Fairy tale information

 In the beginning of Dreamtime, the Great Spirit known as Baiame walked the Earth looking at the animals and plants he had created. He decided to make new creatures to rule over this bountiful world, ones who walked on two legs instead of four. He called them man and woman. Next Baiame introduced them to the edible plants and showed them how to feed themselves. For a long time the people lived on this Earth eating plants just as Baiame had shown them. Then a drought punished the land, and not a drop of moisture fell from the sky. The plants and grasses, roots and bulbs, dried up and died. "What will we do?" the people asked each other, "we will starve." One man and woman in particular became obsessed with the fear of starvation, and they could talk of little else. One day as they ...

Long ago a group of merchants set sail to search for treasure. Suddenly, a storm arose. The sky turned black, the wind blew fiercely and the ship shook. Before long the ship sank.Heavy winds carried the merchants to an island. The merchants crawled ashore and were overjoyed when they discovered they had all been saved. Now this island was inhabited by demons called rakshashas, who transformed into beautiful maidens and ran to shore to greet the men. The men gazed at these beautiful women. The rakshashas not only were beautiful, they had also brought with them a feast of food and drink and treasure. Only the captain stood back. "Men," he said, "we must rebuild our ship and sail home." The merchants laughed. "Why work when there is such pleasure to be had?" they said."Come home with us," the ...

In Cornwall, a land of woodlands, towering cliffs, and endless moor, the Small People live. Lively and graceful folk, barely knee-high, some of the Small People are known as Piskies, and they love to dance and play and feast. They ride rabbits and dress in fancy clothes and fine jewels. Sometimes they steal children and leave changelings in their place so their theft will not be discovered. People still tell tales of those who were taken away, like the story of Charlotte and her fiance, Will. One autumn evening Charlotte ventured onto the moor to search for her missing goats. She never returned. Then one day, years later, Will was visiting her family on their farm. Just before nightfall he set off on his horse for home, and he decided to take a shortcut. On they rode until night fell, and ...

Once upon a time, Jean-Luc and Marie lived in a cottage near the edge of a forest, and life was good for them for many years. Then Jean-Luc decided he would no longer attend church. "You must," Marie begged, "or you will surely be punished." Jean-Luc just laughed. Years passed with no punishment. Then one late October night Jean-Luc sat upon the front porch staring out into the night."What are you looking at, Jean-Luc?" Marie asked. When he turned to her, his eyes looked strange somehow. "I'm watching the jack-o'-lanterns, " he said solemnly. Jean-Luc stood up and began to walk toward the dancing light he saw. "Come back," Marie called, but Jean-Luc walked on as if hypnotized, following the light he saw.Jean-Luc walked into the forest and transformed. Hair sprouted from his arms, legs, che ...

Once upon a time there lived a farmer named Jack. He had a great wit and a quick tongue, but he was lazy. Over the years his fields went to seed, all but a field of turnips, which survived in spite of Jack's neglect. Jack was known as a trickster, and no one could pull a trick on Jack. But one day there came a knock upon the door, and there stood the devil himself. "I'll make you a wealthy man," the devil told Jack. "All you need to do is sell your soul to me. If I know you, that won't be a worry at all." Now Jack was no fool. He had no interest in selling his soul to the devil. "Let me think a while," said Jack."Very well," the devil said. "Let's take a walk. I'll give you time to think." So Jack and the devil began to walk among Jack's fields.They stopped beneath a tall tree. That's when ...