Jacob Grimm

• 1. Childhood In Hanau

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  Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm entered the world on the 4th of January 1785 in Hanau, Hesse-Kassel. His father Philipp worked as a lawyer but died while Jacob was still a child. The family income shrank to a very small amount after his death. Dorothea Grimm managed the household with help from her sister who served as lady of the chamber to the Landgravine of Hesse. This relative provided support and education for the children. Jacob attended public school at Kassel starting in 1798 alongside his younger brother Wilhelm.

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• 2. Marburg And Savigny

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  In 1802 Jacob enrolled at the University of Marburg to study law as his father had intended. Wilhelm joined him there one year later after recovering from a severe illness. Both brothers began their legal studies together during this period. Friedrich Carl von Savigny delivered lectures that deeply inspired Jacob. Savigny was an expert in Roman law whose teaching awakened Jacob's love for historical investigation. The preface to Deutsche Grammatik credits Savigny with giving the brothers awareness of science. Jacob first encountered Bodmer's edition of Middle High German minnesingers within Savigny's library. This exposure created a desire to study the language of these early texts. He traveled to Paris in early 1805 to assist Savigny with literary work. There he strengthened his appreciation for medieval literature before returning home.

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• 3. Library Service Years

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  After his mother died in 1808 Jacob became superintendent of Jérôme Bonaparte's private library. Hesse-Kassel had been incorporated into Westphalia by Napoleon at that time. His salary rose to 4000 francs while official duties remained nominal. In 1813 he served as Secretary of Legation accompanying the Hessian minister to allied army headquarters. He traveled to Paris again in 1814 to demand restitution of books taken by French forces. Grimm attended the Congress of Vienna as Secretary of Legation between 1814 and 1815. He returned to Kassel where Wilhelm worked at the local library. Jacob became second librarian under Volkel in 1816. When Volkel died in 1828 both brothers expected promotion but received none. Rommel instead became keeper of the archives. They moved to Göttingen University the following year where Jacob held professorship and librarianship roles.

• 4. Grimm's Law Formulation

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  Jacob published the first part of Deutsche Grammatik in 1819 containing inflections for multiple languages. The second edition appeared in 1822 with a new volume addressing phonology across 600 pages. This work established rigorous adherence to laws of sound change throughout his investigations. Rasmus Christian Rask influenced Grimm significantly through Icelandic paradigms used in early editions. Rask was two years younger than Grimm yet provided foundational grammar for Old English. In the first edition Grimm declined dæg, dæges, plural dægas without observing vowel-change rules pointed out by Rask. The correct plural form is dagas. The appearance of Rask's Old English grammar likely prompted Grimm to recast his entire work from scratch. Grimm later stated that all philology must be based on these sound laws. He never deviated from this principle after establishing it. His comprehensive generalizations extended beyond isolated permutations described by predecessors like Friedrich von Schlegel or Johan Ihre. The extension of the law to High German remained entirely Grimm's contribution to linguistics.

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• 5. Folklore Collection Process

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  The brothers published Kinder- und Hausmärchen between 1812 and 1815 as their first major folklore collection. They gathered tales partly from oral sources and partly from manuscripts and books. Deutsche Sagen followed as a two-volume collection of legends released between 1816 and 1818. Jacob also edited Reinhart Fuchs in 1834 focusing on satirical beast epics from medieval times. Their first mythology volume appeared in 1815 containing Eddaic songs but no further works followed immediately. Deutsche Mythologie emerged in 1835 covering the full range of Teutonic superstitions and traditions. This work traced mythology back to direct evidence while following its evolution into modern popular expressions. Jacob described his approach as utilizing small details for illustrating great concepts within written monuments. He believed such studies fostered love for the fatherland despite appearing useless to many observers.

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• 6. Göttingen Seven Protest

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  Jacob joined five other academics known collectively as the Göttingen Seven in 1837. They signed a protest against King of Hanover's abrogation of the liberal constitution established years prior. As punishment Grimm was dismissed from his professorship and banished from the Kingdom of Hanover. Wilhelm had also signed the protest so both brothers returned to Kassel together. They remained there until 1840 when accepting an invitation from King Frederick William IV moved them to Berlin. Both received professorships at University of Berlin and were elected members of Academy of Sciences. Grimm seldom lectured during this period spending time instead working with his brother on their dictionary project. He regularly attended academy meetings reading papers on subjects including Karl Lachmann, Friedrich Schiller, old age, and language origins. His dismissal stemmed directly from political disagreement rather than academic failure or misconduct.

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• 7. Dictionary Project Scope

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  The Deutsches Wörterbuch began work in 1838 with initial publication occurring in 1854. Brothers anticipated completion within ten years across six to seven volumes total. The actual scale proved impossible for them to finish despite their efforts. Jacob described portions of his contribution as disconnected antiquarian essays of high value. Subsequent scholars completed the final volume in 1961 followed by supplementation in 1971. The finished dictionary contains thirty-three volumes covering approximately three hundred thousand headwords. It remains a standard reference work today despite being centuries old. A current update project exists at Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Volumes A through F were planned for completion by 2012 under Language Research Centre supervision. Grimm died before seeing any part of the dictionary fully realized beyond its early stages.