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Stories from Around the World

by FCIT

Stories from Around the World

Traditional tales often take on a life of their own, traveling the world and finding new interpretations within the cultures they encounter. This collection brings together several stories from different traditions.

Source: This book was compiled by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology and includes passages from multiple sources. Please refer to the passage pages for further source information.

Ananzi and the Lion
A fellow gets the better of a lion.
The Rat Princess
The Rat King searches for the most powerful being for his daughter to marry and after he searches from the sun to the cloud to the wind, he finds the strongest being is the Grey Rat that the Princess wanted to marry.
“The Badger’s Money”
A priest gets money from his friend the badger but cannot spend it, although he is very grateful.
“The Burning of the Rice Fields”
A grandfather and his grandson grow rice in the rice fields and one day they set fire to the fields to save the people below from impending death.
“The Dragon and the Prince”
A prince overcomes a dragon and rescues his brothers.
“George With the Goat”
George and his friends overcome great odds.
“The Good Children”
How an emperor learned to appreciate old people.
“The Grateful Foxes”
A man saves a fox cub, and later its parents save his son’s life.
“The Greedy Youngster”
An unusually strong and hungry youngster makes his way in the world.
“Hans in Luck”
Hans trades items for ones he thinks are better.
“Hans, Who Made the Princess Laugh”
How Hans and a special goose got the princess to laugh.
“Intelligence and Luck”
How Luck overcomes Intelligence.
“The Judgement of Midas”
A fairy tale about a music contest between the god Pan and Apollo.
“The Lad and the Deil”
A lad tricks the Deil to get into a nut, and he asks a smith to crack it open.
“The Lad Who Went to the North Wind”
A lad gets gifts from the North Wind and has to overcome a greedy landlord.
“Long, Broad, and Sharpsight”
How three characters, Long, Broad, and Sharpsight, help a prince find his bride.
“The Peasant Story of Napoleon”
A story about Napoleon doing all he did because he was immortal, a chosen man of God.
“The Story of Tom Tit Tot”
A daughter is given in marriage to the king who demands she spin five skeins a day for one month out of the year. She is helped in her task by an creature who demands she guess his name or become his.
“Why the Sea Is Salt”
How a magical quern ended up at the bottom of the sea, grinding out salt.
“The Wonderful Hair”
A poor man is given instructions in his sleep as to how to become rich so that he can afford his children.
  • Year Published: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States of America
  • Readability:
    • Flesch–Kincaid Level: 5.7
  • Word Count: 42,503
  • Genre: Fairy Tale/Folk Tale
  • Keywords: fantasy, fate, fire, gratitude, japan, perseverance, tsunami
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