Questions tagged [folk-tales]
Questions about folktales or folk tales, i.e. stories that have been orally passed down from generation to generation. For myths and legends, use the [myths] tag.
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Is there a "moral-index" of fables?
There is a motif-index for folk-literature composed by Stith Thompson. I wonder if there is a
similar index regrouping fables by the moral they convey? As a rough example
G. Blinded by greed
G.1. &...
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The Grand Old Duke of York: how did historical events become nursery rhymes?
"The Grand old Duke of York" is a well-known English nursery rhyme concerning the exploits of an not-specifically-identified duke of York. Wikipedia, citing the Opies and other books, gives ...
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Red Riding Hood Unabridged?
Below are my painstaking research and failed purchases, though somewhat long-winded, my aim is simple: to find a version of Little Red Riding Hood that meets the following criteria:
original (200+ ...
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In "The Magpie and the Bell", how can the snake transform into a dragon?
I just read the Korean folk tale "The Magpie and the Bell" (I don't know whose translation this is), in which a huge snake claims to be able to transform into a dragon and rise to heaven:
&...
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Is this a real Indian fairy tale about a monkey who changes colour and marries a princess?
In R. K. Narayan's short story "A Willing Slave" (which I read as part of his 1982 collection Malgudi Days), the nanny Ayah tells a story to the young girl Radha:
The Ayah squatted below the cot ...
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Looking for the title of a folklore which was about moon princess being jealous of her sister sun princess
I read this short story back in middle school during my literature class when we were studying about folklore. It was about a moon princess being jealous of her sister sun princess so much that she ...
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Origin of the phrase “back when the animals could still speak” in Dutch fables or fairy tales
In Dutch, some fables or fairy tales (or both) begin with the words "[lang geleden] toen de dieren nog spraken / konden spreken", i.e. "[a long time ago] back when the animals still ...
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Why are The Wild Swans by Andersen and The Six Swans by Grimm so similar to each other?
Why are The Wild Swans by Andersen and The Six Swans by Grimm so similar to each other?
Which one is more original?
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