Why the Robin Has a Red Breast? Inuit legend

Far away there is a land with snow on the ground all the time. The people of that land live in houses made of snow called igloo. They dress in furs all the time. And even with their furs and houses, they still need fire to keep them warm and to make some food.

In one of those igloo houses lived a father with his son. The father would always tell his son “Remember never let the fire die.” The father always made sure that there was plenty of wood to make fire. The father was a good hunter. So the animals would always run away from him as fast as they could.

There was a white bear, who didn’t like the father. The bear knew how important the fire was to the family. So he decided to wait for the right time and put an end to the fire.

One day, the father got sick. He wasn’t able to go hunting or to take turns with his son to keep the fire going. The boy tried staying awake for as long as he could. But one night he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer and he fell asleep.

The white bear saw his chance. He approached the fire and stomped on it with his paws till the fire was gone. “Now will see how you make your meat without fire” said angry bear and left.

Without fire it was getting cold very fast. The frost was starting to gather around boy’s bed. But he was so tired that even coldness wasn’t bothering him. He was still in deep sleep.

The boy had a very tiny special friend. It was a bird, whom he fed and sheltered during blizzards. Now it was bird’s turn to help the boy. The bird got there just in time, when bear was leaving. The bird scratched with his tiny claws among the ashes looking for a spark that would ignite the fire. “Ah, here it is” said excited bird and started fanning with his wings quickly to bring the fire to life. The bird flapped so much that the fire began to spread from one stick to another. “Oh, no, my chest is on fire” yelled bird and flew away from the fire.

Meanwhile the boy woke up and saw the fire almost gone. “Oh, no” he rushed to get more wood. Then he saw his father turning on the bed. This made the boy very happy, he rescued the fire and his father was gaining his strength back. “What a wonderful morning” thought the boy.

One day, the bird visited the boy. The boy was very happy to see his friend. He was saving some crumbs for the bird. But then he was startled to see that his tiny friend had a red chest. “What happened to you” asked boy. The bird only smiled and thought “It’s a secret.” Only I and you know it.

 

The Legend of the Poinsettia, Mexican Folktale

In a small village nestled in the country of Mexico, there was a little girl, who was known for her hard work. She helped her parents with every day chores. She fed the donkey, took part in cleaning the house, preparing meals, caring for her younger brother and sister.

The whole family attended the Mass on Sundays and participated in holy processions throughout the year. One day before the Christmas time, father from the nearest church came to the girl’s mother and asked her, “Would you be so kind to make a blanket for the Baby Jesus. The one we have is pretty worn out.”

“That will be my pleasure” answered girl’s mother, who was known for fine weaving.

Following day both mother and the girl went to the market to purchase the best thread. At home, they died the thread in different colors. The girl was very proud to be helping with the blanket. “I’m helping my mom to weave a blanket for the Baby Jesus,” she would say to all the kids she knew.

Meanwhile everyone in the village was busy with preparation for Christmas. Mothers were cleaning the houses thoroughly and preparing variety of dishes. Fathers were decorating the church with Christmas ornaments.

The Christmas was just around the corner, when the girl’s mother got sick. She was so sick that she had to stay in bed. She couldn’t finish the blanket. The girl got very worried about her mom being sick and about disappointing the people from the village. So she decided to finish the blanket herself. “One down and one up,” the girl tried weaving, but unfortunately the thread got tangled. “One down and one up,” the more she tried the more tangled it became.

The girl got almost teary, when she realized that it was too hard to do it on her own. She went to her aunt and asked, “Aunty will you help me finish the blanket?”

“Oh, dear child,” said the aunt, “There is not enough time to fix it. Don’t worry. We will do another blanket for the next Christmas.” The girl was not satisfied and she was sad that she would disappoint the village people.

All people from the village gathered at the church except the girl. She was hiding behind the walls of the adjacent building. “Dear child why aren't you with the others inside the church?” The girl turned around and saw an elderly lady. She explained what has just happened recently. “Don’t worry, your mother will be fine,” said the elderly lady. “And don’t worry about a gift. Any gift is meaningful. So whatever you decide to give to the Baby Jesus will be cherished by him.”

The girl looked around as looking for an idea, “But what else could I make?” The elderly lady was already gone, nowhere to be seen. The girl looked around her again and saw some tall grasses. She picked a handful of them and went to the church.

“Oh, what is she carrying? Some weeds,” whispers spread through the church. The girl ignored the whispers and put the tall grasses in front of the Baby Jesus. “Oh, look at these charming weeds,” heard the girl while praying. She raised her head and saw beautiful red flowers in a shape of a star blooming from each weed.

After the Mass, when people got outside, they were even more surprised. All tall grasses outside were flourishing with red stars. As the elderly lady said to the girl every gift is beautiful. The girl’s gift meant so much to her that it showed through the whole village by shining in red stars. Till today, every Christmas, the red stars called poinsettias decorate the whole village. 

Rainbow Bird, Aboriginal Folktale

A very long time ago, there was Crocodile, who lived on a big island called Australia. He was not so nice and not so courteous. He had the control of fire. Fire was a very important component of life. It was giving you light during the night and keeping you warm, when you were cold. What can you do when you deal with a mean, ill-mannered crocodile? Many animals pleaded with Crocodile, but the more they begged, the meaner Crocodile would get. One day even a little kangaroo pleaded with Crocodile “Please give us some fire.” You know what was Crocodile’s response? He exhaled some fire from his throat, scaring little kangaroo.

High up on a tree, there was a very nice Bird, who was observing everything. The bird also suffered from the lack of fire. She didn’t like eating her food raw. So, Bird also pleaded with Crocodile to give some light not only to the animals, but also to the people. “Please share some light with others” begged Bird on many occasions. Once, Crocodile blew some fire at Bird, almost burning her feathers. Another time, it snapped “What do you need the fire for?” “Well, for example, to cook our food” Bird was nicely explaining to Crocodile. “Eat it raw” retorted Crocodile. “Well, it tastes so much better, when it’s cooked” continued Bird. “I will cook you with my fire, if you don’t disappear right night” Crocodile replied angrily. So she flew away not to anger Crocodile even more.

