Category Archives: Folk Tales

Sadko by Edward Ahern

Sadko Edward Ahern This is a retelling of “Sadko” from Old Peter’s Russian Tales by Arthur Ransome, printed in the U.S. in the 1800’s. In the old days in Novgorod there was a boy named Sadko, strong, blue eyed and … Continue reading

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Little and Clever by Ed Ahern

Little and Clever (A blending of Thumbling and The Robber Bridegroom from Grimm) Ed Ahern Once, really long ago, a farmer and his wife wanted to have a child. But no matter how they tried they remained childless. “A child, … Continue reading

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The Jezinkas – a Bohemian fairy tale

The Jezinkas A Bohemian fairy tale There was a poor orphan lad who had neither father nor mother, and was compelled to go out to service to get his living. He travelled a long way without being able to obtain … Continue reading

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Long, Broad, and Sharpsight – a Bohemian fairy tale

Long, Broad, and Sharpsight A Bohemian fairy tale There once was a king, who was already old and had but one son. Once upon a time he called this son to him, and said to him, “My dear son! You … Continue reading

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True Story, Bro by Geoffrey Porter

True Story, Bro Geoffrey Porter They say garter snakes in your yard and garden are beneficial. But the snakes completely freak me out every time. Snakes seemed to really prefer my yard too, because I don’t use poisons. It hurts … Continue reading

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Calligrapher of Hanging Town by Salim Kingo

Calligrapher of Hanging Town Salim Kingo In Hanging Town, at the edge of the frosty, distant northern mining provinces, a jealous wife and an air sailor who seduced her husband brawled in a tavern. There was only one tavern in … Continue reading

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The Hair-born Princess by Ad Adi

Once upon a time, two princesses lived in a mighty castle, one five years old, the other three years old. The biggest sister was ugly, the little one was beautiful. Since beauty was valued above everything else in the royal … Continue reading

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The Minstrel’s Secret by Dee Caples

The Minstrel’s Secret Dee Caples Once upon a time there was a kingdom ruled by a man that was just and fair, until the day a wandering minstrel arrived. There was nothing outwardly extraordinary about the man. He was as … Continue reading

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The Mermaid’s Genesis by Ad Adi

Once upon a time, at the island of Tinos, lived a little boy and his grandma. They were poor and hungry, and every night his grandma would tell him the story of the golden fish of the depths, to put … Continue reading

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The Crystal Cup by Ad Adi

At the top of mount Ararat lived once a mighty king. He had a marble palace, a couple of ministers, a lot of fields around the mountain, and a huge army of rats. To feed his army, he demanded every … Continue reading

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The Three Islands (part 2) by Sme

The Three Islands (part 2) Sme (Read part 1) On the Island of Malai, Reve and Purl had lived happily together for three years. They had a brand new baby girl, named Olivia, who was just half a year old. … Continue reading

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The Three Islands (part 1) by Sme

The Three Islands (part 1) Sme Far out in an ocean, vast and bleak, there were three islands. The first was called Dorai. It’s people seemed primitive at first glance, choosing to live in caves and subsisting on fish caught … Continue reading

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The Golden Beetle or Why the Dog Hates the Cat

The Golden Beetle or Why the Dog Hates the Cat Chinese Folk Tale “What we shall eat to-morrow, I haven’t the slightest idea!” said Widow Wang to her eldest son, as he started out one morning in search of work. … Continue reading

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The Great Gorge by Sme

The Great Gorge Sme Far away, near the edge of a vast gorge, an ancient tree let out a sigh. It was not an audible sigh, but one released into the air in a wave of fresh scent. The smell, … Continue reading

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Crossing Svara by Sme

Crossing Svara Sme Svara is a fairly small planet covered almost entirely by a vast grassland. Enormous rivers criss cross it’s surface, but most are dry for nearly half the year. The wet and dry seasons rotate with the planet, … Continue reading

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Persian Fairy Tales: The King’s Treasure

Persian Fairy Tales The King’s Treasure A laboring man named Abdul Karim, with his wife, Zeeba–”the beautiful one”–lived in a sheltered valley, surrounded by hills, the sides of which were covered with fine gardens, in which the peach, the grape, … Continue reading

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Persian Fairy Tales: The Son of the Soap Seller

Persian Fairy Tales The Son of the Soap Seller There once dwelt a poor but worthy man named Abdullah in Meshed, the Holy City, the place of pilgrimage, whose beautiful mosque with the golden dome is the glory of the … Continue reading

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Persian Fairy Tales: The Cat and the Mouse

Persian Fairy Tales The Cat and the Mouse According to the decree of Heaven, there once lived in the Persian city of Kerman, a cat like unto a dragon–a longsighted cat who hunted like a lion; a cat with fascinating … Continue reading

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Why the Sea is Salt as retold by Edward Ahern

Why the Sea is Salt retold by Edward Ahern This is a retelling of and homage to “Why The Sea Is Salt”, from the 1904 book, Popular Tales From the Norse by George Webbe Dasent. The language is modern but … Continue reading

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Baba Yaga retold by Ed Ahern

This is a substantial retelling of a tale from an undated book printed in the 1800’s, “Old Peter’s Russian Tales” by Arthur Ransome Baba Yaga As retold by Ed Ahern Baba Yaga is a witch with iron teeth like poker … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Rabbit as retold by Ed Ahern

The Adventures of Rabbit retold by Ed Ahern This is a retelling of a folk tale recorded by Charles Leland in The Algonquin Legends of New England , published in 1884. Of the old times. Some indian tribes called him … Continue reading

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Wooing Wohpe – a retelling of an Oglala Sioux myth by Ed Ahern

Wooing Wohpe* As retold by Ed Ahern In the old time, the Oglala Sioux spent the warm seasons scattered and wandering. But once The Moon That Makes the Leaves Yellow came, they traveled to a sheltered valley where they camped … Continue reading

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