Family Folk Tales Podcast

A princess is determined to marry the Green Knight, whom she met in her dreams. Will her wicked stepmother find a way to keep the lovers apart forever?

A wicked count requires a young woman to spin her wedding shift and his burial shroud out of nettles from the cemetery before he will allow her to marry her beloved. No one has spun nettles before; is she up for the task?

A couple is thrilled when they have a child the size of a hazel-nut, but they find it difficult to be supportive when he announces his plan to become a messenger. When he goes out to seek his fortune, will his small size be a help or a hindrance?

Two young men fall in love with the same woman, and one conspires to abandon his friend on an island. But what will happen when he draws blood from a lovely young elf maiden?

A poor woman on her way to market is accosted by a head with no body, which then follows her home! Might there be a way for the two to help each other?

A prince's three sisters have all married wizards who can transform into birds, while the prince marries a warrior princess. Will his sisters' husbands be able to help him when he inadvertently releases his bride's arch-enemy?

Two cats fall in love and leave their homes to find happiness together. When one is taken in by a princess, what will become of the other?

A tailor kills seven flies in a single blow! But when his bragging is a bit unclear, who knows what adventures await?

Cinderlad proves to be braver than his older brothers and is generously rewarded, but will he find a way to win the hand of the princess?

A woman is heartbroken when her only son declares that, rather than learn an honest trade, he will become a thief. The lad apprentices with a successful thief, but will he still meet the dire end predicted by his mother?

A man dies, leaving to his son all his property, but gives his daughter a blessing. Later, the brother cuts his sister's hand off in anger. Will either of them live happily ever after?

A young man does a kindness for an old woman, but the reward he gets is stolen by a witch! Will he be able to outsmart her and regain his treasures?

A kind and clever young man named Jesper sets off to marry the princess. Will the tasks the king sets prove too much for him?

The emperor has ears like a goat's, but woe to anyone who says so! Might a barber's apprentice be the one who can hold his tongue?

Three brothers set out on a quest to recover their father's greatest treasure. Will any of them share their food with a limping fox, or take his help in finding their father's treasure?

What would you do if an old woman broke into your house, ate your food, broke your furniture, and fell asleep in your bed? There's no Goldilocks in this version of the classic story! 

A young woman is convinced to marry a turtle, but when he goes off to war, she marries someone else. Will she be able to outsmart the turtle and free herself?

Janni and his sister are alone in the world. What will happen when she falls in love with a dragon who wants Janni dead – and then marries the dragon?

A fairy helps a girl with the impossible tasks set by the girl's stepmother; later she is wooed by a prince! When he forgets all about her, what will she do? 

A girl takes plums from a witch's tree, and the witch takes her prisoner in return. Will the witch's son help the girl, or stay loyal to his mother?

A lazy lad takes an easy position but is too lazy to even do that properly. While snooping in a room he was not supposed to enter, he finds a book of magic – and everything changes.

Did you know that there is a type of large wooden hammer called a beetle? That may help this Cinderella-like story make a little more sense!

A young king is returning home after his father's death, accompanied by his wife and their infant son. While everyone on the ship is napping, a witch transfigures the queen and takes her place, sending the queen off in a stone boat. Will the king discover the witch's deception? Is there any hope of returning the queen to her rightful position? Listen and find out!

This is the story of three sisters – one with just one eye, one with two eyes, and one with three eyes. Do you think they all treat each other with kindness and generosity, as sisters ought? Listen and find out! 

After rescuing a dog, a cat, and a serpent, a not-too-clever young fellow is rewarded with a watch that will grant him anything he wants, including the hand of a princess. But when she absconds with his treasure, how will he get it back?

Three traveling companions encounter, and eventually overcome, an odd little man who attacks them. After tracking the man to his lair, what rewards will await the trio?

A tailor witnesses a battle between a magical stag and a bull. When the stag wins, the tailor is carried to a cavern where he finds a beautiful maiden in a crystal coffin. And oh, the tale she has to tell!

A shiftless young fellow falls in love with the daughter of a sultan and is determined to marry her. When the sultan sets an impossible task as proof of the fellow's devotion, will he find a way to complete the task?

