The Juniper-Tree

by Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm

The Juniper Tree is a German fairy tale that contains themes of child abuse, murder and cannibalism and is one of the Brothers Grimm's darker and more mature fairy tales. In it, a boy is murdered and made into a stew by his evil stepmother, who buries his bones beneath a juniper tree outside their house. The boy is reincarnated as a bird who flies forth from the tree and enlists the townspeople to help him exact revenge. It is thought that the Grimm version of this tale was adapted from painter Philipp Otto Runge’s “The Almond Tree”.

Genres: Classics, Horror, Fiction, Childrens, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

14 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2017

About the author

German 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.

Reviews

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t care what anyone says this story was 100% a horror story for me. It was wild. It was brutal. I learned a catchy new song and also how to salt up my meals if I ever run out of salt.

I think I need to read more of these unedited “fairytales” in 2023.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahh the brothers Grimm. Scarring young children since the early 1800s😂.
With being Grimm by name Grim by nature each story never fails to make me wonder how a child ever slept properly afterwards.

This gem in particular is so magically tragic it's hard not to laugh out of sheer nervousness. Imagine being read this story. It's a good old hard life lesson! Victorian style. No messing and placing the fear of being well behaved right into any child, who dares to step a foot in the wrong direction lol.

Well done Grimms at nearly 40...it still works for me👍

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

داستان چهل و هفتم از هم‌خوانی برادران گریم.
وقتی میگم گریم ها با کنیبالیسم خیلی اوکی بودن از چی حرف میزنم.
اصلا بی هیچ دلیل منطقی‌ای، با توجیه بیخودی گرفت از جنازه پسره خورش درست کرد خوردن دور همدیگه.
البته کلا همه چیز این داستان عجیب بود.

[mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

men will literally write stories like these instead of going to therapy..

[~:The N:~]

No fairy. Just child abuse, murder, decapitation, and cannibalism.

[Kylie Crawford]

A spooky little horror story wrapped like a fairytale. It’s so short i’m not even sure how to rate it, but it certainly chilled me to my bones and then ended on a rather light note. Interested to read the reinterpretation of this fairytale.

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised by this one.

I wanted to read it because of an odd fascination with the title (who doesn't like a juniper tree?). It enticed me, and, like countless fish, I bit the baited hook; unlike them, however, I am happier for it.

This is one of the darkest Grimm fairytales, although it still ends happily. It details a gruesome murder, unintentional cannibalism, and child abuse before getting there. I didn't expect a fairy tale to have such content, let alone one written for children at any point in history.

Still, it is quite a fun read, just probably not for the use of teaching children.

[Shivam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This tale literally gave me chills. Purely horrific like you could actually can’t bare the fact even this could be happening with such a twisted story to this normal title.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Read as a precursor to Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid

Things get dark oh-so quickly in this rather short and chilling fairytale about death, child abuse, murder (including decapitation), cannibalism, and revenge. Yep, this one pretty much has it all! While the tale was a deeply disturbing look at human greed, I did enjoy it, but felt the abrupt ending dropped it down a star as it left a few loose ends that needed tying. I’m hoping Ava Reid’s retelling of this tale will satisfy my desire for a more thorough ending.

[Wiktoria Badora]

this was a ride lmao

[Laya]

I can see why this Grimm tale hasn't been turned into a Disney movie....

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy crap, this is horrific. People actually read these to children?

[Everything Bookish Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a fun and quick read. Glad to have read the original tale. It was super dark but I loved it.

[Scopic · Rating 2 out of 5]

3/10

Read for Child Psychology class. I'd heard that the Grimm tales were more gruesome than Disney depicted but damn! Almost bust out laughing when the kid got beheaded out of nowhere. Whole thing felt nonsensical at times.

[Genevieve · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was kind of boring and went on way to long.

[☀️Mehraveh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I shouldn't have listened to this with a fever...

[duda · Rating 5 out of 5]

muita maluquice… adorei

[Divia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a disturbing story but it was one of the best Grimm fairy tales, I think.

The wicked stepmother shows up again but she's not terrorising her stepdaughter. No, this time she has a stepson. She doesn't even care very much for her own child, especially after being possessed by that evil spirit. She kills the boy and sews his head onto his body and has her daughter knock the head off and discover the boy is dead. Who does that?

Just when you think this story could not get more bizarre the woman cooks the boy and feeds it to his father. Cannibalism at its finest!

It's a good thing that the girl takes her brother's bones outside by the juniper-tree. That tree is where the magic happens. The boy turns into a beautiful bird and sings to a bunch of people who give him things because he told them flatly that he would not sing for free. He then rewards his father and sister and kills his stepmother.

The boy takes human form again and nobody cares that the stepmother is dead even though the father never seemed to know what happened to the boy. There was no indication that he knew that the bird was his son and that his wife killed him. The bird killed his wife and he does not care. The girl spent most of the story weeping for her brother and seems to have spent all of her tears on him because she does not shed a single tear for her mother.

I know the woman was wicked but you'd think they would address that. People feel more than just happy and sad. She could have mixed feelings. But then again, the Grimms never really wrote much of that anyway.

[Delia Kerr-Dennhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

With elements similar to and darker than “Snow White,” “The Juniper Tree” is a good read for fairytale lovers.

[Sukriti · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning threw me because it starts out so similarly to Snow White. However, instead of a white and red girl, this concerns a boy. The mother of this little boy dies shortly after he is born. The father remarries and the second wife has a daughter. Unlike most step-sibling relationships, the boy and girl actually are fond of each other. But, like in every story I've read in fairy tales, the stepmother despises the boy and eventually kills him. Eventually, the truth comes out through a beautiful bird with a lovely song and a sad story.

[JavaBookEnds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another short Grimm tale to terrorize and bewilder the reader while never to be confused with a Disney fairytale! This story is dark and grotesque touching upon such issues as blood, death, abuse, hatred, murder, cannibalism, and magical fantasy. We also see reoccurring themes of the clueless and uninvolved father, deceased biological mother, and evil stepmom along with greed, and jealousy. But don’t despair! Karma comes along and all is well in the end. And that cannot be said for many Grimm’s fairytales.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5, this book reminds me of Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know which was a childhood favorite. This is horribly messy and brutal. I loved it.

[•Sincere Nanako• · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this when I was like 8 or 9 years old. This Grimm fairy tale is gruesome, cannibalism, murder and child abuse. When the boy was reincarnated into a bird and started singing, it gave me the chills ngl.

[Mitticus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woa. Lil horror tale best for All Hallow Eve-

[PhunLe · Rating 3 out of 5]

đù:))) ý là bị tò mò nên tìm thử có truyện cổ tích trên này không ai dè nó có thật
đúng là người Đức có khác truyện cổ tích nó khác bọt vch :))) ủa rồi là truyện kinh dị trá hình à các bro Grimm ? but somehow i like these kind of shits 🐧

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread it because I heard a song based on it. Gave me chills just like the first time I read it.

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LIKED IT BUT WAY TOO FUCKED UP

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

wtf

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another revenge story. What goes around, comes around.