Myth-Folklore Unit: Hans Christian Andersen

Overview. Hans Christian Andersen is famous as an author of literary fairy tales, and is probably Denmark's most famous author. You will encounter some familiar fairy tales in this selection from his Fairy Tales and Stories, such as "The Princess and the Pea," and also the "The Little Mermaid," a story whose plot and whose themes are about as UN-Disney as you can imagine. It's also quite a long story, full of beautiful details and background about the little mermaid, taking up half of the unit. In the other half, you will read some other, shorter Andersen fairy tales, ranging from the hilarious ("The Emperor's New Suit") to the tragic ("The Little Matchseller"). There are profoundly spiritual themes that run through Andersen's stories, as well as heartfelt drama and unforgettable characters. If your only encounter with Andersen's imaginary world has been the Disney film, you are in for a wonderful surprise with these stories!

Language. This is an English translation of Andersen's Danish tales which are highly literary in style.

Story Length. The first half of the unit consists of short stories that are just one or two pages in length, and the second half of the unit consists of Andersen's Little Mermaid.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Andersen Fairy Tales.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. The Princess and the Pea
2. The Emperor’s New Suit
3. The Brave Tin Soldier
4. The Brave Tin Soldier (cont.)
5. The Wicked Prince
6. The Little Match-Seller

READING B:

1. Little Mermaid: Part 1
2. Little Mermaid: Part 2
3. Little Mermaid: Part 3
4. Little Mermaid: Part 4
5. Little Mermaid: Part 5
6. Little Mermaid: Part 6

(Illustration by W. Heath Robinson)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Lang's European Fairy Tales I

Overview. Andrew Lang's fairy books contain literally hundreds of stories from different European countries, and using Lang's books I have created two units for this Europe module which feature countries not represented in the other reading options. The tales in this unit come from all over Europe, including Denmark, France, Greece, Romania, and more besides! Plus, there are audio recordings available for all the Lang stories, which makes these units good options for those of you who like to listen to the stories read aloud. This unit features the famous story of "Puss in Boots," based on the French version by Perrault, along with another famous French fairy tale: "The Dirty Shepherdess," which is a Cinderella-type story. There are stories of magic and mystery here, plus tales of romance and adventure, along with supernatural creatures such as dragons, trolls, and giants.

Language. Lang tells the fairy tales in modern literary prose, so it is not difficult reading.

Story Length. This unit consists of stories that are one or two pages in length.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Lang's European Fairy Tales I.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. The Master Cat, or Puss in Boots
2. Puss in Boots (cont.)
3. The Dirty Shepherdess
4. The Dirty Shepherdess (cont.)
5. How the Dragon was Tricked
6. How the Dragon was Tricked (cont.)
7. The Young Man Who Would Have His Eyes Opened
8. Kisa the Cat
9. Kisa the Cat (cont.)

READING B:

1. I Know What I Have Learned
2. I Know What I Have Learned (cont.)
3. Lovely Ilonka
4. Lovely Ilonka (cont.)
5. The Death of the Sun-Hero
6. The Giants and Herd-Boy
7. The Voice of Death
8. The Goat's Ears of Emperor Trojan

Myth-Folklore Unit: Lang's European Fairy Tales II

Overview. Andrew Lang's fairy books contain literally hundreds of stories from different European countries, and using Lang's books I have created two units for this Europe module which feature countries not represented in the other reading options. The tales in this unit come from all over Europe, including Spain and Portugal, Iceland and Lapland, Greece and Serbia, and more besides! Plus, there are audio recordings available for all the Lang stories, which makes these units good options for those of you who like to listen to the stories read aloud. This unit features the terrifying legend of "Blue Beard," based on the French version by Perrault, along with "Toads and Diamonds," also by Perrault. There are comical tales like "Peter Bull," plus stories of supernatural adventure, like "The Seven-Headed Serpent" or "Andras Baive," along with animal fables too, like the story of the little "Half-Chick."

Language. Lang tells the fairy tales in modern literary prose, so it is not difficult reading.

Story Length. The stories in this unit are one or two pages in length.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: More European Fairy Tales from Lang.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. Half-Chick
2. Half-Chick (cont.)
3. Clever Maria
4. Clever Maria (cont.)
5. Blue Beard
6. Blue Beard (cont.)
7. Toads and Diamonds
8. Seven-Headed Serpent
9. Seven-Headed Serpent (cont.)

