LA GIARA
Don Lolo was a rich landowner and every year he employed lots of men and women for the olive harvest. He was a miser attached to his money more than to men. The workers were asked to put olives into the jars. Don Lolo had one beautiful jar, made of fine clay and it cost him a lot of money. Everyone looked at it as it was a pretty woman. One evening Don Lolo found the jar broken and started to wonder who could have broken it. Don Lolo called Zi Dima to glue the jar. As Zi Dima mended the jar from the inside, he couldn’t get out. Don Lolo got angry and knocked the jar down with his shoulder. The jar rolled down, hit a tree and broke into pieces. Zi Dima was free.
COLA THE FISH
Nicola, Cola for short, was born in Messina and was the son of a fisherman. He was nicknamed Cola The Fish, because he was very good at swimming. One day during his daily diving, he found a treasure in the sea. He was so famous, that the king of Sicily, Frederic II, to test his abilities, threw a goblet into the sea and asked Cola to bring it back. Cola dived and after a while he brought the goblet back to the king. Then the king threw his crown. Cola The Fish succeeded again. The king sailed where the sea was deeper and threw a ring of his. Cola dived but didn’t resurface. It is said that Cola diving deeper and deeper had seen Sicily resting on 3 columns and one of them was eaten by the fire of Etna volcano. So he decided to support the columns to avoid the island to sink. And he’s still down there to hold Sicily. People say that the town Messina quakes when Cola is tired and changes his shoulder to keep holding the column.
GERMAN TALES
THE BAD WITCHMOTHER AND THE SON OF THE KING
Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a king who was killed by the witchmother with a poisonous egg. When he laid there to die, he bequeathed his son his chemical factory, where they were making poisonous and corrosive chemicals. But the son would only get the factory if the he revenged the dead king. Then the son of the king went away to search for witchmother and kill her. On his way he met the seven dwarfs, whose mine was broken down. The son of the king helped them to build a new mine. The dwarfs gave him two sacks of TNT and saltpetre for his help. Then he met Hansel and Gretel. He showed them the way to get out of the dark forest. The two kids gave him a big knife and a machinegun. The son of the king went on. A short time later he saw Little Riding Hood and he helped her to kill the bad wolf and resuscitate her grandma. They thanked him for his help and the grandma gave him a bottle of vodka and a motorsaw from Hood, which the girl always kept by herself. Like it seemed for a good girl, she gave him some doping pills. After a while, the son of the king came to a rabbit and a hedgehog. This both wanted to make a race. The son of the kming gave the hedgehog some of the doping pills, so the hedgehog won the race illegally. But neither the son of the king nor the hedgehog had a bad conscience. The hedgehog thanked the son of the king and gave him his hand grenades. Joyful went the son of the king away, but he could see that the rabbit was taken away with a nervous breakdown to a closed mental ward. After a while he came to a small romantic cottage. There the computerwitch lived, who was in a late puberty. At the time her hormones made her crazy, so she had an idea, that she wanted to blow up the son of the king. But he didn’t like that and for his part he blew up the cottage with the witch. So he could test the grenades of the hedgehog. He liked their quality. In the broken cottage he found a secret way. This way leaded him to the mountain, which laid near the seaside. There he met the witchmother. She tried to kill the son of the king with a machinepistol. To save his own life. He threw one grenade to her and jumped into the nearest car he found. It was Volvo V90. He drove away with full speed. The bad witchmother followed him on her motorbike. When they arrived at the highway, he threw a sack of TNT out of his Volvo. The explosives bursted and the witchmother flew into the air. The son of the king jumped out of the car and killed the bad and ugly witch with his machinegun. Satisfied, the son of the king came back. At the father’s grave he told what he had done. And he swore, that he was going to kill all the witches till the end of his life.
THE SEVEN DEERS
Once upon a time, there was an earl, who was hunting. Suddenly, he saw a deer. Some minutes later ha saw a white deer with six other deers. They were also white. One of the deers were taller than the rest and wore a golden ring around the neck. The earl wanted to kill that one. But all deers ran into the castle, which was guarded by the lions. Suddenly the door opened and the seven deers ran into the castle. The door closed and the earl arrived at the castle’s entrance. He found a slip of paper. It read: Free the king’s daughter, then you’ll have the kingdom. You must defeat a ghost. The earl decided to go for it. He ate and went to bed. At midnight he woke up because of the noise. He saw a terrible man in black. He had a third eye, which lit up the room. The earl killed the man in black. Before he died, the man said that the earl must kiss the deer with the ring. He did what the man in black said. And suddenly, there were seven girls standing instead of deers. The most beautiful girl had a golden ring on her neck. She said ‘thank you’. And they got married and lived happily ever after.
