Fairy tale information

Long ago, the world was made up of only sky and water. In sky world, people walked among the clouds. Down in water world, the sea was full of creatures. One day a girl from sky world felt dizzy. Suddenly she tumbled right out of sky world. As she fell, she could see the water down below. She screamed, for she could not swim. Two swans heard her cries for help. They flew toward her and spread their wings to make a net. Just before the girl hit the water, the swans caught her. The two swans decided to take the frightened girl to Grandfather Turtle, the oldest and wisest creature in water world. He would know what to do with her. Still holding the girl in their wings, the swans traveled to Grandfather Turtle's home. All the sea creatures gathered around as Grandfather Turtle pondered the prob ...

Abandoned by King Priam of Troy, Paris was found by a shepherd, who brought him up as his own son. He grew to be a handsome, proud young man, and a fine shepherd. The day came for Peleus, a hero warrior, to wed beautiful Thetis, a goddess. They invited all the gods and goddesses to Mount Pelion but forgot to invite Eris, goddess of strife. When Eris heard about the wedding, she flew into a rage. In the middle of the party, she rolled a golden apple into the midst of the crowd. Zeus picked up the apple and discovered inscribed in the fruit's shimmering skin three words: "For the Fairest." But Zeus knew he could never select one of the goddesses as fairest of them all. "I will send for a judge," he announced, and he sent his messenger, Hermes, to fetch Paris. "The shepherd will be able to ch ...

Up above the Earth, there sits a giant known as Ga-oh, and it is he who rules the four winds that blow over the land. Long ago, when the world was new and the winds had not yet been harnessed, Ga-oh sat deep in thought. He wanted to find a way to control the winds, and so he called upon the animals he ruled. First Ga-oh called to Bear, the largest and strongest of all the animals. The moment Bear heard his name, he hastened to obey Ga-oh's call. When Bear arrived, he bowed before Ga-oh. "Bear," Ga-oh said, "because you are strong, you will control the north wind. It is the fiercest of all. With one blast, your wind will freeze rivers, and men will shiver at its touch." Then Ga-oh slipped a leash around Bear's neck. "Go now, and you will come when I pull on your leash." Then Ga-oh called to ...

Once there lived a prosperous man who owned the largest stable in Eastern Europe. After a while the man knew he needed help, and so he sought a stable hand. A young man named Hayim came to him."I am an orphan," Hayim explained, "and I must find work to support myself." The stable master hired Hayim. Within weeks, when he saw how humble and hardworking Hayim was, he adopted the boy. The man's wife welcomed Hayim, and their daughter, Sarah, loved the boy. Before long she felt as if he had always been her brother. One day Hayim fell ill. Everyone prayed for his recovery, but one day Hayim slipped away. The family and all the villagers mourned Hayim's death, but when the time for mourning came to an end, Sarah was still sick with grief. One night the stable master fell asleep at his daughter's ...

It was spring, and everyone in the valley felt like singing. That is, they felt like singing until they saw their greedy landlord. He demanded his rent on time, no matter what. Still, it was spring, and everyone's spirits were high. One day, the villagers went to the river to have a picnic. The landlord came along. As he was gobbling some cherries, he swallowed a pit. It traveled up to the top of his head. Everyone watched as a little bud sprouted from the top of the landlord's bald head. "Look at that," people whispered, "it's a cherry tree." "You'd better see a doctor," one of the villagers cautioned. "Doctors cost money!" the landlord said. "I'll not pay a doctor." Weeks passed, and the cherry tree continued to grow. The landlord walked around collecting rent as if nothing had happened. ...