How could I marry the monstrous lindworm? He had already eaten his first two brides on their wedding nights! But the king had given his orders. I ran into the woods, tearing myself apart on the thorns, desperate to avoid my fate. Why was I chosen? For my kindness and...
I am a beautiful place in the deep forest. Some people consider me a holy place. They bury their treasure in my caverns, and I keep their secrets. Bathe in my waters and you will emerge refreshed as a newborn. Come back to me again and again. A young woman has been...
My son is a powerful leader and an excellent hunter, which is why I was surprised that he came home empty-handed. “I have not returned empty-handed,” he said. “Have I ever done that? No, I brought back enough meat to feed us for many moons. I was tired, though. I left...
Here’s what I said to the young suitor: “You want to outwit a high and mighty princess? You’ll need a sly fox!” He’s already used up two out of three of the three chances she gave him. He hasn’t been able to hide from her. The raven...
The witch who cast a spell on me turned me into an old man with a long white beard. The spell would not break unless I met a girl who loved animals as much as she loved human beings. The witch was certain that I would never meet such a person. But there you are, sweet...
One evening, there was a knock on my door, and two tall, astonishingly handsome strangers stood before me. They asked for a night’s lodging. How could I refuse them? Before we sat down to eat our meal, there was another knock on the door. This time, it was a...
I live in a tent, on an island, in a pond in the middle of a magnificent garden. My skin is as green as grass, and I wear a rose leaf on my head instead of a crown. I may look like a frog, but I know who I am, and I am not a frog. I am a princess, and the lion who...
When she was lost in the forest, and without food, I appeared to her as a white dove. I gave her the key that opened a tree where she found bread and milk, a warm bed, and the clothes of a princess. Then I asked her to fetch me a plain ring from an old woman who lives...
I was walking in the forest with Joringel when he said, “Take care not to go too close to the enchanted castle.” I think perhaps we had already come too close, for though the evening sun shone brightly between the tree trunks, the dark green forest and the...
The troll turned me into a fish and I sprang into the river. No use fighting against the stream. I let it carry me out to sea. At the end of the current, I found myself at the bottom of the ocean, outside a palace made of glass. I peered into the rooms and halls. The...
