My father lost his wealth, and he was so disappointed in himself that he became ill and died. My mother and I spent months grieving, unable to take pleasure in anything. Then one morning my mother looked at me in a strange way, as if she had seen me for the first...
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Rai-Taro, Son of Thunder
In the cool of the evening, my father and I walked upon the ramparts of the Castle of Cloud as we often did. My father was a great and mighty god of Thunder and all the Elements. From the ramparts we viewed the doings of men upon the Land of Reed Plains. North and...
Bullied Brother
My mother told me and my sister that the river brought us to her when we were babies. We were lying in a crystal cradle. Father took us home and brought us up with eight other children. Our foster parents love us, but our brothers and sisters don’t. The boys are...
Knight of Grianaig
My three daughters were as beautiful as they were kind, and much loved by people throughout the isles of the West. Then one day, as they sat on the rocks on the edge of the sea, dipping their feet in the water, a great beast arose from under the waves and swept them...
Tailor Caught on the Horns
When I heard the commotion, I rushed out of the hut where I had spent the night. A huge stag was confronting a bull, and they were engaged in a violent struggle. They rushed at each other with such rage that the ground shook with their trampling and the air resounded...
Seeker of the Silent Princess
I was the son of a pasha in Turkey, and an only child. I played with a golden ball that I would throw against the walls of the summer house and catch when it dropped. One day, I saw an old woman coming to draw water from the well, and I threw my ball at her pitcher....
Dena the Oil-Seller
I was poor, but worse than poor, I couldn't keep any money in my pockets. I had borrowed from a banker who was charging me interest, and my debt had tripled. Business was bad, I couldn't sell my oil, and I couldn't pay the banker. He kept coming round to my house...
King Who Rides to the Forbidden Mountain
My five older brothers could not help themselves. When they took the throne, they were compelled to hunt in the forests of the forbidden mountain. Nobody who goes there ever returns. Now I am king, I have that same compulsion, in spite of all the reasonable arguments...
Dorani’s Invisible Husband
The gardener asked me why I was looking so sad, and I told him the reason. "My wife Dorani is as lovely as the stars, but she won't speak to me. Every night she leaves me, and goes back to her father's house." The old gardener gave me six small packets of powder and...
Hans the Mermaid’s Son
I've been in service long enough. I'm tired of doing menial work for little men who are trying to kill me. I'll take my gold and silver back to my father the smith. And then I'll say farewell to mortal men and return to my mother in the sea. Hans the Mermaid's Son in...
Gerda’s Red Shoes
Gerda had lost her friend Kay. He had disappeared. "Kay is dead and gone," she said to the sun. But the sun said, "I don't believe it." The sparrows didn't believe it, either. That's when Gerda came to get us, her brand-new red shoes. She put us on her feet, walked us...
Kay
Nothing looked beautiful to me anymore. Everything I looked at was flawed! I only liked snowflakes. They were perfect and regular. Then one day I got caught in a snow storm, and a great lady drove up to me in her sled. Her fur and cap were made of ice, and she shone...
Toy Soldier
I am one of twenty-five tin soldiers. We are all brothers, born of the same old tin spoon. We shoulder our muskets and look straight ahead, splendid in our red and blue uniforms. We all look exactly alike. I am the only one who is different. I was the last to be cast...
Hippo
One day, the most beautiful princess came up the river in a barge. She and several servants built a small home on an island in the middle of the river. It was a very lonely place for her to be. Nobody ever came up this part of the river. Every day, she would come and...
A Drop of Princely Blood
I'm one drop of a prince's blood. He left three of us on a stool that stood beside a sleeping giant. Our job was to speak to the giant and keep him from waking so the prince could get away. Every time the giant woke, we reassured him that everything was okay. The pot...
Black Bear
Oh, how I love those girls! We spent all winter playing by the hearth and they became quite at ease with me. I let them maul me and pull my fur and beat me with their switches. When I growled, they only laughed. Sometimes I had to plead for my life, saying: Snow-white...
Widow Among Widows
Before our sons go off in the world, we make them cakes. They can have half a cake with their mother's blessing, or a whole cake with our curse. It's up to them. The size of the cake is determined by the quantity of water our sons can bring back from the well, in a...
Rubezahl, King of Gnomes
On my first journey to the surface of the green earth, the hills were covered in thick forests through which wild animals roamed. I amused myself by rolling great rocks down desolate valleys, chasing grey wolves, and hearing the thunder echo through the hills. The...
Militza in the Apple Tree
I fell into the arms of the king's son Iwanich. He was awake when I arrived, so I could not hold onto my swan shape. Oh, I did love him and I wanted to cling to him, but it was time to leave. I was under the power of a witch who had put me far out of the reach of any...
Girl Who Fell into a Well
My shuttle fell into the well and there was nothing to do but go after it. So I jumped in. I fell and fell. I don't remember hitting bottom. When I came to my senses, I was in a flowery meadow where everything spoke. I walked along and came to an oven full of baked...