ENGLISH TALES
THE THREE LITTLE PIGS
Once upon a time there were three little pigs and the time came for them to leave home and seek their fortunes. Before they left, their mother told them “Whatever you do, do it the best that you can because that's the way to get along in the world.” The first little pig built his house out of straw because it was the easiest thing to do. The second little pig built his house out of sticks. This was a little bit stronger than a straw house. The third little pig built his house out of bricks. One night the big bad wolf, who dearly loved to eat fat little piggies, came along and saw the first little pig in his house of straw. He said "Let me in, let me in, little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little pig. But of course the wolf did blow the house in and ate the first little pig. The wolf then came to the house of sticks. "Let me in, let me in little pig or I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the little pig. But the wolf blew that house in too, and ate the second little pig. The wolf then came to the house of bricks. "Let me in, let me in," cried the wolf "or I'll huff and I'll puff till I blow your house in!" "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin," said the pigs. Well, the wolf huffed and puffed but he could not blow down that brick house. But the wolf was a sly old wolf and he climbed up on the roof to look for a way into the brick house. The little pig saw the wolf climb up on the roof and lit a roaring fire in the fireplace and placed on it a large cauldron of water. When the wolf finally found the hole in the chimney he crawled down and KERSPLASH, he fell right into the cauldron of water. That was the end of his troubles with the big bad wolf. The next day the little pig invited his mother over. She said "You see it is just as I told you. The way to get along in the world is to do things as well as you can." Fortunately for that little pig, he learned that lesson. And he just lived happily ever after!
GOLDILOCKS AND THREE BEARS
ONCE upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house in a wood. There was Baby Bear, Mother Bear and Daddy Bear. One morning Mummy Bear made them all some delicious porridge, but it was too hot so they went for a walk. In the meantime Goldilocks came across the house and saw that the door was open. She peered inside and saw the porridge on the kitchen table. Firstly she tried Daddy Bear’s porridge, but it was too hot. Then she tried Mummy Bear’s porridge but it was too lumpy. Lastly she tried Baby Bear’s porridge and that was just right. After she had eaten the porridge she went to have a sit down. Firstly she tried Daddy Bear’s chair but it was too big. Then she tried Mummy Bear’s chair but it was too lumpy. Lastly she tried Baby Bear’s chair and it was just right. But, Goldilocks was too heavy and broke the chair. As she was very tired from eating all that porridge and breaking the chair Goldilocks went upstairs to have a sleep. Firstly she tried Daddy Bear’s bed but it was too big. Then she tried Mummy Bear’s porridge but it was too lumpy. Lastly she tried Baby Bear’s bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell fast asleep. When the Three Bears came home from their walk they found that someone had eaten Baby Bear’s porridge and had broken his chair. Baby Bear was very upset. Suddenly, they heard some snoring. They all tiptoed upstairs. There in Baby Bear’s bed was Goldilocks fast asleep. “Who’s sleeping in my bed?” asked Baby Bear. With the sound of his voice, Goldilocks woke up, saw the Three Bears and ran away as fast as her feet could carry her. They never saw her again.
ESTONIAN TALES
PLAGUE IN SUURE-JANI
In the ancient times there was a black plague in our country, it was emptying farms and villages, destroying counties (and changing them into manna houses ). Sometimes only one boy and girl survived in a county and when they finally found each other they started to live together and started to be the ancestors of a new generation. Even in Suure-Jaani parish the plague cut down people like trees. Terrified people ran into woods and bogs, near swamps and lakes, but the plague got there too, eventually. Old men and women stayed home and waited for death with tears in their eyes. The plague came pretty soon and knocked them down. Near the Olustvere grove the people knew how to protect themselves from the plague. They knew that noone can touch the sacred grove, even the black plague, so they wrapped a red yarn around the grove and their village. The plague killed all the people in other villages. It even came to kill in Olustvere village but he couldn’t pass the yarn. He was afraid to step over it because the yarn showed that the place was sacred. Of course he didn’t want to leave that place untouched. The plague transformed himself into a dog and ran around the village to find a way in but the red yarn was holding him back like a guardian knight. The second time he changed himself into a little cute blonde girl and called the village children to play with her to the other side of the yarn. But the village children had got strict orders from their parents – ’’Do not pass the red yarn!’’. The plague was begging them to come and play but the children didn’t listen to it. The plague started to cry out loud, ’’Oh, poor me, poor little child! What should i do now!? Even the village children don’t want to play with me! The village people are so stuborn and cruel! Oh i need a place to stay!’’ The plague was begging them to let him through but the children didn’t let him. Because of that the whole village was kept untouched by the plague. In other villages it killed all the people. Just because the Olustvere grove stayed untouched by the plague the villages nearby started to call it A Lucky village and thought that sacret people live there.
