Fairy tale information

Once upon a time a poor old farmer and his wife worked diligently all year long to save some money to celebrate the New Year. Alas, the day approached, and the couple had saved nothing."I know," the old woman said. "We'll sell my kimono." "Impossible," the farmer said. "It's your wedding kimono.""Yes," said the woman, "but rice cakes will give us good fortune for the whole year. Sometimes we must make sacrifices."Reluctantly the farmer agreed, and the next day, despite the falling snow, he set off for the village.He soon passed by a woman walking in the other direction. She carried a basket of hats, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "Dear woman," the farmer asked, "what is wrong?""Oh," she wept, "I went to the market, but no one bought my hats. On New Year's Day I marry, and I hoped to b ...

Long ago, a poor couple, Amir and Anahita, lived with Amir's parents on a tiny plot of land in southern India. As time passed, life became harder. Amir's mother's sight was failing, so she was unable to help her daughter-in-law with the cooking, mending and washing. His aging father was too weak to work in the fields. Anahita was sad, for she and Amir had been married for many years, but they still had no children. One year the monsoons did not come, and so, after a while, nothing grew anywhere. The family worried that they would starve. One day, Amir walked past a wealthy lord's estate. There, above the protective walls, Amir could see bananas, mangoes and pomegranates growing in abundance. "I must climb the wall and bring back something for my family," Amir said to himself. So, Amir scra ...

Long ago, winter came just as it always had. The animals' coats grew thick, and they readied their nests and warrens and caves for the winter. But the humans were not so adaptable. Their hair did not grow thick. Their homes were not warm. They feared they would not survive."We must help the humans," the animals said, but they were afraid.In the mountains there lived three giant creatures known as the fire keepers. They had stolen a piece of the sun and guarded it fiercely. Even at night, one of the fire keepers kept watch."Who can help the humans?" Owl lamented."I will," said Coyote. So, Coyote explained a clever plan to the others. Chipmunk, Frog, and the tallest tree in the forest agreed to help Coyote. That night, the animals put their plan into action. "Let's go," Coyote said, and he, ...

Long ago in Cambodia, there lived a hermit who possessed magical powers. Moni Mekhala, the water goddess, asked the hermit to be her teacher. The hermit agreed.The ogre Ream Eyso decided that he too wished to possess magical powers. The hermit agreed to teach him as well. The two learned a great deal. As their lessons came to an end, the hermit gave each an empty glass, and said, "The first to return tomorrow morning with a glass full of dew will win a prize." Moni Mekhala and Ream Eyso then departed.The ogre went to sleep early, as he planned to wake up very early and collect dew from tree leaves. The resourceful goddess, however, laid a cloth upon the meadow, and went to asleep beside it.The next day, before sunrise, Ream Eyso squeezed the leaves of trees, and dew slowly filled his glass ...

A Sioux Indian story ... My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone. "You may create lots of splashes in your life, but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said."Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles. "You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both." That was the first time I re ...