A Tale from India Adapted by Laura Simms ©2001. Once upon a time there was a colony of mice who feared the elephants. Whenever the elephants walked through the mice’s land with their enormous feet many mice were harmed. One day, the mouse king went to the King of the Elephants and said, “If you […]
The Mice and the Elephant Details »
Offered by Linda Spitzer ©2001. There was once a king who offered a prize to the artist who could paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all of the pictures. After much deliberation he was down to the last two. He had to choose between them. One picture was
A Tale from Turkey Adapted by Laura Simms ©2001. A kind fisherman once caught a bright shining red fish. It was so lovely, he took pity on it and instead of cooking it or selling it, he decided to take the fish home as a pet. He dug a hole in the floor of his
An Isreali Tale told by Crimean Jews. Rewritten by Yoel Perez ©2001. Adapted by Laura Simms. “Among the Peul people of Africa it is said that there is a little peace and a big peace, but there is no little quarrel. Even a matchstick can burn down a village.” Two men, neighbors and friends, named
Two Friends and One Horse Details »
An Adaptation of a Talmudic Legend Offered by Rinah and Leon Sheleff of Israel ©2001. Four thousand years ago, two brothers lived near each other on a hill by Jerusalem. They each had their own farm, but they shared a threshing floor. Every year they would bring in the harvest and divide it equally between
How God Chose The Site For The Temple of Jerusalem Details »
A Hindu Tale told by D.M. Kartha ©2001. Sent by Cristy West. Once upon a time only a twin brother and sister lived upon the earth. Their names were Yama and Yami and they loved each other dearly. They roamed the earth enjoying its smells and tastes, it sounds and sights, the touches of the
How Night Came Into Being Details »
A Cherokee Tale by storyteller Gayle Ross. Retold by Olive Hackett-Shaughnessy. This is what the elders told me when I was a child. In the beginning, everything was water. There was nothing but a great ocean. Then Water Beetle dove to the bottom of the sea and brought up a handful of mud, which grew
Indonesian Legends and Folk Tales. Told by Adele de Leeuw, 1961 Every year Cholera made a visit to the Holy City of Mecca with her companions Death and Fear. One year however, Fear came to the city before Death and Cholera. The old gatekeeper, who did not know Fear, let her enter. When Cholera and
The Three Companions Details »
Rewritten from a Georgian Tale by Hugh Lupton. (© Hugh Lupton 2002). Many years ago – and it was neither my time nor your time – there lived a great king. And one night that king dreamed a strange dream. He dreamed that a fox was hanging by its tail from the ceiling above his
Tale from the Iliad, Book 6. Translated by Joan Sutton. We are departing from our usual type of posting with this very special contribution from Joan Sutton. Joan is a Greek scholar who has been studying Homer’s Iliad for the past six years. This story has not been rewritten for oral performance, but is a
