Allerleirauh; or, the Many-Furred Creature

“Allerleirauh; or, the Many-Furred Creature.” The Green Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1892, pp. 276-281.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, a king’s beautiful wife was on her deathbed, and had her husband promise not to remarry unless he found someone just as pretty as her, and with such golden hair as she had. No one in the land could match her beauty, until his...

Donkey Skin

“Donkey Skin.” Rose Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, 1948, pp. 1-15.

Tale Summary Once upon a time there was a beloved king who had everything his heart could desire, including an ordinary looking donkey which produced bushels of gold pieces from its ears every night. After many years of prosperity, the king suffered the loss of his wife, who begged him...

The Bear

“The Bear.” Rose Fairy Book, Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, 1948, pp. 56-63.

Tale Summary There was once a beautiful princess who lived locked up by her father, as he feared that something would happen to the daughter he loved so dearly. One day, the girl complained to her nurse, who was a witch and told her to ask her father for a...

Catskin

“Catskin.” 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. 45-48.

Tale Summary Once upon a time there was a girl who was born to a father who only wished for a male heir, and so was sent by her mother to live with a foster-nurse in a house by the great oak wood. When she was fifteen years old, her...

The Bear

“The Bear.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 269-274.

Tale Summary There was once a princess so beautiful that her father the king had her locked away inside a tower. One day, she lamented her situation to her nurse, who happened to be a witch, and received advice. She was to ask her father for a wooden wheelbarrow and...

Donkey skin

“Donkey Skin.” The Grey Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1905, pp. 1-16.

Tale Summary The King has a donkey that at night pours gold out of its ears. Before the Queen dies, she says that the king should remarry a woman more beautiful than she is. The King wants to marry his adopted daughter, but she doesn’t want to. So she runs...