14 stories

Devapala

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Devapala came to a river swollen by the flood and very hard to ford. On the other side of the river he saw floating an image of Jina. Now no good Hindu would let an image of Jina be tossed about in the rushing river.

South AsiaIndia

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Green Willow

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At this moment the moon shone very brightly forth, and by the sudden light Tomodata saw a little hill on his right hand. Upon the hill was a small thatched cottage, and before the cottage grew three green weeping-willow trees.

East AsiaJapan

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Lame Molly

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The good maid, wishing to save her fellow-damsel so long a suffering, tried with might and main to bear in mind the name of the potent herb. At length she dropped asleep, and when she opened her eyes, she knew nothing at all about the matter.

EuropeEnglandDevon

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Little Toe Bone

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The big, big Tiger came out of the jungle and said, ‘Well, little boy, shall I eat you or all of your sheep?’

South AsiaIndia

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Nelly, the Knocker

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On the stone, at the dead hour of the night, might be discerned a female figure wrapped in a grey cloak. She was incessantly knock, knock, knocking, in a fruitless endeavour to split the impenetrable rock.

EuropeEnglandNorthumberland

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The Baker’s Daughter

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When the girl thought the bread should be ready she looked in the oven and was very much amazed to find a very large loaf of bread. She pretended to look about the oven as if in search of something.

EuropeEnglandHerefordshire

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The Brown Man of the Moors

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His dress was entirely brown, the colour of the brackens, and his head covered with frizzled red hair. His countenance was expressive of the most savage ferocity, and his eyes glared like those of a bull.

EuropeEnglandNorthumberland

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The Fairies’ Cup

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A great tumult arose at the banquet on account of his taking away the cup, and all the guests pursued him, but the peasant escaped by the fleetness of the beast he rode.

EuropeEnglandYorkshire

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The Fairy Children

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A boy and his sister were found near the mouth of a pit. They were different in the colour of their skin from all the people of our habitable world, for their skin was tinged of a green colour.

EuropeEnglandSuffolk

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The Flute

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In the morning O'Yoné came to her father with a little flute. ‘I made it myself.’ she said, ‘As you cannot take me with you, take the little flute, honourable father. Play on it sometimes, and think of me.’

East AsiaJapan

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The Magic Fiddle

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The poor little girl had all the cooking, cleaning, and serving to do for all seven brothers and all their seven wives as well.

South AsiaIndia

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The Tea-Kettle

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And then, the wonderful thing happened. A hairy head, with two bright eyes, looked out of the spout. The lid jumped up and down. Four brown and hairy paws appeared, and a fine bushy tail.

East AsiaJapan

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The Tulip Fairies

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There lived an old woman who possessed a very pretty garden, wherein she cultivated a most beautiful bed of tulips. The pixies, so delighted in this spot, would carry their elfin babes thither, and sing them to rest.

EuropeEnglandDevon

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The White Lady

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The old woman had not gone far, when great was her alarm at perceiving, advancing at full pace, a headless horse, bearing a black and grim rider, with horns sprouting from under a little jockey-cap.

EuropeEnglandDevon

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