Listen Here Watch Here The Black Monk The fortress of Werfenstein rises up from the stream of the Danube close to the eddy, supported by blocks of granite. There used to be an eerie tower on top of the rocks emerging from the waters next to the castle. The Black Monk resided within these walls, and legends claim that he could not find peace as punishment for the godless deeds he committed while still alive.

Listen Here Watch Here The Elephant That Wanted To Dance Once upon a time the big grey elephant gave a great feast and invited all the animals in the Mabira Forest to come to a beautiful glade (that no man had ever seen), and there they feasted in the moonlight and sang songs and made jokes and danced. There was one little hare who danced better than any other animal, and the big grey elephant said :

Listen Here Watch Here THE MICE THAT ATE IRON  In a certain town lived a merchant named Naduk, who lost his money and was determined to travel abroad. For The meanest of mankind is heWho, having lost his money, canInhabit lands or towns where onceHe spent it like a gentleman. And again: The neighbor gossips blameHis poverty as shame…

Listen Here Watch Here The Man in the Moon There was a blacksmith once, who complained: “I am not well, and my work is too warm. I want to be a stone on the mountain. There it must be cool, for the wind blows and the trees give shade.” A wise man, who had power over all things, replied, “Go thou, be a stone.” And he was a stone, high up on the mountain-side.

Listen Here Watch Here The Jewel of the Fox’s Tongue There was a big school in a country village long ago. There were a hundred pupils at this school, and they used to study at night, reading aloud at the top of their voices. Sometimes, when it was too late for them to go to their homes, they used to sleep together in a big room.

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Listen Here Watch Here The Quarrel of The Monkey and The Crab A long, long time ago, one bright autumn day in Japan, a pink-faced monkey and a yellow crab were playing together on the riverbank. As they were running around, Crab found a dumpling and Monkey found a persimmon seed. Crab picked up the dumpling and showed it to Monkey, saying:

Listen Here Watch Here The Pigeon’s Bride There was once a King who had an only daughter. She was as lovely as a princess ought to be and by the time she reached a marriageable age the fame of her beauty had spread far and wide all over the world. Neighboring kings and even distant ones were already sending envoys to her father's court begging permission to offer their sons as suitors to the Princess's hand.

Listen Here Watch Here ABDUL HUSSAIN There was a man called Abdul Hussain who was once very rich, but had been so foolish in entertaining all his friends that he lost all his money, and became very poor. He and his old mother lived together, and sometimes, when he felt lonely, he would walk out and call in two or three men, any passing strangers whom he chanced to meet, and ask them to come in and have a talk and smoke with him.

Listen Here Watch Here The Fox and the King’s Son There was once a king who had a son. Everyone treated him poorly, and chased him away. Even passers by looked upon him with contempt. The prince thought and thought, and at last he mounted his horse, took his bow and arrow, and left his father’s palace. When he had gone some distance he came to a forest.

Listen Here Watch Here RABBIT AND THE INDIAN CHIEF Long ago, an Indian Chief lived with his people deep in the Canadian forest. Life was good and food was plentiful and everyone lived well. But one day a wicked giant and his old witch wife came crashing into the land from a country far beyond the prairies. They devoured all the food they could lay their hands on and soon there was nothing left to eat in the country; and they often carried off little children to their hiding place and ate them up until not a trace of them remained.

Listen Here Watch Here The Man who wished to be Perfect Once upon a time, a beggar came to the king who had no children, and said, “You are worried about having a son. I can give to the queen a drug that will allow her to give birth to twin boys; but there is one condition, that one of the twins will be given to me.” The king thought long and hard.

Listen Here Watch Here The Tricks of a Woman Serkis was a simple farmer who prayed every morning before he went to the fields, and every evening after he came from his work. One day his wife, Veronica, said to him: “Husband, why do you not mention in your prayer that God may preserve you from the tricks of a woman?”

Listen Here Watch Here The Magic Hairpins There was once a Padishah whose daughter was so beautiful that her loveliness was without equal in the world. Now the Padishah's wife had an Arab slave, named Kareem, whom she kept locked up in a room, and to whom every day she asked: "Is the moon beautiful? Am I beautiful? Are you beautiful?" "Everything and everybody is beautiful," was invariably the answer.

Listen Here Watch Here SEVENTEENTH EVENING "Grandfather, isn't the night beautiful after the long storm?" whispers Tanagela shyly. "The moon always seems to me like a beautiful woman, for she often hides her round, shining face with a blanket of cloud, and sometimes she even runs away from us altogether, as if she were tired or displeased. But tonight she smiles and uncovers her face, so that all the young men are out, each playing upon his flute near the home of the loved one!"

