Once there was a king who had great riches, which, when he died, he divided among his three sons. The two eldest of these lived in rioting and feasting, and thus wasted and squandered their father’s wealth till nothing remained, and they found themselves in want and misery. The youngest of the three sons, on […]
Continue ReadingThe Red Etin
There was once a widow that lived on a small bit of ground, which she rented from a farmer. And she had two sons; and by-and-by it was time for the wife to send them away to seek their fortune. So she told her eldest son one day to take a can and bring her […]
Continue ReadingThe Little Omelet
Once upon a time there was a little woman who had a little room and a little hen. The hen laid an egg and the little woman took it and made a little omelet of it, and put it to cool in the window. Along came a fly and ate it up. Imagine what an […]
Continue ReadingThe Sacred Milk of Koumongoe
Far way, in a very hot country, there once lived a man and woman who had two children, a son named Koane and a daughter called Thakane. Early in the morning and late in the evenings the parents worked hard in the fields, resting, when the sun was high, under the shade of some tree. […]
Continue ReadingHow Frey Won Gerda, the Giant Maiden, and How He Lost His Magic Sword
Frey, chief of the Vanir, longed to have sight of his sister who had been from Asgard for so long. (You must know that this happened during the time when Freya was wandering through the world, seeking her husband, the lost Odur.) Now there was in Asgard a place from which one could overlook the […]
Continue ReadingThe Relations of Ssidi Kur – 7. The Bird-man
When the Son of the Chan had done as formerly, spoken the threatening words, and carried off Ssidi, Ssidi asked him as before to tell a tale; but the Son of the Chan shook his head without speaking a word, and Ssidi began as follows:— “In times gone by there lived in a fair country […]
Continue ReadingThe Merry Wives
There lay three houses in a row, in one of which there lived a tailor, in another a carpenter, and in the third a smith. All three were married, and their wives were very good friends. They often talked about how stupid their husbands were, but they could never agree as to which of them […]
Continue ReadingWhy Cats Always Wash After Eating
A long time ago a cat caught a sparrow, and licked his lips in anticipation of the delight he would feel in devouring it. After playing with it for a time, as cats will, he was going to eat it, when the sparrow spoke to him. “The Emperor’s cat,” said the sparrow, “and all his […]
Continue ReadingThe Fate of the Witch Wife
A long time ago a woman named White Corn spent all of her days cooking. She would cook piles of food that she never offered to her husband, Redflower; but since the food always disappeared, Redflower began to wonder what became of it. So one evening he decided that he would watch the pile of […]
Continue ReadingPrince Unexpected
There was a king and queen who had been married for three years, but had no children, at which they were both much distressed. Once upon a time the king found himself obliged to make a visit of inspection round his dominions; he took leave of his queen, set off and was not at home […]
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