I dressed like a man, and I went to serve the old Emperor who had been my father's enemy. The Emperor sent me on one mission after another to prove his love for the beautiful Iliane. Finally, Iliane gave the Emperor one more test: to bring back the holy water of...
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Youngest Son With a Feather
I am the youngest of seven sons of the sultan. My father was proud of my older brothers because they were manly and strong, but he didn't like me because I preferred the company of women. He called me "Sit-in-the-Kitchen" and told me to toughen up. He beat me. He tied...
Owl’s Wife
My sister and I had gone seeking food because there was scarcely anything to eat in our town. After walking a long way, we made our beds and fell asleep. We slept a long time because we were tired and weak. When we looked up, we saw a great eagle and an owl watching...
Queen of the Fishes
I had sent the little girl-fish on such an arduous adventure to reclaim my crown that I began to doubt she would ever return. My lady-fishes had started to become restless. "I am tired of staying here," said one. Her colors changed with every anxious twist of her...
Drummer Lad
I know how I'll get through the forest where the man-eating giants live. I'll beat my drum until I've woken them all. Then I'll tell the giants that I'm just the first. There are thousands of men coming after me, bound and determined to put an end to giants. We'll...
Arabian Princess
I gave my ring to the prince who released me from the robbers' den. I had been underground for twenty years! He promised to come to Arabia to marry me. He said he would arrive within a year, unless he had died. At the end of the year, when he hadn't come, I was...
Goose Girl Changing Clothes
I were drivin' the geese in the forest when this beautiful lady comes along, walkin' on foot. She asks me, "Is this the castle of the green knight?" "Yep," says me. "But the knight is very ill and if he ain't cured in three days, he's sure to die." The lady turned...
Dummling with a Goose
You will think my story is dumb. Of course it is. All my stories are dumb! I'm always making a goose of myself. The important thing is, I made a princess laugh. A very serious princess. Until she met me she had not met a man who could her make her laugh because she...
Cobbler
I am just a cobbler but I am very fond of honey. Some people think it’s not easy to find the sweetness in life, but I’ve figured out how. I am basically quite small and lazy, but I have a considerable amount of charm and a pretty good imagination. I live by my wits,...
Lilliputian Child
“Let's go and play hide and seek in the hair of the Man-Mountain!” My friend was already running in the direction of the palace square. I was pretty sure that we would be safe. My mother and father had said that he was an exceedingly gentle giant who had gained the...
Preserving Water
I have been used to preserve the Old Fairy's remaining eye and tooth—ugh! Such foul work! Why have I been turned to such a purpose when the Old Fairy does nothing with her powers but torment the innocent? Now I am only too happy to break free from the crystal jars,...
Happy Princess
I knew that those two brothers of my beloved were lying to the king. They were not our deliverers. What had they done with my true friend? In his sorrow, the golden horse would not eat. The golden bird would not sing, and I sat in the castle garden and wept. Then one...
Juniper Tree
When the sweet child lay the bones of her brother at my feet, I began to stir myself. My branches parted and moved and I clapped them together and rejoiced! From deep in my roots, a mist rose around me with a fiery, burning center. A beautiful bird flew out of the...