My named is Matsu, which, in the speech of my country, means the Pine Tree. And, as the pine tree, I am strong and evergreen; unchanging and enduring. I served in the house of Idé, and my charge was Fugiwaka, the son of the samurai and his wife. His father Idé had...
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Fish Named Djulung-Djulung
A girl came by the river, staggering under the weight of the load on her back. She stopped, dropped her firewood, and hastily stirred the fire that she alone had to keep burning. The day was hot and the river, inviting. She stripped, ran to the water, and jumped in,...
Princess Who is Taken Aboard
I asked my father to allow me to go to the port so I could see the ship of Ivan the merchant's son. To be honest, I was just as interested in Ivan as I was in his ship. I took my nurses, governesses and maidservants with me, and they lingered on deck while Ivan showed...
Porcelain Maiden
I went swimming with my friends, and when we came out of the lake I couldn't find my clothes! I knew where I had stashed them. They were dazzling white. There wasn't any other explanation except that they had been stolen! My friends stopped helping me when they...
Covan Who Receives His Mother’s Blessing
Before I went on my way, my mother made me a small cake and a large cake, and she gave me a choice. I could have the small cake with her blessing, or the large cake without it. It would appear that she would rather have her sons starve with her blessing than eat well...
Stupid Hans Who Finds the Griffin
All my life I've been told I'm stupid. Why? Because I'm honest and I trust people. My brothers don't believe you can trust anyone, but that has never been my experience. Everywhere I go, I tell the truth, and everywhere I go, I meet somebody who is kind, or requires...
Shy Carpenter
My best friend and I grew up in houses that stood side-by-side, and our fathers were both carpenters. We were so close to one another that we used to be called Little Fork and Little Knife. My friend became a soldier, and I became a carpenter. He was much more...
Princess Who Rides a Lion
My brother went hunting one day and didn’t return. I nearly wept myself blind! Then, when I could no longer stand it, I went out into the forest to search for him. After I had gone a long way, I became tired. I had to find a place to rest. I looked around and what did...
Earthworkers
The king's youngest daughter is our princess, and we serve her. When she comes into the forest and summons us: "Earthworkers, come out!" we appear from under every root and stone. When she asks for help, we ask no questions. If she wants the forest cut down and the...
Crossroads
I am a crossroads in a great forest. Both my footpaths lead to the capital. One will take seven days and the other will take two days, but there are no signs to tell you which is which. How does one prepare? A shoemaker and a tailor paused to discuss the matter. The...
Penniless Woodcutter Father
I worked from dawn to dusk cutting wood, and I saved enough money to send my son to high school. He was a diligent student and his teachers praised him, but when he came home, he said, "Ah, father, I've learned a little, but in these hard times, I can't earn a...
Blood-Red Flower
Joringel dreamed that he found me growing in a meadow with a large pearl at the center of my blossom. He picked me, carried me to an enchanted castle, and everything I touched was freed, including his true love. It is a good thing that Joringel listens to his dreams....
Milkmaid Queen
Our little empire is even smaller than Petaldo's parents' kingdom. It's really only a dairy farm, but we are very happy. Every day, I go to the dairy, and, in addition to making my cheeses, I make a little barley cake and a tiny cream cheese. Then I put them under the...
Abeille Meeting the Little People
When Youri and I were children, we decided to go up the mountain and climb to the lake where the undines lived. It was hard going, and I became hobbled by a stone in my shoe. At last, I grew too weary to climb on, and, besides, it was getting dark. I lay down on a...
Lion Suitor
I got into the secret chamber of the princess by hiding in a lion made out of gold. The king brought the lion to his daughter, and when she and her friends were sleeping, I whispered to her, "Oh, lovely princess, if you only knew what I have gone through to find you."...
Alfonso
Julia is weeping because she afraid that I will be seduced by the siren I've heard in the woods. In her upset, she goes and takes a seashell from a treasure box. Then she sings into it in her pure, beautiful voice. She gives the shell to me and tells me to put it to...
Magic Horse
I may live underground, but I can fly high into the air if I am ridden into battle. I can scatter the enemy in every direction and soar into the sky, making my rider look like a god. My very dear friend is a prince who doesn't mind working as a servant when he has to....
Snow-White Rose Tree
I bear white roses. My sister, who grows beside me, bears red ones. We stand in a garden before a poor cottage where a widow lives with her two daughters. They are as old as we are, and one is named Snow-White, the other, Rose-Red. They are the sweetest and best...
Sister of Rose-Red
While I am more of an inside sort of person, my sister Rose-Red loves to run about the fields, pick flowers, and catch butterflies. When we go into the woods together to gather berries, no harm ever comes to us. The little hare eats the cabbage from our hands and the...
Mother of Snow-White and Rose-Red
An angel guards my children. That's why I'm not afraid to let them play and sleep in the woods. Truly, I tell you, they will not be harmed. For instance, one morning, after they had slept through the night in the forest, they woke and saw a figure in a shining white...
Faithful John
I promised the dying king that I would instruct his little son in all that he should know. I would be a father to him, serve him faithfully, and never desert him. Those were easy promises to make, but there was one more. The king said: “After my death you must show my...
Gulliver
Six hundred little servants were appointed to me, and three hundred tailors, while six of his Majesty's greatest scholars set about to teach me the Lilliputian language. The first words I learned were to ask for my liberty, which I repeated every day, on my knees. I...
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...
Shape-Changing Princess
I am the youngest of twelve sisters, and we are the daughters of King Kostiei, king of the Underworld. Our favorite thing to do is to go to the seashore at sunset, change our shapes into geese, swim in the water, and fly in the sky. When we leave our dresses on the...
Washing Woman
I was at the river washing my sweet potatoes in a hollow bamboo when all of a sudden, something got stuck in the pipe. I blew on one end, and a little bird came flying out of the bamboo like a pea out of a peashooter! I knew him. It was Pivi, a cheerful little fellow...
Good Magician
One doesn't often meet a man weeping in the underworld. When I asked him why he was weeping, he said he wanted to return to earth. I told him that I would carry him back to the surface on my own back if he would protect my children at night. I explained that a...