| The Wise Girl and the Riddles | Two peasants are arguing about who owns a foal. A rich widow claims that her cart gave birth to it. Her poor neighbour is sure that his mare is the mother and the foal belongs to him. The poor man's wise daughter helps him win the dispute, by solving some subtle riddles. | https://www.storynory.com/the-wise-girl/ |
| Three Donkey Fables | Donkeys are famous for being stubborn. These three funny fables show you how humans get on with their asinine friends. | https://www.storynory.com/three-donkey-fables/ |
| The Unwilling Mermaid | You might think it would be a lot of fun to be a cute mermaid, but this girl is not happy about what happens to her when she experiences some strange goings-on. Listen to find out why. A longer than usual fairy tale with lots of twists, turns, and submersions! | https://www.storynory.com/the-unwilling-mermaid/ |
| How the Monkey became a Trickster | Why are monkeys full of mischief? This tuneful story from Brazil will explain. And you will hear a monkey who played the guitar before The Monkees. | https://www.storynory.com/how-the-monkey-became-a-trickster/ |
| The King of the Birds | One of Korea's most popular stories. There are two brothers, one is rich and mean, the other is poor and good hearted. The poor brother receives help from the King of the Birds, and the older brother hopes to gain the same reward. | https://www.storynory.com/the-king-of-the-birds/ |
| The Chinese Year of the Ox | An Ox is a large animal that looks like a bull, but he is generally patient, hard-working, and easy-going. And people who are born in the year of the Ox are said to be like that too! How did humans come to have this useful animal on earth to help them farm? Listen on to find out. | https://www.storynory.com/the-chinese-year-of-the-ox/ |
| The Evil Mouse | An old French story about an evil mouse who orders a young girl to play with fire. | https://www.storynory.com/the-evil-mouse/ |
| The Boy Who Loved to Draw Cats | A boy is training to be a zen monk in Japan. Life in the monastery is hard. There is one thing he loves to do - and it is not to study or work in the garden. | https://www.storynory.com/boy-loved-draw-cats/ |
| The Ugly Boatman | A story from Vietnam about a fisherman who plays a bamboo flute - if only his face was as beautiful as his music ! | https://www.storynory.com/the-ugly-boatman/ |
| The Three Dogs | A boy sets out with three loyal dogs and they slay a dragon on their way. Watch out for twists and turns in the story! | https://www.storynory.com/the-three-dogs/ |
| The Boy Who Spoke to the Birds | A story from Russia about a boy who who could speak to the birds and who proved homself to be an excellent son. | https://www.storynory.com/boy-spoke-birds/ |
| Why Cats and Dogs are Enemies | A story from China that explains why cats hate dogs. Told by a mouse. | https://www.storynory.com/cats-dogs-enemies/ |
| A Spooky Irish Story | For Halloween, a spooky story from Ireland about some witches with horns growing from their heads. | https://www.storynory.com/a-spooky-irish-story/ |
| The Weaver and the Dragon | An Irish weaver becomes a knight, serves 'The King of Dublin' and takes on a dragon. | https://www.storynory.com/the-weaver-and-the-dragon/ |
| The Pooka in the Kitchen | The servants in a large Irish House are grateful to a Pooka who comes every night to do their work for them. At Christmas, they decide to reward him. | https://www.storynory.com/the-pooka-in-the-kitchen/ |
| Jack Hannaford | A cunning old soldier plays a trick on a naive couple. A traditional English folk story. | https://www.storynory.com/jack-hannaford/ |
| The Doctor and the Fairy Princess | A doctor is called in the middle of the night to help a fairy princess. Will his reward make him rich or a prisoner of the fairy folk? | https://www.storynory.com/the-doctor-and-the-fairy-princess/ |
| The Priest’s Supper | Some Irish Fairy Folk have a question for a hungry priest. | https://www.storynory.com/the-priests-supper/ |
| The Piper and the Pooka | The Pooka is a wondrous creature that can shift its shape. Sometimes it's friendly, sometimes it isn't, but it is almost always mischievous. | https://www.storynory.com/the-piper-and-the-pooka/ |
| The Demon Cat | AN Irish story about a spooky cat who demands fish ( by Lady Wilde ) | https://www.storynory.com/the-demon-cat/ |
| How Anansi Brought Wild Animals into the World | Anansi, the anti-hero of West African folklore, refuses to follow instructions. | https://www.storynory.com/how-anansi-brought-wild-animals-into-the-world/ |
| Anansi Meets Father Thunder | Anansi visits an old man under the sea and receives a gift. The gift is more wonderful than anything he expected but his mean spirit gets the better of him. | https://www.storynory.com/anansi-meets-father-thunder/ |
| How Wisdom Got Out | Anansi, our hero from Ghana in West Africa, keeps all the world's wisdom in a pot and he decides to hide it up a tree. | https://www.storynory.com/how-wisdom-got-out/ |
| How Anansi brought stories to the world | The shape-shifting Anansi is sometimes a spider, sometimes a man. He comes from Ghana in West Africa and he is one of the great storytellers of the world. | https://www.storynory.com/how-anansi-brought-stories-to-the-world/ |
| The Good Turn | A boy of Zanzibar goes out hunting and does a good turn to an Ape, a Snake, and a Lion. Is it true that one good turn deserves another? | https://www.storynory.com/the-good-turn/ |
| The Donkey and the Lion | A donkey is dim enough to fall for the same trick twice. | https://www.storynory.com/donkey-lion/ |
| The Monkey and the Shark | A clever monkey has a story that explains a story. | https://www.storynory.com/monkey-shark/ |
| The Amazing Gazelle | A story from Zanzibar about a clever gazelle who helps a beggar. | https://www.storynory.com/amazing-gazelle/ |
| Aponibolinayen and the Healing Oranges | From the Philippines. Aponibolinayen has a headache and longs for healing oranges of guarded by a fierce giant. Her husband is determined to fetch them for her. | https://www.storynory.com/aponibolinayen-and-the-healing-oranges/ |
| Three Short Fables from the Philippines. | Why Dogs Wag their Tails, why hens peck the ground, and why spiders hate flies | https://www.storynory.com/three-short-fables-from-the-philippines/ |
| Aponibolinayen | A beautiful woman with magical powers marries the Sun in this fable from the Philippines. | https://www.storynory.com/aponibolinayen/ |
| The Elfin Knight | A ghostly knight rides across a Scottish moore. Two brave Earls ignore warnings about him, and go hunting on the moore. Only one of them carries the sign of the Trinity. | https://www.storynory.com/the-elfin-knight/ |
| The Sprightly Tailor | A spooky, scary, and at the same time funny story from Scotland, about a taylor who has to sew some trews in the haunted ruins of an old church. | https://www.storynory.com/the-sprightly-tailor/ |
| 2014 – Chinese Year of the Horse – The Horse that Ran Away | 2014 is the Chinese Year of the Horse - starting on January 31. Hope you all have a wonderful year ! This is a chinese tale about a man whose prize possession was his one and only horse. When it ran away, everyone thought he had suffered the most terrible bad luck - but he was wise and saw things differently. | https://www.storynory.com/2014-chinese-year-of-the-horse-the-horse-that-ran-away/ |
| Prince Chéri | A prince has a good fairy to look over him, but he behaves badly and she punishes him. | https://www.storynory.com/prince-cheri/ |
| The Moscow Cat | A strong and independent cat from Moscow runs away to live in the forrest. A story that is half realistic - in fact based on a real cat - and half traditional Russian fairy tale. | https://www.storynory.com/the-moscow-cat/ |
| Undine | A watery fairytale from Germany that is not unlike the Little Mermaid | https://www.storynory.com/undine/ |
| The King and the Beggar Maid | A king does not seem interested in marrying until he comes across a beggar maid. This is an ancient story that is often referred to in literature. Shakespeare mentions it in several of his plays, including Romeo and Juliet. | https://www.storynory.com/the-king-and-the-beggar-maid/ |
| Red Fortunes | Red Fortunes is Bertie's novel for Grown Ups. It's available on Amazon both in Kindle and in Paperback. And even better, for the first 5 days of May it's FREE on Kindle. Download it now and please leave a review on Amazon. | https://www.storynory.com/red-fortunes/ |
| The Rooster and the Fox | If you like Aesop's fables, you will probably enjoy this. It is the lively story of a fox who tries to trick a farmyard rooster. There are plenty of good morals; "pride comes before the fall," and "do not fall for false flattery," are a couple examples. Geoffrey Chaucer included the story in his "Canterbury […] | https://www.storynory.com/the-rooster-and-the-fox/ |
| Rip Van Winkle | The classic American fairytale by Washington Irving read for Storynory by Charlie Loeb. | https://www.storynory.com/rip-van-winkle/ |
| Madame White Snake | A story from China to celebrate the Year of the Snake. Two serpent spirits become young women and one of them marries a man. | https://www.storynory.com/madame-white-snake/ |
| The Sorcerer’s Apprentice | A chaotic magical story with music which shows why you should never muddle in things that you do not understand | https://www.storynory.com/the-sorcerers-apprentice/ |
| The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid | A romantic Story from China about a cowherd who has a magical ox. The ox helps him to marry a one of the maidens who blow the clouds through the skies. | https://www.storynory.com/the-cowherd-and-the-weaving-maid/ |
| The Tortoise and the Elephant | Who is stronger : a tortoise or an elephant? This fable from Zaire has | https://www.storynory.com/the-tortoise-and-the-elephant/ |
| Portia’s Puzzle | A romantic episode from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice which is a little like a fairytale. | https://www.storynory.com/portias-puzzle/ |
| Chicken Little | A fast paced and amusing story - but do be warned - some animals with cute names do get eaten by Foxy-Woxy. Look out for Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles, Goosey- Loosey and Turkey-lurkey | https://www.storynory.com/chicken-little/ |
| The Samurai and the Tea Master | This traditional story from Japan is about the time a Samurai warrior challenged a tea master to a duel. It shows how if you are the master of yourself, you can be the master of anything. | https://www.storynory.com/the-samurai-and-the-tea-master/ |
| Swan Lake | A magical and Musical story includes a specially recorded song | https://www.storynory.com/swan-lake/ |
| The Old Man and the Figs | A jewish tale, very old, wise and witty. | https://www.storynory.com/the-old-man-and-the-figs/ |
| The Golem of Prague | A Jewish Story for Halloween - not unrelated to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. The Rabbi of Prague made a bogey-man or "golem" which rebelled against him. | https://www.storynory.com/the-golem-of-prague/ |
| The Tortoise and the Geese | A fable from India which shows why it's wise to think before you open your mouth and speak. | https://www.storynory.com/the-tortoise-and-the-geese/ |
| The First Strawberries | If you like sweet love stories, you will love this tale of the Cherokee people of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. The first man and the first woman quarrel, and the sun reunites them with a very special gift. | https://www.storynory.com/the-first-strawberries/ |
| The Wild Man | A wild man of the woods is kept prisoner in a cage in the courtyard of the castle. A boy takes pity on the curious captive, and sets him free - only to meet him again later. | https://www.storynory.com/the-wild-man/ |
| Tom Thumb | An adventurous and amusing fairy tale from England. | https://www.storynory.com/tom-thumb/ |
| Urashima | A Japanese fairy tale about a kind-hearted fisher boy who catches a turtle and lets it go free. | https://www.storynory.com/urashima/ |
| When the Sun Hid in Her Cave | A legend from Japan about how the world was plunged into darkness when the Sun goddess sulked. The other gods gathered to remedy the situation and invented fun and music. | https://www.storynory.com/when-the-sun-hid-in-her-cave/ |
| The Desolate Island | A slave asks for his freedom and then sets out on an adventure. This parable from the Middle East has a mysterious and spiritual tone, and is also rather intriguing. | https://www.storynory.com/the-desolate-island/ |
| The Emperor’s Dream | A dreamy, eastern love story. | https://www.storynory.com/the-emperors-dream/ |
| The Grateful Crane | A story from Japan about a poor farmer who rescues a crane and finds that his luck changes for the better until his curiosity gets the better of him. | https://www.storynory.com/the-grateful-crane/ |
| The Firefly Princess | The Fire-Fly princess has many suitors. She tells them all that she will marry the one who can bring her a flame. A glittering story from Japan. | https://www.storynory.com/the-fire-fly-princess/ |
| How the Tiger Got his Stripes | The Year of the Tiger starts of February 14 2010. We mark the Chinese New Year with a legend from Asia about How the Tiger Got His Stripes | https://www.storynory.com/how-the-tiger-got-his-stripes/ |
| The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor | An Ancient Egyptian tale about a shipwrecked sailor who is washed up on a desert island and meets a giant serpent. One of the oldest stories ever written down, it is really several stories within a story. | https://www.storynory.com/the-tale-of-the-shipwrecked-sailor/ |
| The Watermelon Prince | A story from Vietnam that tells how the delicious fruit, the watermelon, came to Vietnam. A king adopts a boy who grows up into a wise prince. His bother plots against him and he is banished to an island where he discovers a sumptuous new fruit. | https://www.storynory.com/the-watermelon-prince/ |
