akorn - Mighty Old Tales Retold

The Water Nixie

A little brother and sister were once playing by a well, and while they were thus playing, they both fell in. A water nixie lived down below...

The Old Man and His Grandson

There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at dinner he could hardly hold the spoon...

Clever Gretel

There was once a cook named Gretel, who wore shoes with red heels, and when she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way and that, and thought, "You certainly are a pretty girl!"

The Pink

There was once upon a time a Queen to whom God had given no children. Every morning she went into the garden and prayed to God in heaven to bestow on her a son or a daughter.

The Fox and the Cat

It happened that the cat met the fox in the forest, and as she thought to herself, "He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the world," she spoke to him in a friendly way. 

The Fox and His Cousin

The wolf gave birth to a cub and invited the fox to be godfather.

The Wolf and the Fox

The wolf had the fox with him, and whatever the wolf wished, that the fox was compelled to do, for he was weaker, and he would gladly have been rid of his master. 

The Wolf and the Man

Once upon a time the fox was talking to the wolf about the strength of man; how no animal could withstand him, and how all were obliged to employ cunning in order to preserve themselves from him.

How Six Men Got on in the World

There was once a man who understood all kinds of arts; he served in war and behaved well and bravely, but when the war was over he received his dismissal, and three farthings for his expenses on the way. "Stop," he said. "I shall not be content with this."

The Three Sons of Fortune

A father once called his three sons before him, and he gave to the first a cock, to the second a scythe, and to the third a cat.