All tales on the website
These folk tales are posted here to share them with a wider audience
All storytellers collect stories. Over the years I have posted many which, for all sorts of reasons, have attracted my attention.
I hope you share my enjoyment.
Those which are not marked video are a text or, more usually, a skeleton of the bare bones of the tale.
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- Abu Hasan (video)
An earthy tale from One Thousand and One Nights - Abu-Katrina the Lazy
A lazy husband outwitted by a clever wife - Battle of Hastings
Not a tale, but one of the classic music hall monologues - Bee, the Harp, the Mouse and the Bum-clock (video)
An Irish Jack tale to lift your heart - Beth Gellert
A tale of mistaken anger, murder and regret (with teaching activity) - Birbal and Akbar’s Missing Thumb (video and two teaching activities)
The enforced proximity of the 2020 coronavirus lockdown makes this old tale strangely appropriate - Bishop Daley’s Sermon
One of the greatest jokes: how a little priest achieved his life’s ambition (video) - Blacksmith and the Devil (video)
A tale which shows how a blacksmith won against the devil. A socio-linguistic analysis of this performance, written by Masters student Susan McCullough, can be downloaded from the page. - Blood-Covered Vampire (video)
A new recording of an ever-popular tale, and not just for Hallowe’en - Blue Rose (video)
A beautiful wedding story - Box under the Bed (video)
Ever thought of the difference between a joke and a story? - Boy with a Beer Keg (video)
A tale of a boy who twice tricked Death – and of how Death always keeps his word - Boys and God (video)
A tale all parents will understand - Boys who wouldn’t listen (video)
From the classic Indian collection, The Panchatantra - Brave Shepherd
A tale of courage overcoming force - Butcher’s Tears (video)
A tale of suffering and compassion - Calf with the Fattened Ear (video)
An Ethiopian tale of foolish greed - Candle in the Barn (video)
A father learns wisdom from his daughter - Cannibal Redeemed from Hell
An Ethiopian tale of mercy - The Carpenter (video)
A tale of anger overcome - Cat and the Dog (video)
An Irish version of Aesop’s Tortoise and the Hare, showing why it is that cats sleep by the fire - Clever Farmer
A tale of a fool (with teaching activity) - Clever Gretel (video)
A Grimms’ tale of a strong woman who knew what she wanted – and how to get it - Cloth of Forgiveness (video)
An Iraqi tale of how to break bad news - Cobbler in the Convent (video)
A man who did exactly what he was told – an irreverent and bawdy tale from Greece - Corpse Bride
A tale for Hallowe’en - Cow that Ate the Piper (video)
A favourite ghostly tale - Cow, the Pig and the Politician (video)
In Nov. 2016, with politics in the air, I chose this story as an encore for a recent performance - Cruel Sister (video)
A tale of murder revealed by music - Crystal Heart (video)
Learning the true meaning of beauty, love, life - Dagar and Nabek’s Horse
Envy almost destroys friendship - Death and the Gardener
The impossibility of fleeing from death (with teaching activity) - Death in the Nut (video)
A powerful tale in which Jack learns that death is essential to life - Devil in the Green Coat (video)
A tale from the Brothers Grimm which ends happily – even for the devil - Devil’s Three Golden Hairs (video)
A great Grimms’ story, told for adults and ending with an all-important moral - Drop of Honey (video)
A highly-topical Burmese folk tale about political responsibility - The Duration of Life (video)
An old tale which shows that length is not everything - Environmental tales (a compilation of over 80 stories and links)
Folk tales with an environmental slant, collected for a workshop in Ethiopia - Fairy Tales for Teenagers
A compilation of fairy tales which work particularly well with teenage audiences
A 40-sec. video of why storytelling is cool for teenagers - Finest Harp (video)
A Taoist tale of a man’s wishes - First Smile (video)
A tale showing why it is that women smile more than men - First Strawberries (video)
A Cherokee creation myth of the eternal problems between man and woman – and a solution - Flute which Raised the Dead
An old trickster tale - Foolish Jack (video)
What happens when you have the right smile - Free Melons (video)
A storyteller’s problem - Frightened Mouse (video, with teaching activity)
A tale from India: and a good participation tale for younger children (with teaching activity) - Gandharva Sen is Dead (video)
