The mischievous gingerbread man who springs to life. The glass slipper. The genie of the lamp. Folktales and fairy tales have been enchanting their audiences for hundreds of years.
These types of stories have a strong storytelling tradition. They were often passed down from generation to generation as cautionary tales. And these stories were a way to remember a person or place, like King Arthur, or Robin Hood.
Many of these folk tales have modern versions, still told to this day. And for some, folktales and fairy tales can be a valuable teaching tool in classrooms.
This blog post is a dedication to some of these stories. Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin.
Photos by Dollar Gill and Kate Ibragimova via Unsplash.
An Introduction To 10 Fantastic Folktales
Time to go back to the beginning. Where might these folktales have come from? And how far have they travelled around the world?
Either way, dive in. Which tales do you recognise?
If one feels new, click on the link and learn a little more about the story. Not all will lead to the original tale. But each story is about the figure one way or another:
Cinderella (The Persecuted Heroine)
This tale has different versions worldwide. But readers have traced it back to France and Germany.
Lots of variations exist. The main story is about a girl mistreated by her stepfamily until she receives magical help to attend a ball. Here, she meets a prince. In most cases, they marry and live happily ever after. But only after a search for the owner of a glass slipper.
Ye Xian is a version from China, in the 9th Century. And another tale, The Girl with the Rose Red Slippers is from Ancient Egypt.
Another tale which has spread all over the world with the help of Disney. But its roots go back as far as the Brothers Grimm.
The tale follows the account of a selfish princess who loses a golden ball and reluctantly befriends a frog who offers to get it back for her. In the original tale though, it’s only when the princess throws the frog at the wall that he turns into a prince. The kiss comes in later versions.
Likely one of the most famous folk tales of all time. Said to originate from the Grimm Brothers, it tells the story of a young girl who goes to visit her grandma, walking through the woods to do so. On the way, she encounters a deceptive wolf.
At this point, the story can go in a number of directions and is just as well known to have countless versions. The most common ending is that the wolf attempts to masquerade as the girl’s grandma, but fails to capture Red Riding Hood, and is caught by a nearby hunter in the end.
Another similar and darker variant is Lon Po Po, a folktale from China.
The story of a boy living on the street, who finds a magic lamp containing a powerful genie.
As one of the many stories from the collection ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ or ‘Arabian Nights’, this story has roots tracing back to the Middle East.
Anansi the Spider can be traced back to West Africa, but is also seen as a symbol of resistance and survival in other parts of the world, after the stories were passed down through generations of those sold in the slave trade.
In most stories, Anansi is a master trickster and cultural hero, responsible for the origin of many aspects of the world. The character is often portrayed as outsmarting rivals and enemies using his wit and cunning.
The story of the Moon Goddess originates from China. It tells the tale of a beautiful woman who drinks an elixir of immortality to prevent it from being stolen. But this comes at a price. She ascends to the moon, becoming a Goddess in the process but is separated from her husband.
As the origin story for the Mid-Autumn Festival, people offer fruit and cake as tribute to the moon goddess following in the footsteps of her husband who did the same in her honour.
This famous Japanese folktale tells the story of a boy born from a giant peach who grows up to be a hero.
Befriending a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, they go on a quest to fight demons on a distant island, which some believe is Onigashima (Ogre Island.)
This Slavik tale tells of a terrifying supernatural being. She’s usually portrayed as a fierce, old woman who lives in a hut. The hut is also known to stand on giant chicken legs.
Legend has it that she flies around, either a cruel captor to some, or a mysterious helper to others.
This tale has often been referenced in other stories worldwide. It features in a Lara Croft game. And while not a direct reference, you may notice a resemblance between the hut and the home in Howl’s Moving Castle.
This very modern-day folktale originates from a series of mysterious livestock attacks which began in the late 20th century. The first are said to have been reported in a small town in Puerto Rico and from this, a legend was born.
El Chupacabra is said to be a cryptid. The name literally translates as goat-sucker, as the animals were found to have been bled dry when attacked.
More on Folk and Fairy Tales
This only scratches the surface when it comes to folktales and fairy tales. But I hope you enjoyed this introduction to the stories.
If you’d like to learn more about folktales, mythical stories, or the art of storytelling in education, feel free to follow any of the links below:
- 16 Magical Books for Adults to Read
- 8 Books inspired by The Little Mermaid
- 30 Best Children’s Books According to The Independent
- Storytelling For Children
Discover more from Books of Brilliance
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
“I love this post. I’m passionate about myths and fables from around the world because they reveal just how much we have in common, effectively melting away cultural barriers. It’s unfortunate that not enough people read these stories. I feel the same way about international film—both are powerful reminders that we are far more alike than we are different.”
Wonderful! My grandmother used to read these to me.
I’ve got fond memories of 2-3 of these stories too. They’re brilliant!