akorn - Mighty Old Tales Retold

The Spirit in the Bottle

There was once a poor woodcutter who toiled from early morning to late night. When at last he had laid by some money he said to his boy, "You are my only child, I will spend the money which I have earned with the sweat of my brow on your education; if you will learn some honest trade you can support me in my old age...

Doctor Knowall

There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how daintily he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw...

The Water of Life

There was once a King who had an illness, and no one believed he would come out of it with his life. He had three sons who were much distressed about it, ...

The Three Little Birds

About a thousand or more years ago, there were in this country nothing but small kings, and one of them who lived on the Kreuterberg was very fond of hunting. Once upon a time when he was riding forth from his castle with his hunters, three girls were watching their cows...

Old Hildebrand

Once upon a time lived a peasant and his wife, and the parson of the village had a fancy for the wife, and had wished for along while to spend a whole day happily with her.

The Peasant's Wise Daughter

There was once a poor peasant who had no land, but only a small house, and one daughter. Then said the daughter, "We ought to ask our lord the King for a bit of newly cleared land."

The Raven

There was once upon a time a Queen who had a little daughter who was still so young that she had to be carried. One day the child was naughty, and the mother might say what she liked, but the child would not be quiet. Then she became impatient, and as the ravens were flying about the palace, she opened the window, and said, "I wish you were a raven and would fly away, and then I should have some rest."

The King of the Golden Mountain

There was a certain merchant who had two children, a boy and a girl; they were both young and could not walk. And two richly laden ships of his sailed forth with all his property on board, and just as he was expecting to win much money by them, news came that they had gone to the bottom, and now instead of being a rich man he was a poor one, and had nothing left but one field outside the town.

The Gnome

There was once upon a time a rich King who had three daughters, who daily went to walk in the palace garden, and the King was a great lover of all kinds of fine trees, but there was one for which he had such an affection, that if anyone gathered an apple from it he wished him a hundred fathoms underground. 

The Young Giant

Once upon a time a countryman had a son who was as big as a thumb, and did not become any bigger, and during several years did not grow one hair's breadth. Once when the father was going out to plow, the little one said, "Father, I will go out with you."