The Sun and the Wind

To see which was the stronger, the sun and the wind challenged each other to strip the clothes from the first passerby.

The wind puffed with all air in its lungs; but the more it blew the more the man drew his clothes tight around him and, feeling a bit cold, he even pulled on a cloak.

The sun didn't do anything so strenuous; all it did was shine. And gradually the man grew hotter and hotter until he took off all his clothes to go for a swim. Which just goes to show that gentle persuasion is more effective than violence.

Doctor Knowall

There was once a peasant who envied the good life led by doctors, lawyers and notaries. So one fine day he bought himself a wig and a black suit, then he put up on his door a sign saying: 'Doctor Knowall'.

Shortly afterwards, a man went by, who had just been robbed of a large sum of money. 'If he knows all, then he also knows who stole my money,' he thought. So he invited Doctor Knowall to his house for dinner.

When dinner them came round, a servant approached the table with some dishes and the 'doctor' exclaimed, 'Oh good, here's the first.'

What doctor Knowall meant was that the first course was being served, but the servant, who was in fact one of the robbers, thought that he had been found out. Terrified, he rushed back to the the kitchen and said to another servant; 'You go and serve the meal.' The second servant was also the second robber, and when he went into the dining room Doctor Knowall said: 'Oh good, here's the second.' The robbers were frightened out of their wits. All they could think of doing was give back the money. The master of the house rewarded Doctor Knowall handsomely for his skill...... but his greatest reward was the reputation he enjoyed from that day on as an infallible wise man.

The Wagon Driver's Patron

It had been raining and the track had turned into a muddy swamp. All of a sudden, the wagon that was on it got bogged down in a muddy hole, and it was so heavily laden that neither the efforts of the donkey that was pulling it, nor the curses of the man who was driving it, could get it out again.

The wagon driver was furious with the donkey. He shouted insults at it, he yanked it by the bit, he lashed it with his whip, but noting did any good. So he called on his patron saint, and promised to light a candle to him.

'Before you go looking for a candle,' be seemed to hear a voice saying, 'why don't you stop beating the donkey, and go and get some stones to fill in the hole? Unload the wagon, and make it as light as you can. Pick up that broken branch and use it as a lever.'

Scarcely giving a thought to what he was doing, the astonished wagon driver did as he was told. When he had followed all the instructions, he said 'giddyup' to the donkey, and the wagon pulled easily out of the mud.

'A miracle,' shouted the man, covered in perspiration from all his efforts.

'Take notice,' warned the voice of his patron saint, 'this miracle was performed by you. The Lord helps those who held themselves.'

The Fox and the Goat

A thirsty fox was wandering about the countryside looking for water. Eventually he found a well, but the only water was at the bottom. The fox studied the problem and realised that there was a pulley system to bring up the water, one bucket going down causing another bucket to come up. So the fox jumped into the bucket at the top and his weight immediately caused it to drop to the bottom, where he could drink all the water he desired.

However, now he could not get back up, but the fox had long ago realised that the world is full of fools, and a short time later along came a goat, looking for water in the well.

The fox explained the situation and said to the goat, 'Get into the bucket, then you can come down and I can go up.'

'Yes, but what about afterwards?' asked the goat.

'That's even simpler; then you can come up and I'll go down.'

So the goat got into the bucket, and in a moment he was at the bottom of the well, and the fox was at the top. But as soon as he was up, the fox bade farewell to the goat and made to leave.

'Wait a minute,' shouted the goat.

'You promised to get me back up.'

'Who promised?' asked the fox. 'All we did was to discuss the possibilities.'

The Eagle and the Woodcutter

Once, a woodcutter found an eagle which was caught in a trap. He was so taken with the beauty and the majesty of the bird that he let it go free.

Some time later, the woodcutter sat down on a rock on the very top of a steep hill. While he was having his lunch, the eagle dropped like lightning from the sky, and flew away with his hat. The man automatically ran down the hill after the bird, just as the rocks on which he had been sitting gave way with a loud crash.

