Fairy tale information

Long, long ago, rain stopped falling in China. The people prayed for rain to the Jade Emperor, for it was he who looked after everything in heaven, on the land and in the sea, but no matter how much they prayed, rain did not fall. Four dragons lived in the East China Sea in those days. They swam to shore to see what was happening, and saw people tearing grass from the caked ground, for the people had nothing else left to eat."We must do something," Long Dragon said, and Yellow Dragon nodded. "We must help them ourselves," said Pearl Dragon, "for the Jade Emperor will never answer their prayers." They suddenly thought of a way to help. They started swimming this way and that, scooping up water with their bodies. Then all four leapt into the sky. Black Dragon flew to the north, Long Dragon f ...

Once upon a time a boy met a strange man with horns and feet that looked like goat hooves. The boy knew he was the devil, but since he seemed friendly the boy talked to him. "I know who you love," the devil said."How do you know that?" the boy asked."I know everything. And I can make her love you.""Really!" the boy exclaimed. What if this were true? He would do anything to make her love him. "Yes, but on one condition," the devil said. "You must give me your family. If you do, I promise the girl will fall in love with you!" Nobody knows if the boy believed the devil, but everybody knows his answer. So the devil changed the boy's father into a fiddle, his mother into a bow, his sisters into bowstrings, and his brothers into fiddle strings.The boy picked up the fiddle and played. Soon the fo ...

Many hundred years ago there lived an honest old woodcutter and his wife. One fine morning the old man went off to the hills to gather some sticks while his wife went down to the river to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the river, she saw a peach floating down the stream, so she picked it up and carried it home with her, planning to give it to her husband to eat. The old man soon came down from the hills, and the good wife set the peach before him. Just as she was inviting him to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little crying baby was born into the world. So the old couple took the babe and brought it up as their own, and because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotaro, or Little Peachling.By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at last on ...

Once, before humans walked the earth, winter did not end. It was very dark, and it snowed all the time. The animals were frightened. The worst thing was that they had no heat. Some animals went to the upper world, where they thought the heat was. They came to a lake where two bear cubs were playing beside a tent. Some bags were hanging up inside the tent. The visitors pointed to the first bag and asked the cubs, "What is in this bag?" "That," they said, "is where our mother keeps the rain.""And what is in this one?" the animals asked."That is the wind." "And this one?""The fog." "And what is in this next bag?""We can't tell," said the cubs, "for our mother told us it was a big secret. If we tell you, she will be very angry.""Don't be afraid," said Fox. "You can tell us." So the cubs whispe ...

Once upon a time there was a monkey who had a magical fiddle and bow and arrow. He could hit anything with his arrow, and with his fiddle, he could make anyone dance. One day Monkey met Cheetah. "I've been stalking Springbok all day," Cheetah complained, "and I'm exhausted, and still I am starving." "Let me try," Monkey suggested, and he pulled out his bow and arrow, aimed, and shot Springbok through the heart. Cheetah was amazed. He wanted the bow and arrow for himself, so he growled, and jumped on Monkey. As the two fought, Jackal passed by. Jackal suggested that they go to animal court to decide the matter.When they arrived at court, Monkey began to shake. He was so young, and these were the elders of the jungle. When Elephant asked him what was wrong, Monkey replied, his voice quaverin ...