6 h 26 minAudiobook15 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 26 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Among steep pastures and cold lakes, magic lives close to the village—and every tale has something to teach.
Swiss Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis brings together folk stories from Switzerland’s mountains, lakes and valleys. The Alps shape their world: long winters, steep ground and small villages where people depend on one another. These are short tales, each offering another way into the landscape and the imagination of its communities.
The collection explores mountain life, magic, village values and the morals that stories carry. Spirits of the hills, hidden little people and creatures guarding wild places belong to this Alpine tradition. Strange helpers and threats bring wonder, while clear patterns help listeners follow along. The pleasure lies in both the telling and the lessons.
What you’ll discover
- A landscape full of stories Discover how mountains, cold lakes and steep pastures give these folk tales their character.
- Magic near the village Meet an Alpine tradition of strange helpers, hidden beings and guardians of wild places.
- Lessons woven into wonder Explore the community values that give these imaginative stories their moral heart.
- Tales worth sharing aloud Enjoy short, clear stories whose repeated patterns make them easy for listeners to follow.
- Switzerland through its folklore Let the stories lead you through a country’s landscapes and the imagination they nurture.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy mountain scenery, cows with names, clever tailors, kind dwarfs, and fairies with opinions. It suits families who read aloud and lovers of folklore.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Small choices carry a homeland
- A family carries its stories overseas
- Music offers another kind of wealth
- Cleverness can stand against strength
- Kindness builds trust with the dwarfs
- Small plants stand against the frost
- Love comes with a promise
- Wonder faces a changing mountain world
- Everyday decisions reveal what people value
Who’s who
- PerrodA faithful shepherd boy on the high pastures who must choose among three strange gifts offered at night in his chalet.
- WalterA kind hunter with a large family and a poor gun, whom the dwarfs decide to help.
- HiltyA dairy farmer and friend of the dwarfs whose curiosity and greed put his promise at risk.
- The little tailorA young tailor mocked as one-ninth of a man, who plans to beat a giant with wits instead of strength.
- BerthaThe giant king's daughter, who loves to have her own way and carries a farmer and his horses home as playthings.
- Silver WreathA mountain fairy who loves a hunter and agrees to marry him if he keeps one small rule at the table.
- Soft PuddingAn absent-minded, kind-hearted man who tries to read a sundial by lantern light and wins the fairies' help.
- GruntliA rich man who calls himself a man of science, scorns faith, and relies on his white donkey Gulick.
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Swiss Fairy Tales in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Swiss Fairy Tales
by William Elliot Griffis · 1922
A shepherd boy must pick one of three cups, and only one holds the gift of the Alpine horn.
Medium level2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
What would you choose if three cups stood before you, one red for strength, one green for gold, and one white for music? A shepherd boy named Perrod faces that choice in a mountain chalet at night, in the first fairy tale of this collection.
Swiss Fairy Tales at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 35 min2 h 50 min fast, 4 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 51,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1922by William Elliot Griffis
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Swiss family carries its stories to Pennsylvania
The book begins at the chair of Grandma Hess, where young listeners sit on stools and rugs. Her people were Swiss, and her father, John Harby, followed William Penn to America. Griffis says he learned to love mountains from these old ladies.
The Harbys first live in a wooden house in the Bernese Oberland. Winters last seven months, and snow piles so deep that the boys climb out of windows. In June the fathers drive the cows and goats up to the high pastures. At night Mother or Daddy tells fairy tales and hero stories.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 15 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Griffis, William Elliot. Swiss Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/swiss-fairy-tales.
Griffis, W. E. (2026). Swiss fairy tales. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/swiss-fairy-tales (Original work published 1922)
Griffis, William Elliot. Swiss Fairy Tales. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/swiss-fairy-tales.
@book{griffis2026swiss,
author = {Griffis, William Elliot},
title = {Swiss Fairy Tales},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/swiss-fairy-tales},
note = {First published 1922}
}
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What is Swiss Fairy Tales by William Elliot Griffis about?
It is a collection of Alpine legends and fairy tales about dwarfs, giants, dragons, water spirits, and flower fairies. Each story explains something Swiss, such as the Alpine horn, the cuckoo clock, edelweiss, or cheese, and many carry a plain moral.
Where did the stories in Swiss Fairy Tales come from?
Griffis says he heard them from his Swiss American grandmother and her sisters, who learned them from Swiss parents near Valley Forge. He adds chapters on mountain life, custom, and history, and tells everything in a lively storyteller's voice.
Why is the edelweiss so important in the book?
The book makes edelweiss a brave fairy dressed in white flannel to defy the Frost Giants. Its name means noble white, and it stands for purity, faithful love, and a nation that holds its ground against invaders.
The author
William Elliot Griffis
1843–1928 · American minister and Japan scholar
William Elliot Griffis (1843–1928) was an American Protestant minister and writer on Japan. He was born in Philadelphia and lived in Japan from 1870 to 1874, working as a teacher. He wrote The Mikado’s Empire (1876) and The Religions of Japan (1895), as well as collections of fairy tales.
More by William Elliot Griffis
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