The Grimm Brothers rediscovered a host of fairy tales, telling of princes and princesses in their castles, witches in their towers and forests, of giants and dwarfs, of fabulous animals and dark deeds. Together with the well-known tales of Rapunzel, The Goose-Girl, Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White, there are the darker tales such as Death's Messengers which deserve to be better known, and which will appeal not only to all who are interested in the history of folklore, but also to all those who simply love good storytelling. The two brothers wished to preserve their German folklore in a collection of tales that they believed had been handed down for generations. In the beginning they had just 86 stories about the difficult life of European peasantry, but they ended up with over 200 tales. As time passed, the Grimm Brothers found that their collection of fairy tales, with all of its royalty, magical creatures, and brave adventures, entranced those who read them.