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A long time ago in the Japanese countryside lived an old man and his grandson atop a moutain by the sea. Their house was small, yet had the best view . The mountaintop was flat, and the sides of the mountain were covered in rice fields tended to by the resident of the village below, who lived the near the water.
In forgotten times, a tsar had a wife he loved. He was so devoted to her care that he spent as much time as he could with her. Unfortunately, a war broke out and the ruler had to leave his wife behind to go fight. During his absence, the tsarina brought her pregnancy to term and gave birth to a baby girl. The labour was so difficult, the tsarina bled out and died the next day, which, coincidentally, was the day the tsar came home.
Once upon a time, there was a flea, a grasshopper and a frog who wanted to determine which of the three could jump higher. Thus, they decided to hold leaping match. The winner would get the bragging rights! When the king heard of this competition, he was intrigued. He brought the three animals to his court and offered to up the stakes by offering his daughter's hand in marriage to the winner of the leaping match.
Many years ago was told the story of Ūliske. She was the daughter of a great chief renowned for her grand beauty. The woman was so gorgeous, men were always trying to obtain her hand in marriage. Still, she refused to take a husband, saying no man would be good to her.
There was once a lumberjack couple, a husband and wife, who worked together everyday. For lunch, the woman would go back to the house and bring back soup so the couple could eat together in the woods. One day, as she was walking with the soup, she stumbled upon a tree trunk and fell down. A huge bear arrived, picked her up and took her to a cave, where he assaulted her and kept her captive. A few months later, the woman gave birth to a son, half human and half bear, named John Bear. As he grew up with his mom in the cave, the bear took good care of their needs, treating them like family.
In a small senegalese village, a young woman was waking up for another beautiful day. As she greeted her father good morning, he made an announcement. "Next month, you will get married," he told his daughter. " My cousin just married a woman with a young adult son in search for a bride."
Once upon a time, an old king had three sons. Two of those were smart and well-spoken, while the third one lacked in both wit and charisma. This son, the middle child, was always saying and doing dumb things. So much so, that his brothers nicknamed him Dumbo. The king was starting to worry about his succession, yet he didn't know which son could be the next ruler. Thus, the king decided to send his sons on a quest.
Many moons ago, before the world was what it is today, were three sisters living together in the sicilian countryside. As they were orphaned at a very young age, the siblings had learned to live off of their handiwork as a team. The first sister spun and coiled yarn, the second wove the linen, and the third cut and sewed the fabric into various items of clothing. Together, despite a few occasional sisterly strifes, lived in harmony. Their handiwork brought them enough money to live by and they were happy.
This story begins in Lu-lung, a small chinese city afoot a tall mountain. There, the houses were so close together that they gave the impression of hugging each other. A poor widow lived with her only son, called Wang, in one of these tiny houses. Wang was so courageous and strong that he was admired by everyone in the neighbourhood. His mother was also very proud of him.
There was once a very rich miller who lived happily in a village with his wife. He gladly took care of their mill everyday, until a terrible draught caused a poor harvest in his village. The poor harvest meant the miller was no more useful, and his fortune depleted. From then on, the miller sulked all day, upset to barely have his mill to his name.
In a forgotten kingdom a long time ago was a glass hill reaching high in the sky. Atop the mountain was a tree which fruited three golden apples, no more. Those golden apples were the price of admittance to the golden castle it lived beside. The one who could enter the castle would win the... Continue Reading →
In the Brocade Palace in the sky, there were two fairies whose task was to weave clouds for the Celestial Emperor. They spent all their time creating the most beautiful and intricate designs to please their ruler. Some clouds looked like sheep wool, while other were shaped like anvils, hairbrushes or mighty tigers. Whatever shape they could think of, they could create a cloud for.
There is an animal in the forests of our ancestral land in North America called the wolverine by colonizers. The Mi'kmaqs call it Kek-oua-gou. That trickster is known for his villainous pranks such as stealing game form hunters, destroying bask lodges and many other annoying little tricks.
In ancient India, a sultan had three adult sons. Their names were Hussain, Ali and Ahmed. The sultan was also taking care of a foreign sultan's daughter named Nur Al-Nahar as a favour after her father's death. The sultan's three sons quickly enamored the princess, as her character was as gentle as a lamb, her mind as sharp as a rose's thorns and her features as beautiful as a sunset over the sea.
In the village of Rox, Brittany, a fest was under way after a long day of working the fields, the kitchens and the boats. The plaza was so full you would think the ground could give way any second under the weight of so many jolly partygoers. There were bowls of cider a-plenty and festive accordeon music being played for everyone to enjoy. The dirt dancefloor was filled with youth and elderly alike, cutting a rag like their life depended on it.
There once was a man who lived in Barr an Ghaoith, Brian Ó Braocachain. He used to cut rods and weave them into baskets for a living. One day, as he had ran out of rods in Barr an Ghaoith, he decided to try his luck in nearby Alt an Torr, a rumored fairy glen, to look for rods.
Once upon a time, an old queen whose husband had long passed away was looking to get her daughter married to ensure her future. Thus, she concluded an agreement with a faraway king and sent her daughter to a foreign land to marry a prince. Along with her dowry of gold and silver jewels, cups and adornments, the queen sent along Falada, the palace's talking horse, as a ride as well as company. In order to ease her travels and transition, the queen also sent along a waiting-woman.
During ancient times in Phaistos, Crete, a couple was expecting a child. Ligdus, a proud man, wanted a boy, as he and his wife, Telethusa, could not afford a dowry for a daugther. Therefore, Ligdus threatened that any female child of his would be put to death. Telethusa tried to get her husband to change his mind, in vain. Ligdus remained stoic and Telethusa lived in the fear that her possible female child would be murdered upon her birth.
Talia remained at the residence for many years. One night, before the celebration dinner of her sixteenth birthday, she noticed a small plant she had never seen before. Wondering if she could use it for her crowns, the princess used her knife to cut a piece off, then tried to twist it into a small rope.
One early morning, as the sun rose in the horizon and the birds started singing, the farmer opened the door of his house to get to work but stopped right in his tracks. A basket laid at his feet, with a funny-looking creature inside it. What seemed to be a small animal at first sight turned out to be a baby boy from the waist down, and a hedgehog from the waist up.
Kelly Asselin-Tousignant 