However, Bird continued to observe Crocodile from her house in the tree. She was patiently watching and waiting. Then, one early morning, Crocodile was still half asleep, stretching and yawning. At his last yawn, he opened his jaws so wild that it took him quite some time to close them. During that time, Bird quickly flew down, snatching the fire-stick. Before Crocodile realized what has just happened, Bird was already flying up with the fire-stick.

Bird flew around each tree putting fire into tree’s core. This way a tree could be used as wood to create fire. So people could cook their food, stay warm, and light their way through darkness. This creation was very magical. It looked as Bird was creating a rainbow with the yellow fire flying around green trees and with the blue sky shining on her. “Now, the people can have fire” said Bird proudly.

Bird flew back to Crocodile and warned it “From now on, you need to stay in the swamps. Don’t you dare to come out on land or I will light you up.” The scared Crocodile now stays deep in the swamp. From time to time, he only ventures with his eyes above the water curious what is going on with the other animals on the land.

So now you know why crocodiles live in the swamps and why the hero bird was called Rainbow Bird.

 
Source: Rainbow Bird: an aboriginal folktale from Northern Australia by Eric Maddern

The Battle of the Wind and the Rain, Philippines Folktale

One sunny day, there were some harmless clouds dotting the sky. But what you don’t know is that on those harmless clouds were resting four natural forces named Thunder, Lightning, Rain and Wind.

It didn’t take long for Wind to say “Guys are you as bored as I am?” “No” the other free forces answered immediately. “Oh, come on” said Wind “Little storm won’t harm anybody.” “I feel so fluffy on this cloud” said Lightning “Leave me alone.” Wind couldn’t stand still and stirred the pot by blowing some wind at Thunder’s cloud. “Stop it” yelled Thunder. “Ha ha ha” laughed Wind. “Hey Rain” said Wind “Do you want me to blow some wind your way, too?” “No” snapped Rain.

“Oh, come on” continued Wind “Let’s have some fun.” “Can’t you be still at least for a second” Rain was getting more and more irritated. Wind sensing it, persisted “Let’s play a game, who is more powerful.” “Under one condition” retorted Rain “If I win, you will never get in my way. It will mean rainy days without wind.” Wind with a smirk on his face said “But if I win, you will never ever drop another tear on this earth.” Earth without rain means nothing would survive on earth. That’s not a good promise to make. But Rain was getting so annoyed by Wind “Fine. You asked for it. I’ll show you who is more powerful.”

So Rain and Wind looked for a place to start their battle. Rain very quickly spotted a monkey on a bamboo tree. Rain knowing that a bamboo tree is very flexible; it can bend instead of breaking as other trees. She just wasn’t sure if the monkey could hold on to the tree. But this was her best chance. So she challenged Wind “If you can knock down that monkey, then you win.” “As you wish” Wind answered boldly.

Not wasting any time, Wind started blowing heavy winds. With every breath he took in, his cheeks were getting bigger and bigger, as they were about to explode. Wind was getting more and more agitated as he was realizing that he can’t break the bamboo tree. Out of exhaustion he gave up and turned to Rain “Let’s see how smart you can get.”

“No problem” answered Rain and started her magic with dark sky and grey clouds creating a heavy rain. Monkey, with her flexible arms and legs, was still holding on to the bamboo tree. It made Wind very happy, because none of them was winning. “Let’s call it even” Wind said hastily. “Not so fast” answered Rain and swiftly changed the rain into big drops that were hitting the wet monkey very hard. Exhausted monkey climbed down to look for a place she could hide from rain.

“Does it make me a winner?” asked Rain with a big smile on her face. But Wind was already gone, too upset to face Rain. Orrrr maybe he was already showing the first signs of keeping the promise that he wouldn’t get in Rain’s way, what do you think?

Now you know when strong winds come in and they are so strong that they are taking people’s houses with them, this is why people hope for rain. When Rain comes in, the Wind should go away.

 

Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake, Japanese Folktale

Long time ago in the mountains buried by snow, there lived an old couple. They didn’t have much, but they always managed to get by. Unfortunately, one year the winter came early and there was not enough wood to keep them warm and not enough rice to keep them full. The New Year was just around the corner and the New Year celebration without a rice cake was almost unimaginable. The wife found her wedding kimono and handed to her husband, “We don’t have another choice as to sell it.”

“But this kimono was passed from one generation to another, we can’t sell it,” protested the husband.

“We don’t have kids, so we don’t have anybody to pass it on,” insisted the wife. The husband was hesitant, but he knew that there was nothing else he could trade for food. So he packed the kimono and headed to the market in the nearby village.
 

Between the two villages, there was a shrine with six statues standing outside and covered in snow. The old man bowed and was very apologetic, “Forgive me, I have nothing to offer, but to pay my respect.” He went on.

On the small bridge, he met his neighbor, who was already coming back from the market. “Did you sell any fans today?” asked the old man.

“No” said the neighbor “It’s hard to sell fans during the winter. But I was hoping to sell few in order to buy a kimono.”

The old man thought for a moment and said, “I was planning on selling a kimono. We could as well trade.” The young woman was mesmerized by the red kimono, “It would make me very happy.” The old man traded the kimono for fans and continued to the market.
 

By the time he reached the market, it was busy with people; some selling the goods, others buying them. The old man tried his best to sell the colorful fans, but nobody was paying any attention to him. He was so upset that another seller took pity of him and traded a gold bell for the fans. “I should have no problem selling a gold bell,” thought the old man. “It’s just in time for the New Year.” It was already late afternoon and a lot of people already left. The discouraged man decided to return home.
 