A delightful Bengali tale of too much sympathy - Giant and the Squirrel (video)
A Swedish folk tale - Giant Turnip
We all need help, even from the smallest - Giant without a Heart (video)
A Norwegian wonder tale in which the youngest son kills the giant and wins the bride - Girl from Heaven (video)
An African tale: the title says it all - God’s Blessings on a Bad Driver
Who is in the greatest need? - Golden Apples with Silver Leaves (video)
A Swedish wondertale - Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
One of Aesop’s most famous fables – with a modern text showing how little we learn - Greatest Pickpocket (video)
A great tale – and one of the best punchlines - Hansel’s Stepmother (video)
The dark truth behind a well-known tale - He Who Dug a Pit (video)
A Palestinian tale of justice - Headache (video)
Showing why every man needs a good tailor - Hypnotist’s Watch (video)
Learning about professionalism – and about control - In Your Hands
An Indian tale of personal responsibility - Jack and the Shitting Donkey (video)
How Jack tricked the landlord – and for three years running - Jack goes Hunting (video)
Can a man really make his wife happy? - Jack the Master Thief (video)
One of the ultimate trickster tales - Jimmy No-Story (video)
A story showing how important it is always to have a tale to tell - Kate Crackernuts (with teaching material)
A British folk tale of a feisty sister – with a student’s text - Khan’s Riddles (video)
A wedding story from Kyrgyzstan - King Erysichthon (video)
A powerful ruler thinks he is above the laws which govern us – Ovid’s dark tale of punishment by the gods - King o’ the Cats (video)
A gravedigger’s tale - King Soloman’s Ring
Which can make a happy man sad, and a sad man happy - King Midas and his Donkey Ears (video)
Ovid’s tale of censorship and state secrets - King Midas and the Touch of Gold (video)
The classic tale of unintended consequences - King Olaf’s Master Builder (video)
Building a church with demonic help - King who was a Gentleman (video)
What does it mean to be a gentleman? An Irish tale of a king who thought he was the greatest gentleman in the world - King’s New Robe
An Arabian trickster tale which H.C. Andersen drew on for one of his most famous stories - King’s Three Delicate Wives (video)
An Indian folk tale showing the dangers of when a man has foolish ideas of what a woman should be - Kuan Yin
A Tao Buddhist tale of the Goddess of Compassion, heard in her temple in Penang - Land Where No One Ever Dies (video)
An Italian folk tale dealing with one of our last taboos - Leopard-Eating Dog (video)
A comic tale from the ancient Sanskrit collection, The Panchatantra - Leopard-Eating Dog – told in German: Der Alte Hund (video)
- Letzte Abend im April (video)
A German telling of Korean author Bang Jung Hwan’s story, The Last Evening of April - Lindworm (video)
- A powerful fairy tale of redemption leading to a man and woman being able to live together
- Lost Necklace (video)
A poor woman helps a rich king find wisdom (for World Storytelling Day, 2022) - Louse and the Flea (video)
A tale from The Panchatantra, proving what all schoolchildren have long known - Lute Player (video)
A new recording of a Russian tale of war, enslavement and liberation - Magic Box
Finding fortune through a handful of dust - Magic Mitten
Downloadable article on telling this Ukrainian tale to young children - Magic Pear Tree (video)
A Chinese tale of greed punished - Magic Pisspot (video)
A comic Swedish folk tale - Magic Ring (video)
A bawdy French fairy tale of how a young man, and a priest, both got what they wanted - Man who had No Luck (video)
A storyteller’s response to the UK referendum decision to leave the EU - Mary and her Sheep (video)
A tale showing a married couple can live happily together - Mary Culhaine
A favourite ghoulish tale - Master of All Masters (video)
An English folk tale of a man who thought he had to teach everyone the language - Merry Miller (video)
How a happy man without a care in the world is rescued from the greatest care of all - Merry Wives (video)
Three wives compete to find whose husband is the most foolish - Milk and Sugar (video)
A powerful tale of immigration - Mill that ground out Silver Coins (video)
A comic Swedish folk tale - Miller and the Professor
One of many versions of the Three Questions - Miraculous Crane
A Chinese tale - Missing a Moral (video)
