Folk tales showing the range of storytelling

The videos listed below are in chronological order, so the top links are the most recently added (and reflect any hard-won technical improvements).

New tales are added regularly, usually the first Tuesday each month. (Subscribe to the newsletter to receive notification.)

The recordings were either recorded during live theatres performances or in my home studio.

All tales – an alphabetical list of all the tales on the website – audio, text and video

Tales to watch

• One-Legged Crane
  An old Italian tale of passions – both young and old
• The Dead Cock
  A short tale – with a great punchline
• One Innocent Farmer
  A Chinese tale of divine justice
• Nasruddin’s Wager
  How the Hodja lost a bet – and won
• Comic monologues (a collection of Marriott Edgar’s poems)
  Not traditional tales, but certainly part of the British cultural tradition
• Birbal and Emperor Akbar’s Barber
  How clever Birbal went to heaven – and returned
• Boy and the Devil
  Doing a deal with the devil is never easy – but here is how one lad did it
• Weeping Lass at the Crossroads
  A Scottish tale of grieving and ghosts
• Fortune and the Woodcutter
  How one man ensured he was blessed by Fortune
• Gudbrand on the Hillside
  A Norwegian tale of how two people had a happy marriage
• Hypnotist’s Watch
  Learning about professionalism – and about control
• Queen of the Fishes
  A Cornish tale of outwitting the devil
• Nasruddin’s Nail
  How the Hodja sold and bought a house
• Blue Rose
  A beautiful wedding story
• Well of Truth
  An old tale of a young and clever wife
• Nix Nought Nothing
  One of the most ancient of fairy tales
• Why the Bat Flies at Night
  A Nigerian tale which explains why bats no longer cook soup
• The Duration of Life
  An old tale which shows that length is not everything
• Clever Gretel
  A Grimms’ tale of a strong woman who knew what she wanted – and how to get it
• The Magic Ring
  A bawdy French fairy tale of how a young man, and a priest, both got what they wanted
• King o’ the Cats
  A gravedigger’s tale
• Lindworm
  A powerful adult fairy tale of redemption
• Wali Dâd the Simple-Hearted
  A Punjabi tale of the dangers of excessive generosity
• Nasruddin’s Dead Donkey
  What the Hodja learnt on his search for wisdom and truth
• No News
  A classic comic tale of men who are the strong, silent type
• Well of the World’s End
  An old tale of a young person’s initiation
• Sisters
  Just another joke about cheating husbands? Wait for the punchline!
• The Pleiades
  How a princess and her six suitors became a constellation of stars
• He Who Dug a Pit
  A Palestinian tale of justice
• Pedlar of Swaffham
  How a man became rich through a dream – a popular Norfolk legend
• Bishop Daley’s Sermon
  One of the greatest jokes: how a little priest achieved his life’s ambition
• Devil in the Green Coat
  A tale from the Brothers Grimm which ends happily – even for the devil
• Two Youths, Two Girls and a Mirror
  An Iraqi folk tale of two young people learning one of life’s most important lessons
• The Finest Harp
  A Taoist tale of a man’s wishes
• Princess of the Roses
  A lyrical fairy tale from Palestine
• The Umbrella and the Ten Commandments
  A tale of what thou shalt not do
• Cow that Ate the Piper
  A favourite ghostly tale
• Abu Hasan
  An earthy tale from One Thousand and One Nights
• Why Stones Never Die
  A creation myth from the Nupe people, Nigeria
• King Erysichthon
  A powerful ruler thinks he is above the laws which govern us – Ovid’s dark tale of punishment by the gods
• Cloth of Forgiveness
  An Iraqi tale of how to break bad news
• First Smile
  An old tale which shows who smiles more, men or women
• Der letzte Abend im April
  A telling of a tale by Korean author Bang Jung Hwan
• Two Warriors
  Homer’s tale of two men who found they could not fight for they knew each other’s story
• Three Heads
  A tale for all storytellers
• Louse and the Flea
  A tale from The Panchatantra, proving what all schoolchildren have long known
• The Lost Necklace (for World Storytelling Day, 2022)
  A poor woman helps a rich king find wisdom
• The Lute Player
  A new recording of a Russian tale of war, enslavement and liberation
• Woman’s Work
  A Scandinavian tale proving that men can learn after all
• Spelling Broccoli
  A joke with one of the greatest punchlines
• Tom the Tinner
  Would you choose wisdom over gold?
• Blood-Covered Vampire
  A new recording of an ever-popular tale, and not just for Hallowe’en
• The Cobbler in the Convent
  A man who did exactly what he was told – an irreverent and bawdy tale from Greece
• Tale of a Tailor
  One of the shortest folk tales, here shortened to 60 seconds
• The Cruel Sister (including harp music)
  A blind harper brings justice
• The Squire’s Bride
  What a man of a certain age learns when he thinks he can marry a pretty young girl
• Parrot’s Prayer
  A favourite tale for adults, showing the power of prayer
• Hänsel’s Stepmother
  The dark truth behind a well-known tale
• The Wife’s Letter
  A tale from Surinam which shows the power of the written word
• Wood of One Hundred Oaks
  A Tuscan fairy tale showing the strength which comes from the smile of the one you love
• Mary and her Sheep
  A tale which shows it is possible for a husband and wife to live happily together
• The Shoemaker and the Elves
  A Christmas tale from the Brothers Grimm
• Khan’s Riddles
  A new recording of a wonderful wedding story
• Worm in the Whisky
  One of the many great tales about Scotland’s national drink
• Tortoise Wins the Spicy Food Competition
  Spicy peppers are great, but your mouth may need cooling down – Trickster Tortoise has the answer
  (accompanying Activity Teaching Pack available)
• The Three Crones
  A bawdy Italian fairy tale – of and for the imagination
• Tortoise Called “All of You”
  Can a smooth-talking trickster fill his belly? This Nigerian tale warns that pride can lead to a fall
• The Tailor and his Wife
  Not enough money in your pocket? This bawdy Scottish tale has one answer
• The King’s New Robe
  An Arabian trickster tale which H.C. Andersen drew on for one of his most famous stories
  
