The Tinder-box by Hans Christian Andersen
A bold soldier, a magic tinder-box and a dog with eyes as big as teacups This story tells the tale of a soldier who meets an ugly witch who asks for his help to retrieve her […]
The Slaying of the Tanuki
A tale of deceit and trickery for you this week. The Slaying of the Tanuki is a Japanese tale from Andrew Lang’s Pink Fairy Book. We take you to a long, long time ago where a […]
The Shee an Gannon and the Gruagach Gaire
A five-headed giant, twelve brutal slayings and a laugh so loud the whole world heard it. This week we have a special treat. An Irish tale collected in Joseph Jacobs ‘Celtic Fairy Tales‘. Shee an Gannon […]
The Story of the Merchant and the Genius
The tale of a wealthy merchant, an avenging Genii and three old storytellers. The Story of the Merchant and the Genius is a tale from The Arabian Nights Entertainments. This wonderfully rich and colourful collection of […]
Donkey-Skin
This week’s fortnightly fairy tale is from the ‘Father of Fairy Tales’, Charles Perrault. Donkeyskin takes a rather sinister beginning as a beautiful princess wears a donkey skin disguise in order to escape her father. Her […]
The Twelve Dancing Princesses
This week we bring you one of the Grimm Brothers’ most loved tales The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The story follows an old soldier as he solves the mystery of the where the twelve Princesses disappear to […]
The Fairies Who Changed Places
This delightful fairy tale is a perfect spring read. It tells the tale of how snowdrops and snowflakes are made and how their fairy makers came to be. Starblossom the flower fairy and Drop-of-Crystal the snow […]
The Lambton Worm – An English Legend by Joseph Jacobs
This week we are celebrating our English heritage and have chosen for you the traditional English legend of The Lambton Worm. The legend originated in County Durham in North East England around the River Wear. It […]
The Valiant Little Tailor – A German Tale by The Brothers Grimm
The Valiant Little Tailor, also known as the Brave Little Tailor is a well known tale of trickery and cunning in which the underdog comes out on top. The story tells the tale of a little […]
The Lambikin – An Indian Fairy Tale by Joseph Jacobs
The Lambikin was published in 1890 as part of a collection of Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs, what starts out as a seemingly innocent little fairy tale ends up taking a turn for the worse, […]
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
Written by the Danish Hans Christian Andersen, The Ugly Duckling was published for the first time in 1843 and has been printed in fairy tale collections ever since. The book can be seen as a metaphor […]
Hänsel und Gretel – A German Tale by the Brothers Grimm
Hänsel und Gretel is a German tale written by the Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859). It was first published in Kinder und Hausmärchen (‘Children’s and Household Tales’) in 1812, although this particular version […]