Right when he was exiting the market, a young man approached him to buy some bamboo hats. “I don’t have any money, but I can trade my gold bell for some bamboo hats,” said the old man.

“I can give you five bamboo hats in exchange for this bell,” said the young man. They both agreed and the old man continued his journey back home. He again stopped by the statues. He was sad that he didn’t have anything to offer them, but then he remembered, “I have the bamboo hats, which at least will cover your heads and protect you from snow.” One by one he put the hats on. When he got to the last one, he realized that he needed one more. So he took off his hat and put it on the statue.
 

By the time he got home, he was covered in snow himself. He was sad that he took his wife’s kimono and didn’t bring any rice cake back. “You didn’t bring the rice cake, but you achieved much more by showing kindness to the statues,” said the wife.

“You think so,” said the husband.

“I know so,” answered his wife.
 

During the night, when the couple was deep in sleep, a loud thump awakened them. They peeked out and couldn’t believe their own eyes. Right in front of their door, there was a gigantic rice cake on a straw mat. They looked around and saw the statues in a distance. The statues stopped and bowed to the couple from the distance.
 

The couple had a wonderful New Year’s celebration and with the amount of rice they received, they were well fed to the rest of their years.

 

The Ruby, Hindu Tradition

In the land of India, there was an old man, who gave all his possessions away to practice the wisdom of nonattachment. One morning as he was practicing his meditation in a small garden, his peacefulness was disturbed by a voice “Master, do you have something for me?” The holy man turned and saw a young man, dressed in rags and asked him “What is it that you’re looking for?” The young man quickly explained “Last night I had a dream that I met a holy man in a small garden, who gave me a precious jewel.” “Oh, yes. I almost forgot” said the Master. “I found this ruby and I don’t have any use for it.” The Master handed the stone to the peasant. The young man couldn’t understand how easy it was for somebody else to give it away. He spent the day admiring his treasure. However at night, he couldn’t sleep. What came to his mind in the morning surprised even him. The young man traveled back to the old man and handing the stone back said “I do not want this. I want what you know that made it so easy to give it away.”

 

What about me? Middle Eastern Folktale

In a far land, there was a boy, who wanted to have a knowledge, but wasn’t sure how to acquire it. So one day, he went to the Grand Master, who was a very smart guy and asked him “How do I gain the knowledge you have?” “I will tell you, but first you must bring me a carpet” answered the Master.

The boy not wasting any time rushed to the nearest carpet-maker. “Dear carpet-maker, I am seeking some knowledge from the Grand Master, but I must give him a carpet first” said the boy. “What about me?” retorted the carpet-maker. “Do you know what I need to make a carpet?” not waiting for an answer, the carpet-maker added “I need a thread to weave a carpet.”

The boy rushed to find a spinner-woman. “Dear spinner woman, I am seeking some knowledge from the Grand Master, but I must get a thread to make a carpet first” said the boy. “What about me?” snapped the spinner-woman. “Do you know what I need to make a thread?” not caring for an answer, the spinner-woman added “I need a goat hair to make a thread.”

Without any delay, the boy hurried to a goat-keeper. “Dear goat-keeper, I am seeking some knowledge from the Grand Master, but first I must get a goat hair to make a thread for a carpet” said the boy. “What about me?” shouted the goat-keeper “You need knowledge, I need goats!”

Without any further a due, the boy left to find a goat-seller. He spotted somebody, who didn’t seem to be able to keep all the goats in one place. “If I help you to put all goats in one place, will you give me one goat?” the boy asked. “What do you need a goat for?” asked the goat-seller. The boy explained his hunger for knowledge and all the tasks he had to perform to get the knowledge from the Master. “Find a carpenter. Maybe he’ll help you, so you can help me” said the goat-seller.

The boy wasn’t rushing any longer. “Everybody needs something” he muttered to himself. As soon as the boy saw the carpenter, he told him the story and everybody’s needs. “I have a need, too” yelled the carpenter “I need a wife.”

Now the boy was dragging his legs, knocking at all doors. After many doors shut in his face, he met a matchmaker. “I know a girl that could be a good match for the carpenter” said the matchmaker “If you want the name, I want the knowledge.” “Perfect” said the boy “We’re looking for the same thing.” He told her what they needed to get in order to gain the knowledge. “Forget it” screamed the matchmaker “I don’t need it that badly.”

The boy continued his journey farther and farther away from his village. He almost lost all of his hope, when he saw a merchant at a market-place, who seemed to be troubled. “Can I be of any help” asked the boy. “I have a beautiful daughter, but she won’t stop ranting” said the merchant. The boy approached the girl, who whispered “I love a carpenter, but my father wants me to love a merchant.”

Now it all came together. The boy took the girl to the carpenter, who gave him wood to make enclosure for goats. The goat-seller in return gave him a goat, which he took to the goat-keeper. With the goat hair, the boy went to the spinner-woman. She spun a thread for a carpet-maker, who made a carpet for the Grand Master. The happy boy rushed to the Master, handed the carpet and asked “Can I have your knowledge now?” “But you already have it” answered the Master. The Master’s message was that the gift is more precious, when we give it rather than when we receive it. And the knowledge comes, when we least expect it.   

People of Corn, Mayan Story

A long time ago in the highlands of Guatemala, there lived people called Mayan. The Mayan people grew corn. In the fall, at the end of the harvest time, they would carry the corn back to the villages in a very festive way with fireworks sending messages of gratitude to the heavens. Then the Mayan people would use the corn to make different meals. The kids were always amazed how many delicious meals you could make out of corn. “What’s this?” would ask a little Mayan girl. “That’s tortillas” would answer one of the moms. “What’s that?” would ask another little Mayan girl. “That’s tacos” would answer another mom. And the questions would go on.

