The Brothers Grimm were German scholars and folklorists, known for their collection of fairy tales. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their first volume of stories in 1812, which included famous tales like Cinderella, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel. Their work aimed to preserve traditional German folklore and culture. In addition to their fairy tales, the Grimm Brothers were also linguists and contributed to the study of the German language. They developed the Grimm's Law, which describes systematic phonetic changes in the evolution of Germanic languages. Their legacy continues to influence literature and popular culture today.