Another day Chanticleer and Partlet agreed to go again to the mountains to eat nuts; and it was settled that all the nuts which they found should be shared equally between them. Now Partlet found a very large nut; but she said nothing about it to Chanticleer, and kept it all to herself: however, it was so big that she could not swallow it, and it stuck in her throat. Then she was in a great fright, and cried out to Chanticleer, ’Pray run as fast as you can, and fetch me some water, or I shall...

Hans worked hard for seven years but wishes to return to see his poor mother. His master pays him his wages which amounts to a lump of gold the size of his head. Hans puts the gold in handkerchief and starts out on his journey jogging but soon becomes tired. He spots a rider on horse back and seeing the ease at which the horse travels he offers to exchange his lump of gold for the horse. Happy with the exchange the man gives him the horse and Hans rides off. The horse bolts and Hans is thrown...

A count's son could learn nothing. The count sent him to find a master who could teach him something. One year, he came back saying he knew what dogs said when they barked; the next, what birds said; the third, what frogs said. Infuriated by his uselessness, his father drove him out. He was offered a night's shelter in a tower, but warned that wild dogs barked and howled there, and every night ate a man. He went and came back, saying that the dogs were there to guard a treasure until it was...

An old woman has got some beans that she intends to cook over her fire. Being in a hurry, she grabs some straw to make the fire light faster. She pours the beans in the pot and, being in a hurry, she drops one on the floor which lands next to a piece of straw. Soon the fire is burning nicely and a hot coal jumps out and lands next to the straw and the bean. They talk and realize they have all narrowly escaped the fire; they band together to flee. At a river, the straw lies down to let them...

A certain cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship she felt for her, that at length the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. They decided to look out for each other and find a way to survive the winter. They bought a pot of fat and decided to store it in the church until the winter. Cat developed a sudden urge to occasionally sneak into the church and consume the pot of fat and so he did. He then lies to...

Chanticleer and Partlet begin their adventure with a trip to the mountains in search of nuts. They either grew too lazy or too full to travel home on foot so they built a carriage of nutshells. While deciding how to get home a duck accused them of trespassing on her grounds. Chanticleer and the duck began to fight until the duck could no longer handle the pain and agreed to draw their carriage home for them. The adventure continues from there as they encounter different obstacles on their...

Chanticleer and Partlet begin their adventure with a trip to the mountains in search of nuts. They either grew too lazy or too full to travel home on foot so they built a carriage of nutshells. While deciding how to get home a duck accused them of trespassing on her grounds. Chanticleer and the duck began to fight until the duck could no longer handle the pain and agreed to draw their carriage home for them. The adventure continues from there as they encounter different obstacles on their...

A farmer had a horse that had been an excellent faithful servant to him: but he was now grown too old to work; so the farmer would give him nothing more to eat. The farmer decided that the horse was of no use to him any longer so he told the horse to leave and only to return if he grows as strong as a lion. The horse wandered around until he met a fox with a wonderful idea to help him win over his owner. The fox tied a lion to the horse and signaled the horse to head back home. The master was...

A shape-shifting witch (or "fairy," depending on the translation) lived alone in a dark castle in the woods. She could lure wild animals and birds to her before killing them; she transfixed anyone who would came near to where she stood, and turn innocent maidens into birds and cage them. Jorinde and Joringel, who had promised to marry each other, went for a walk in the forest. They came too near the witch's lair; she turned Jorinde into a nightingale and fixed Joringel to the ground. Once she...

A poor shoemaker and his wife need money to pay the rent. He gives away the last pair of shoes he has to a needy lady. He has leather to make one more pair of shoes. Elves come in the night and make a pair of shoes which he sells for more than his asking price the next day. He uses that money to pay the rent, buy food and more shoe leather. He feeds a poor traveller. The elves come the next night and make 2 pairs of shoes with the additional leather. He gives away one pair to a needy person...

In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lied to a king, telling him that his daughter could spin straw into gold. The king called for the girl, shut her in a tower room with straw and a spinning wheel, and demanded that she spin the straw into gold by morning, for three nights, or be executed (other versions have the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever). She had given up all hope, when an impish creature appeared in the room and spun straw into gold for her...