The corn to Mayan people was not only an ingredient to make a meal, it was also something sacred. They believed that the first people on earth were made out of corn. The kids were never growing tired of listening to the same story. And this is what the mothers would tell them:

“There were two gods, who wanted to create life. First they created mountains and oceans.” “But how the little kids got there?” would ask a little Mayan boy. “The little kids came later” would answer Mayan mother and she would continue “After mountains and oceans, the gods created animals, which lived in the forests and seas. But gods wanted to be thanked for their work and since animals don’t speak, they created people.” “I thought these were wooden creatures” would say another Mayan boy. “Yes” answered a Mayan mother “The first people were wooden and they could speak. They were very good workers, but they didn’t have hearts. And without a heart, they didn’t know how to thank gods for so many creations on earth. So this time, the gods mixed corn flour with water and with their hands one of them created a mother and the other one created a father of the Mayan people.” “So how the little kids got there?” insisted the same boy. “We’re almost there” answered the mother. “So out of the first mother and father came the first little Mayan kids. When they grew up they had their own kids. So the people of corn were multiplying as corn in the fields. The gods were very happy with their new creation. The people made out of corn were as good as animals, because they could climb the mountains and swim the oceans. And they were as good as the wooden people, because they were good workers and they spoke, too. But unlike the animals and the wooden people, the people of corn had hearts and they could thank the gods. They built pyramids, made sacred processions and passed their story of creation to their kids. And that made gods very happy.” Now the little boy was content, except he wanted to hear more, but that was the end of the story. So the mother would add “You know the colorful cloths that mothers weave for you kids.” “Yes” said the boy. “The women of corn spent so much time weaving those beautiful cloths and they put so much heart into them that during the night, when they dreamed, they saw all those colorful cloths stretching for miles. Like there was no end to them” and the mother finished by saying “And that is the end of the story.” “Ohhhhhhhh” said the Mayan kids.

 

Two Sisters, US Folklore

A long time ago in a state called Kentucky, there were two sisters. One day one of them wandered off into the woods and stumbled upon a witch’s house. “Come in little girl” said the witch “You can stay here, while I’m gone. But do not come close to the chimney. It’s still hot from the fire.” The witch was off doing whatever the witches are doing. The girl as any other curious kid came close to the chimney. Since the fire was gone and the chimney cooled off, she looked up inside it. “Ah ha, this is why she didn’t want me to come close to the chimney” said the girl to herself “there is a sack of gold right there.” The girl didn’t waste any time. She grabbed the bag and ran off to her sister.

On her way home, she came across a cow, which hasn’t been milked for a few days. “Little girl” said the cow “Would you find some time to milk me?” “No way” yelled the girl.

Shortly after that she came across a sheep, which hasn’t been sheared for a few months. “Little girl” said the sheep “Would you find some time to shear me?” “No way” yelled the girl.

She went on and came across a horse, which hasn’t been ridden for a few years. “Little girl” said the horse “Would you find some time to ride me?” “No way” yelled the girl.

When she saw a mill, she decided to take a rest. But suddenly she heard “Little girl” said the mill “Would you find some time to turn me? Nobody has done it for a long time.” “I am too tired” yelled the girl and she took a nap in a shade.

While the girl was napping, the witch got home and found no gold in the chimney. She rushed down the road.

Upon seeing the cow, the witch asked her “Have you seen a little girl with a sack in her hand?” “Oh yeah, if you hurry, you will catch her” answered the cow.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the sheep. “Have you seen a little girl with a sack in her hand?” asked the witch. “Oh yeah, if you hurry, you will catch her” answered the sheep.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the horse. “Have you seen a little girl with a sack in her hand?” asked the witch. “Oh yeah, if you hurry, you will catch her” answered the horse.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the mill. “Have you seen a little girl with a sack in her hand?” asked the witch. “Oh yeah, she is napping right there in the shade” answered the mill.

The witch rushed to the girl and turned her into a stone. She took what was hers and went back home.

The other sister warring about her sibling being gone for so long, wandered into the woods herself. She also stumbled across the same witch’s house. She was also welcomed and warned as her sister. And as her sister she couldn’t resist the curiosity and looked inside the chimney. And there it was, the sack full of gold. And here we go again, the other sister grabbed the bag and ran off, too.

She came across the same cow, which hasn’t been milked for a few days. “Little girl” said the cow “Would you find some time to milk me?” “Of course” answered the girl and milked the cow.

Shortly after that she came across the same sheep, which hasn’t been sheared for a few months. “Little girl” said the sheep “Would you find some time to shear me?” “Of course” answered the girl and sheared the sheep.

She went on and came across the same horse, which hasn’t been ridden for a few years. “Little girl” said the horse “Would you find some time to ride me?” “Of course” answered the girl and rode the horse.

When she saw the same mill, she was asked “Little girl would you find some time to turn me? Nobody has done it for a long time.” “Of course” answered the girl and turned the mill.

She got tired after performing all those tasks and took a nap in the shade.

The witch got home and her gold was gone again. “I should have known better” she screamed and rushed down the road.

Upon seeing the cow, the witch asked her “Have you seen a little girl with a bag in her hand?” “Not this time, my dear” answered the cow.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the sheep. “Have you seen a little girl with a bag in her hand?” asked the witch. “Not this time, my dear” answered the sheep.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the horse. “Have you seen a little girl with a bag in her hand?” asked the witch. “Not this time, my dear” answered the horse.

The witch rushed down the road and saw the mill. “Have you seen a little girl with a bag in her hand?” asked the witch. “I can’t hear you, my dear” said the mill “Why don’t you get in my hopper, so I can hear you better.” And that’s what the witch did eagerly. In no time, the mill ground the witch up and that was the end of her. As soon as the witch was gone her spell was gone as well. The stone turned back into the little girl. And rest assured she learned her lesson to help the others when in need.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Norwegian Folktale

In a green valley with a rapid river, there were three goats. One was small, who was the youngest. One was middle-sized and middle-aged. The last one was big and the oldest. Three of them were called the Three Billy Goats Gruff. They ate the green grass along one side of the river, but the grass on the other side always seemed to be greener. The goats never dared to cross the bridge to get to the other side, because long ago they were warned about a troll living under the bridge.

