Activated Stories

The Boo Brothers

“The Boo Brothers” is a story of sibling rivalry, virtue ...

“The Boo Brothers” is a story of sibling rivalry, virtue triumphant, and unorthodox horticulture from Korea. It parallels many stories, including one from the Appalachian region of the U.S. sometimes known as “Gol Golly Gee”, involving one or...

Anansi & Yamhills

Long before Marvel Comics created Spiderman, a spiderman was created ...

Long before Marvel Comics created Spiderman, a spiderman was created by the Ashanti tribe of western Africa. The frequent trickster (and sometimes victim of other animals' tricks) has appeared in many aliases, and in many other parts of the world,...

How Coyote Stole Fire

The Coyote is a prominent recurring anthropomorphic character in the ...

The Coyote is a prominent recurring anthropomorphic character in the folklore of many Native American tribes, particularly in the Southwest. He is generally portrayed as a trickster, a semicomic hero who gets the better of some of the other critters....

The Elves and the Envious Neighbor

The Elves and The Envious Neighbor

The Legend of the Rollright Stones

Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Old Stone Mill. What do ...

Stonehenge, Easter Island and the Old Stone Mill. What do they all have in common besides being situated on islands? They're all mysterious stone structures that have generated all kinds of colorful legends. The first two date to ancient times, the...

The Jester and the Straw Roof

A trickster tale from India and our tribute to Heath ...

A trickster tale from India and our tribute to Heath Ledger (the Joker)

Stone Soup

"Stone Soup" is not only a popular folk tale with ...

"Stone Soup" is not only a popular folk tale with variants in many cultures and countries, it's also become a proverbial expression of sorts -- not to mention the name of a popular magazine for children. In some versions of the tale, the cornucopian...

The Peacock and the Crane

"The Peacock and the Crane" is one of Aesop's fables, ...

"The Peacock and the Crane" is one of Aesop's fables, and (surprise) it has a little lesson to teach: namely that it's wiser to make good use of the skill you have than to boast or make a display of yourself. The peacock has long been a symbol of...

The Cat and the Mouse

In folk tales, as in cartoons, the laws of physics ...

In folk tales, as in cartoons, the laws of physics and biology often are violated without a second thought. Things get blown up, and then are fine; coyotes run off the edge of a cliff and hover in mid-air a moment before plunging; and mice have their...

Rough-Skinned Girl

"The Rough-Skinned Girl" is a Native American story told among ...

"The Rough-Skinned Girl" is a Native American story told among some of the tribes in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada, particularly the Miq-Mak and Algonquin tribes. The title (Oochegeaska in Miq-Mak) also can be translated as...