An old man could not eat neatly, so his son and daughter-in-law made him eat by the stove and, when he broke his bowl, bought him a cheap one. His four-year-old grandson played with wood and said that he was making a trough for his parents to eat from when they were old. After that, they let him eat at the table and did not complain about the spill. Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Man_and_his_Grandson

A forester found a baby in a bird's nest and brought him back to be raised with his daughter Lenchen. They called the child Fundevogel or Foundling-Bird, and he and Lenchen loved each other. One day Lenchen saw the cook carrying many buckets of water to the house and asked what she was doing. The cook told her that the next day, she would boil Fundevogel in it. Lenchen went and told Fundevogel, and they fled. The cook, afraid of what the forester would say about his lost daughter, sent...

A forester found a baby in a bird's nest and brought him back to be raised with his daughter Lenchen. They called the child Fundevogel or Foundling-Bird, and he and Lenchen loved each other. One day Lenchen saw the cook carrying many buckets of water to the house and asked what she was doing. The cook told her that the next day, she would boil Fundevogel in it. Lenchen went and told Fundevogel, and they fled. The cook, afraid of what the forester would say about his lost daughter, sent...

When her merchant father goes on a trip, Lily asks him to bring her a rose. When the father picks a rose from the garden of a castle, a lion springs up and threatens to eat him. A bargain is struck. The merchant has to give the lion the first thing that greets him when he goes home. Lily runs to meet her father and has to fulfill the bargain. She meets the lion and finds out that he is an enchanted prince. They marry and are very happy. When the prince goes home with Lily to attend her...

In the basic story a cat and a fox discuss how many tricks and dodges they have. The fox boasts that he has many; the cat confesses to having only one. When hunters arrive with their dogs, the cat quickly climbs a tree, but the fox is caught by the hounds. Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Cat_(fable)

The fisherman and his wife live in a hovel by the sea. One day the fisherman catches a golden flounder who claims to be an enchanted prince. The fisherman kindly releases it. When his wife hears the story, she says he ought to have had the flounder grant him a wish. She tells him to go back and ask the flounder to grant her wish for a nice house instead of their hovel. He returns to the shore and is uneasy when he finds the sea seems to be turning dark when it was so clear before. He makes up...

A peasant named Crabbe saw how well a doctor ate and asked him how to become one. The doctor told him to buy an ABC book with a rooster up front, sell his oxen and cart to buy doctor's equipment and clothing, and advertise himself as "Doctor Know-all." Shortly after he set himself up, a nobleman asked him to find stolen money. He insisted on bringing his wife. When they sat to eat, he nudged his wife at each course, saying "That's one," "That's two," and "That's three" — meaning three...

A mother goat goes to the forest to fetch food for her seven kids. She tells them not to open the door to the wolf. The wolf disguises himself and tried to have the kids let him in. On the third try, the kids let him in and he eats six out of the seven kids. The mother comes home and the one kid left tells her what happened. She searches for the wolf and when she finds him she cuts open his belly. The six kids jumped out unhurt. Stones were then stitched into the wolf's belly. When the wolf...

A miller wished to marry his daughter off, and so when a rich suitor appeared, he betrothed her to him. One day the suitor complained that the daughter never visited him, told her that he lived in the forest, and overrode her reluctance by telling her he would leave a trail of ashes so she could find his home. She filled her pockets with peas and lentils and marked the trail with them as she followed the ashes. They led her to a dark and silent house. A bird in a cage called out to warn her...

Twelve princesses, each more beautiful than the last, sleep in twelve beds in the same room; every night their doors are securely locked, but in the morning their shoes are found to be worn through as if they had been dancing all night. The king, perplexed, promises his kingdom and a daughter to any man who can discover the princesses' secret within three days and three nights, but those who fail within the set time limit will be put to death. An old soldier returned from war comes to the...

Snow-White and Rose-Red tells the story of Snow White and Rose Red, two girls living with their mother, a poor widow, in a small cottage. Both sisters are very good little girls, and they love each other dearly. Their mother is very fond of them. As for their personalities, Rose Red is very outspoken and cheerful, and loves to play outside; on the other hand, her sister Snow-White is more quiet and shy, and prefers doing housework and reading. One winter night, there is a knock at the door....