The Three Little Men in the Wood
The father who remarries and is initially hesitant about the marriage.
Hänsel and Grethel
The stepmother who convinces the father to abandon the children; she dies by the story's end.
Cinderella
Cinderella's father, who remarries and brings the stepmother and stepsisters into the household.
The Girl Without Hands
The miller who promises his daughter to the devil out of greed and fear.
Thumbling
One of the two strangers who buy Thumbling from his father, hoping to exhibit him for money.
First Story
The shoemaker who becomes wealthy through the help of the little men.
Godfather Death
Implied as the king who is healed and later the father of the princess.
Thumbling as Journeyman
The king whose treasure chamber is robbed by Thumbling and the band of robbers.
The Juniper-Tree
The father of the boy and Marlinchen, who unknowingly eats his son's flesh and later receives a golden chain from the bird.
The Two Brothers
The goldsmith uncle; envious and hard-hearted, he convinces the father to abandon the twins.
The Little Peasant
The miller who is deceived by the peasant's soothsayer trick.
Hans in Luck
The horseman who exchanges his horse for Hans's gold.
Hans Married
The covetous father of the bride who agrees to the marriage based on the uncle's deceptive claims.
The Gold-Children
The father of the bride who initially opposes the marriage but later relents after seeing the gold-child's true form.
The Poor Man and the Rich Man
Refuses lodging to the Lord, then greedily seeks wishes but squanders them through impatience and selfishness.
The King of the Golden Mountain
The merchant father who makes the fateful promise to the black dwarf.
The Three Little Birds
The fisherman who rescues the three children from the river and raises them.
The Spirit in the Bottle
The father of the boy, a poor woodcutter who toils to support his son's education and later works alongside him in the forest.
Wise Folks
The buyer who takes two cows without paying, leaving one as security.
Hans the Hedgehog
Hans's father, a wealthy peasant who initially wishes for a child and later tries to get rid of Hans.
The Jew Among Thorns
The miserly master who underpays his servant with three farthings for three years of work.
The Skilful Huntsman
The old King who tests the princess and later arranges the marriage to the huntsman.
The Bright Sun Brings It to Light
The victim of the murder, whose dying words prophesy the revelation of the crime.
The Three Army-Surgeons
A rich man counting money in an inn, whose money is stolen by the surgeon with the thief's hand.
The Three Apprentices
A wealthy merchant who entrusts his money to the innkeeper and is murdered by the host and his wife for his gold.
The Iron Stove
The old king, father of the princess, who initially tries to substitute other maidens to avoid sending his daughter.
The White Bride and the Black One
The wicked stepmother who curses her stepdaughter, orchestrates the deception, and is ultimately punished by being stripped and placed in a nail-studded barrel.
Simeli Mountain
The envious rich brother who tricks the poor brother, goes to the mountain, forgets the name, and is killed by the robbers.
The Turnip
The envious rich brother who plots to kill his sibling after receiving only the turnip as a gift.
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Appears as the dwarf, a greedy and rude creature who hoards treasure and is ultimately killed by the bear.
Strong Hans
The father of the princess, who rewards Hans after the rescue.
The Peasant in Heaven
A very rich lord who is admitted to heaven with rejoicing, an event that occurs only once in a hundred years.
The Hut in the Forest
The woodcutter, father of the three daughters, who sends them with food into the forest.
The Nix of the Millpond
The miller, who initially lives in prosperity, then falls into poverty, and later regains wealth through his promise to the nix.
The Poor Boy in the Grave
The cruel farmer who starves and beats the boy, and whose house burns down after the boy's death.
The Hare and the Hedgehog
The hare, a haughty and arrogant character who underestimates the hedgehog.
The Spindle, the Shuttle, and the Needle
The rich girl in the village who is named as the richest, but is not chosen by the prince.
The Master-Thief
The count, godfather to the master-thief, who sets three difficult tasks to test his thieving skills.
The Grave-Mound
A wealthy but hard-hearted farmer who, moved by a moment of mercy, gives corn to a poor neighbor in exchange for a promise to watch his grave.
Maid Maleen
The ugly bride who forces Maid Maleen to take her place at the wedding.
The Boots of Buffalo-Leather
Leader of the robbers who is astonished by the soldier's fearlessness.
St. Joseph in the Forest
The eldest daughter, rude and greedy, who refuses to share and is punished with a second nose.
God’s Food
The rich, childless sister who refuses to help and drives the poor widow away.
