The Brothers Grimm Jacob (17851863) and Wilhelm (17861859) were a brother duo of German academics philologists cultural researchers lexicographers and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the best-known storytellers of folk tales popularizing stories such as "Cinderella" "The Frog Prince" "Hansel and Gretel" "Little Red Riding Hood" "Rapunzel" "Sleeping Beauty" and "Snow White".  

The Brothers Grimm spent their formative years in the town of Hanau in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. Their father's death in 1796 (when Jacob was eleven and Wilhelm was ten) caused great poverty for the family and affected the brothers many years after. Both brothers attended the University of Marburg where they developed a curiosity about German folklore which grew into a lifelong dedication to collecting German folk tales.