Folklore Stories A-Z
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Androclus and the Lion
Androclus, a runaway slave, befriends a lion with a thorn in its paw.
Arachne and the Weaving Contest
The goddess Athena challenges Arachne to a weaving contest to prove who is the superior craftsperson.
Bearskin and the Devil
A soldier makes a deal with the Devil in exchange for a lifetime of riches. If he can manage the impossible terms...
Belling the Cat
The mice are looking for a way to guard themselves from the cat.
Echo and Narcissus
Echo, doomed forever to repeat the words of others, falls in love with the self-centered Narcissus.
Godfather Death
When a thirteenth child is born to a poor family, the father makes Death the little boy's godfather.
Halcyone and Ceyx
Halycone, the Queen of Thessaly, wanders along the bleak sea-beach and watching for the brown sail of her husband the King, who has gone to seek council from the oracle.
Hansel and Gretel
Once upon a time there dwelt near a large wood a poor woodcutter, with his wife and two children by his former marriage, a little boy called Hansel, and a girl named Grethel. He had little enough to break or bite; and once, when there was a great famine in the land, he could not procure even his daily bread
How Odin Lost His Eye
Father Odin longed to become the wisest being in the world, so he resolved to win a draught from Mimer's well.
If Only I Could Shiver
A boy sets out on a journey to learn what it means to be frightened (have the shivers.)
King Maximilian and the Geese
When King Maximilian drops his book, he asks a boy tending a flock of geese to find it. But who will keep the geese in order until he returns?
King Midas and the Golden Touch
When the god Bacchus grants King Midas a wish, he asks for the ability to turn anything he touches into gold.
King Midas Judges a Music Contest
When wandering the hillside in search of peace, one day King Midas changed upon a music contest between Pan and Apollo.
Mother Holle
A neglected young girl becomes the servant of Mother Holle and is rewarded for her hard work.
Orpheus and his Lute
When Orpheus loses his wife Eurydice to a snakebite, he ventures into Hades to try to win her back.
Pygmalion and the Statue
Master sculptor Pygmalion falls in love with the statue of a woman he is carving.
Robert the Bruce and the Spider
A battle-weary Robert the Bruce takes heart by watching a patient and persistent spider.
Robin Hood Meets Allan-A-Dale
When Robin Hood learns that Allan-A-Dale's bride has been promised to an old man, he steps in to stop the wedding.
Rumplestiltskin
Rumplestiltskin saves the life of a miller's daughter by spinning straw to gold. But the deal comes with a terrible clause.
Spirits of the Catskill Mountains
The Catskill mountains have always been a region full of fable, long considered the abode of spirits...
