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.”
 

Who Asks for Less Gets More, Serbian Folktale

Serbia of Eastern Europe is the land of hills traversed by the rivers at its heart and northern part. The southern part is dominated by spectacular mountains. Once upon a time, in those impressive lands lived three brothers…

They possessed nothing, but a single pear tree. So they took turns in guarding this pear tree. One day, God sent an angel to see how brothers were living and to give them assistance, if they needed it. The angel disguised himself as a beggar. He asked the youngest brother, who was guarding the pear tree that day, if he could give him a pear. The brother picked one of his pears and gave it to the angel saying, “Here, take one from my share of pears, for I cannot give you any from my brothers.” The angel thanked him and left.

The following day, it was the middle brother’s turn to guard the pear tree. So the angel asked him the same question, if he could have a pear. The middle brother also picked one of his pears and gave it to the angel saying, “Here, take one from my share of pears, for I cannot give you any from my brothers.” The angel thanked him and left.

The following day, it was the oldest brother’s turn to guard the pear tree. So the angel asked the same question again, if he could have a pear. The oldest brother also picked one of his pears and gave it to the angel saying, “Here, take one from my share of pears, for I cannot give you any from my brothers.” The angel thanked him and left.

On the fourth day, the angel disguised himself as a monk. He found all three brothers and said, “Come with me and I shall reward you for your generosity and give each of you the one thing you desire the most.” The brothers followed him without a word.

When they came upon a field full of pigeons, the angel turned to the oldest brother and asked him, “What do you desire the most?”

The oldest brother replied, “I want all these pigeons to turn into sheep and I want them all to be mine.”

The angel turned all pigeons into sheep and said, “You got what you asked for. So, now live with it.”

Then, he continued walking with two other brothers. When they got to a large stream, the angle turned to the middle brother and asked him, “What do you desire the most?”

The middle brother replied, “I want all this water to turn into wine and I want it all to be mine.”

The angel turned the water into wine and said, “You got what you asked for. So, now live with it.”

Then, he continued walking with the youngest brother and asked him, “What do you desire the most?”

The youngest brother answered, “I only wish for a wife, who is kind and compassionate.”

They kept on walking until they reached a village, where the angel directed him to a young woman, who was kind and compassionate. After the wedding, the angel took the young couple to the forest and left them there.

After a year, the angel came back to see how the brothers were doing and to see if they needed any assistance. The angel again disguised himself as a beggar. First he went to see how the oldest brother was doing. He found him in the field full of sheep, so he asked him for a piece of cheese. But the brother refused saying, “If I were to give everyone a piece of my cheese, nothing would be left of all my wealth.”

In that instance, the angel turned the sheep back into the pigeons and said, “Such wealth is not for you, go and guard the pear tree again.”

After that, he went to check on the middle brother and asked him for a glass of wine. But the brother refused saying, “If I were to give everyone a glass of my wine, nothing would be left of all my wealth.”

In that instance, the angel turned the wine back into the water and said, “Such wealth is not for you, go and guard the pear tree again.”

Finely, the angel went to see the youngest brother and his wife. In the forest, he found a small hut. He asked them if they would let him spend the night in their hut. They welcomed him warmly and asked for forgiveness saying, “We are poor and cannot welcome you like we ought to.”

The angel replied, “Whatever little you have is enough for me.” They shared the last piece of bread and the last glass of wine with the angel.

The following morning, the angel turned the small hut into a palace and filled it with plenty of everything. The young couple lived happily with plenty of food and warmth till the end of their time.

Craft Above All, Serbian Folklore

In the far eastern corner of Europe, in the spectacular land of Serbia, once lived an emperor.

One day, he took his wife and daughter on a ship to admire his lands from the sea. When the weather changed bringing strong winds and high waves, it pushed the ship to an unknown land. The emperor was not prepared for such turn in events. He didn’t have any money with him or any skills to earn a living in order to support his family. The only job he was offered was as a herdsman. It was easy to watch the animals and it didn’t require much skills.

The years went by and the herdsman’s daughter grew into a beautiful young woman. One day, she caught an eye of the emperor’s young son from the unknown land. The parents were not happy with their son’s choice. But with his persistence, they agreed to the marriage. So they send a vizier, who upon meeting the herdsman said, “The emperor’s son wishes to marry your daughter.”