• The Wounded Selkie
  A tale of hate, revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding
• Frightened Mouse
  A telling based on The Sage and the Mouse, in the Indian collection, The Hitopadesha 
  (accompanying Activity Teaching Pack available)
• Mouse with the Long Tail (with harper Peter Wucherpfennig)
  An Italian fairy tale told for adults: loathing turns to longing, and thence to love
  
• Mr Fox
  A folk tale of horror – speaking across the centuries to #MeToo teenagers
  (accompanying Activity Teaching Pack available)
• Silent Princess
  An Oriental fairy tale
• Death in the Nut
  A powerful tale in which Jack learns that death is essential to life
• Jack and the Shitting Donkey
  How Jack tricked the landlord – and for three years running
• Shipwright and the Witches
  An English tale of mathematics and how Jack escaped the gallows while building a ship for the king
• Birbal and Akbar’s Missing Thumb
  How even people we like can get on our nerves
• Old Woman and her Pig
  Will the old woman get home before midnight?
• Sack of Truth
  An Italian tale of herding rabbits, and of three different kisses
• Travelling Man and the Bed
  A tale of temptation
• Old Rinkrank
  A Grimms’ fairy tale in which a young girl becomes a woman
• Jack goes Hunting
  Can a man really make his wife happy?
• Strongest of Them All
  Jack finds he is not the strongest after all
• Nasruddin Saves a Man
  The hodja finds that what works once, may not work twice
• Bee, the Harp, the Mouse and the Bum-clock
  An Irish Jack tale to lift your heart
• Pomegranates and Patience
  A Sufi tale of what a patient needs from a doctor
• Jimmy No-Story
  A Scottish tale showing how important it is to have a story to tell
• Free Melons
  A storyteller’s problem
• The Carpenter
  A tale of anger overcome
• Missing a Moral
  A great encore for an adult audience
• Land Where No One Ever Dies
  An Italian folk tale dealing with one of our last taboos
• King who was a Gentleman
  What does it mean to be a gentleman? An Irish tale of a king who thought he was the greatest gentleman in the world
• Calf with the Fattened Ear
  An Ethiopian tale of foolish greed
• The Box under the Bed
  Ever thought of the difference between a joke and a story?
• Foolish Jack
  What happens when you have the right smile
• Drop of Honey
  A highly-topical Burmese folk tale about political responsibility
• The Widow of Ephesus
  From ancient Rome, one of the great satires on marital fidelity
• The Stolen Bairn
  A Scottish fairy tale of a mother’s courage re-uniting her with her child
• Pig with the Wooden Leg
  A tale which explains why I am the cold-hearted man I have become
• Girl from Heaven
  A tale where a man fails to recognise what his wife has to offer. Sounds very contemporary?
• Nasruddin’s Three Sermons
  Nasruddin’s answer to the problems of public speaking
• Prince Hat under the Ground
  A magic-filled Swedish fairy tale, drawing on the myth of Amor and Psyche
• Giant and the Squirrel
  A Swedish folk tale
• Greatest Pickpocket
  A great tale – and one of the best punchlines
• Small Bird’s Wisdom
  A Polish tale of how soon wisdom is forgotten
• Nasruddin looking for a Wife
  Many men wish to find the perfect wife, but Nasruddin found there was always a problem
• Why Cats live with Women
  An African tale: the title says it all 
• Boys who wouldn’t listen
  From the classic Indian collection, The Panchatantra
• Merry Wives
  Three wives compete to find whose husband is the most foolish
• Quick-tongued Princess
  A princess who always had to have the last word, and how she met her match
• Three Ugly Aunts
  If you want to marry a prince, this Norwegian fairy tale shows what you really need
• King Olaf’s Master Builder
  Building a church with demonic help
• Three Sillies
  An English folk tale about silliness and marriage
• Terrified Suitors
  A Danish folk tale of how a young widow managed unwanted attentions
• Woman who was Angry with the Gods