A great encore for an adult audience - Monk’s Reward
A Buddhist tale - Mouse with the Long Tail (video – with harper Peter Wucherpfennig)
An Italian fairy tale told for adults: loathing turns to longing, and thence to love - Mr Fox (video)
A favourite tale of horror (with teaching activity) - Mr Wiggle, Mr Waggle (video auf Deutsch)
Eine Freundschaftsgeschichte, bei der Du mitmachen kannst - Nasruddin and the Cauldron that Died
The hodja knows how to use his neighbour’s greed to benefit his own - Nasruddin Looking for the Perfect Wife (video)
Many men wish to find the perfect wife, but Nasruddin found there was always a problem finding one - Nasruddin Saves a Man (video)
The Hodja finds that what works once, may not work twice - Nasruddin’s Cat (video)
A really funny tale - Nasruddin’s Daughter (video)
A tale which shows the dangers of having only one story to tell - Nasruddin’s Dead Donkey
What the Hodja learnt on his search for wisdom and truth (video) - Nasruddin’s Donkey
A typical Nasruddin-view of religion - Nasruddin’s Nail (video)
How the Hodja sold and bought a house - Nasruddin’s Three Sermons (video)
Nasruddin’s answer to the problems of public speaking - Nasruddin’s Wisdom
How to become wise - Nix Nought Nothing (video)
One of the most ancient of fairy tales - No News (video)
A classic comic tale of men who are the strong, silent type (with teaching activity) - Old Rinkrank (video)
A Grimms’ fairy tale in which a young girl becomes a woman - Old Woman and her Pig (video)
A folk tale from England (with teaching activity) - One Innocent Farmer
A tale of justice - Parrot’s Prayer (video)
A favourite tale for adults, showing the power of prayer - Pea-Finder
A folk tale from Transylvania (with teaching activity) - Pedlar of Swaffham (video)
A popular Norfolk legend – how a man became rich through a dream - Pig with the Wooden Leg (video)
A tale which explains why I am the cold-hearted man I have become - Pleiades (video)
How a princess and her six suitors became a constellation of stars - Pomegranates and Patience (video)
A Sufi tale of what a patient needs from a doctor - Prayer the Gods Answered
Prayers unanswered? This story promises that they will be - Prince Hat under the Ground (video)
A magic-filled Swedish fairy tale, drawing on the myth of Amor and Psyche - Princess of the Roses (video)
A lyrical fairy tale from Palestine - Queen of the Fishes
A Celtic tale of tricking the devil - Quick-tongued princess (video)
A princess who always had to have the last word, and how she met her match - Rabbi’s Journey
A wise tale of what is important in life - Rabbit and the Moon (video)
A powerful African tale of death and new birth - Raja Suran’s Expedition to China
A legend from Singapore of how to avoid a war - Reason to Beat your Wife (video)
Women may be horrified at the beginning of the tale, but they always love the end - Sack of Truth (video)
An Italian tale of herding rabbits, and of three different kisses - Schiffsbauer und die Hexen (video, in German)
How Jack escapes the gallows when building a ship for the king of England - Selfish Woman in Hell
A Japanese tale of just desserts - Sesame Seed (video)
An Egyptian folktale which teaches a king wisdom - Shipwright and the Witches (video)
How Jack escapes the gallows when building a ship for the king of England - Shoemaker and the Elves
A Christmas tale from the Brothers Grimm - Silent Princess (video)
An Oriental fairy tale - Sisters (video)
Just another joke about cheating husbands? Wait for the punchline! - Slumber King
A King Arthur tale - Small Bird’s Wisdom (video)
A Polish tale of how soon wisdom is forgotten - Sonnet 18 (video)
Not a traditional tale, but Shakespeare’s gift of immortality is one of my favourite poems – so here it is - Spelling Broccoli (video)
A joke with one of the greatest punchlines - Squire’s Bride (video)
A Norwegian folk tale which shows what happens when a man of a certain age begins to think of marrying a pretty young girl - Stolen Bairn (video)
A Scottish fairy tale of a mother’s courage re-uniting her with her child - Story of the Demon
A folk tale from Ladakh - Strongest of Them All (video)
An English chain story (great for participation storytelling) - Tad-Tales for Teens
A compilation of stories to help teenagers reconnect with their lost childhood - Tailor and his Wife (video)
A great bawdy tale from Scotland – one of my favourites to open an adult performance - Tale of a Tailor (video)
