I was led to the shore in a great procession and tied to a stake. Soon the dragon arrived, skimming swiftly along the waters. I prepared myself for death but then a fox came trotting along the shore. He drew the brush of his tail along the surf and scattered salt...
Story Themes Results
Your Search Results
Maid of Maleen
My mistress Maleen didn't want to marry her father's choice of a man. She loved a neighboring king's son, and he loved her. His father was all for the marriage, but not Maleen’s father. He was too mighty. He had to have the last word. Maleen refused to marry her...
Reluctant King
I looked all around the world in search of fear, because I didn't know what fear was. I wasn't afraid of the living or the dead. One day, I came into a large town square crowded with people. A pigeon had been set loose over the crowd and he landed on my head. The...
Hermose, Daughter of the Swan Fairy
My mother called me to come to her room and look in the mirror that would show us the whereabouts of King Lino. There he was, chained in the prison tower of a powerful magician. Still, he was alive—and in every way as noble a man as I had imagined him to be. Then we...
Maiden Betrothed to a Lindworm
I did not want to marry the lindworm! He had eaten his two other brides! I did nothing to deserve being wed to such a monster. I ran to my mother's grave and I prayed earnestly for her help. Then I became very peaceful and fell asleep. When the sun woke me in the...
Pristine Egg
I am perfectly smooth, white, and pristine, and when the evil wizard Fitcher puts me into the girl's hands, he tells her not to drop me or stain me in any way. She must carry me at all times while she goes about the house. But I will go the way of all the other eggs...
Wrongly Accused Sister
I killed my brother! I didn't mean to. He was sitting at the door, looking quite white, and holding an apple. He wouldn't give it to me so I went to my mother and I told her that my brother was sitting at the window, looking quite white, and he wouldn't give me the...
Witch Who Beheads Her Own Daughter
Last night I took an axe and chopped off the head of my stepdaughter while she was sleeping. I thought, 'Ha, now there will be no more fuss about who gets all the pretty things. My daughter will get them all!' This morning, I called upstairs for my girl. She was late...
Bluebeard’s Wife
Bluebeard, my new husband, told me that he had to go away for six weeks, and while he was gone, I could do what I pleased and invite my friends to our fine country house. He gave me the keys to two great wardrobes where he kept his finest furniture, along with another...
Dschemila
My cousin Dschemil and I were fleeing the ogre and his dog, but we had the means of throwing obstacles in his way. "They are close upon us!" I cried to my cousin. "Throw the pin!" He threw it behind him, and a dense thicket of thorns sprang up in front of the ogre. I...
Genie of the Lamp
I will obey everything Aladdin commands, but not this! What a sacrilege! How dare he order me to bring him a Roc's egg! The Roc is a sacred bird, and my true master. What would Aladdin, a tailor's son, know about the Roc or the buried secrets of Solomon? After...
Princess Cannetella
I refused the best-looking men in the kingdom. It was the little things that offended me. One let food fall from his mouth. Another couldn't get his coat on right. To stop my father from trying to make me a match, I told him that I never meant to marry unless he could...
Renzolla
I thought, The nerve of that king! He pretends to be smitten by me, but the moment he gets me to his castle, he shoves me into a little turret room with a maid and a pile of flax. Then orders me to spin it! I brought seven thousand golden guineas to this marriage! Is...
Old Veil-Maker
My two daughters and I are very poor. We live in a small village near the sea, and we seldom leave the house. We work all day long making veils for ladies. Every morning, I take the veils over the bridge and sell them in the city. I buy our food for the day and then I...
Old Forest Guardian
I've seen a lot of winters come and go. Indeed, I am so old that you might easily mistake me for another tree in the forest. I am grey, gaunt, and crooked as my staff. But ignore me at your peril! The huge, wild forest you are entering is full of ravenous beasts. How...
Miller’s Daughter Betrothed to a Robber
The day before the wedding, my father held a feast. At the table, everyone was asked to tell a story. I just listened, but then my bridegroom said to me, "Come, my darling, do you know nothing? Relate something to us." I ignored his disrespect, rose to my feet, and...
Very, Very Old Woman Among Robbers
Before the robbers come home, I go down into the cellar. I stay there, quiet as a mouse. I have learned not to make a sound, or move, lest they think I am listening. I cannot begin to tell you what I have heard. Suffice it to say that the robbers like the taste of a...
Surviving Sister
Now that I have come into the forbidden room, I see what the wizard Fitcher has done with my sisters. They are lying in a basin, cruelly murdered and cut into pieces. I will not to succumb to the horror. I will see them whole. Start somewhere. Anywhere. I drop to my...