All Stories
Total 92 stories, Page 4/4
Mary's Child
A woodcutter's daughter is raised in heaven by the Virgin Mary. She opens a forbidden door, denies it three times, and is cast out into a hard, silent life — until she speaks the truth at the stake and finds forgiveness.
Old Hildebrand
Honest farmer Hildebrand is sent off on a fake "pilgrimage" by his wife and the parson, until an egg-selling friend hides him in a basket and carries him home to see the truth.
The Singing, Springing Lark
A father's hasty promise gives his youngest daughter to a lion; she keeps her word and marries the prince, and when a spell turns him into a dove, she searches for seven years, asking the sun, the moon, and the winds and fighting a dragon, until her faithful heart wins him back.
The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was
A fearless simpleton treats 'learning to shudder' as a trade, crosses wild fields and a haunted castle, defeats evil spirits, wins treasure and a princess — and is finally taught what fear is by his wife's bucket of cold water and a few little fish.
The Fox and the Geese
A hungry fox finds a flock of fat geese, who cleverly ask for a last prayer before death. That prayer never ends, and the fox is still waiting to this day.
The Frog King or Iron Henry
A proud princess carelessly promises to befriend a frog in exchange for her golden ball; when she keeps her word, the frog turns out to be a prince.
The Gnome
The king's daughters sink into the earth by a curse, and the looked-down-upon 'Silly Hans' descends alone, slays the dragons, and rescues the princesses — then exposes the brothers who stole his credit, winning the princess and everyone's respect by his true worth.
The Gold-Children
A golden fish brings a poor fisherman a castle, but a curious wife talks him into losing it twice; on the third try the fish gives them two golden sons, bound by magic lilies, so that one brother senses the other's danger and rides to the rescue.
The Goose Girl
A princess is robbed of her identity by a wicked maid and ends up minding geese, but the truth will not stay hidden — a speaking horse's head and a wind that answers her call lead the old king to the truth, and the schemer eats the fruit of her own deeds.
The King of the Golden Mountain
A merchant's son drifts to an enchanted land, frees a spellbound princess, and becomes King of the Golden Mountain. Then a moment of anger and his wife's betrayal strip him of everything, until wit and the giants' treasures win back his crown.
The Pack of Ragamuffins
A cock, a hen, a duck, a pin, and a needle — a pack of greedy rogues — feast for free at an inn, play nasty tricks on the kind landlord, and slip away, leaving him to count the cost.
The Poor Man and the Rich Man
A kind poor couple win lasting blessings through honest hospitality, while a stingy rich man squanders three wishes on his own greed and temper — kindness is repaid, and contentment is true wealth.
The Spirit in the Glass Bottle
A poor student frees a spirit from a bottle by mistake, uses his wits to escape twice, and gains a magic cloth that turns iron to silver and heals all wounds, changing his family's fate forever.
The Three Little Birds
Three babies are thrown into the deep water and raised by a kind fisherman. Years later, the youngest daughter wins a magic wand and a singing bird with one kind word, and the truth finally comes to light, freeing the queen and reuniting the whole family.
The Twelve Brothers
A princess gives up speaking and laughing for seven years to save her twelve brothers from a raven curse, and her patience wins a miracle at the very last moment.
The Water of Life
Three princes ride out to find the Water of Life for their dying father: the proud brothers are trapped on the road, the humble youngest brings the water home only to be betrayed, and in the end a golden road tells a true heart from a false one, giving the kingdom to the good son and exile to the wicked.
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
Seven little kids ignore their mother's warning and open the door to a wolf in disguise; a clever mother goat cuts him open, saves her kids, and fills his belly with stones — those who ignore wise words learn the hard way.
The Wonderful Musician
A proud musician lures a wolf, a fox and a hare with his fiddle and then tricks each one; when the three beasts come back for revenge, a woodcutter shields him with his axe, and he learns that mocking others wins no true friend.
The Young Giant
A thumb-sized boy, raised by a giant, becomes a man of mighty strength. Asking for kicks instead of coins, he teaches greedy masters a lesson and boots a promise-breaking bailiff and his wife into the sky.
Brother and Sister
A brother and sister flee their cruel stepmother, but the brother drinks from a cursed brook and becomes a fawn. Through hardship and treachery, the sister's love brings them home at last.