A delightfully simple chain story – made from nothing - Talking Dog
A trickster tale - Tall Tale
An example of an old folk genre – heard in a German pub - Terrified Suitors (video)
A Danish folk tale of how a young widow managed unwanted attentions - Theft of a Smell
A Nasruddin version of a widely-told tale - Thieves’ Competition (video)
A tale of trickery as three thieves compete to prove which one is the cleverest - Three Crones
A bawdy Italian fairy tale – of and for the imagination (video) - Three Heads (video)
A tale for all storytellers - Three Sillies (video)
An English folk tale about silliness and marriage - Three Suitors (video)
A tale in which the woman has the right to choose - Three Ugly Aunts (video)
If you want to marry a prince, this Norwegian fairy tale shows what you really need - Three Useless Sons (video)
A tale from the Brothers Grimm which all fathers of sons will understand - Tiger’s Whisker
A woman’s courage and skill - Tom the Tinner (video)
Would you choose wisdom over gold? - Tops or Bottoms (video)
How a clever farmer tricked a giant (and how the blue-black potato Vitelotte first came to earth) - Tortoise Called “All of You” (video)
Can a smooth-talking trickster fill his belly? This Nigerian tale warns that pride can lead to a fall - Tortoise Wins the Spicy Food Competition (video and Activity Teaching Pack)
Spicy peppers are great, but your mouth may need cooling down. Trickster Tortoise has the answer - Travelling Man and the Bed
A tale of temptation - Truth and Story
Why the two always walk together - Two Brothers
A tale of generosity - Two Warriors
Homer’s tale of two men who found they could not fight for they knew each other’s story - Two Youths, Two Girls and a Mirror (video)
An Iraqi folk tale of two young people learning one of life’s most important lessons - Ugly Old Truth
Is this the truth about truth? - Umbrella and the Ten Commandments
A tale of what thou shalt not do (video) - Vampire in the Taxi
A jump tale – heard in a German pub - Vanapagan Painting the Moon
An Estonian folk tale which explains the marks on the moon - Vishnu as Narisimha
An Indian tale - Wali Dâd the Simple-Hearted (video)
A Punjabi tale of the dangers of excessive generosity - Well of the World’s End (video)
An old tale of a young person’s initiation - Well of Truth (video)
An old tale of a young and clever wife - What are the people like? (video)
An old folk tale of tolerance, much needed in today’s world - What brings Happiness (video)
Is it fate, or do we decide ourselves? - What Women Most Desire (video)
An old folk tale whose title says it all - Whose Cheese is It?
How a story moved conflict to peace in northern Israel - Whose Cows?
An Ethiopian tale of community building - Why the Bat Flies at Night
A Nigerian tale which explains why bats no longer cook soup (video) - Why Cats live with Women (video)
An African tale: the title says it all - Why Stones Never Die (video)
A creation myth from the Nupe people, Nigeria - Widow of Ephesus (video)
From ancient Rome, one of the great satires on marital fidelity - The Wife’s Letter (video)
A tale showing the power of the written word - Wishgiver (video)
What should a man wish for when offered the chance? - Woman and the Skeleton
A tale created by my students - Woman who was Angry with the Gods (video)
A Persian tale in which a woman makes sure the gods arrange the world the way she wants - Woman’s Work (video and teaching activity)
A Norwegian tale of the husband who stayed at home to mind the house - Wood of One Hundred Oaks (video)
A Tuscan fairy tale showing the strength which comes from the smile of the one you love - Wooden Ball
A Scottish tale, re-written and illustrated by my pupils (with teaching activity) - World Storytelling Day, 2016: Strong Women (video)
Watch five tellers from around the world celebrate the day - Worm in the Whisky (video)
One of the many great tales about Scotland’s national drink - Wounded Selkie (video)
A beautiful Orcadian tale of hate, revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding
Video gallery: new recordings are added regularly
Activity Teaching Packs: multi-lesson projects based on a storytelling video
- Abu Hasan (video)
Go here for tales to watch
Go here for a list of all tales included on this site
Go here to receive an e-mail notification when new tales are added
Permission to tell outlines my views on copyright
For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling