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a less whimsical illustration that encapsulates the fun of searching an archive of over 15

The Archive...

Have a wander through the Fireside folktale archive below, and see what you stumble into. Use the filters to narrow the world down, or fling the doors wide and browse by country, region, theme, collector, or whatever takes your fancy, then let the table do the rest. A few clicks can carry you from storm-tossed coasts to mountain villages, from clever tricksters to quiet miracles, and you will often find that the story you meant to read is not the one that chooses you.

Archive under construction...

Structured Filters

  • Use these drop down lists to choose one or more filters to select groups of tales to investigate in more detail

Other than my own versions of tales (as indicated), the stories in this archive are in the public domain

Stories in this view:

3988

Title
Book
Author / Collector
Country
Subject
Year
The Silver Shilling
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Silver Shilling: value, circulation, identity, misunderstanding, endurance, worth
1914
The Toad
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Toad: aspiration, exclusion, inner life, resilience, transformation, longing
1914
The Thistle's Experiences
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Thistle’s Experiences: pride, suffering, memory, endurance, irony, social satire
1914
The Bishop Of Borglum And His Warriors
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Bishop Of Borglum And His Warriors: pride, supernatural judgement, faith, punishment, legend
1914
The Old Grave-Stone
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Old Grave-Stone: memory, death, loss, remembrance, time, continuity
1914
The Storks (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Storks (1): birth, imagination, childhood belief, family, innocence, mortality
1914
The Red Shoes (2)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Red Shoes (2): vanity, temptation, punishment, repentance, suffering, redemption
1914
Anne Lisbeth (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Anne Lisbeth (1): maternal failure, guilt, class, abandonment, remorse, judgement
1914
The Angel
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Angel: death, innocence, consolation, divine love, memory, grief
1914
Poultry Meg's Family
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Poultry Meg’s Family: family conflict, poverty, domestic satire, hardship, resilience
1914
The Elfin Hill
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Elfin Hill: enchantment, courtship, otherworldliness, vanity, folklore, festivity
1914
The Shepherdess And The Sheep
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Shepherdess And The Sheep: innocence, pastoral life, simplicity, care, affection
1914
The Goblin And The Huckster (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Goblin And The Huckster (1): charity, art, greed, domesticity, divided loyalties
1914
The Old Street Lamp (2)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Old Street Lamp (2): ageing, memory, service, usefulness, affection, change
1914
The Old Bachelor's Nightcap (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Old Bachelor’s Nightcap (1): frustration, domestic fantasy, bachelorhood, satire, comfort
1914
Something (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Something (1): value, perception, worth, irony, gratitude, humility
1914
The Emperor's New Suit
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Emperor’s New Suit: vanity, deception, conformity, power, truth, innocence
1914
The Butterfly (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Butterfly (1): indecision, courtship, vanity, missed chances, satire, ageing
1914
A Great Grief
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
A Great Grief: mourning, memory, love, loss, endurance, sorrow
1914
Ole-Luk-Oie, The Dream God (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Ole-Luk-Oie, The Dream God (1): dreams, childhood, imagination, morality, wonder, sleep
1914
The Will-O-The-Wisp In The Town, Says The Wild Woman
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Will-O-The-Wisp In The Town, Says The Wild Woman: curiosity, storytelling, illusion, satire, urban wonder
1914
Two Maidens (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Two Maidens (1): womanhood, faith, contrast, identity, destiny, moral choice
1914
In The Uttermost Parts Of The Sea (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
In The Uttermost Parts Of The Sea (1): ambition, science, isolation, wonder, mortality
1914
Under The Willow Tree (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Under The Willow Tree (1): unrequited love, class, loss, memory, sorrow, longing
1914
The Story Of The Year (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Story Of The Year (1): seasons, time, renewal, mortality, nature, cyclical life
1914
The Story Of The Wind (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Story Of The Wind (1): wandering, storytelling, nature, power, memory, movement
1914
The Windmill
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Windmill: pride, restlessness, self-importance, ageing, irony, change
1914
The Girl Who Trod On The Loaf (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Girl Who Trod On The Loaf (1): vanity, sin, punishment, repentance, redemption, pride
1914
The Beetle Who Went On His Travels
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Beetle Who Went On His Travels: pride, travel, status, satire, self-importance
1914
The Thorny Road Of Honor
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Thorny Road Of Honor: genius, suffering, perseverance, fame, sacrifice, posterity
1914
The Portuguese Duck (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Portuguese Duck (1): identity, pretension, belonging, vanity, social satire
1914
The Last Pearl
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Last Pearl: purity, faith, loss, spiritual treasure, sacrifice, innocence
1914
Our Aunt
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Our Aunt: family, eccentricity, domestic comedy, affection, social observation
1914
The Pen And The Inkstand (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Pen And The Inkstand (1): creativity, pride, authorship, collaboration, vanity, art
1914
She Was Good For Nothing (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
She Was Good For Nothing (1): misjudgement, hidden worth, domestic virtue, humility, class
1914
The Philosopher's Stone
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Philosopher’s Stone: knowledge, obsession, wisdom, illusion, aspiration, folly
1914
The Jumper
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Jumper: ambition, performance, boasting, rivalry, chance, satire
1914
The Phoenix Bird (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Phoenix Bird (1): rebirth, poetry, immortality, beauty, renewal, art
1914
The Bell-Deep (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Bell-Deep (1): legend, faith, submerged past, longing, mystery, memory
1914
The Story Of A Mother (2)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Story Of A Mother (2): maternal love, sacrifice, grief, death, faith, endurance
1914
The Bird Of Popular Song
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Bird Of Popular Song: fame, poetry, nationalism, art, memory, idealisation
1914
The Shadow (2)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Shadow (2): identity, corruption, power, doubles, self-loss, menace
1914
The Conceited Apple Branch (2)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Conceited Apple Branch (2): vanity, beauty, pride, self-regard, satire, appearance
1914
In The Nursery
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
In The Nursery: childhood, domestic life, imagination, tenderness, play, family
1914
Delaying Is Not Forgetting
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
Delaying Is Not Forgetting: memory, loyalty, time, patience, remembrance, affection
1914
The Metal Pig (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Metal Pig (1): art, imagination, Florence, poverty, aspiration, beauty
1914
There Is No Doubt About It
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
There Is No Doubt About It: gossip, vanity, exaggeration, rumour, social satire
1914
The Garden Of Paradise (1)
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Garden Of Paradise (1): temptation, innocence, forbidden knowledge, desire, exile
1914
The Swan's Nest
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Swan’s Nest: art, poetry, national identity, renewal, beauty, history
1914
The Top And Ball
Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Denmark
The Top And Ball: flirtation, nostalgia, missed love, vanity, ageing, memory
1914
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