<P> The Grimms considered the tales to have origins in traditional Germanic folklore, which they thought had been "contaminated" by later literary tradition . In the shift from the oral tradition to the printed book, tales were translated from regional dialects to Standard German (Hochdeutsch or High German). Over the course of the many modifications and revisions, however, the Grimms sought to reintroduce regionalisms, dialects, and Low German to the tales--to re-introduce the language of the original form of the oral tale . </P> <P> As early as 1812, they published Die beiden ältesten deutschen Gedichte aus dem achten Jahrhundert: Das Lied von Hildebrand und Hadubrand und das Weißenbrunner Gebet (The Two Oldest German Poems of the Eighth Century: The Song of Hildebrand and Hadubrand and the Wessobrunn Prayer). The Song of Hildebrand and Hadubrand is a 9th - century German heroic song, while the Wessobrunn Prayer is the earliest known German heroic song . </P> <P> Between 1816 and 1818, the brothers published a two - volume work titled Deutsche Sagen (German Legends) consisting of 585 German legends . Jacob undertook most of the work of collecting and editing the legends that he organized according to region and historical (ancient) legends, and which were about real people or events . It was meant to be a scholarly work, yet the historical legends were often taken from secondary sources, interpreted, modified, and rewritten, resulting in works "that were regarded as trademarks". Some scholars criticized the Grimm's methodology in collecting and rewriting the legends, yet conceptually they set an example for legend collections that was to be followed by others throughout Europe . Unlike the collection of folk tales, Deutsche Sagen sold poorly, but Zipes says that the collection is a "vital source for folklorists and critics alike". </P> <P> Less well known in the English - speaking world is the brothers' pioneering scholarly work on a German dictionary, the Deutsches Wörterbuch, which they began in 1838 . Not until 1852 did they begin publishing the dictionary in installments . The work on the dictionary could not be finished in their lifetime because in it they gave a history and analysis of each word . </P>

Are there any living descendants of the brothers grimm