Listen Here Watch Here Musoke The Moon-Boy Years and years ago in Uganda there was a woman whose banana garden bordered the high road, and every night the travellers who passed by stole fruit and vegetables out of her garden, and this made her very angry. So she took counsel with her old nurse, who lived with her, and they dug a ditch, and covered it with sticks, and branches, and earth, and leaves, and said to each other:

Listen Here Watch Here Chapter 28 THE UNTEACHABLE MONKEY In a part of a forest was a troop of monkeys, who found a firefly, one winter evening when they were dreadfully depressed. On examining the insect, they believed it to be fire, so lifted it with care, covered it with dry grass and leaves, thrust forward their arms, sides, stomachs, and chests, scratched themselves, and enjoyed imagining that they were warm.

Listen Here Watch Here Right and Might While a deer was eating wild fruit, he heard an owl call, “Haak, haak,” and a cricket cry, “Wat,” and, frightened, he fled. In his flight he ran through the trees up into the mountains and into streams. In one of the streams the deer stepped upon a small fish and crushed it almost to death.

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Listen Here Watch Here The Three Stars  Told by Son Jinte; Gupo (1926) Long ago there lived a rich man who had one daughter. One year he went up to the capital to take a Government post, and left his daughter in charge of the house in his absence. One day a Buddhist monk came begging for alms. The daughter told the maid to give him a little rice.

Listen Here Watch Here The Jellyfish and The Monkey Long, long ago, in old Japan, the Kingdom of the Sea was governed by a wonderful King. He was called Rin Jin, or the Dragon King of the Sea. His power was immense, for he was the ruler of all sea creatures both great and small, and in his keeping were the Jewels of the Ebb and Flow of the Tide.

Listen Here Watch Here Beauty and The Horns There was once a rich man who when he was on his death bed, called his son to him and said: "Danilo, my son, I am leaving you my riches. The only thing I ask of you is this: close your ears to all reports of an enchanted maiden who is known as Peerless Beauty and when the time comes for you to marry, please choose a quiet sensible girl of your native village for a wife."

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Listen Here Watch Here BICKERMANJI THE INQUISITIVE There was a certain Rajah whose name was Bickermanji. He was very inquisitive, and always wished to know everything that was going on in his kingdom, and what his subjects were doing. At night he disguised himself in common clothes and a blanket, and walked quietly in the streets and bazaars to spy on the people.

Listen Here Watch Here The Two Thieves There was once a thief called the Big Thief, and as you can guess, he was rather large. Now, one day, Big Thief went into a town to steal whatever wasn’t nailed down. When he had walked a little way he met a stranger. ‘Good day stranger! May God be with you!’ they said to one another.

Listen Here Watch Here The Boy Who Was Called Thick Head Three brothers lived with their old Indian mother in the forest near the sea. Their father had been dead for a long time. When he died, he didn’t have a penny to his name, so his widow and sons were very poor. Where they lived there wasn’t a lot of game to be hunted, so they went to bed hungry.

Listen Here Watch Here The Ghost-Brahman Once upon a time there lived a poor Brahman, who, because he wasn’t a Kulin, found it hard to get married. He went to rich houses and begged them to give him money so that he could get married. He needed a large sum of money, not because of the wedding, but for a proper dowry.

Listen Here Watch Here The Wicked Stepmother Once upon a time there was a noted hunter, who was a widower. He had a son. He married a new wife, and then he got sick. On his deathbed he said to his wife: “Wife, I am dying, and I know that when my son grows up, he will follow in my footsteps.

Listen Here Watch Here Getting Even in Gomba There was a battle going on around the village of Gomba. In the village there was a lame man who had never walked. Every morning he was carried out into the sunny courtyard and every evening he was carried back to his house; but the battle was raging, and no one remembered the lame man.

Listen Here Watch Here The Enchanted Pomegranate Branch and the Beauty There was once a Padishah who, while being very bored, decided to take a trip with his Vezir. Before setting out, however, he called his Vezir and said: "So that our departure may be a secret, find a man that looks like me and set him on the throne." The Vezir asked how he could be found.

Listen Here Watch Here FIFTEENTH EVENING Grandfather has scarcely taken up his long pipe tonight before the children begin to gather, impatient for the end of the story. Chatanna has been begging his father to tell him whether the Little Boy Man was ever found, but he has been obliged to wait for the old man to go on with his tale.