  A Persian tale in which a woman makes sure the gods arrange the world the way she wants
• Three Suitors
  A tale in which the woman has the right to choose
• King Midas and the Touch of Gold
  The classic tale of unintended consequences
• Boy with a Beer Keg
  A battle of wits between a boy and Death
• Cow, the Pig and the Politician
  In Nov. 2016, with politics in the air, I chose this story as an encore for a recent performance
• Tops or Bottoms
  How a clever farmer tricked a giant (and how the blue-black potato Vitelotte first came to earth)
• Sonnet 18
  Not a traditional tale, but Shakespeare’s gift of immortality is one of my favourite poems – so here it is
• Boys and God
  A tale all parents will understand
• What brings Happiness
  Is it fate, or do we decide ourselves?
• Man who had No Luck
  A storyteller’s response to the UK referendum decision to leave the EU 
• Merry Miller
  How a happy man without a care in the world is rescued from the greatest care of all
• Giant without a Heart
  A Norwegian wonder tale in which the youngest son kills the giant and wins the bride
• Headache
  Showing why every man needs a good tailor
• King’s Three Delicate Wives
  An Indian folk tale showing the dangers of when a man has foolish ideas of what a woman should be
• Crystal Heart
  Learning the true meaning of beauty, love, life
• What are the People Like?
  An old folk tale of tolerance for today’s world
• The Devil’s Three Golden Hairs
  A great Grimms’ story, told for adults and ending with an all-important moral
• Der Schiffsbauer und die Hexen
  The Shipwright and the Witches – how Jack escapes the gallows while building a ship for the king of England (erzählt auf Deutsch)
• Cat and the Dog
  An Irish version of Aesop’s Tortoise and the Hare, showing why it is that cats sleep by the fire
• Wounded Selkie
  A beautiful Orcadian tale of hate, revenge, forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding
• Jack the Master Thief
  One of the ultimate trickster tales
• Rabbit and the Moon
  A powerful African tale of death and new birth
• Three Useless Sons
  A tale from the Brothers Grimm which all fathers of sons will understand
• Master of All Masters
  An English folk tale of a man who thought he had to teach everyone the language
• First Strawberries
  A Cherokee creation myth of the eternal problems between man and woman – and a solution
• The Candle in the Barn
  A tale in which a father learns wisdom from his daughter
• Nasruddin’s Daughter
  A tale which shows the dangers of having only one story to tell
• Thieves’ Competition
  A tale of trickery as three thieves compete to prove which one is the cleverest
• Gandharva Sen is Dead
  A delightful Bengali tale of too much sympathy
• Sesame Seed
  An Egyptian folktale which teaches a king wisdom
• Wishgiver
  What should a man wish for when offered the chance?
• Golden Apples with Silver Leaves
  A Swedish wondertale
• Nasruddin’s Cat
  Another wonderful Hodja story
• The Magic Pisspot
  A comic Swedish folk tale
• Mill that ground out Silver Coins
  A comic Swedish folk tale
• Leopard-Eating Dog (video)
  A comic tale from the ancient Sanskrit collection, The Panchatantra
• Leopard-Eating Dog – told in German: Der Alte Hund (video)
• King Midas and his Donkey Ears
  Ovid’s tale of censorship and state secrets
• Butcher’s Tears
  A tale of suffering and compassion
• Magic Pear Tree
  A tale of greed punished
• Milk and Sugar
  A powerful tale of immigration
• Blacksmith and the Devil
  A tale which shows how a blacksmith won against the devil, and also explains those flickering flames of marsh gas known as Jack o’Lantern. A socio-linguistic analysis of this performance is here.
• Deaf Mary
  My telling of a story I first heard from Billy Teare
• Reason to Beat your Wife
  A tale in which one person really does know the secret of how to have a happy marriage
• What Women Most Desire
  Chaucer included this folk tale in The Canterbury Tales (a short clip from a much longer tale)