The grateful eagle had repaid its benefactor.

The Swan and the Goose

A swan and a goose were both sold at the market on the the same day to the same buyer. Then they were taken back to his villa and both put in the lake, the swan to please his eye, and his ears with its legendary song, and the goose to please his stomach eventually with its lovely, tasty meat.

For a long time, the two birds lived very happily together, becoming great friends. They swam about every day in the water and the master and his guests often came by to admire the two animals and feed them tasty morsels.

Nevertheless, the day came when the master ordered that the goose should be roasted for his dinner. The cook went down to the lake to fetch the unwilling guest to the banquet.

By chance that day, the cook was drunk, and instead of taking the goose he took the swan. When the swan the cook's knife coming for its throat, it began to sing its famous last long. The cook was so amazed that he refused to kill the bird.

Which goes to show that anyone who knows how to make good use of words can find a way out of even the most desperate situation.

Stupid Catherine and the Front Door

When Stupid Catherine went out, she often forgot to close the door behind her. One day, she had to go out of the house to take some lunch to her husband, Joseph, who was always telling her: 'Don't forget the door.'

This time, Catherine thought hard, until the answer came to her.

The best way not to forget the door was to take it with her. So she took it off its hinges and heaved it up onto her back. But then, what could she do with the heavy lunch basket?

'I know' she cried. I'll hang it on the door handle, so that the door has to carry it, not me.'

The Two Bears in the Sky

Hans, the young giant, was kind and helpful. He was happy to do any kind of job and, because of his great strength, he was able to do the work of a dozen men.

One day, the village where Hans lived was attacked by two ferocious bears, one male, the other female. The mayor and all the people of the town rushed to find the giant to ask for his help. At once Hans went to where the bears were, only to find them frightening an old woman.

The giant leapt on the larger of the two animals, seized it by the arm and swung it round, hurling it into the sky.

He then did the same to the other bear, but the female bear, being much smaller, flew higher into the sky than the male did.

The male watched her fly past, but he could do nothing to stop her.

'Come over here,' he called out at the top of his voice.

'I can't. You come over here,' she replied.

Even since then, the two bears have been roaming about the sky trying to get back together again and astronomers have referred to them as the 'Great Bear' and the 'Little Bear'.

The King of the Forest Goes to War

King lion was getting ready to go to war and called to arms all the other animals.

But his ministers asked him to dismiss the donkey and the rabbit, because one was too stupid and the other too easily scared.

'Not at all,' refused the king. 'The donkey has a voice which is even more resonant than mine. He can be the trumpeter.'

'The rabbit, being so quick, will be invaluable for carrying messages,' added the king. To win a war you have to know hot to get the best our of everyone.

The tsar's Riddle

The tsar had taken prisoner a rebel leader. The rebel's daughter went to the tsar to beg him to spare her beloved father. she was a beautiful young girl, but the tsar looked on her with mixed feelings.

'I will free your father, and what is more I will marry you,' he said to her. 'If you are able to solve this riddle. If you fail, your father will die and you will be forced to marry my stable boy.'

'Agreed,' said the girl. 'what is the riddle?'

'You have to come back to me neither dressed nor naked,' said the tsar, 'neither on foot nor on horseback, neither with gifts nor without gifts.'

The girl went away and thought hard. The next day she came before the tsar, wearing only a thick fishing net, so that she was neither on foot nor on horseback; in her hands she had a quail, which she released in the tsar's presence, so that she had come neither with a gift nor without a gift.

The tsar, who admired clever people as much as he admired brave ones, kept his word. He freed the rebel leader and married his beautiful young daughter.

The Legend of King Midas

A long, long time ago there was a king of Phrygia who was very greedy and stupid. One day Silenus, the god of the woods, who had been a guest of king, offered, in return for his hospitality, to grant him a wish. After thinking for a long time about how he could become more rich and more powerful, Midas asked for a magic gift that would turn anything he touched to gold.

