akorn - Mighty Old Tales Retold

The Three Sluggards

A certain King had three sons who were all equally dear to him, and he did not know which of them to appoint as his successor after his own death.

The Old Beggar Woman

There was once an old woman, but you have surely seen an old woman go begging before now?

The Beam

There was once a magician who was standing in the midst of a great crowd of people performing his wonders. He had a rooster brought in, which lifted a heavy beam and carried it as if it were as light as a feather.

The Lord's Animals and the Devil's

The Lord God had created all animals, and had chosen out the wolf to be his dog, but he had forgotten the goat. Then the Devil made ready and began to create also, and created goats with fine long tails. 

The Old Man Made Young Again

In the time when our Lord still walked this earth, he and St. Peter stopped one evening at a smith's and received free quarters. Then it came to pass that a poor beggar, hardly pressed by age and infirmity, came to this house and begged alms of the smith.

The Turnip

There were once two brothers who both served as soldiers; one of them was rich, and the other poor. Then the poor one, to escape from his poverty, took off his soldier's coat, and became a farmer.

The Ungrateful Son

A man and his wife were once sitting by the door of their house, and they had a roasted chicken set before them, and were about to eat it together. Then the man saw that his aged father was coming...

The Donkey

Once upon a time there lived a King and a Queen, who were rich, and had everything they wanted, but no children. The Queen lamented over this day and night, and said, "I am like a field on which nothing grows." At last God gave her her wish, but when the child came into the world, it did not look like a human child, but was a little donkey.

Going A Traveling

There was once a poor woman who had a son, who much wished to travel, but his mother said, "How can you travel? We have no money at all for you to take away with you."

Simeli Mountain

There were once two brothers, the one rich and the other poor. The rich one, however, gave nothing to the poor one, and he gained a scanty living by trading corn, and often did so badly that he had no bread for his wife and children.