Myth-Folklore Unit: Persian Tales

Overview. The stories in this unit come from Persian Tales, a marvelous collection of fairy tales and legends translated from the Kermani and Bakhtiari dialects of the Persian language by David Lorimer and his wife Emily Lorimer when they were living in Iran during the early years of the 20th century. There are some wonderful animal stories here, along with stories of surreal and magical adventures, including two werewolf legends — two she-werewolf legends to be precise. There are stories about dervishes (holy men) who possess supernatural powers, along with tales of magical peris (Persian "fairies"), and also sinister demons called divs. The mysterious al-Khizr, the "Green Man" of Islamic folk tradition, also makes an appearance in one story!

Language. This is a modern English version of the fairy tales, so the language should not pose any difficulties. I've glossed the Persian words that appear in the text. Watch out especially for the word ash which is a thick Persian soup; it is not the English word "ash," as in ashes from a fire!

Story Length. This unit contains only single-page stories.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on two pages total: Persian Tales. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

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READING A:

1. The Wolf and the Goat
2. The City of Nothing-in-the-World
3. Susku and Mushu
4. The Boy Who Became a Bulbul
5. The Wolf-Aunt
6. Nim Tanak, or Half-Boy
7. Muhammad Tirandaz, The Archer
8. The Praying Baker
9. The Sad Tale of the Mouse's Tail

READING B:

1. Fayiz and the Peri Wife
2. The Hemp-Smoker's Dream
3. The Story of the Wolf-Bride
4. The Man Who Went to Wake His Luck
5. Tortoise Bowl-On-The-Back and the Fox
6. The Shepherd Who Found a Treasure
7. The Merchant and the Saffron
8. Shah Abbas and the Poor Mother
9. The Apparition of the Prophet Khizr
10. The Story of the Baker and the Grateful Fish