All Tales

Tale Summary One day, a young hunter saw three swans fly by and settle down near him. He was astonished to find that the three swans removed their feathery attire, and revealed themselves to be dazzlingly beautiful maidens. He watched as they bathed, and then donned their feathery garb again,...

Tale Summary There was once an old castle hidden deep in the forest, and in it lived a witch, who spent her time in the day as an owl or a cat to catch creatures in the forest for food, and her evenings as a horrible hag. Any man who...

Tale Summary There was once a laborer named Pekka, who went to talk to an old Lapland woman to hear his fortune. She told him that he would have three sons, and when each was born he should plant a tree bearing the name of the child. When they were...

Tale Summary Once upon a time there was a young girl who went for a walk in the forest, searching for a dove which she could hear singing. The girl forgot the way home, and when the sun set she began to cry. Suddenly, a white dove appeared and gave...

Tale Summary There was once a widower and a widow who each had a daughter. One day, the widower’s daughter passed a message to her father from the widow that the woman would like to marry him, and if he agreed, his daughter would wash in milk and drink cream...

Tale Summary There was once a tough and clever cat, who had one ear, who belonged to a farmer. The man wished for a soft kitten instead, and so stuffed the clever cat into a sack and threw it into the forest. He clawed his way out and decided to...

Tale Summary There was once an elderly man and his second wife, who was very bossy and had two similarly mannered daughters. Before her death, his first wife bore him a daughter named Martha, who was clever, beautiful, and did all the housework and chores. As she grew prettier her...

Tale Summary On days that the moon shone bright, people were very thankful for her, as they could easily find their way home at night through the treacherous bogs of Carland. On nights when she was dim or gone completely, travelers could not find their way and evil creatures came...

Tale Summary There was a woman, named Marusha, and her husband, Youshko, who very much wanted a daughter. One winter day they watched their boys happily build a snowman and decided to go make one for themselves. They sculpted a small one, not much bigger than a baby, and when...

Tale Summary Once upon a time there lived a poor tenant who had many children but no money to feed and clothe them. One Thursday evening, a white bear knocked on the door and asked for the man’s youngest daughter (who was the most lovely) in exchange for great riches...