THE MEETING WITH A TALL BLACK MAN IN VILJANDI CASTLE RUINS
There was an old poor fellow in Viljandi town who could not pay his bills because a lot of drinking. The court had promised to fine him if he continued to be so careless. Poor guy went for a wander on the old castle ruins in a very dark autumn night just to comfort his concerns. When the man went through the gate and remembered the places where a treasure of money stands in the ruins, he told to himself, “The bachelor should give me some money from here.” On the blink of an eye the tall black man stood in front of him and asked, “What do you want?” “Money,” the fellow said. At that moment the cellar opened in front of them and the slathers of money were standing like snowdrifts. The black man asked to take the money as much as he needed. The fellow didn’t have a bag with him and the black man advised to put the money into the coat. The fellow was afraid that all his money could be lost. The black man suggested fill up the hat. The fellow had concerns that he couldn’t go with a bare head, how ugly it was to see a fellow without a hat. But it would be sorry to leave the place without money. At last he said in a loud voice, “Oh God, where could I get a bag?” At the same moment he was given a bunch of bags and he was sent out. The slathers of money, the cellar and the door – all were gone. The poor felloe marched out, reached back home without any money and we have never asked him how he solved his money problem.
SLOVENE TALES
MARTIN KRPAN
Martin Krpan was a robust and ingenious peasant who was transporting or smuggling salt from the Adriatic coast to his home village in Iner Carniola, not far from Ljubljana. Once during a very cold winter, returning from the coast, he met the emperor on his way to Trieste who talked to him. Martin Krpan, without recognizing the emperor, told him he was carrying whetstones and tinder. One year later a terrible giant came to Vienna and started to challenge knights to a duel. When the cream of the Habsburg nobility were killed one after another, including the emperor's own son, the desperate emperor was reminded of the witty peasant from Carniola who had easily removed his heavity loaded mare from the narrow path in order to allow his coach to pass. So he sent for him. Martin Krpan came to Vienna and started to prepare for the duel. As all weapons from the court armoury he took in his arms crushed into bits, he decided to make his own weapons in the smithery. After that he went into the Emperor's garden and cut down a young lime tree above the stone table where the lords and ladies used to sit for coolness in summer. Then he carved a huge club out of it. He also asked that his small mare be brought to him from his home, as no other horse from the court stables was strong enough for him. When he appeared in front of the giant named Brdavs, the latter assumed that the yokel will be an easy prey and started to make fun of Krpan. Krpan fought bravely and with no mercy. He pulled the giant off his horse and chopped his head off. The Viennese were much relieved and the emperor was happy and grateful, but the empress was still holding a grudge because of the lime tree. Instead of accepting the compensation in food proposed by her, Krpan conffesed to the emperor that he had lied to him about his load and asked him for the licence to traffic in salt. The emperor agreed and ordered the ill-tempered minister to issue the letter.
THE LEGEND OF THE LITTLE DRAGON JAMI IN POSTOJNA CAVE
A long, long time ago dragons lived in the depths of Postojna Cave. These dragons were so terrible that they breathed fire from their great snouts. The Postojna dragons terrorised people for centuries, until one day the River Pivka became so swollen that it washed all the dragons away... except for one: a little dragon called Jami. Jami wasn't a wicked dragon, he was a small, friendly, good-natured little dragon who loved sunshine and flowers. He wanted to play with the children - catch or hide-and-seek - but the children were afraid of him. So he was left all alone, and grew sadder and sadder. Just when he thought he couldn't get any lonelier, he met a beetle who offered to be his friend. The beetle told him that lots of other animals lived in the cave too. 'Look,' he said, and whistled three times. Immediately, lots of other beetles, spiders, water snails and other creatures appeared from behind the stalagmites and stalactites. There were so many of them that the little dragon could only stare in amazement. Jami made friends with all of them, and soon his new friends asked him a favour. They explained that deep in the secret hollows of Postojna Cave was a hoard of cave pearls, which the beetle and his friends had to guard day and night. A greedy goblin called Switch was desperate to get his hands on them. Jami, happy to have found some new friends, promised to guard the pearls. But soon after his friends had left him alone, stretched out on the chests containing the cave pearls, he fell asleep. He began to snore so loudly that the walls shook. And of course Switch, hiding in the distant depths of the cave, heard him too and immediately set off to find out who was making all that noise. He wasn't at all frightened of the sleeping Jami, and crept right up to the chests to try and steal some pearls... but then Jami woke up. He seized the goblin in a vice-like grip, whereupon Switch, unable to escape, started begging Jami to let him go. He told him that he could do magic and could grant his every wish. Jami remembered his loneliness and how much he had longed to play with the children. He told Switch that he would like to be turned into a human being. Of course the crafty Switch had no idea how to do such a thing, but he immediately accepted Jami's proposal. He repeated some magic words several times over, and suddenly a loud pop was heard and the cave filled with an enormous cloud of thick smoke. The dragon felt as though his body was shrinking. The drobnovratnik beetle, who had heard the noise, rushed to the edge of the little pool into which Jami had fallen, and to his surprise he saw a tiny dragon with human skin. And that is how Jami the dragon became a human fish. Ever since then he has lived in Postojna Cave, where he plays with the other little animals and helps guard the cave pearls. And what about Switch the goblin? He vanished forever into the dark depths of the cave where no one will ever find him, but if you listen very carefully you can hear him in the distance - switch, swish, switch, swish - leaping from stalagmite to stalagmite.
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