The Laughing Fish: Folktale from India
The Laughing Fish: Folktale from India As a fisherwoman passed by the palace hawking her fish, the queen appeared at one of the windows and beckoned her to come near and show her what she had. At that moment a very big fish jumped about in the bottom of the basket. ‘Is it a male or a female?’ asked the queen. ‘I’d like to buy a female fish.’ On hearing this, the fish laughed aloud.
The Boy Called Thick-Head: American Folktale
The Boy Called Thick-Head: American Folktale Three brothers lived with their old mother in the forest near the sea. Their father had long been dead. At his death he had little of the world’s goods to his credit and his widow and her sons were very poor. In the place where they dwelt, game was not plentiful, and to get food enough to keep them from want they had often to go far into the
The Husband Who Minded The House: Norwegian Folklore
The Husband Who Minded The House: Norwegian Folklore Once on a time there was a man, so surly and cross, he never thought his Wife did anything right in the house. So, one evening, in haymaking time, he came home, scolding and swearing, and showing his teeth and making a dust. “Dear love, don’t be so angry; there’s a good man,” said his goody; “to-morrow let’s change our work. I’ll go out with the mowers and mow,
The Lad and The North Wind: Norwegian Folklore
The Lad and The North Wind: Norwegian Folklore Once on a time there was an old widow who had one son; and as she was poorly and weak, her son had to go up into the safe to fetch meal for cooking; but when he got outside the safe, and was just going down the steps, there came the North Wind puffing and blowing, caught up the meal, and so away with it through the air. Then
The Three Sillies: English Folklore
The Three Sillies: English Folklore Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman. Every evening he used to come and see her, and stop to supper at the farmhouse, and the daughter used to be sent down into the cellar to draw the beer for supper. So one evening she had gone down to draw the beer, and she happened to
The Tree Spirit’s Love: Folktale from India
The Tree Spirit’s Love: Folktale from India A very long time ago, in a village in Nagaland, there lived a very beautiful girl, the only child of her parents who were very rich. As was the custom among the Ao-Naga tribe, when a girl reached puberty, she went to the girls’ dormitory to spend the nights. It was in these dormitories that young men would come after night fall to court young ladies and in