The Eight-headed Serpent

"The Eight-headed Serpent.” Japanese fairy tales, Teresa Peirce Williston, Chicago: Rand, McNally & Co, 1904, pp. 35-41.

Tale Summary For five days, the god Susano walked by the river Hi. When he went to sleep he had an unusual dream of a beautiful maiden floating down the river whom he saved from a monster. The next day, he was exploring the area and found a chop-stick floating...

The Lambton Worm

“The Lambton Worm.” Fairy Gold : A Book of Old English Fairy Tales Chosen by Ernest Rhys, Ernest Rhys, London: J.M. Dent & Co.; New York : E.P. Dutton & co., 1907, pp. 8-12.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a young heir of Lambton Castle, who lived a very careless life. One Sunday morning he was fishing, and after cursing for a time after having no bites, caught a worm, which he tossed into a nearby well (still known as the...

Dragon with Eight Heads

Yamata No Orochi. Takejiro, Hasegawa. Translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain, Kobunsha, 1886. 

Tale Summary The world was ruled by a fairy who had three children named Susano, Ama, and Moon-boy. Susano was given the sea, Ama was given the sun, and Moon-boy had the moon. However, Susano got tired of living in the cold sea and burst into the sun to see...

llustration from first page of tale, depicts a seven-headed dragon/serpent terrorizing a group of people

"The Seven-Headed Serpent.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 60-63.

Tale Summary A king and his men set sail and discover a bountiful island. On this island there was a large population of lions who attacked the king’s men. The men were able to defeat the lions but at a great cost and the majority of them perished. They set...

The Dragon and the Prince

“The Dragon and the Prince.” The Crimson Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1903, pp. 80-92.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there were three princes, sons of the emperor, who all loved hunting. In quick succession, the first and then the second sons both tried to hunt a hare that lured them to a mill where it turned into a dragon and ate them both...

Dragon of the North

“The Dragon of the North.” The Yellow Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London, New York, Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906, pp. 9-20.

Tale Summary With help from a good magician, an evil witch, and a magic ring, the Youth of the tale is able to kill the dragon and marry the princess. However, the evil witch soon seeks revenge for the wrong the Youth did to her by stealing her magic ring...

Titled "The dragon and the mirror". Vibrant Illustration of a dragon looking into a mirror. Behind the mirror is a woman in gown and a tree. In the background is a castle and knight on a horse.

“The Knights of the Fish.” The Brown Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1914, pp. 343-350.

Tale Summary An apathetic, talking fish befriends a hungry cobbler who allows the cobbler to eat him and bury part of his flesh in a garden. The garden grows larger and spits out two twin babies that eventually become men. They decide to leave home one day after being tired...