However one day, the youngest goat not able to resist that lush grass on the other side, decided to cross the bridge. “No Little Billy” protested older brothers “You don’t want the troll to eat you, do you?” “I don’t believe in something I’ve never seen” answered Little Billy and started trotting across the bridge. All of a sudden a grumpy voice said “Who is daring to cross my bridge?” An ugly troll appeared “Oh ho ho” said the troll “I smell a delicious dinner.” The little goat as scared as he was, he wouldn’t back up. So he said “The kindest dearest troll I’m just a little skinny goat with hardly any meat on my bones, why don’t you wait for my brother who is much bigger than me.” The trolls were not only ugly, but not too smart neither. “Duh, I wasn’t going to eat you. I just wanted to scare you” said the troll. The little goat hopped and here he was on the other side of the river.

When the middle goat saw his little brother on the other side, he decided to cross the bridge, too. Trot-trot the Middle Billy was crossing the bridge. “Who is daring to cross my bridge?” said the mean troll and appeared from under the bridge “Oh ho ho, I smell a delicious dinner.” The middle goat as scared as he was, he wouldn’t back up knowing that his little brother crossed the bridge. So he said “You’re such a smart troll, do you think that you will fill your belly with a little meat on my bones, why don’t you wait for my oldest brother.” “Duh, I wasn’t going to eat you. I just wanted to scare you” said the troll.

The oldest brother seeing both goats on the other side felt as he didn’t have another choice, but to cross the bridge. Trot-trot the Big Billy was crossing the bridge. “Who is daring to cross my bridge?” said the grouchy troll and jumped on the bridge “Oh ho ho, I smell a delicious dinner.” “Oh ho ho, I smell a delicious dinner myself” said the Big Billy. He lowered his head and with his huge horns he butted the mean troll into the river. “And now I will eat the lush green grass for my dinner” said the oldest goat jumping on the other side. The troll was gone with the rushing river and was never seen again. The Three Billy Goats Gruff lived happily, eating grass from both sides of the river.

The Story of a Noodlehead, Puerto Rican Folktale

Between two Americas, there are many islands called Caribbean. Our story takes us to the island of Puerto Rico. Many years ago, on this island, there was a boy named Juan. He lived with his mother in a small cottage up on a hill.

One day, while the mother was making chicken and rice stew, she realized that her pot wasn’t big enough to mix the chicken and the rice together. So she said to her son “Why don’t you go to your grandmother to fetch the biggest pot she had.”

Juan rushed up the hill to his grandmother. He was catching his breath at his grandma’s place. “Grandma, mom is making my favorite meal and she needs the biggest pot you have” said the boy. She gladly handed him the pot.

The pot was made from iron, which made it heavy. The boy situated the pot on his shoulder, but it didn’t take long, when his shoulder started aching. He put the pot down to rest a bit. While resting, he noticed that the pot had three legs. The boy thought to himself “I have only two legs, why should I carry the pot if it has three legs.” So he spoke up “You know what pot, you can use your own legs. Why don’t we race down the hill to my house.”

They boy rushed down the hill without looking back. He burst into the house asking his mom “Did the pot beat me?” His mother not having time for such foolishness asked Juan “How the pot could beat you if it doesn’t have legs? It can’t walk on its own. You have to bring it here.”

Juan went back up the hill and of course the pot was exactly where he left it. He got angry at the pot. “You are the laziest pot ever” said the boy “I’m giving you the last chance.” But when the pot didn’t move an inch, the boy got even angrier and kicked it. It rolled down the hill and the boy yelled “I’m glad you came to your senses.”

The next day, the mother asked Juan to take the pot back to his grandma. The boy asked the pot to walk up the hill. But the pot didn’t move an inch. The boy got angry again, and then he said “OK, you did a great job with dinner last night. So I’ll give you a break.” He carried the heavy pot up the hill. When he put it down, he pointed a finger at the pot and warned it “Don’t expect the same treatment next time.”

The King and the Moon, Caribbean Folktale

Caribbean is a group of islands surrounded by waters. On one of those islands lived a king, who was ruthless. If he said he wanted something, he had to have it. One night, when he was looking out the window, he saw a moon in the color of silver and immediately said “I want to reach it.” A few days went by; he was thinking and thinking “How can I reach that silver moon?” Then it occurred to him “I need a tall tower to reach it.”

Next day, he called a royal carpenter and said “I want you to build a tower so tall that it will reach the moon.” The carpenter knew that he shouldn’t be disagreeing with the king, but he pleaded “Your majesty, it is impossible. The tower will crumble before it reaches the moon.” “There is no such thing as impossible in this kingdom” shouted the king “I want you to come back tomorrow morning and give me your plan how you’re going to build the tower.” The carpenter knew not to say anything else, so he left.

He knew how to make nice furniture, but he had no idea how to build such tall tower. He thought and thought and then looking at his furniture said “I know I will pile up lots of wooden chests up to the sky.” The following day, the carpenter presented his idea to the king. “Great idea” said the king. He ordered his royal staff to search all the houses in the kingdom for strong chests. “If somebody refuses” said the king “Then remind them that if they don’t like to share the wooden chests, then they’ll be sharing a royal prison rooms.”

Scared people wouldn’t refuse the king, so they handed their chests. Once all the chests were collected, a tower started growing outside the palace. It was a very unique and colorful tower filled with smaller and bigger chests, carved and painted chests. It was almost like a rainbow trying to reach the sky.