READING B:

1. Peter Bull
2. Peter Bull (cont.)
3. Master and Pupil
4. The Cottager and his Cat
5. The Cottager and his Cat (cont.)
6. Andras Baive
7. Andras Baive (cont.)
8. The Enchanted Knife
9. The Hazel-Nut Child

Myth-Folklore Unit: Europa's Fairy Book

Overview. You may have already encountered Joseph Jacobs in some earlier units in this class (Indian Fairy Tales, English Fairy Tales, Celtic Fairy Tales), and this unit consists of stories taken from a fascinating book he wrote called Europa's Fairy Book. Here Jacobs has chosen some of the fairy tales that he saw repeated again and again in different European traditions, and he has "mixed-and-matched" the different versions to come up with a new version that does not belong to any specific country, but instead to what you might call a combined European tradition. As a result, most of these are stories you probably know in some form already — Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Puss in Boots, Hansel and Grethel, The Valiant Little Tailor — but each time I am sure they will feature some twists and turns that will be new to you, especially if you only know the stories from Disney.

Language. Jacobs tells the fairy tales in modern literary prose, so it is not difficult reading.

Story Length. The stories in this unit are one or two pages in length.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Europa's Fairy Book.

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READING A:

1. The Cinder-Maid
2. The Cinder-Maid (cont.)
3. Beauty and the Beast
4. The Language of Animals
5. A Dozen at a Blow
6. A Dozen at a Blow (cont.)
7. The Earl of Cattenborough
8. The Earl of Cattenborough (cont.)

READING B:

1. The Swan Maidens
2. Androcles and the Lion
3. A Visitor from Paradise
4. Inside Again
5. Johnnie and Grizzle
6. Johnnie and Grizzle (cont.)
7. Thumbkin

Myth-Folklore Unit: Fables of La Fontaine

Overview. While the fables of Aesop started out as oral folklore, over the centuries many poets have retold the fables in literary verse. And, without a doubt, the most famous "Aesopic poet" would be Jean de La Fontaine, a 17th-century French poet whose brilliant, witty verse fables are now known all over the world. In this unit, you will read some of La Fontaine's fables as rendered in English verse (from Fables in Rhyme for Little Folks by W. T. Larned and Fables of La Fontaine by Elizur Wright), and I hope you will have time to read at least some of the poems out loud to appreciate the rhymes and word play which the English translators have employed to capture the charms of La Fontaine's French. Another distinctive feature of La Fontaine's fables is that, in addition to the Greek and Roman stories, he also borrowed from the storytelling traditions of India. So, you will find stories here that go back to ancient Greece and Rome, along with tales from ancient India too!

Language. This unit consists of English verse translations of La Fontaine's poetry, closely imitating La Fontaine's wonderful rhyming style.

Story Length: Aesop's fables are quite short, so there are multiple stories on each page. Two different translators are included: Larned's poems are intended for children, so they tend to be shorter, while the Wright translation consists of longer poems.

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: Fables of La Fontaine. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

Additional Resources. There is an Aesop Index page for all the fables in the various Aesop units in this course, and you can use this link to see the four different Aesop units listed on a single page. If you would like to see all 600 of the fables that are part of the Greek and Roman Aesop tradition, you can find a listing at Aesopica.net.

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Free audiobook available:

Larned's Fables in Rhyme

READING A:

1. Foolish Animals (Larned, with audio)
2. More Foolish Animals (Larned, with audio)
3. Foxes (Larned, with audio)
4. Birds (Larned, with audio)
5. Insects (Larned, with audio)
6. Foolish People (Larned, with audio)
7. Foxes and Wolves (Wright)
8. Horses (Wright)
9. Dogs (Wright)
10. Cats (Wright)

READING B:

1. Mice (Wright)
2. More Mice (Wright)
3. The Tortoise; The Bat (Wright)
4. Frogs (Wright)
5. The Swallow; The Eagle (Wright)
6. Man and Beast (Wright)
7. The Astrologer; The Dairywoman (Wright)
8. The God Mercury; Hercules (Wright)
9. Sun and Wind; Belly and Members (Wright)

(illustration by Tilney)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Italian Popular Tales

Overview. This selection of stories from the Italian Popular Tales by Thomas Crane provides a great introduction to the fabulously rich tradition of Italian folktales and fairy tales. You will find here the distinctively Italian versions of famous European fairy tales, such as Zelinda and the Monster, which is like Beauty and the Beast; The Fair Angiola, which is like Rapunzel; and The Three Goslings, which is a story like The Three Little Pigs, but with little geese whose adventures are much more satisfying (I think) than the traditional pigs-and-wolf story, and not just because the story features macaroni. In addition, you will find some marvelous stories that will be new to you, such as the weird and enchanting fairy tale of "Catherine and her Fate" or the story of the child Crivoliu, who started out his life as an accursed child but who ended up as the Pope of Rome. There's also a story about a rooster who wanted to become the Pope, but, alas, things do not turn out so well for the rooster as they do for Crivoliu!