Two brothers, princes, have disappeared while hunting. Can their younger brother find the truth behind their disappearances and somehow bring them home?

A king plans for his daughter to marry one of his councillors. When she flees the country to avoid the marriage, she hides her identity and finds work in a kitchen. Will she find true happiness?

A king has heard of a princess who might be a suitable match for one as magnificent as himself. So he enlists the aid of seven brothers, all named Simon, and all with – shall we say, unusual? – skills.

A king vowed to have someone stand sentry over his daughter's body every might for a year – but the sentries are always gone in the morning. Is there anyone who will last the whole night?

This abridged version of Hans Christian Andersen's classic inspired the popular movie, Frozen – but you won't find Anna and Elsa here!

Three brothers set out on a quest to find three sisters who have vanished. Will any of them live happily ever after?

A prince falls in love with a girl who lives in an eagle's nest on top of a tree. Will she ever fulfill his heart's desire and marry him? 

The Sultan and Sultana have arranged for Abu Nowas to marry! What will happen when the bride and groom spend all their money?

A fisherman catches a golden crab, who turns out to be an enchanted prince. After his princess bride betrays him, is there any hope of breaking the enchantment?

A young man goes off to seek his fortune and falls in love with a woman who restores him to life three times after he is killed. When he is unable to meet with her as they had planned, his real quest begins.

After she is forgotten by the love of her life, a princess devises a plan to win him back. First, she needs eleven girls who look just like her …

Two brothers, identical twins, have grown tired of being mistaken for each other, so they set off in different directions to seek their fortunes. But there comes a time in their journeys when the brothers find their similar appearance to be helpful. Wondering how? Listen and find out!

A love triangle, broken hearts, magic, transformations – this story has it all, including a most unexpected change of heart!

Hok Lee's neighbors think he's just a very industrious young man; in fact, he's made his fortune by stealing from them at night. When the doctor tells Hok Lee that his swollen face must be a punishment from the spirits for some wrongdoing, Hok Lee sets out to find a cure.

A king's second wife becomes jealous that the throne will be inherited by the sone of the king's first wife rather than her own son, and uses magic to turn Prince Alphege into a green monkey. Will he ever regain his human form again?

When a mother sends her three sons off with tasks for their intended brides to perform, the youngest doesn't know where to turn – until he finds help from an unusual source.

A prince keeps the unusual circumstances of his birth a secret from his bride; when he finally acquiesces, they both regret it. Can anyone make things right again?

When a widowed king remarries, his daughter finds herself abused and starved by her new stepmother. After running away, she offers herself as the lowest kitchen servant in a castle. The prince of the castle wants nothing to do with her; can the two find true love?

A king names his long-awaited child Fairer-than-a-Fairy, never stopping to think this might upset the fairies. One of the fairies abducts her, taking her to a castle where the princess learns there is another captive: a prince imprisoned in a rainbow. When the prince is moved to another prison, Fairer-than-a-Fairy sets out to find him and set him free.

A king receives an envoy from a mighty emperor, but the envoy says not a word; he only traces a circle around the king's throne. How are the king and his advisers supposed to interpret this message? 

An emperor marries a girl who promises him twin boys with stars on their foreheads. When the boys are born, the emperor's stepmother buries them and replaces them with puppies! Once her own daughter becomes empress, will there ever be justice for the first empress and her sons?

Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the fifteenth part of Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you'll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories. Today we begin The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister. Three sisters jokingly express the desire to marry the Sultan's baker, cook, and even the Sultan himself! When the Sultan grants their wishes, the older two grow jealous of the young Sultana. What awful revenge will they take on their own sister?

Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the fourteenth of 16 parts that make up Andrew Lang's The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you'll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories. Today's story is The Enchanted Horse. A king is determined to possess  a mechanical horse that can easily travel vast distances when his headstrong son leaps on without learning how to return home. After meeting (and falling in love with) a princess, the prince learns how to return home, and brings her home with him. After she is abducted and feigns mental illness, will the two young lovebirds ever find happiness?