Folk Myths

Agnes is learning how to play the trumpet! Every time she tries to practice, though, an old knight bursts in because he thinks her trumpet sounds like a dragon. Through these interruptions, she learns the knight is responsible for stopping attacks on their kingdom. How can she help this bored hero?

Arion is a famous musician in ancient Greek mythology. He loves to travel across Rome and Greece to play his music. While trying to sail home, he is robbed by a group of pirates! Fearing death, he escapes by jumping into the ocean.

Mike Purcell is poor. He has no money for food or rent, but he does have a cow to sell. On his way to the fair to sell her, he meets a strange man who offers him an equally strange trade—his cow for an empty bottle, with the promise that the bottle will make him rich. What happens when Mike takes the bottle home to his family? Will their fortune turn around?

King Vikram loves his subjects and will do anything to make them happy—even if it means trying to convince a mute queen to speak and marry one of his men! Despite the danger of the challenge, he gladly takes it on behalf of his subject. Will he be able to win her over? Or will he be doomed to join the caged men who tried—and failed—to make the queen speak?

Kai Kaus, a Shah in Persia, wants to be the first man to fly! Instead of listening to his advisors, he comes up with a crazy plan. With the help of four eagles and a special chair, he invents a special contraption that will take him far away. Will his flying machine work? Or will this idea end in disaster?

In this Chinese myth, Nu Wa and her husband, Fu Xi were the gods that created life on Earth. After visiting Earth for the first time, Nu Wa discovered yellow clay. With this clay, she began to create different creatures with the hope to one day bring them to life. From her clay creations, Nu Wa made humans, animals, and all other forms of life. Explore this fascinating myth of the goddess Nu Wa, who has been worshipped for centuries in China.

Hoping to avoid war, the Vietnamese king must build an extravagant gate to please the Chinese ambassador. The king’s advisor, Quynh, knows the gate will never please the ambassador, so he must come up with another plan. Will he be able to use the ambassador’s greed and pride against him to save his people?

Peder works hard every day, taking care of his family’s farm with no help from his lazy brothers. He doesn’t mind, though—he gets to play his flute while he works. After his playing attracts the attention of a wealthy troll king, his brothers become jealous of the rewards the king offers to him. They hatch a plan to collect Peder’s reward for themselves. Will the king see through their ploy?

Savitri, a beloved princess in India, is searching for a husband. While on a journey to meet the princes in the region, she meets Satyavan, a former prince. They soon marry, but Satyavan is cursed to die in one year. Instead of letting her husband go, Savitri challenges Yuma, the god of death. Will she be able to save her husband?

Ling Li loves to listen to the songbirds that live in part of the Great Wall near her village. After a soldier kills them, she travels to see the Jade Emperor with hope that he will bring them back to life. Can Ling Li meet the emperor’s challenge and save the birds’ song?

Magotu is the most beautiful girl in her village. She will not settle for just any husband—he must be as beautiful as she is. When she finally comes across a man who meets all of her standards, she immediately agrees to marry him. To her chagrin, she finds that her vanity has put her in a bad situation—her new husband is nothing like she thought. Can Magotu find a way to escape?

After Jaidutt’s father squanders his inheritance, he must find a way to take care of his family. Hoping to start a business, he asks a merchant for a loan. Instead of giving Jaidutt money, however, the merchant challenges him to turn a dead rat into gold. How will Jaidutt complete this impossible task?

In this reimagined Japanese folktale, Binbou is a poor, kind man. One night, he rescues a raven from the snow and takes care of it. The next day, he meets a beautiful woman who wants to marry him. To help Binbou, she weaves a brocade cloth to sell but he is still unhappy. Will Binbou’s greed drive his new wife away?

The princess wishes for a new topping on her toast. After years of eating marmalade, she realizes that she does not like it and wants something new! A sea captain is sent on a quest to find the new topping. All hope seems lost until the captain meets an old woman with a strange new ingredient. Will this new ingredient make the princess happy?

In this Japanese tale, two sets of fox parents arrange for their children to marry. Everything seems to go as planned, but there’s a problem—in order to secure the marriage, each set of parents lied to the other about their child’s beauty! What happens when their dishonesty comes to light? Will the fox-bride and her husband still love each other?

In this Persian folktale, Hassan is in love with Neeloufar, a beggar who sits outside his shop. He wishes to marry her, but she has a secret—her family is royalty! Will her father, the King of Beggars, allow Hassan to marry his daughter? Will Hassan be able to accept her family’s business?

Lancelot is a very handsome prince, known throughout the kingdom for his beauty! When he happens upon an old witch and her toad after getting lost in the woods, though, he finds that he can’t always rely on his looks to get him out of his problems.

A clever giant's wife helps him scare away a bully of a giant in this old Irish tale. When the meanest, toughest giant of them all comes to bully her husband, his wife needs to get creative and fast. Will they work together to trick the other giant into leaving them alone for good?

What do soldiers, spirits, singing, and winged horses have in common? They all played a role in how the Mongolian horsehead fiddle, or morin khuur, came to be! Follow along with a Mongolian soldier named Khökhöö Namjil as he finds a way to balance his duties with his desire to see his wife.

Have you ever noticed how fireflies look like stars that have fallen from the sky? According to this Indonesian tale, that’s how they came to be! A greedy man overeats the stars with the help of a coconut tree and learns a lesson when he fails to properly thank the friendly tree.