Tales Published 1910-1919

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 there lived, in a very cold country, a little hare was brought up by his grandmother. They were very poor, as he was too young and she was too old to work. One day, the young hare was very hungry, and asked his grandmother if he could...

Tale Summary There once lived a cobbler named Tom and his wife, named Joan, who always thought the opposite of him. One day, Joan accidentally knocked over some pots and pans, breaking them all. When Tom rushed in to see what had happened, she grabbed a pair of scissors and...

Tale Summary There was once a little tailor, who one summer day set aside bread with jam for his lunch. Noticing a number of flies on his lunch, the tailor brought a leather strap down on it, killing twelve instantly. Mighty proud, he stitched a shoulder sash with the words:...

Tale Summary Reynard the fox knew that Bruin the bear had a beehive full of honey that he kept a good eye on, and very much wanted some. One day, he told the bear that he had to go to a christening, and once in the woods, ate some of...

Tale Summary There was once an old woman with three daughters. Two of them were very unlucky but the youngest, Nella, was perfect and lucky in every way, making the eldest sisters jealous. The girl secretly was married to an enchanted Prince, who had a wicked mother. So as not...

Tale Summary There was once a King of Ireland who had three lovely daughters. One day, the King playfully asked his girls who they would like to marry. While two speak of high class gentlemen, the youngest said that she would marry the Brown Bear of Norroway, for she had...

Tale Summary There once was a merchant who wished to see his only daughter, Betta, married, but she would not consent. One day, he asked his daughter what she would like him to bring back from the fair. She asked for half a hundredweight of Palermo sugar, the same amount...

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a poor gardener’s wife named Sapatella who longed for a son. When her husband, named Cola Matteo, one day brought home a bundle of sticks and they found a little snake inside, she despaired that even snakes had children, but not her...