'So be it,' exclaimed Silenus.

Midas touched the seat he was sitting on and it immediately turned to solid gold. He touched his belt, his clothes, a vase, a statue.... every thing turned to gold. He bean to run about the palace, and everything he touched became gold: walls, furniture, ornaments.....

Midas was delighted, but all the excitement had made him hungry, so he sat down at the table and prepared to eat. Then he realised that every piece of food he brought to his mouth was turning to gold before he could eat it. Thanks to his greed, it looked as though he was going to die of hunger.

Fortunately, Silenus, who had foreseen what would happen, agreed to relieve Midas of his magic power. And so, for a bunch of grapes, Midas gave up all the gold in the world.

The Imp's Saturday

It was Saturday night, but very few children had yet gone to sleep. They all relied on the sleep imp, whose job it was to sing the lullabies, but the imp had not passed by yet. So one mother decided to go and complain about him.

'I m sorry,' the imp explained, 'but tomorrow is a holiday. It is Sunday, and we imps have to clean up the whole world so it looks prettier. You have no idea how many things I still have to do tonight.'

'What things?'

'I have to climb to the tops of the bell towers and polish up the bells, so that they will ring clear and true. I have to go into the fields and check if the wind had dusted clean the grass and the flowers. I have to go up into the sky and bring down the starts one by one and make them bright and shiny.'

'But the stars.' said the woman, 'are stuck up in the sky. You can't just take them and clean them like light bulbs.'

'Are you suggesting I don't know what I' m doing? asked the imp, a bit put out.

However, the little boy had fallen asleep in the meantime, so the mother decided there was no point in staying there any longer to argue abut it: so whether or not the stars are really fixed in the sky, we never did find out.

The Lion and the Grateful Mouse

A lion was preparing to eat a mouse it had just caught.

'Let me go,' the mouse begged him, 'sooner or later you may need my help,'

The king of the forest found this idea so ridiculous that he laughed aloud, but he let the little mouse go anyway. Some time later, the lion became trapped in a net which had been set down by hunters. But then along came the mouse, who chewed through the netting and freed him.

'As you can see,' said the mouse, 'even the mighty sometimes need the help of the weak.'

The Fox with the Stunted Tail

A fox lost her tail in a trap and was ashamed of her loss.

It seemed extremely unfair to her that she alone should lack a tail.

She seriously thought the world would be a much improved place it all the other foxes too were to have no tails.

And so she tried to convince them all to cut off their tails.

'The tail,' she said, 'is just an extra weight. And you could hardly call it elegant! Or pretty!'

'If that is so,' replied her friends, 'then why are you so unhappy without one?'

The Magic Tinderbox

Once upon a time, as he returned from war, a brave soldier encountered a witch. 'Would you like to be rich?' she asked him. The soldier did not stop to think twice. He followed the instructions of the witch to the letter and soon found himself going down into a deep cavern, where there was a chest full of treasure. It was guarded by a horribly fierce dog, but the witch had taught the soldier the spell which allowed him to order the dog to do his will. The soldier filled his pockets and his knapsack with treasure, and before he left he also picked up the old tinderbox, which the witch's grandmother had lost long before. The witch had promised the soldier that the only treasure she wanted was the old tinderbox.

Fortunately, the soldier was no fool, and before a wicked spell could be cast on him, he killed the evil witch. And so he kept the tinderbox as well, although he did not really know what to do with it. Now, however, that he was a rich man, he moved to the city and lived there like a lord.

One night, the streets of the city were so dark that the soldier could not see where he was going. Her remembered his firebox, and struck it to see the way ahead. Immediately, the fierce dog from the cavern appeared, ready to obey the soldier's every order, and to satisfy his every desire. Whenever he wanted anything, the soldier simply had to strike the tinderbox and the dog appeared to fulfil his every wish.