Listen Here Watch Here The Monk Who Left His Body Behind Chapter 25 In the Koshala country is a city called Unassailable. In it ruled a king named Fine-Chariot, over whose footstool rippled rays of light from the diadems of uncounted vassal princes. One day a forest ranger came with this report: "Master, all the forest kings have become turbulent, and in their midst is the forest chief named Vindhyaka.

Listen Here Watch Here A Child of The Woods Deep in the forest of the North there is a large village of jungle people, and, among them is one old woman, who is held in reverence by all. The stranger who asks why she is honored as a princess is thus answered by her: “Verily, I have much boon, for I am but a child of nature.

Listen Here Watch Here The Sun and the Moon Long, long ago there was an old woman who had two children, a son and a daughter. One day, she walked to the next village to work for a rich man. When she finished her work she was given a big wooden box containing buckwheat puddings, also known as halwa in Turkiye.

Listen Here Watch Here THE STORY OF THE OLD MAN WHO MADE WITHERED TREES TO FLOWER Long, long ago there lived an old man and his wife. They supported themselves by farming a small plot of land. They were happy and content with their lives, there was just one great regret, they had no children. They had a dog named Shiro, and they lavished their affection on him.

Listen Here Watch Here THE LAUGHING PRINCE There was once a farmer who had three sons and one little daughter. The oldest son was a studious boy who learned so much from books that the farmer said: "We must send Mihailo to school and make a priest of him." The second boy was a trader. Whatever you had he would get it from you by offering you something else for it.

Listen Here Watch Here THE STORY OF PIR SAB Very, very far away in the north of India is a big river, and many years ago there lived, not very far from its banks, an old woman who had an only daughter—a beautiful girl, who, when she grew up, was given in marriage to a man who lived in a village on the opposite bank of the river; and all details being arranged, a day was fixed for the marriage party with the bride to cross over.

Listen Here Watch Here The Shepherd and the Child of Fortune There was and there was not at all, and there was a man who had a wife. They were wealthy, but had no children. One day the woman said to her husband: ‘Come on, let’s place young bulls in our churches, and at night let someone look and see, perhaps God will look down upon us and give us a child.’ The husband approved of this idea, and placed bulls in five churches.

Listen Here Watch Here THE FALL OF THE SPIDER MAN In the olden times Spider Man lived in the sky-country. He dwelt in a bright little house all by himself, where he wove webs and long flimsy ladders for people to go back and forth between the sky and the earth. The Star-people often went to earth at night, where they roamed around as light fairies, doing good deeds for women and children, and they always used Spider Man’s ladder.

Listen Here Watch Here The Adventures of Two Thieves and of their Sons (Part 1) The older thief and the younger thief had one son each. As they had been successful in life by practising the art of thieving, they resolved to train their sons in the same profession. There was in the village a Professor of the Science of Roguery, who took pupils, and gave them lessons in that difficult science.

Listen Here Watch Here HUSBAND OR WIFE! WHICH? A goldsmith and his wife lived a happy life in perfect harmony and love. In all the land, they were considered the best version of conjugal love. It was their custom not to put out the light in their house, but let it burn all the night. One night, as the King and Queen were looking from their high window at the sleeping city, they noticed the goldsmith’s light twinkling in the distance, and his well-known matrimonial love became the subject of debate between the royal couple.

Listen Here Watch Here The Sun and the Moon Visayan Once upon a time the Sun and the Moon were married, and they had many children who were the stars. The Sun was very fond of his children, but whenever he tried to embrace any of them, he was so hot that he burned them up. This made the Moon so angry that finally she forbade him to touch them again, and he was greatly grieved.

Listen Here Watch Here THIRTEENTH EVENING "Grandfather, were you scared last night?" asks Waola, the boldest of the boys, just before the circle has fully settled down into a quietness. "Thunder isn’t heard very often around here! My little sister cried bitterly, and Uncle said that it is a bad luck omen." "That is what I thought once, my grandson," replies the old sage, with a calm smile.

Listen Here Watch Here Saint Nicholas And The Children  Two little children lived with their old grandmother in a remote place in the Canadian forest. They were twins—a boy and a girl, Pierre and Estelle by name—and beside their clothes it was not easy to tell them apart. Their father and mother had died in the spring-time, and in the summer they had left their old home because of all the sad memories and had gone to live with their old grandmother in a new home elsewhere.