Category: Folklore & Fairy Tales

Book Review: Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines

Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines By W. Ramsey Smith Originally published around 1932, Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines claims to be a collection of campfire tales and oral traditions of the aboriginal people of Australia. This is mostly true. About a fifth of the book is devoted to tribal customs rather …

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Book Review: Wyandot folk-lore

Wyandot folk-lore By William Elsey Connelley Wyandot folk-lore is a study of the Wyandot culture and folk tales. It was published in the late 1800s and the copy I read was a republication by the Library of Congress, created from a scan of the book. The quality of the scan is about what one would …

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Book Review: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo Translated by J.R.R. Tolkien Edited by Christopher Tolkien While not strictly fantasy in the modern sense, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Sir Orfeo are both fantasy in their own rights. They are both circa 14th century poems containing fantastical elements which could not possibly …

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The Talkative Tortoise

Tortoise carried by geese

While reading Indian Fairy Tales, I came across an interesting story from the Jataka. The story tells of a tortoise who lived in a pond in the Himalayas. The tortoise loved to talk, and he eventually became good friends with two young wild geese. One day, the two geese invited the tortoise to come with …

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Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part III

Aladdin and the Genie

The Magician Seeks Revenge One day, the city was attacked by the Sultan’s enemies. The Sultan appointed Aladdin as commander of his armies. He fearlessly engaged the enemy, and after a violent battle he put them all to flight. The Sultan declared a festival to celebrate the triumph and the love of the people for …

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Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part II

The Genie Returns with Food

Aladdin’s Marriage to the Sultan’s Daughter One day, the Sultan’s daughter, Lady Badr al-Budur, desired to visit the public baths. The merchants all closed shop so that she would have her privacy, but Aladdin hid behind the door of the bathhouse in order to catch a glimpse of her beauty. Upon seeing her face, Aladdin …

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Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Part I

Aladdin in the Magic Garden

The Finding of the Lamp In the city of Al-Kal’as in China, there lived Mustapha, a poor tailor, with his wife and young son, Aladdin. When Aladdin reached his tenth year, the tailor decided to teach him his trade. Aladdin was lazy, and whenever Mustapha left his shop Aladdin would sneak out and play with …

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The Twelve Dancing Princesses

12 Dancing Princesses

The story of the twelve dancing princesses has appeared under various titles, in various forms, and by various authors over the years, but one of the earliest versions is the tale of “The Shoes Which Were Danced to Pieces,” published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm. There once lived a king who had twelve daughters, …

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