Mavis and the Robn Redbreast

A blacksmith had two daughters: the older, was proud and beautiful, was named Regina, and the younger, who loved singing more than anything, was named Mavis.

Th father had a soft spot for his older daughter. He was in the habit of telling everybody that he would not give her in marriage to anyone less than a king, whilst he would give Mavis to the first man who asked for her hand.

Mavis was not upset by this. She had found a friend, a robin redbreast, and with him she sang beautiful duets.

'Mavis has found a husband!' her sister would taunt and laugh at her.

And it turned out to be true. One day, a young man came to the smithy and asked for Mavis as his wife. Her father gave his consent at once. Then it was Regina's turn. Her suitor was dressed as a peasant, but since everyone called him Prince, the father did not doubt for a moment that this was the son of the king in disguise, come from afar to marry his Regina.

But how great was his surprise, when he discovered that Prince was only the man's name, not his title, and that the husband of Mavis was really Prince Robin, the king's first cousin!

The Mountain of the Elves

That evening, on the Mountain of the Elves, there was a great feast in honour of the rich and powerful Gnome of the North, He had recently lost his own wife and had thus decided to find wives for his two sons, whom he had brought with him, so they could choose from the seven daughters of the King of the Elves.

The Gnome of the North, with his crown of icicles and pine needles, was kind and pleasant, but his sons were arrogant and rude. The seven daughters did not like them at all, but the Gnome of the North was too important for them to be able to refuse. In fact, the gnome didn't particularly care for the young girls either. Though they were beautiful and knew how to do many strange things, like becoming invisible or imitating the shadows, they knew nothing about how to keep a house and make it a happy and peaceful place.

But the youngest of the seven sisters had not yet learnt any special magic. All she knew how to do was to sing and tell endless wonderful stories. When the wise Gnome of the North heard her, his doubts were set aside; she was the idle wife. But not for any of his sons. He asked for the daughter of the King of the Elves for himself.

The Crystal Ball

Once upon a time, a ship carrying a precious crystal ball as a gift to the emperor storm, and sank to the bottom of the sea. When the emperor heard of this, he sent his best divers to the place to try and find the crystal ball, but to no avail.

Then along came a small slender woman with her child in her arms, who asked if she could try as well. It seemed impossible that she could succeed where the bravest divers had failed, but she explained that if she managed to earn the reward, she could make her son, Kamatari, into a samurai.

She was granted permission to make the attempt; so she tied a rope to herself and dived into the sea. She went down to the very bottom, where the dragon's palace is, and there, just as she had foreseen, was the crystal ball, stolen by the lords of the deep. The woman seized it and began to swim back up, when she was attached by the most terrible sea monsters. With her dagger, she fought them all, refusing, despite many wounds, to let the crystal ball out of her hand, and there it was found when she was finally pulled onto the ship. When the emperor received the crystal ball, he kept the promise he had made to the heroic mother, and that was how Kamatari became a brave samurai.

The Little Bird That Cannot Sing

Once upon a time, there was a poor shoemaker who had a daughter he loved very much: it was enough for him to see her and he would burst into happy song. His daughter, however, was dumb, and so their friends called her 'the little bird that cannot sing'.

One day, the king's son became ill, and a fairy told him that he could only be cured by the little bird that cannot sing. Nobody knew what kind of bird this might be, but messengers were sent throughout the kingdom to find it. The news reached the shoemaker and he took his daughter to the palace. But when the king saw not a bird, but only a dumb girl, he had both the shoemaker and his daughter put into prison.

At this very time, in the prince's room, on his sick bed, he was heard to murmur: 'They have put the little bird that cannot sing in a cage.' While in prison, for the first time, the dumb girl burst into this song: 'Little bird that cannot sing, you will fly up on high. You'll make your nest at the top of the tallest tree, and you will never be silent anymore.' As soon as the king heard of this, he sent for the young girl and her father. The prince became well again and the couple were married and lived happily ever after.

Why the Bear Has a Stunted Tail

One day, when the bear still had a tail, he met with a fox carrying a load of fish.

The fox had stolen them, but he said he had caught them. 'It's easy,' he told the bear, 'all you have to do is make a hole in the ice and stick your tail in it. The fish come to bite it and they get stuck onto it.'

The bear decided to try it. In spite of the freezing cold he kept his tail in the hole for so long that the ice closed around it and imprisoned him. He had to pull so hard to free himself that his tail came clean away.... and it has never grown back again.

The Sun and the Moon

In the distant past, the moon used to be as bright as the sun.

This meant that mankind could not tell day from night, as it was always light.

There were all kinds of problems; people never knew when it was time to get up or when it was time to go to bed.

The Lord realised what was happening, and at once ordered the Archangel Gabriel to spread his wings and veil the light of the moon.

And thus, the marks, which we see on the surface of the moon, are scratches made by the angel's long wings.

The Fox and the Wolf

A wolf had taken a fox as his servant. The poor fox had enough of her master, but since the wolf was so much stronger than she was, she had no choice other than to serve him.

'Go and get me something to eat,' the wolf kept saying. 'Otherwise I shall eat you.'

On one occasion, the fox went to steal a lamb from the nearby farm, and, on another, to steal the cakes from the kitchen window ledge, and she always managed this without being seen. Everything would have been fine, if the wolf, greedy and careless as he was, had not himself gone to steal the other lamb and the rest of the cakes. He ended up being beaten with a sick, coming home empty handed and getting angry with the fox.

One day, the wolf said yet again, 'Fox, go and get me something to eat or I will eat you!' 'I know of a farmer's storeroom which is full of goodies! Sausages, hams, cheeses! I will show you.' replied the fox.

'Fine,' said the wolf, 'but this time you're coming with me! I don't want any more nasty surprises.' Off they both went, and, slipping through a small hole, they got into the farmer's storeroom. The wolf threw himself greedily at the food. The fox, on the other hand, ran to the hole before every mouthful, to be certain that she could escape if danger threatened. 'Why are you wasting all this time instead of eating?' the wolf laughed at her. 'I'm not leaving here until I have eaten everything!'

At that moment, the farmer, who had been disturbed by the noises, came into the storeroom with a stick. The fox, who was as thin as before, slipped quickly out of the hole and escaped. The wolf, on the other hand, with his stomach bloated, could not squeeze through and had to suffer a beating yet again.

Chichibio, the Cook, and the Crane

A wealthy hunter killed a crane and sent it to his cook to have it roasted. The bird was no plump and appetising that Chichibio, the cook, could not resist the temptation to cut off a leg and eat it.

When the roast came to be served at the duke's table. the duke noticed that the crane had only one leg and, in a severe voice, demanded an explanation from the cook.

'All cranes,' Chichibio had the nerve to say, 'have only one leg.'

'Really?' said his master. 'Then tomorrow we shall go together to the pond to see. If it turns out that you have tried to deceive me, you will be very sorry indeed.'

The next morning, the cranes in the pond, like all of their kind, were sleeping balanced on one leg only.

'What did I tell you?' said the cook with a sly mile.

The duke clapped his hands and the frightened cranes immediately dropped their other legs to the ground in order to flee.

'That's not fair!' protested Chichibio. 'You didn't clap your hands last night. If you had done that, then even the roast crane would have pulled out its other leg!'

The Lover's Flower

The daughter of the king lost her power of speech when she was very young, and from then on she was always sad and silent. Her only pleasure lay in looking after the flowers in the royal garden.

One evening, a strange flower appeared amidst all the others. From its very first appearance, the young woman looked after it with care. She would stand in front of it for hours, and, impossible as it may seem, it appeared that she was talking to the flower, and even making gestures as if she were astonished by what the flower was saying to her. At last, the king was sure that his daughter was bewitched, and he uprooted the flower and dashed it to the ground.

The shock returned to the princess the lost power of speech.

At the sound of her voice, the flower was changed back into a prince, who then explained to the king what had happened. I order to be always near the silent princess, the prince had asked a fairy to change him in to a flower, with a voice that only the princess could hear, and which, in turn, was the only one to hear the silent voice of the princess.

That day was the 14th of February, and it is for this very reason that Saint Valentine's Day became the feast of all those who love each other.

The Card Player

Once upon a time, there was a man who was always playing cards and, because he was clever, lucky and cheated just a little, he always won. The men, who had been reduced to poverty by him, denounced him when they got to heaven, and St Peter sent Death to take him. But St Peter waited and waited, and neither the card player nor any other soul arrived.

So St Peter sent down and Angel, who discovered that Death had been tempted into playing cards. Death kept losing but, in the hope or recouping his losses, remained at the card table, and thus not another soul had passed away. The card player tried to persuade the Angel to play, but being an Angel, he could not be tempted. So the trickster had to resign himself at last to dying.

As soon as he had died, however, he began to play cards with Lucifer and won all his devils from him. The card player be; then, finally, when he won the haloes from a couple of saints, he threw him down. On landing, his soul flew into pieces and each tiny bit landed in the soul of another card player, taking him over for ever.

The Pigkeeper

A prince, who desired the hand of a princess in marriage, sent her the most beautiful gifts he could find - a rose and a nightingale. Everyone, including the king, was enchanted by the gits; only the princess turned her lovely nose up at them.

'This is a real rose, it is not even made of silver! And the nightingale is flesh and blood, not even mechanical!'

The prince was thus refused, but he did not give up. He disguised himself and took the job of pigkeeper at the palace. In his free time, he made strange little trinkets to attract the attention of the princess.

On one occasion, he made a pot with little bells which tinkled when the water boiled. The princess wanted to buy it at any prince, and she was told she could have it only in exchange for a kiss. The princess accepted the pigkeeper's offer.

But the king came across the princess just as she was kissing the pigkeeper and there was a terrible scandal.

The pigkeeper then revealed that he was in fact a prince, at which the princess sought to make matters right by marrying him; but this time it was his turn to refuse her.

'For a rose and a nightingale, you refused a prince, but for a trinket you kissed a pigkeeper! So I now say that you can keep the pot and remain unmarried!'

The Lion, the Wolf and the Fox

The lion was near to death and all the other animals tried to fawn on him, hoping to be named as his heir. The wolf tried to discredit the fox by telling the lion that the fox had not even been bothered to visit the king. The fox arrived at just the right moment to overhear this.

'Who could love you more than me?' the fox asked the the lion. 'For I have been all around the world, in search of the miraculous cure i bring you!'

'And what is it?' asked the lion.

'If you want to get well again, skin a live wolf,' replied the fox, 'and wrap yourself in the fur while it is still warm!'

The Wandering Peas

The peas thought the whole world consisted of the pod which contained them. They were very surprised when their shell opened and they discovered so many new things.

'Now what will happen to us?' they asked each other worriedly.

It was their fate to become ammunition for a little boy's peashooter. They were fired a great distance, one after the other, and they never saw each other again.

One of the peas landed in a crack in a window frame, where it became covered by moss. Beyond the window, in the room, there was a very sick little girl, who, it seemed, did not have the strength to either live or die. Her family thought it was a miracle that she had actually survived the winter..... and, in the meantime, spring had arrived.

One lovely day, looking up from her bed, the little girl noticed a tiny plant growing on the windowsill. She gave an exclamation pf pleasure and surprise. Her mother moved her bed right beneath the window, so that the sick child could see the plant more easily, A few days later, the sunshine caused the little pea to flower, and the little girl found she had enough strength to get out of bed and stroke the petals: she had begun to recover!

