Fairy tale information

Once upon a time, long ago, on the coast of Sicily lived a Cyclops named Polyphemus. Son of the sea god Poseidon, he was a monstrous creature. In the center of his giant forehead was one great eye. No one kept him company, and so he became lonely and furious. No passing ship could escape his harm.Then one day, Polyphemus caught sight of the lovely Galatea, and the moment he saw her, he fell madly in love. However, Galatea's heart belonged to a shepherd called Acis. Polyphemus was determined to win Galatea's love, and to this end, he forgot all his hatred.One day, Polyphemus began to play upon his pipes, which he had made out of a hundred reeds. The music echoed off the cliffs surrounding him and off the surface of the placid sea. When Galatea heard the sound, she froze."It is the giant. He ...

Long ago, a wicked wizard lived on the far side of the sunset. There he prepared spells to destroy happiness and laughter. One day he said to himself, "I must capture Santa Claus!" he crowed. "Then millions of people all over the world will be miserable!" Now, capturing Santa Claus was simple, for he was a trusting fellow. He was minding his own business, browsing through stores and market stalls, when, all of a sudden 一 WHOMP 一 he stepped into the wicked wizard's net trap. Up, up he went, whisked off the street, off the Earth, swept away to the far side of the sunset."Gotcha!" cried the wizard as he rubbed his hands together and danced up and down. Santa drew in a deep breath and stared at the wizard. "How could you do this?" he cried."It's wonderful, don't you think?" cackled the wizar ...

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 ...