To the vizier’s surprise, the herdsman replied, “What kind of a craft does the emperor’s son know?”

Confused vizier continued, “Why should an emperor’s son need to know a craft? People learn crafts to support themselves, and the emperor’s son has his lands that bring him money.”

The herdsman insisted saying, “If the emperor’s son would like to marry my daughter, then he needs to know a craft.”

The royal court was startled by this. But the young prince wouldn’t give up so easily. So he went all over the town looking for a craft that he could learn fast. He came across a place where rush mats were made. This craft seemed as one he could master fast. And so he did. Then he made a special rush mat to be shown to the herdsman. The herdsman examined the mat carefully from all sides and asked, “How much is this worth?”

He was satisfied with the price he was told and added, “If I had learned that craft when I was young, I wouldn’t be tending the village oxen today.”

Then the herdsman told his story to the emperor and empress, how he happened to be living in their land and why he wanted the young prince to learn a craft. In return, after the young couple got married, the emperor and empress gave the bride’s father a ship, so he could return to his land.

 

The Christmas Tree Story

A long time ago, when there was no TV or any type of electronics people were spending evenings telling stories. The stories were passed from generation to generation and this is how this story was retold and passed on to us.

Ages ago, people worked hard from dawn till night from early spring to late autumn gathering resources for the whole winter. During the winter time, women wove warm clothes and men made sure that there was always enough wood in the stove to keep the fire blazing and the place warm.

 All people looked forward to Christmas. The Christmas time meant meeting with relatives and friends, going to the Church, taking part in Christmas carols.

There was a young couple, who was married not for a long time and didn’t have any kids. Peter enjoyed listening to the bible stories. One of them about Adam and Eve was of particular interest to him. The image of a paradise tree full of apples was constantly on his mind. It reminded him of spring time, when everything bloomed. He dreamed about having such a tree during the winter time.

One day, an idea came to his mind. He went to the nearest forest and a small coniferous fir tree caught his eye. Peter brought the small fir tree home and put it in front of a window. So the tree would still have some natural day light.

Peter’s wife liked the tree, but it was missing the fruits. So she brought fruits and nuts that were stored in the pantry. They attached strings to fruits and nuts and hang them on the tree. Peter made few ornaments from straw that were shining like gold. The tree looked beautiful.

All relatives and friends visiting Peter’s hub during the Christmas time loved the tree with its decorations. From now on Peter’s family had Christmas tree every year.

The relatives and friends followed Peter’s idea of a Christmas tree. This custom spread from house to house, from village to village, from country to country. Today almost every home has a Christmas tree.

Interesting People: Maria Sklodowska-Curie – the genius of science

Maria Sklodowksa was born in Warsaw in 1867 and received her first lessons in physics and chemistry from her father. Both parents were well-known teachers and encouraged education. Back then advanced study was not possible for women in Poland. So Maria moved to Paris, where she studied at Sorbonne. Here she also met her husband Pierre Curie. Together, they discovered polonium and radium. They received a Nobel Prize in Physics. She received the second Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She gave the beginning to the world’s first research for treatment of neoplasms and founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw, which remain major medical research centers. She died from exposure to the radium that made her famous.

Santa Claus Story

December 6^th in Poland is a day, when Santa Claus brings presents to the kids. (FYI: Santa Claus in Poland is called St. Nicholas).

A long long time ago and far far away, there was a boy by the name of Nicholas. He had all the toys he wanted, plenty of clothes and food and loving parents. He wasn’t missing anything. But Nicholas was a very smart boy. He liked observing everything that was surrounding him including the people. He took a notice of many kids hardly having anything. It made him sad. He didn’t understand why he had so much and others so little. So he decided to take the matters into his own hands.

Every Sunday, he would take as much food as he could carry to the church and after the mass, he would give it away to the kids. Once a year, he would give away all the toys that he received during the last year.

When Nicholas grew up, he inherited a big fortune and decided to share it with others. His good deeds continued and one day he was named Saint Nicholas. His house became a workshop, where throughout the year he makes the toys for kids and on December 6^th gives them away.