Unfortunately, all the chests in the kingdom were not enough to reach the sky. So the king ordered the carpenter to make more chests. The carpenter got busy with making more chests and piling them up.

Unfortunately, all the wood in the kingdom was not enough to reach the sky. So the king ordered the carpenter to cut all the trees. “Your majesty” pleaded the carpenter “We can’t cut all the trees.” “What do you mean we can’t” yelled the king “There is no such thing as can’t in this kingdom.” So the carpenter knew not to say anything else. He left to cut all the trees.

He got busy with making more chests and piling them up. It seemed as the tower was reaching the sky. “It’s time to reach the moon” said the king and started climbing the tower made of chests. He reached the last chest, stood on his toes, stretched out his both arms and he almost touched the moon. “We need one more chest” shouted the king. “Your majesty we don’t have any more chests, any more wood or trees” pleaded the carpenter again. “Can’t you think of something or do I have to think for you” yelled the king “Just pull one chest from the bottom and bring it to the top.” The carpenter couldn’t believe what the king was saying. “If I pull a chest from the bottom, then the whole tower will crumble. He can’t be serious” thought the carpenter. “Did you hear me” hollered the king. “As you wish” answered the carpenter and he pulled the chest at the bottom. Do you know what happened to the king? He got lost among all those tumbling down chests and that was the end of him and his ruthless ruling.

One Grain of Rice, Indian Folktale

In the colorful land of India, where people ride on elephants, there was a man called raja. It was assumed that all rajas were wise and fair. He owned some land on which people cultivated rice.

One day, he declared “Most of the rice must be given to me to be stored in the royal storehouse in case of hunger.” The raja wanted to show that he was a wise man caring for people. So every year people were giving most of their rice to raja.
 

However, one year the rice grew badly and people didn’t have any rice to eat. They sure counted on raja to help them as it was promised.

Unfortunately, the raja turned to be selfish and decided to keep all the rice. Since he didn’t know how long the famine would last, he couldn’t risk going hungry. So he had to keep all the rice for himself. “Your highness” the ministers begged the raja “People are hungry and you promised to protect them.”

“No” shouted the raja “It doesn’t matter what I promised. I am more important than my people. I cannot go hungry.”
 

As people were growing more and more hungry, this didn’t stop the raja from a feast for himself. On the day of the feast, a basket of rice was taken from the storage. The basket had a small whole letting some rice on the ground.

A village girl noticed it and quickly spread her skirt collecting the fallen rice. She brought it to the raja as it was his. In return the raja decided to reward the girl for her good deed and asked her “What would you like to receive?”

“One grain of rice” answered the girl.

The surprised raja said “I am a raja and I can reward you more than one grain.”

“As you wish” replied the girl “You may give me twice as much tomorrow and twice as much the following day and so on for the whole month. The girl turned out to be much smarter than the raja. As the result of her calculations, she was getting more and more rice with every day. Toward the end of the month, the raja’s storage was getting empty. This was a great lesson for the raja, who learned to be wise and fair, as a raja should be.

Source: One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale by Demi

The Greatest Treasure, Chinese Folktale

In the land of China known for the greatest wall in the world, there were two very different men. One named Pang, who never had time for his kids, because he was busy making and counting his money. The other was Li, who was a poor farmer. Li worked hard cultivating his land, but whenever he had some spare time, he would play his flute. His five daughters loved singing and dancing creating another sound of music with their laughter.
 

The sound of the music and laughter would reach the rich man’s house making him angry. One day, he thought to himself “If Li had some money to count, then he wouldn’t have so much time to make so much noise.” So off he was to Li’s house carrying a large bag of coins. Surprised Li didn’t know what to make out of this, but he was very grateful for the gift.
 

As soon as Pang left, Li’s dilemma with money started. “What should I do with them?” he thought “I have to count them.” So he started counting the money. He counted once, twice and still wasn’t sure if he counted them right. The whole day went by and he hadn’t had time to play his flute.
 

The next day, another problem appeared. Now, Li thought “Where do I hide my money?” He paused “Maybe inside the stove. No, they can melt in the stove.” He paused again “Maybe in the cellar. No, somebody can easily find them there.” He paused again “Maybe I should drop them into the well” and that’s what he did. Another day has passed and Li hadn’t had time to take out his flute.
 

The following day, a new worry invaded Li’s mind. “How should I spend the money?” He thought “Maybe I should buy an ox or maybe a plow.” He couldn’t decide. He was thinking and thinking and then almost yelled to himself “Maybe I should buy six hens.” But then he was doing more thinking, and said “I should definitely buy myself a fine robe.” Suddenly, he laughed at himself “Where and when will I wear this robe?” So another day has gone and Li hadn’t had time to enjoy his flute.
 

A new day came and Li started worrying. “What if I counted the money wrong and there is less than I planned for.” He rushed to the well to retrieve the money and started counting them again. Meanwhile, the girls asked the father “Will you play the flute. We miss dancing and singing.” The father scolded the girls “Can’t you see I’m busy.” The father lost the count of the money, so he had to start over. But suddenly, he knew exactly what he had to do with the money “I must return them.” The father took out his flute and the air got filled again with singing and laughter.
 

Next day, Li returned the money. Now, Pang was surprised and didn’t know what to make out of this. Li also presented Pang with a hand-made gift. Pang was even more surprised to see flutes for him and his family. Along with Li’s family, the Pang’s family was making as much noise. It was unbearable for Pang “How will I count my money now?” Then Li said to Pang “Remember happiness is priceless.” Pang agreed and began to play the flute himself. Now the two very different men shared the greatest treasure of all – the happiness.

Young Mouse and Elephant, East African Folktale

Parts of the continent of Africa are characterized by small scattered trees surrounded by grasses, which is called savanna. Among those grasses of savanna, there once was a village with a very proud mouse.

One day while crunching on a straw of grass, the Young Mouse stated to his grandfather, “I feel so strong. I think I am the strongest mouse in the whole savanna.”

“You are very strong,” replied grandfather. “But I think the strongest animal on the plains is Elephant.”

“I don’t think so,” shouted Young Mouse. “Let me find that Elephant and we’ll see who the strongest animal is,” added the Mouse and trotted out of the village.

“I think the storm is coming,” said grandfather. “Come back soon.”

But the Mouse was already on his way to find the Elephant. While looking through the tall and short grasses, the Young Mouse stumbled upon some animal relaxing in the sun. “Who are you?” asked the Mouse.

“I’m a lizard,” replied the animal.

“You should consider yourself lucky,” said the Mouse. “If you were the Elephant I’m looking for, you already would be in pieces.”

A thunder appeared in the sky making lizard hide under some branches lying on the ground. The mouse felt very proud thinking he scared the lizard. The Young Mouse trotted with the head high in the sky beaming with pride. But all of a sudden he saw some animal above him. “Who are you?”

“I’m a zebra,” replied the animal.

“You should consider yourself lucky,” continued the Mouse. “If you were the Elephant I’m looking for, you already would be in pieces.” At the same time, some lightning appeared in the sky and scared the zebra away. The Mouse was almost trotting on its toe, he was so proud of himself.

“Everybody is afraid of me,” he thought to himself. Then Young Mouse saw some tall animal nibbling leaves. “Who are you?”

“I’m a giraffe,” replied the animal.

“You should consider yourself lucky,” said the Mouse. “If you were the Elephant I’m looking for, you already would be in pieces.” Instantly the sky got covered with a dark cloud and the giraffe ran to hide by some trees.

Other animals followed the giraffe into a hiding. The Mouse grinning thought to himself, “Everybody is afraid of me.” The Young Mouse trotted on, but it didn’t take long, when he saw a gigantic animal with two tales, one in the front and one in the back. “Who are you?”

The Elephant turned to the right, then to the left, but couldn’t see who was talking to him. Now, Young Mouse yelled, “Are you the Elephant?”

The Elephant stretched his eyes and ears, to see the little spot on the ground and to hear it better. “Yes, I’m the Elephant.”

“Well,” said the Mouse. “I’ve been trotting the plains of savanna looking for you.”

“And why is so?” asked Elephant.

“To confront you that I’m the strongest animal in savanna. How about that?” yelled the Mouse.

“How about this,” said Elephant filling its trunk with water and spraying it at the Mouse.

The Young Mouse got washed away some distance. When the Mouse woke up after the storm and saw the Elephant gone, he said, “Elephant should consider himself lucky. If the storm didn’t wash him away, then I would break him into pieces.”
 

The Clown of Sorrento, Italian Folklore

The boot-shaped country of Italy has a small dent in its lower part. It is called the Bay of Naples. Its calm waters are overlooked by a picturesque town of Sorrento. It is perched atop rocky coastline. A long time ago, in this pastel-colored town lived a small boy with a big heart named Giovanni.

He didn’t have a mother or a father. So his home was any doorway he could sleep in. He had nothing, but he was a happy boy. He knew how to make other people smile, which earned him bread or a hot soup.

Giovanni loved to juggle. Every day he juggled at Signor Baptista’s stand at the marketplace. He juggled any fruit or any vegetable he could put his hands on. Crowds loved to watch him juggling oranges, apples, lemons creating colors of a rainbow. It was magical. When the boy was done, the people would buy from Signor Baptista and his wife. In return they would serve the boy a bowl of soup. The arrangement worked well for both parties.

However, one day a circus was passing by Sorrento. The boy was mesmerized by colorful clowns and beautifully dressed dancers. “Oh, I would love to juggle in those colorful clothes,” sighed Giovanni.

After the play, he rushed to the Maestro, but he did not want to listen to the boy. He brushed him off. But Giovanni was persistent and added, “I can make a rainbow juggling different fruits.”

“Show it me,” said Maestro. He was pretty impressed by the boy and agreed to take him. Giovanni rushed to say his good-byes to the people of Sorrento and off he was traveling to the most amazing places in Italy.

Giovanni received his own costume, was taught how to make his own make up and learned how to juggle sticks, plates, rings and burning torches. He always finished his show juggling colorful balls and creating the rainbow he was famous for. The crowds loved it. It wasn’t long before Giovanni became pretty famous throughout the Italy. He then said his good-byes to his circus friends and off he was traveling on his own.

He traveled north and south, west and east. The towns were no longer unfamiliar to him. He juggled for a duke and a princess. The crowds always cheered. Wherever he went, whoever he juggled for, he always made people happy, bringing smiles on their faces and filling the places with laughter.

Years went by. Giovanni grew old and that’s when he decided to go back to Sorrento. This time the thought of his birthplace brought a big smile to his face. He had great times traveling throughout Italy, meeting different people and making them happy. But now, it was time for him to head back home.

The Hero of Bremen, German Folktale

The city of Bremen, in the northern part of Germany, is situated along the River Weser. Many ships passed by it trading different goods. The city grew, leaving no pasture for any animals and this created a problem, which needed to be solved.

A long time ago in the city of Bremen lived a poor cobbler named Hans. He was a crippled man, who used his knuckles and knees to move around. He lived in a tiny cellar with a small window, where he mended shoes to support himself. Hans was a hard working man putting his heart and soul into his work.

Nevertheless, he always found time to tell stories to the kids, who stopped by his place. Hans enjoyed telling stories of knights the most. And his favorite one was of Roland whose uncle made Bremen a free city. Hans let the children believe that Roland, who died during one of the battles, still watched over Bremen and would come back if the city needed him.
 

The city was in desperate need of more lands. The mayor of the city discussed the matter with the city council and the decision was made to buy more lands from the Countess Emma. She owned all the lands surrounding Bremen, which were supposed to be inherited by her nephew. He wasn’t happy about his aunt considering selling some lands, but the day was set for a meeting.
 

The day of the meeting came and the people of Bremen gathered around the marketplace. Hans made his way through to the front where he witnessed with other people how negotiations where done. The countess wanted more money for less land and the mayor wanted more land for less money. So the bargaining went back and forth till the nephew spoke at last. “I have an idea. The people may have as much land for free as a man can walk around in a day, under two conditions. The first, a man has to leave the east gate at dawn and enter the west gate at sunset. The second, I will pick a man to perform this task.” The people agreed without thinking much. The countess was very proud of his nephew being so generous. The nephew looked at the crowd and pointed at Hans saying, “This is the one that has to complete the mission.”

The mayor’s smile turned into a worry. The crowd’s cheers turned into a disappointment. They thought to themselves, “We have been tricked.”
 

At dawn, Hans appeared at the east gate. He was followed by the servants of the countess, who were marking the path made by him. The land varied. It started as pasture, then turned into a swamp and ended as forest. It wasn’t an easy task, but Hans set his mind to finish the task that meant so much to so many people.

It was the noontime, when Hans made his way through the pastureland and turned into the marshlands. All the kids went home for some lunch, but one girl, who showed the Hans the way to go around the marshlands.

The sun was already starting to set down, when Hans arrived at the age of the forest. He was exhausted. He laid down and was about to close his eyes, when he heard trotting. He looked up and recognized the rider right away. It was Roland, the knight of Bremen. “Let me help you by taking you to your destination,” said Roland.

“I greatly appreciate it, but I must walk,” answered Hans.

“Then let me walk with you,” said the knight. And so they walked to the west gate of Bremen. The little girl caught up with Hans, but she saw only him surrounded by light. She passed by him and straight into the city to tell the news. The people of Bremen quickly gathered at the west gate to welcome Hans as the sun was setting down. Hans became the hero of Bremen who won the lands for the people of Bremen.

One Wish, Irish Folktale

A long time ago and far away in a land called Ireland, there was a young man named Thomas. He and his wife didn’t have much, but Thomas managed to support his wife and his parents. 

One day, blight attacked the potato crop resulting in starvation. Thomas felt he didn’t have another choice, but to hunt in the nearest forests, which belonged to his landlord. Even though, there was a punishment for poaching on those lands.

Thomas spent almost all day searching for some animal without any luck. He was about to return home, when he saw a beautiful deer. He was ready to kill the animal, when he heard “Please spare me and I will grant you one wish.” The young man wasn’t sure how deer could help him, but the animal pleaded “If you ask for a wish it could save you and your family. Come back tomorrow with your answer.” Thomas hesitated, but left thinking what he could ask for.

On the way home, Thomas saw his father first. He told his father about the deer and the wish. The old man immediately said “Wish for gold.” Thomas decided to ask his mother for advice, who lost her vision some time ago. She listened and immediately said “Wish for my eyesight to be restored.” Now, he felt he had to discuss it with his wife, who was praying for a child for some time. She listened and immediately said “Wish for a child.”

Thomas was torn. He loved his wife and his parents, but he had only one wish. He tossed all night long thinking what he should wish for. Early next morning, he went to meet the deer. “Well” said the deer “have you decided on your wish.” “Yes, I have” replied the young man. “Well, what is it” asked the deer. “I wish my mother could see my wife rocking our child in a golden cradle.” Thomas’ one wish was granted and the whole family lived happily till the end of their days.

 

Pansies, Polish Folktale

A long time ago, Polish lands were covered in wilderness and people lived in small villages. In one of those villages, there was a ruler named Jan. He had two sons, Tom and Paul. The brothers were very close and were spending whole days together.

One day the father went hunting and got injured by a bear. After that accident, he deteriorated in his health. Therefore, it was time to pass his rule to his sons. He split the lands into northern and southern. It was time for the brothers to go their separate ways.

The day came when they said their good-byes with the father and got on the road. When they reached a point of the road about to separate them, they decided to spend the last night together by a bonfire. While sitting by the fire, they noticed an elderly man approaching them “Do you mind kind gentlemen if I spend the night by the fire with you?” “Of course, you can spend the night with us” – answered brothers. The brothers shared the food and drink with the elderly man and told him their story.

In the morning as a thank you token, the elderly man handed both brothers a sack of seeds saying “plant these flower seeds in the sun.” Surprised brothers kindly said thank you, but denied the gift stating “We’re the knights. We don’t need some flower seeds.” “These are not ordinary seeds. They will let you know how the other brother is doing. If they bloom in gold, it means that everything is ok. If they bloom in purple, that might mean some worries. If they bloom in burgundy…” – the man left without finishing his sentence. The brothers looked at each other and decided to plant the seeds. They said their good-byes and continued their separate ways.

Tom settled in the north in the land of lakes, where his people raised sheep, which brought them wool, milk and cheese. Paul settled in the south in the land of mountains, where his people cultivated cereal and vine. Both of them sowed the seeds in the flower boxes below the windows. Flowers quickly blossomed into gold and blue, signifying peace and prosperity. Weeks went on and everything was well till one morning, when Tom looked throughout the window and froze in terror when he saw burgundy flowers. The color reminded him of blood. Immediately he thought of his brother and knew he had to rush to check on him.

As soon as Tom collected his forces, they moved toward his brother’s lands. They galloped as fast as they could. After a few hours, they reached a large lake, where they saw a fortified castle besieged by hostile forces. Tom arrived just in time to help. The enemy was forced out and Paul welcomed his brother and his troops. Curious Paul asked his brother, “but how did you know that I needed help?” Tom told him about the burgundy flowers. As a result they named the flowers pansies, which signified their brotherly love. Not too many people remember this story, but pansies grow in many gardens in Poland.

FYI: Pansies in Polish are derived from a word “brotherhood.”