The Charlatan, the King and the Ass

The charlatan once boasted that he was able, thanks to certain magic potions that he had invited, to make even an ass as wise as any doctor. The king overheard him and, in order to teach him the lesson he deserved, he pretended to take him at his word.

'Take that man to the stables and give him an ass,' the king ordered. 'Pay him good money for the next ten years, but if, at the end of the time, the ass is not able to read and to count then the man will be hung!'

The sentence seemed just and wise and amused the countries. 'It will be something worth seeing,' on of them laughed at the charlatan, 'when you're swinging on the gallows.' 'Wait and see,' replied the charlatan, who was certainly not stupid. 'It is almost certain that somebody must die over a ten year period. Who knows if it will be me or you, the king, or the ass? And another thing - if things were to go badly for me, you will be amused on the day I hang; but I will have ten full years, in the meantime, enjoying myself watching you work every day to earn your money, whilst mine will be given to me for doing nothing!'

The Hare Who Got Married

A young hare seemed unusually happy so the fox asked him why.

'I'm married,' replied the hare.

'Congratulations! What good luck,' said the fox.

'Not really good luck: she is old and as ugly as a witch!'

'Oh what bad luck!' cried the fox.

'Not really bad luck: for she gave me a beautiful house as a gift....'

'What luck!'

'Not really luck,' the hare went on, 'the house has burnt down!'

'What bad luck!' said the fox.

'Not really bad luck, for my old and ugly wife was inside at the time!'

The Pig and His Way of Life

The pig lived in way that pigs always live and would never have worried about it at all, if it was not for the continuous taunts of the cow. 'What a lovely life you've got!' his companion would sneer. 'Leftovers for lunch and muck for a bed!' In the end, even the pig himself was convinced that he could not go on living this way and he went to see the judge.

'All the other animals on the farm get good food and they have clean stalls', he said. 'Why can't I enjoy a better standard of living as well?'

'You're right!' declared the judge. 'From now on, they must give you grain and peas for dinner, and you must have silk sheets on your bed.' The pig rushed home to his sty, impatient to give the good news to his wife. 'Grain, peas and silken sheets!' he repeated to himself happily all the way home.

But the now, hoowever, had taunted him so many times with 'leftovers and muck', that the words had become fixed in his mind. Thus, when his wife asked him what the judge had decided their way of life should be, he replied automatically: 'It went perfectly. From this day on we shall dine on leftovers and we shall sleep on muck!'

Birdchild and the Witch

One day, on his round of inspection, a wizard who worked as a gamekeeper, came across a newborn child, which had been stolen from the cradle by an eagle. The wizard gamekeeper gathered the child in his arms and took it home, where he brought the baby up alongside his own daughter, Lena, who also knew a bit of magic.

The eagle, however, was really a witch and wanted to find the little boy again, because she planned to eat him. She searched high and low until she found him. Then she transformed herself into an old woman and persuaded the gamekeeper to employ her as a housekeeper.

Fortunately, Lena discovered the plan of the old witch, and fled with Birdchild (for this was what she called the baby her father had found). As soon as the witch realised what had happened, she flew off, disguised as an eagle, in pursuit. Lena than called on her own magic powers, and turned the little boy into a pool of water and herself into a duck.

The witch, however, still recognised Birdchild, and she bent down by the pool to gulp up the water, but Lena grabbed the eagle with her beak, and pulled the witch into the pool where she drowned. The two children returned home and were never again troubled.

The Boy Who Fell into the Water

A boy was playing on the riverbank, when he slipped and fell into the water. He succeeded in grabbing hold of a long and began to shout for help.

A man happened by. He was the kind of man who believes he has wisdom to share, and rather than helping the boy out of the water, he began to preach to him: ‘You shouldn’t play near water! You should have watched where you were putting your feet.’

This went on for a while, and the boy heard many wise and useful words, but he would have preferred to be saved without the lectures!