess suffers for him as well, at the end), The Six Servants will have great appeal.
Listed as tale-type #1513 ("The Extraordinary Companions"), or, more specifically, #1513A ("Six Go through the Whole World"), in the Aarne-Thompson folktale classification system, this basic story can be found in many folk traditions, the world over. In Russia, it is known as The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship , in Mexico, as The Riddle of the Drum . The German variant, recorded by the Brothers Grimm as Die Sechs Diener, is presented here as a picture-book, and the results are quite compelling. Russian-born artist Sergei Goloshapov's artwork is dark, with a sinister, brooding quality that suits the tale. The book itself is unusually tall, ensuring that it stands out, both on the shelf, and in the memory. I can't say that this is a "pretty" book, but for those fairy-tale fans who like stories and illustrations with a bit of an edge (the prince makes sure the princess suffers for him as well, at the end), The Six Servants will have great appeal.
October 14, 2018
Πολύ ωραίο για μεγάλους, πραγματικό έργο τέχνης η κάθε σελίδα. Νομίζω, όμως, ότι δεν θα το έδινα σ' ένα μικρό παιδί.
March 16, 2024
Jacob Grimm, alongside his brother Wilhelm, is renowned for compiling "Grimm's Fairy Tales," a collection of German folktales. This book is a captivating journey into the heart of folklore, presenting a mixture of enchanting and sometimes dark stories that have fascinated readers for generations. Grimm's work is not just a mere collection of tales; it's a profound exploration of the human condition, morals, and the cultural heritage of Germany. The stories range from the well-loved "Cinderella" and "Snow White" to the less known but equally intriguing tales. Each story is a masterpiece of fantasy, imbued with timeless themes and moral lessons, making this book a valuable treasure for both young and adult readers. Jacob Grimm's contribution through this compilation has left an indelible mark on literature and continues to inspire the imagination of readers worldwide.
March 10, 2025
I've read variations on this tale (which actually has elements of a couple of different stories). Here, a prince decides to try his luck in winning the hand of a lovely princess, despite the obstacles: three tasks set by the queen. On his way, he encounters six men with special talents — one for eating and drinking, one for exceptional hearing, one for extraordinary eyesight and so on. These six help the prince overcome all obstacles put to him. But the prince himself takes care of the final hurdle — the mind of the princess being poisoned against him. It's an entertaining tale but another story which makes me wonder if the Brothers started mixing and mashing stories together to create new tales for more coin.
July 6, 2024
FULL REVIEW ON MY WEBSITE
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.
It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.
The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.
The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which but it also felt like there was something missing.
https://thebookcornerchronicles.com/2...
The original tale is much better but also darker then the version kids see.
It is different but not that different from what you might remember from first hearing this tale as a kid.
The plot here are very good but also dark which is the mix which I personally like a lot.
The writing style here was very old and you could feel the vibe of old the Europe which but it also felt like there was something missing.
August 13, 2022
What in God’s name did I just read? I picked this up at my local bookstore while waiting for my food from the Chinese place next door because the illustrations were so unique looking. A fun little fairy tale with dark echoes, I’m not the princess deserved a happy ending but ah well it’s a fairy tale!
August 2, 2018
Wonderful!! I really enjoy this story and the illustrations were completely inspiring! Another instant favorite!
February 16, 2019
A good story of the trials a prince went through to get a wife and then the trials she had to endure.
June 10, 2021
This reminded me a lot of norwegian fairytales! All those helpers with their special abilities to complete the tasks. I keep having to try to look past that princesses are always just a prize though.
February 6, 2025
Beautifully illustrated
April 24, 2013
Although it is a children's book, the writing is very detailed. The pictures are very well drawn, and the moral of this story is very good. I have bought my own copy, and my own children will read it someday.
April 10, 2015
Surreal illustrations. There are better tellings of this tale.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews