Folk tales from around the world

Children, talking animals and ordinary people meet giants, imps and ghosts in English tales where cleverness offers escape from danger.

Irish country life meets fairies, ghosts and strange visitors in stories linking supernatural encounters with luck, illness and death.

Scottish country people encounter fairies, giants and water spirits, with kind words or insults capable of changing their luck.

Clever country people, strange animals and young heroes face giants, unusual errands and bargains that call for wit or luck.

Stories gathered from North Welsh farmers, shepherds and cottagers record fairy folk, ghosts, witches, holy wells and death omens.

Princes, fools and clever girls encounter witches and talking animals in Russian wonder tales shaped by kindness, luck and wit.

Poor boys, princesses and enchanted creatures face trolls, magical tasks and journeys in this collection of Norwegian folk tales.

Villages, farms and forests frame traditional Russian stories that mingle ordinary hopes and fears with magic and danger.

Youngest sons, travellers and helpful animals face royal tasks in Norwegian tales where cleverness can overcome strength and rank.

Italian oral storytelling supplies fairy tales, legends, nursery stories and jests, moving from magical adventures to comic tricks.

Children, princesses and younger sons face spells, dangerous strangers and sudden changes of fortune in these fairy tales.

A peach-born boy, a fisherman and clever animals encounter spirits, ogres and magic in these Japanese folk tales.

Animals, royal families and ordinary people meet deception and magic in Indian tales where cleverness challenges greed and foolishness.

Anansi, talking animals and villagers test cunning against greed and fairness in stories drawn from West African oral tradition.

Iktomi seeks food and advantage in Dakota tales where talking animals share a world of schemes and unexpected consequences.

Bengali oral traditions bring royalty, villagers, animals and supernatural beings into encounters shaped by danger, deception, kindness and resourcefulness.

Fox spirits, dragons, ghosts and immortals meet scholars and officials in Chinese tales where strange encounters test human judgment.

Scholars, farmers, officials and travellers encounter Korean spirits that help, frighten, trick or test them during ordinary life.

Stories gathered from Turkish storytellers follow sultans, poor boys and clever girls through encounters with djinns, kindness and cunning.

Rural Jamaican traditions bring together Anansi tales, songs, game tunes and sayings gathered from the people who shared them.

Animals and people use cunning, confront greed and explain the world's features in these folk tales from southern Africa.

Stories from the Philippine Islands explore the world's beginnings and encounters between people, animals, spirits and heroes.