| The Wicked Witch of the West | We bring you a single chapter from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by y L. Frank Baum. We chose this chapter in the spirit of Halloween - so expect a few scary moments when with wolves, bees, crows, and winged monkeys. | https://www.storynory.com/the-wicked-witch-of-the-west/ |
| The Monkey and the Boar | A story from Japan about a Monkey who has served his master by dancing all his life. Now he is old, his master wants to get rid of him. The monkey consults a wise wild boar about what to do. | https://www.storynory.com/the-monkey-and-the-boar/ |
| My Lord Bag of Rice | A Japanese warrior is enlisted by the Dragon King of the Lake to save his family from a giant centipede. The story tells how the warrior got his strange name, My Lord Bag of Rice. | https://www.storynory.com/my-lord-bag-of-rice/ |
| Dede Korkut and the Angel of Death | Dede Korkut was a great warrior who boasted that he could conquer all creation. The Angel of Death visited him to teach him a lesson about the sin of pride, but Dede Korkut won a second chance. A powerful story from Turkey | https://www.storynory.com/dede-korkut-and-the-angel-of-death/ |
| A Christmas Nutcracker | A magical Christmas story with music by Tchaikovsky about the girl's love of a toy that was both ugly and broken - but who turned out to be a true hero. | https://www.storynory.com/a-christmas-nutcracker/ |
| The Blind Man’s Daughter | A delightful story from Korea about a girl who was willing to sacrifice everything to help her blind father regain his sight. | https://www.storynory.com/the-blind-mans-daughter/ |
| The Three Sillies | A man goes in search of three people who are bigger sillies than his fiance and her parents. | https://www.storynory.com/the-three-sillies/ |
| The Fairies of Merlin’s Craig | Fairies appear to a man digging peat on a Scottish moor. Soon he is dancing to strange music with them. | https://www.storynory.com/the-fairies-of-merlins-craig/ |
| Baba Yaga – A Scary Story for Halloween | A SCARY STORY for Halloween. Baba Yaga is one of the most famous and frightening witches in all literature. She lives in a strange hut on hens legs. Vasilissa, a young girl, is sent to visit her. | https://www.storynory.com/baba-yaga-a-scary-story-for-halloween/ |
| The Seal Catcher | A Scottish story about a seal catcher who has a chance to speak with one of the animals that he hunts for a living and discovers that seals have feelings just as much as we do. | https://www.storynory.com/the-seal-catcher/ |
| Jack and the Beanstalk | Jack exchanges the family cow for five beans. His mother is furious and throws them out of the window. The beans sprout into a stalk and jack climbs up to the sky and the land of giants. | https://www.storynory.com/jack-and-the-beanstalk/ |
| Lazy Jack | Lazy Jack goes out to work, but he's not used to earning a living, and he gets into all sorts of muddles. An amusing fireside tale from the North of England. | https://www.storynory.com/lazy-jack/ |
| The 12 Dancing Princesses | Mystery and romance as a poor cowherd solves the mystery of where 12 princesses disappear to at night. | https://www.storynory.com/12-dancing-princesses-fairy-tale-podcast/ |
| Dick Whittington and His Cat | The rags to riches story of Dick Whittington and his cat is not just a fairy tale: it is part of the folklore of London. Today there is a monument to his cat near the Whittington Stone pub at the foot of Highgate Hill where Dick sat down and heard the famous Bow Bells of East London ring out: Turn Again Whittington! Thrice Lord Mayor of London!
| https://www.storynory.com/dick-whittington-cat-london/ |
| Kissa the Cat | This charming story about a princess who is rescued by a magical cat comes from Denmark. A free audio download for children. | https://www.storynory.com/kissa-the-cat/ |
| The Cat’s Elopement | This charming tale comes from Japan. Two cats - Gon and Koma - fall in love and run away together. They are separated when they meet a fierce dog. Gon becomes the pet and defender of a princess - but will he ever see his true love again? | https://www.storynory.com/the-cats-elopement/ |
| The Frog | A frog who helps a young man in the search for his wife. From the Violet Fairy Book of Andrew Lang. | https://www.storynory.com/the-frog/ |
Fairytales and legends including many that you have probably never heard before. Rumbustious and amusing, or gentle and spiritual, these tales are a world tour of stories! We have adapted many of these stories especially for Storynory.