Myths For Children

Gerda makes the best pretzels in her German village. She dreams of having a fountain in her town so she can rest by it at the end of the day. She convinces the villagers to save money, but then the king asks to borrow it! When the king refuses to return the money, can Gerda use her pretzel-making skills to get it back?

Queen Minbe is known for her elephant-like ears! Her large ears cause her many problems because even the quietest of noises can give her a headache. This causes many issues with her ability to rule her kingdom. Her only escape is her nightly visit to her garden. How will one cricket and the other courtyard animals ruin her quiet evening?

Pegeen has been challenged by the fairy king. After being summoned by a large serpent, she must try to open 60 doors with a special set of keys, otherwise, she will not win her reward. Pegeen must find ways to dodge the fairy’s tricks.

Ingrid never learned to spin or sew. Instead, she gets a job as a maid at the castle. The other maids become jealous of her and lie to the queen about her skills. The queen locks Ingrid in a room and refuses to release her until she spins flax, weaves cloth, and sews a dozen shirts. Ingrid believes all hope is lost until three old hags come to help in return for one favor—call them Auntie.

In this Yiddish folk tale, the Rabbi of Chelm is sick of everyone coming to him to kvetch. Every day, he must listen to them complain about their daily plights, even before he has had his breakfast! To lessen his burden, he comes up with a solution to fix everyone’s problems—all they need is a new pickle.

Heungbo and Nolbo are not only brothers, but also friends—until their father passes away. Overcome by greed, Nolbo turns Heungbo away and refuses to help him when Heungbo loses his crops. Can Heungbo forgive Nolbo? Will they learn to be a family again?

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?

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?

Hoping to erase her tragic past, Empress Wu fills her kingdom with all beautiful things. She wants the Nightingale for its beautiful song. After sending her advisors to find the bird, Nightingale comes to her and offers to stay in her kingdom. Saddened by his captivity, Nightingale wishes to leave. Will the empress allow him to go?

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?

Potano, the chief of the Timucua people, must save his daughter from a demon. Together with his strongest warriors, he must overcome the demon's challenges. Will he be able to rescue his daughter? Or will they fail after they fall into the Devil’s Millhopper?

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 a small Japanese village, a maiden is sacrificed to a dragon so their town will not be destroyed. Kotoshi is next to be sacrificed, but she hopes to fight back! Instead of trying to eat her, the dragon asks for her help in return for her life. Will Kotoshi be able to help the dragon’s baby and end her tyranny on the town?

In this Welsh tale, Nel loves to knit stockings for her brothers as she walks her family’s land. One day, a fairy leaves her a gift—a golden chair! To keep the fairy from stealing it back, Nel must use her wit and knitting supplies to keep her chair safe while she and her family carry it home. Will Nel’s plan work? Or will the fairy steal the gift back?

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?

It is time for the Chinese emperor to choose his successor. Instead of one of his lazy sons, he decides to choose someone who is not from the royal family and devises a special test. Who will be worthy to become the next emperor?