Folk tales from around the world are collected here. A folktale is a traditional story that has been passed down from person to person over the years. Every culture has its own tales, and many of them have never been written down. Therefore, the story we read or listen to today may be very different from the original. Very often we don’t even know who the author was.

There are many varieties of folk tales. Some contain magic and tell about kings and queens. Others describe the struggle of a simple man trying to find his way in the world. Nature plays an important role in many fairy tales, and animals are often the main or important characters. Stories can be sad, funny, funny, wise, exciting, but they usually contain an important lesson about life and relationships.

These stories are a great way to learn about the customs, attitudes, and beliefs of people from other cultures. How are or were important holidays celebrated? What is the typical food and type of home? What is family life like? What are common beliefs about life and the world? How do they help people solve certain problems?

World Folk tales remain popular because everyone loves a good story. For centuries, fairy tales have been a way to bring people together, entertain children, or just pass the time. In addition, fairy tales may come from many different cultures, but they tell about dreams, problems and emotions that are familiar to people of all ages, all over the world and at all times: we can read about good and evil, right and wrong, love and hate, wealth and poverty, joy and unhappiness, jealousy and trust.

The same characters appear again and again in fairy tales: the good son, the wise old woman, the greedy man, the foolish man. It is also interesting that the same plots can appear in fairy tales from different countries, although the character arcs are different. A similar African tale to “The Crocodile and the Hunter,” which came from China, is about a clever judge, a shopkeeper, and a poor peasant. Weddings, birth of children and other important life events are also part of these stories.

A good fairy tale not only entertains, but also helps us turn a wrench, enter another world and experience another time. World folk tale may be centuries old, but it can still have meaning for us today.

Contents

1. The Good Peasant’s Son (a Russian folktale)
2. The Crocodile and the Hunter (an African—Nupe folktale)
3. Breaking the Chain (a Guatemalan folktale)
4. Lukas’s Luck (a Czechoslovak folktale)
5. Wisdom for Sale (an Indian—Gujerati folktale)
6. The Wooden Horse (a Middle Eastern folktale)
7. The Wedding Box (a Chinese folktale)
8. The Golden Apples (a Scandinavian folktale)
9. Happy New Year (a Chinese folktale)
10. Activities