In wake of Supernatural’s popularity, which focused on humans fighting monsters from different mythologies, many similar shows came out in the following years such as Grimm. As the title implies, the show revolved around creatures based on stories from the Grimms’ Fairy Tales book.
Collectively called Wesen, they are the target of special hunters referred to as Grimms, which the show’s main character Nick Burkhardt is descended from. While some of the Wesen featured in Grimm were genuinely scary, others weren’t by comparison. In fact, whether they were meant to be scary or not, some were actually kind of cute.
Scary - Hexenbiest
Debuting in the pilot episode of Grimm, Hexenbiests are the female counterpart to Zauberbiests. Together, they’re the show’s equivalent to witches and warlocks respectively. Like other Wesen, though, they have a true form that appears when they ‘woge’ or react instinctively under the sense of feeling threatened or excited.
While both resemble corpses in their true form, a Hexenbiest is arguably scarier in terms of appearance. Because whereas a Zauberbiest’s face only decays in some parts, the whole face becomes decayed for a Hexenbiest. Plus, with different abilities on their side including magic and potions, they are not the type of Wesen one would want to mess with.
Cute - Seltenvogel
Among the bird-like Wesen that exist, Seltenvogels are considerably cuter than most. This is not only due to their golden plumage, which is pretty to look at, but also the tiny beaks they sport in their true form as seen with Robin Steinkellner in the episode “The Thing with Feathers.”
Sadly, their beauty comes with tragedy, as they produce Unbezahlbar (a gold-like stone) in their throats which could kill them if it’s not removed properly. They are also incredibly rare, which ties into the inspiration behind the Seltenvogel concept-wise. Namely, the Aesop Fable “The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs” where a farmer kills a goose that lays golden eggs thinking there’s actual gold inside of it.
Scary - Musasat Alsh-Shabab
For those who wanted to see a humanized version of the flesh-eating scarab beetles from The Mummy (1999) combined with a Predator-like face, the Musasat Alsh-Shabab is it. Appearing in the Grimm episode “Skin Deep,” they essentially suck the youth out of drugged victims and regurgitate a substance called Yanbue.
In turn, the Yanbue can be used to restore a person’s youngness if applied to the skin. A Musasat Alsh-Shabab called Malcolm Caulfield sold the Yanbue as a cosmetic product to a clinic for profit. Though things didn’t turn out well for him, he did manage to put up a fight against Nick and his Wesen friend Monroe using the mandibles on his face as a weapon.
Cute - Balam
Though the premise of Grimm was based on the fairytales collected by the Brothers Grimm, the show used other kinds of fairytales and mythologies during its six seasons. For instance, the second season introduced the Balam Wesen in the episode “La Llorona,” which are panther-like in their appearance.
A dark-pelted variation of the jaguar, panthers appear in Native American mythology and there’s a Mesoamerican myth about a being called the Nagual. Described as both a guardian spirit that appears as an animal and a shapeshifter similar to a Skin-walker, one of the animals it appears as is the jaguar. Yet despite its intimidating appearance, the Balam looks unintentionally adorable with its dark fur and beautiful patterning.
Scary - Mellifer
Minus B-movie horror flicks such as Invasion of the Bee Girls, humanoid bees weren’t really a thing until Mellifers debuted in the first season Grimm episode “Beeware.” As their appearance suggests, they have bee-like features and behavior.
These include operating on a hive mind and being controlled by queen bees or Mellischwuler. They also have a poisonous toxin in their stingers which can kill a Hexenbiest, making them natural enemies of each other and therefore one of the scariest Wesen. However, unlike other Wesen, they are willing to aid Grimms with the exception of Nick as he allowed the queen of Portland, Oregon’s Mellifers to die.
Cute - Seelengut
In terms of behavior, some Wesen take after the creatures they resemble. For instance, the Seltenvogel is timid by nature which makes sense as it resembles a bird. Similarly, the sheep-like Seelenguter Wesen introduced in the Season 2 Grimm episode “The Good Shepherd” are skittish but brave when they’re part of a herd.
Yet even when they’re scared, an individual Seelengut is strikingly cute with its white wool and startled expression. Even their distinctly colored eyes are pretty, despite being rectangular like real sheep. Though particularly on the female Seelengut as they’re bright blue as opposed to males, which are hazel or brown.
Scary - Aswang
For centuries, vampires have held precedence as being one of the scariest monsters in the Western hemisphere. But they are nothing compared to the scariness of the Philippines own vampire-like monster known as the Aswang, which debuted in Grimm’s third season episode “Mommy Dearest.”
With the ability to take the form of an ordinary person by day and an intimidating animal by night, they are distinguished by their proboscis-like tongues. They are also known for eating unborn children, which the Aswang in Grimm feed on using their tongues as surgical tools. Appearance-wise, they resemble ghouls as opposed to their mythical counterparts.
Cute - Mauzhertz
Sometimes, a Wesen’s cuteness can derive from the animal or mythical creature they’re inspired by. One such example is the Seelengut with its sheep-like appearance. The same logic can arguably apply to Mauzhertz, which resemble mice with the signature big eyes small face and narrow front teeth.
Debuting in the Season 1 Grimm episode “Of Mouse and Man,” they are notably timid in the cowardly sense and thus avoid confrontations with Grimms. Granted, some exceptions exist, with the serial killer Martin Burgess being a prime example. But for the most part, they try to get along with every Wesen minus the snake-like Lausenschlange who are the Mauzhertz’s natural predators.
Scary - Hasenfussige Schnecke
Considered to be more cowardly than the Mauzhertz, Hasenfussige Schnecke are arguably the most hideously scary Wesen that appeared in Grimm. Based on the infamous Blobfish, this creature also has sharp teeth and glassy eyes to boot.
Despite its grotesque appearance, though, the Hasenfussige Schnecke aren’t physically strong and more prone to woge under stress. Because of their inherent weakness, they’re more afraid of perceived threats compared to other Wesen. This especially applies to Grimms, even though all Wesen are afraid of them on some level since they’re the only beings that can either harm and/or kill their kind.
Cute - Musai
Unlike the Hexenbiest, whose true appearance is considered ugly to the viewer even though they themselves consider it to be beautiful, a Musai’s true form is undeniably beautiful. Of course, this makes sense in relation to their seductive nature.
Even though their name derives from Muses, which were minor Greek Goddesses of the Arts, Musai are more akin to Leanan Sídhe. A type of Fairy, they are said to take on human lovers which tend to live short artistic lives. Now in the Grimm episode “Kiss of the Muse,” they explain this part by saying that a Musai’s kiss is euphoric and leads to emotional destruction.
