A Happy Family

An old couple of snails lived happily in a wood where they reigned supreme, there being no other snails to dispute their sovereignty; but this was also their greatest heartache – they had absolutely no idea of where they might find a wife for their only son.

‘Let us know if you see a beautiful little snail who might be suitable for our young one,’ they instructed the files, who buzzed everywhere in a frantic way, trying to give the impression that they were busy.

On day, at last, a butterfly told them, ‘There’s a pretty little snail ten minutes’ flying time from here. She’s a poor orphan but she has all the right qualities.’

‘Tel her to come and visit us!’

They pretty little snail set out at once. It look her only eight days to complete the journey, which proved she was of excellent breeding. The marriage was celebrated at the earliest possible moment. The bees made the wedding-cake, and fireflies were in charge of the lighting arrangements: two ants acted as bridesmaids, and the wedding march was performed by the rain on the leaves. The new couple had many little snails and lived happily and long, as did the old couple who still ruled supreme in their wood.

The Greedy Dog

One day, a dog stole a big piece of meat and, proud of his own courage, ran off with it held tightly in his jaws. He reached the bank of the river where he looked down and spied another dog with a piece of meat in its mouth, every bit as big as his own.

He did not realise that it was merely his own reflection in the water. Feeling full of himself already, he threw himself on the other dog to seal his meat as well. Unfortunately, when he found himself in the water, he had to let go of his own piece of meat to avoid drowning, and so was left with nothing.

The Gifts of the Three Kings

One night, a comet appeared in the sky. All who saw it were surprised and afraid. King Caspar consulted with two other kings who were, like himself, amongst the wisest men in the world, and asked them if they knew the meaning of this strange star. King Balthasaar, while studying old books, discovered and ancient prophecy: the comet was to announce the coming of the Messiah and showed the place where he was to be born.

He invited the others to accompany him to pay tribute to the Messiah, and asked them to think of the most suitable gifts to take.

Melchior, who knew that the Messiah was going to be a man, decided to take a jar of myrrh as his offering, because with this he would be able to perfume his body. Caspar, on the other hand, said that he Messiah was Lord of heaven and earth, and he searched for and wide for a gift precious enough for such a powerful king. At last he chose a casket full of gold. Balthasaar believed that the Messiah ought to be worshipped as the Son of God, and he therefore decided to take him franking cense as his gift, the substance that people have always burnt to their gods as a sign of their devotion.

And in the stable at Bethelehem, the gifts of the three kings lay alongside those of the shepherds, whose riches lay in the love they showed.

The Fox and the Stork

In order to pay back a debt, the fox had to invite the stroke over for dinner, even though he did not really want to. He made a tasty soup, but he served it up in a very shallow dish, and the stork’s long beak could hardly manage to get hold of any of it.

Like a true lady, the stork did not complain, and even invited the fox to dinner with her. The stork in her turn cooked a delicious meal, but she served it in a tall narrow goblet that the fox could not even get his nose into. So he did not get anything to eat dinner. So he did not get anything to eat either.

If you play dirty tricks on people, then you must expect to have them played on you as well.

The Little Goldfish

One day a poor fisherman found in his net a little golden fish, which waved its fins about and moved its mouth, as if to beg him to let it go. The fisherman was no moved that he threw the fish back into the sea, even though; he would have earned a considerable sum of money.

‘You will see how grateful I am,’ called the fish from beside the boat, before disappearing back under the waves, ‘but you must never tell anybody what has happened.,

When the fisherman arrived home, he found that his miserable hut had been transformed into a fabulous castle and his wife was wearing a dress fir for a queen.

‘Where did all these riches come from?’ was the first thing the wife asked, when she saw her husband again.

‘Do not ask me, my wife, or everything will disappear again.’

But the woman would not give her husband a moment’s peace, and in the end he told her about the little castle turned back into a hut, and everything was the way it had been before, and the woman remained what she had always been, nosey and dissatisfied.

The Town mouse and the country Mouse

The town mouse was lived by his friend, a country mouse, to come for a visit. The fresh air was lovely and the hospitality very warm, But for the tastes of the town house life in the food was too plain and not very appestising. The country mouse listened to what his friend had to say and decided to close up his own house and follow the town to the city.

The town mouse’s house was small and had no garden, but it was very luxurious; marble floors, mirrors, and paintings on the walls, and a large cupboard, not filled with wheat and hay, but dates, figs, and fruit, not to mention bread, cheese and delicious cakes.

The two friends sat down to dinner and for the country mouse it was a meal fit for a king. But it was also very stressful. From time to time, a cat would come along, or woman would pass by, or a child, and two mice would have to run and hide in a hole, with their hearts in their mouths.

After this had gone on for some time, the country mouse could not stand it and more. He was plane and trembling. ‘Keep your luxury and your riches,’ he said to his friend, packing his case. ‘I prefer my own way of life. It may be dull, but it is so much more peaceful than yours.,

The Queen of Riddles

The queen of Petersburg promised that she would marry anyone who could ask her three riddles she could not answer. Many young men tried to win her hand, but to no avail. Finally, along came Ivan the peasant and he said:

I saw one good thing with another good thing in it. In order to do good, I took the second good thing out of the first good thing.

The queen did not know what to say so pretended she had a headache to put off her answer. She got her maidservant to coax the answer out of Ivan. Next day the queen said to Ivan:

‘Here is the answer: A horse was in a wheat field and I chased it out’

Then Ivan put his second riddle: ‘On the road I saw a bad thing. I took up a second bad thing and hit it, So one bad thing killed another bad thing.’

Once again, the queen got her maidservant to find out the answer from Ivan. Next day the queen said:

‘Here is the answer. I saw a snake on the road and killed it with a stick.’

Then Ivan asked her the third riddle. ‘How did you know the answers to the first two riddles?’

The queen did not want to admit that she had found out by cheating.

‘I don’t know.’ She answered. That was how Ivan married the queen.