History Literature / TheBremenTownMusicians

The Brothers Grimm's tale can be read in the [[https://web.archive.org/web/20170707184507/http://surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/27brementown.html SurLaLune site]], [[https://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm_fairy-tales/the_bremen_town_musicians here]], [[https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm027.html here]] and in the [[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_16 Project Gutenberg]].

* AcceptableTargets: It's a good thing they could tell the cottage was a robbers' hideout. The story would be different if they were just scaring people out of their house.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: A band of elderly farm animals escape being put to death and try to become traveling musicians; on their way to Bremen, they accidentally scare off a gang of bandits.
* TheRunaway: All main characters, except for the rooster (who was convinced by the team to escape his farm), have run from their homes.

"The Bremen Town Musicians" (''Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten'') is a German folk story about a group of animals who decide to run away and form a musical troupe in the town of Bremen. However, during their trip, they decide to spend a night in a cottage that belongs to a group of robbers. The animals scare the robbers away with their "singing" and settle themselves into the cottage. When a robber returns later, they also repel him, mostly because of his own superstitious fears. The animals decide to remain at the cottage, and live happily ever after.

"The Bremen Town Musicians" (''Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten'') is a German folk story about a group of animals who decide to run away and form a musical troupe. Unfortunately, although they don't realize it, their singing is beyond awful, and their first "concert" scares away its audience: a group of robbers stationed in a cottage. The animals settle into the cottage, and when the robbers return by night, again repel them, mostly because of the robbers' own superstitious fears. The animals decide to remain at the cottage, and live happily ever after.

* AccidentalHero: The whole band never realizes they're up against "bad guys"; they repel them more or less by accident.

* DreadfulMusician: Considering that the musicians' only performance convinces the audience (of robbers) that they're DemonLordsAndArchdevils, they presumably qualify.

* TheRunaway: All main characters have run from their homes.

** The Brazilian adaptation of the play by Chico Buarque, ''Os Saltimbancos''.

* Alluded to in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' by the Bremen's Mask, which is used to play a flute that makes animals follow Link.
* There is also a manga called ''{{Bremen}}'', which is about a rock group in Japan who name themselves from this story. A small allusion to the animal motifs exist in the manga.
* The four protagonists were playable characters in ''VideoGame/GrimmsNotes'', where they were given [[HumanityEnsues humanoid forms]], and also [[NamedByTheAdaptation names]] (Hahn the rooster, Katze the cat, Hund the dog, and Esel the donkey).
* Alluded to in ''Series/KamenRiderSaber'' with the ''Bremen no Rock Band'' Wonder Ride Book, which serves as a secondary WRB for Kamen Rider Slash.
* In the Anime, ''Manga/BlackClover'', Nacht Faust, a wizard of [[CastingAShadow Shadow Magic]], is the devil host of four devils that are references of the story: Canis (dog), Equus (donkey), Felis (cat), and Gallus (rooster).

* In ""Manga/BlackClover'', Nacht Faust, a wizard of [[CastingAShadow Shadow Magic]], is the devil host of four devils that are references of the story: Canis (dog), Equus (donkey), Felis (cat), and Gallus (rooster).

* DudeWheresMyRespect: The animals spent their lives working hard for their respective owners just to be shunned (donkey) or threatened to death when they became old and weak. The Rooster still could sing, but his mistress wanted to have him cooked for dinner anyway.

%%* CluckingFunny: The rooster.

* DudeWhereIsMyRespect: The animals spent their lives working hard for their respective owners just to be shunned (donkey) or threatened to death when they became old and weak. The Rooster still could sing, but his mistress wanted to have him cooked for dinner anyway.

[[quoteright:248:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brementown248.jpg]]

* HaveAGayOldTime: Ah, the classic story about the ass, the bitch, the pussy, and the cock....

* InterspeciesFriendship: A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster form a happy company (or, in ''The Wandering Animals'' version, a dog, a cat, a rooster, a fox, an ox and a horse) form a happy company.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: A band of elderly farm animals escape being put to death and try to become travelling musicians; on their way to Bremen, they accidentally scare off a gang of bandits.

* ALoadOfBull: In one of the versions, an ox joins the group.

* UngratefulBastard: The reason why the animals all run away is because their asshole owners planned to kill them now that they're old and no longer able to do their jobs.

Franz Xaver von Schönwerth collected a different version in his ''From the Upper Palatinate. Customs and Sayings'' book called ''The Wandering Animals'' (German: ''Die Wandernden Tiere''). Among other differences, the group of animals were made up for a dog, a cat, a rooster, a fox, an ox and a horse.

The story is short and lighthearted, more a folktale than a FairyTale. It was collected by Creator/TheBrothersGrimm and included in their ''Children's and Household Tales''. Franz Xaver von Schönwerth collected a different version in his ''From the Upper Palatinate. Customs and Sayings'' book called ''The Wandering Animals'' (German: ''Die Wandernden Tiere''). Among other differences, the group of animals were made up for a dog, a cat, a rooster, a fox, an ox and a horse.

The Brothers Grimm's tale can be read in the[[https://web.archive.org/web/20170707184507/http://surlalunefairytales.com/authors/grimms/27brementown.html SurLaLune site]], [[https://www.grimmstories.com/en/grimm_fairy-tales/the_bremen_town_musicians here]], [[https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm027.html here]] and in the [[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/52521/52521-h/52521-h.htm#hdr_16 Project Gutenberg]].

%%* RagtagBunchOfMisfits
%%* TheRunaway: All four main characters.