Jacob Grimm
A Fairy Tale
Once upon a time in a land far away, two brothers were born. Jacob Grimm was the oldest of the famous Brothers Grimm who collected, adapted, and published fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, The Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, and many others.
“Nearly all my labors have been devoted, either directly or indirectly, to the investigation of our earlier language, poetry and laws. These studies may have appeared to many, and may still appear, useless; to me they have always seemed a noble and earnest task, definitely and inseparably connected with our common fatherland, and calculated to foster the love of it. My principle has always been in these investigations to under-value nothing, but to utilize the small for the illustration of the great, the popular tradition for the elucidation of the written monuments.” – Jacob Grimm
Antiscia Bread Crumbs
The Sun, oftentimes pointing to a person’s life’s work, is closely connected to Mars by antiscia. The 4th house, or the Subterranean Place, is associated with our roots and ancestors. In the sign of the eternal seeker, Jupiter, methodically piercing Mars is digging deep to find the treasure trove of his ancestral past. Jacob believes the history of the Teutonic tribes is hidden in the words of the German language.
Mars rules the 3rd house which represents traditional practices or cultural customs. His secretive conjunction with the Sun appropriately depicts the mysterious nature of understanding the past indirectly through the system of language.
“Many questions that he raised remain obscure due to the lack of surviving records of the languages” – Wikipedia
Although language is associated with Mercury, Grimm’s work encompasses the system of language; an organic group of interrelated elements following certain rules. That means we’re far into the domain of Jupiter, traditionally understood as the god of law and unity. He came up with a set of sound laws, coined as “Grimm’s Law”. As a linguist, he created a comparative methodology with historical impact.
In Mars’s role as the ruler of the 3rd house of siblings, the antiscion with the Sun solidifies the close professional bond Jacob had with his brother Wilhelm. They shared the same house throughout their entire lives, even after Wilhelm got married and had kids. Saturn in the 5th house hints at raising other people’s children.
"They both live in the same house, and in such harmony and community that one might almost imagine the children were common property." - Richard Cleasby
The 8th house of death is also ruled by Mars, pointing to the death of three siblings when still in their infancy.
His father’s death had a great impact on his professional career. Philipp Grimm was a lawyer and died of pneumonia when Jacob was only 11 years old. It plunged the family of 9 children into poverty. Luna, in the last degrees of Libra, brings a changeable quality to the 2nd house of money and is about to enter Scorpio where she finds her fall. This indicates an important turning point, or a decrease of the fortune the Moon brings to the 2nd house topics. Additionally, malefic Saturn, in his role as the Moon’s exaltation lord, signals potential setbacks in that area.
Jupiter in Pisces as the strong and well-dignified ruler of the 4th house of home and family indicates Jacob initially grew up in a very comfortable family home. Jacob was in a 12th house profection year when his father died, so his Sun was activated as a Time Lord. The Sun is the natural significator of the father and in the solar return chart, it’s located in the 8th house of death. Copresent with the South Node, the theme of loss and letting go is emphasized. Note that malefic planet Saturn is very strong because of its placement in the 1st house.
The Moon is ruling the 2nd house of the solar return chart. She’s located in Scorpio, the sign of her fall, in the 6th house of endless toil. This signature reminds me of the natal promise where the 2nd house Moon’s fall into Scorpio is imminent and this specific natal dynamic was indeed activated and prominent since the solar return Moon is closely connected to the MC by square.
The Responsible Prince
As often shown by planets in Capricorn in the 5th house, certainly when Saturn is directly involved, the burden of responsibility weighs heavily on the native’s childhood. Following in his father’s footsteps, Jacob studied law. When his mother died in 1808, he was the eldest surviving son. At age 23 he suddenly had to support his siblings. This obligation is underlined by Saturn making an exact trine to the degree of the ascendant.
First house ruler Mercury in Saturn’s sign in the 6th house of “endless toil” adds another testimony to the same theme of daily grind and hardship. Jacob’s 10th house of career and reputation is marked by this talented Aquarian Mercury. Unhindered by the beams of the Sun and informed by his host Saturn’s modesty and determination, Jacob worked all day, every day.
Thanks to Venus’s helpful copresence the hard work happens with relative ease. Ruling the second house and adhering to the lunar North Node, Venus adds fuel to Jacob’s desire to fulfill his financial obligations. Forced to live a frugal life when young, Jacob couldn’t stand the eagerly demonstrated poshness by his social circle later in life.
“How often when we are comfortable, we begin to long for something new! ” ― Jacob Grimm
1808 is the year Jacob went through his second 12th house profection year. The first time, his father died; now his mother. This time, the Moon, as the natural significator is in the solar return 12th house, in Aries. In the natal chart, Aries is in the 8th house of death.
Venus, Jacob’s significator of money is exiled in Scorpio, which is the natal 3rd house. This connects material resources to siblings. Venus is copresent with Saturn, indicating responsibility and commitment. Saturn makes an aspect to the solar return IC in the 3rd house of siblings. In the angular 7th house, this duo speak loudly, and through a superior square to Jupiter and Mars in the 10th house, their needs clearly put a lot of pressure on Jacob’s work.
“The true poet, is like a man who's happy anywhere, in endless measure, if he's allowed to look at leaves and grass, to see the sun rise and set.” ― Jacob Grimm
A Translation of Light and Love
On her journey from Libra to Scorpio, the Moon, natural signifier of the native’s mother, translates the light from Saturn to Mercury, symbolizing the transmission of responsibility (Saturn) to Jacob (Mercury is the Helm ruler). Scholars have mentioned that mother Dorothea may have influenced Jacob and Wilhelm’s high and “sacred” esteem of motherhood. So much so, that they decided to change the maternal villain character to a wicked stepmother instead of a biological mother in their later versions of Snow White and Hansel and Gretel.
Gifts From the Fairy Godmother
The Greater Benefic Jupiter, in the 7th house where Jacob meets other people, is the exaltation ruler of Cancer in the 11th house. With Jupiter’s strong position in an angular house and in his domicile Pisces, we can imagine Jacob to receive support from influential people. One of them was Friedrich Carl von Savigny who awakened Jacob’s love for historical and antiquarian investigation which was to become the foundation of all his work.
True to the fluctuating 11th house ruler, there were disruptions in the help he received because his career depended on political support, again a Jupiterian denotation.
And They Lived Happily Ever After
The brothers were inseparable until Wilhelm’s death. Jacob was 74 at the time, in a 3rd house profection year. Time Lord by profection and ruler of the natal 3rd house of siblings, Mars, is located just below horizon, symbolically dropping out of sight. The loss at home is felt strongly with ruler of the 4th, Jupiter, exiled at the top of the solar return chart.
“Love is like death, it must come to us all, but to each his own unique way and time, sometimes it will be avoided, but never can it be cheated, and never will it be forgotten.” ― Grimm
Thank you for reading this chart exploration. Please leave questions and comments below!