The Folktale Project
Every week The Folktale Project brings you new folklore, fairytales, myths and legends from around the world. Some tales you've heard before and some brand new.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 9 minutes
- Episodes
- 1352
- Years Active
- 2016 - 2025
Babouscka - A Russian Christmas Folktale
It was the night the dear Christ-Child came to Bethlehem. In a country far away from Him, an old, old woman named Babouscka sat in her snug little house by her warm fire. The wind was drifting the sn…
The Legend of The Thunder Oak - A Christmas Folktale
Androcles - A Greek Folktale
A slave named Androcles once escaped from his master and fled to the forest. As he was wandering about there he came upon a Lion lying down moaning and groaning. At first he turned to flee, but findi…
The Hare With Many Friends - A Greek Folktale
Hare was very popular with the other beasts who all claimed to be her friends. But one day she heard the hounds approaching and hoped to escape them by the aid of her many Friends. So, she went to th…
The Fairy Comb - A Greek Folktale
Galanis, the curly-haired fisherman, found himself at the entrance of a strange, rocky cavern. He was leaning against one side of the opening, staring dazedly out at the pale sea and sky of dawn. The…
The Dun Cow - A Russian Folktale
You know that there are all sorts in this world, good and bad, people who do not fear God, and feel no shame before their own brother.
In a certain kingdom, in a certain land, there once lived a Tsar…
The Wood Sprite - A Russian Folktale
One day the daughter of a pope, without asking leave of her mother or her father, went for a walk into the wood, and utterly lost her way. Three years went by. Now, in this wood, in which her mother …
The Bear, the Dog and the Cat - A Russian Folktale
Once there lived a peasant who had a good dog, and as the dog grew old it left off barking and guarding the yard and the storehouses : its master would no longer nourish it, so the dog went into the …
The Death of the Little Hen - A Brothers Grimm Folktale
Once upon a time the little hen went with the little cock to the nut-hill, and they agreed together that whichsoever of them found a kernel of a nut should share it with the other. Then the hen found…
The Frog King, or Iron Henry - A Brothers Grimm Folktale
In old times when wishing still helped one, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, which has seen so much, was astonished whenev…
The Crystal Ball - A Brothers Grimm Folktale
There was once an enchantress, who had three sons who loved each other as brothers, but the old woman did not trust them, and thought they wanted to steal her power from her. So she changed the eldes…
A Bird in Search of a Mate - An American Folktale
The Revenge of Josiah Breeze - An American Thanksgiving Folktale
Two thousand Cape Cod fishermen had gone to join the colonial army, and in their absence the British ships had run in shore to land crews on mischievous errands. No man, woman, or child on the Cape b…
The May-Pole of Merrymount - An American Folktale
The people of Merrymount—unsanctified in the eyes of their Puritan neighbors, for were they not Episcopals, who had pancakes at Shrovetide and wassail at Christmas?—were dancing about their May-pole …
The Three Fools - An English Folktale
There was once a good-looking girl, the daughter of well-off country folk, who was loved by an honest young fellow named John. He courted her for a long time, and at last got her and her parents to c…
Mr. Miacca - An English Folktale
Tommy Grimes was sometimes a good boy, and sometimes a bad boy; and when he was a bad boy, he was a very bad boy. Now his mother used to say to him: “Tommy, Tommy, be a good boy, and don’t go out of …
The Fish and The Ring - An English Folktale
Once upon a time, there was a mighty baron in the North Countrie who was a great magician that knew everything that would come to pass. So one day, when his little boy was four years old, he looked i…
Why the Monkey Still Has a Tail - A Brazilian Folktale
Once upon a time, the monkey and the rabbit made a contract. The monkey was to kill all the butterflies and the rabbit was to kill all the snakes.
One day the rabbit was taking a nap, when the monkey…
The Adventures of a Fisherman's Son - A Brazilian Folktale
Long ago, there was a man and woman who lived in a little mud hut under the palm trees on the river bank. They had so many children they did not know what to do. The little hut was altogether too cro…
Why the Banana Belongs to The Monkey - A Brazilian Folktale
Once upon a time when the world had just been made and there was only one kind of banana, but very many kinds of monkeys, there was a little old woman who had a big garden full of banana trees. It wa…