Folk Myths

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.

Kashima, a god in Edo, Japan, resides in his shrine to protect the people from Namazu, a catfish, from causing earthquakes that devastate the lives of the villagers. When Kashima helps one of the villagers, Namazu must decide whether to obey Kashima and stay put or swim and potentially endanger the lives of the villagers.

Almost as light as a penny and with wings beating more than fifty times each second, these tiny Central American hummingbirds migrate 2,000 miles to reach their spring home. Listeners will enjoy learning about the ruby-throated hummingbird along with a retelling of Mayan tale.

In this Chinese folktale, an unhappy young bride named Shui-mu must do all the chores in her mother-in-law's household, until a gift from a mysterious old woman brings change. This Cinderella-like story of overcoming cruelty and rewarding generosity is the origin of the revered Water Mother legend.

Robert MacLeod, chief of clan MacLeod, falls in love with a fairy princess named Finnoula. Unable to stay in the mortal world, Finnoula must make a choice between the life of a mortal and the life of the Shining Folk. Learn the legend about the fairy flag at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye, owned by the MacLeods for nearly eight hundred years!

Princess Fina has grown old enough to be married. But before any man could court her, he must pass a series of tests.

A boy named Ty is sent on several impossible errands by his scheming stepmother and each time he is helped by a tortoise. Frustrated by his success, Ty’s stepmother sends him away. Ty decides to follow the river looking for work when he encounters the emperor making a sacrifice to the river god. Can Ty help the emperor?

Precious is not looking forward to being a donkey in the school play. Precious thinks donkeys look silly and smell bad, that is, until Grandfather comes to visit on his donkey cart. Grandfather teaches Precious that donkeys are much than they seem—they are hardworking, loyal, and kind.

Dr. John tries to fool his patients by using the wrong tools. But they are too smart!