Language. Crane tells the fairy tales in modern literary prose, so it is not difficult reading.

Story Length. These are almost all single-page stories with just a couple of stories that are two pages long.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Italian Popular Tales.

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READING A:

1. Zelinda and the Monster
2. The Fair Angiola
3. The Fair Angiola (cont.)
4. How the Devil Married Three Sisters
5. Sir Fiorante, Magician
6. Water and Salt
7. Catherine and Her Fate
8. Catherine and Her Fate (cont.)
9. The Man, the Serpent, and the Fox
10. The Ingrates

READING B:

1. The Language of Animals
2. An Incident in Rome
3. The Story of Crivoliu
4. The Sexton's Nose
5. The Cat and the Mouse
6. A Feast Day
7. Buchettino
8. The Three Goslings
9. The Cock That Wished to Become Pope

Myth-Folklore Unit: Russian Folktales

Overview. Ralston calls his book of Russian Fairy Tales "a choice collection of Muscovite folklore," and I think you will enjoy the mixture of fairy tales with other forms of folklore, especially the ghost stories, vampires, and other tales of the "undead." You will even meet the days of the week as supernatural characters in these stories, along with witches and warlocks, the forest demon called "leshy," and other distinctively Russian characters. In creating this collection, Ralston worked with some of the most famous Russian fairy tale and folktale collections of the nineteenth century, and he aimed to produce translations that were as literal as possible, thus conveying the lively, oral quality of these popular folk traditions. Here is how he explains his strategy: "An 'untouched photograph is in certain cases infinitely preferable to one which has been carefully 'worked upon.' And it is, as it were, a photograph of the Russian story-teller that I have tried to produce, and not an ideal portrait." So, instead of literary refinement, be prepared for some really Russian folklore as you explore the stories here.

Language. Ralston tells the fairy tales in modern prose, although he tries to convey a sense of the original Russian style which is highly oral, without a lot of literary refinement.

Story Length. This unit consists of short stories that are just a single page long.

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: Russian Folktales. Click "Older Posts" at the bottom of that page to see the second page.

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Free audiobook available!

Audio Note. The LibriVox audio files have several stories in each audio file; I've provided a link in each story to the matching audio file, and you can use this LibriVox listing to see what stories appear in each audio file.

READING A:

1. The Dead Mother
2. The Treasure
3. The Bad Wife
4. The Three Copecks
5. The Miser
6. The Water Snake
7. Friday
8. Wednesday
9. The Leshy
10. Dnieper, Volga, and Dvina
11. Emilian the Fool

READING B:

1. The Witch Girl
2. The Headless Princess
3. The Warlock
4. The Fox Physician
5. The Fiddler in Hell
6. The Two Friends
7. The Shroud
8. The Coffin-Lid
9. The Two Corpses
10. The Dog and the Corpse
11. The Soldier and the Vampire

(Russian peasants)

Myth-Folklore Unit: Czech Folktales

Overview. While there are several Czech folktale collections available in English, The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis is my favorite. It contains some stories which are distinctively Czech, such as the weird and wonderful story of the water demon called "Waternik" (Czech vodyanoy), but most of the storiesare Czech variations on famous European tales. So, for example, Sleepy John is a Czech version of the Twelve Dancing Princesses — except that this time there is just one dancing queen, and she goes through twelve pairs of shoes all by herself each night that she goes dancing on the "green meadows in Hell." Or, to take another example: the story of The Three Roses here is a variation on Beauty and the Beast, but this time it is the beauty's mother, not her father, who plucks the rose from the beast's garden, and the beast takes the form of a basilisk this time. I won't tell you just what it is the beauty must do to free him from the spell of enchantment, but I can tell you that it is certainly not a kiss!

Language. Baudis tells the fairy tales in modern literary prose, so it is not difficult reading.

Story Length. The stories in this unit are all single page stories, with just one two-page story.

Navigation. You will find the table of contents below, and you can also use this link to see the story posts displayed on a single page: Czech Folktales.

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Free audiobook available!

READING A:

1. Sleepy John
2. Silly Jura
3. The Bear, the Eagle, and the Fish
4. Kojata
5. The Three Roses
6. The Twin Brothers
7. The Twin Brothers (cont.)
8. The Waternick

READING B:

1. The Man Who Met Misery
2. Nine At A Blow
3. A Clever Lass
4. The Soldier and the Devil
5. Old Nick and Kitty
6. The Knight Bambus
7. Francis and Martin
8. Three Supernatural Stories