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 Silkworm And Spider	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Silkworm And Spider: labour, craftsmanship, utility, comparison of works, patience, creation, beauty and usefulness, industry, rivalry, artistic production	1855
The Bear, The Monkey And The Hog	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Bear, The Monkey And The Hog: bad criticism, ignorant applause, artistic judgment, taste, performance, false expertise, vanity, spectatorship, ridicule, discernment	1855
The Drones And The Bee	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Drones And The Bee: idleness, labour, entitlement, usefulness, social parasitism, moral economy, work ethic, complaint, justice, contrast	1855
The Two Parrots And The Magpie	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Two Parrots And The Magpie: speech, mimicry, talkativeness, learning by repetition, vanity, comparison, social noise, borrowed language, wit, performance	1855
The Showman's Monkey And His Master	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Showman’s Monkey And His Master: training, exploitation, performance, dependence, artifice, commerce, obedience, spectacle, mastery, ridicule	1855
The Cathedral Bell And The Little Bell	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Cathedral Bell And The Little Bell: greatness, imitation, humility, sound and substance, rank, comparison, proportion, pretension, authority, self-knowledge	1855
The Ass And The Flute	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Ass And The Flute: chance success, accidental talent, vanity, false merit, luck, self-deception, appearance versus reality, artistic pretension, misunderstanding, satire	1855
The Ant And The Flea	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Ant And The Flea: industry, lazy scepticism, empty cleverness, condescension, practicality, proof by action, impatience, talk versus work, presumption, evasion	1855
The Wall-Flower And The Thyme	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Wall-Flower And The Thyme: fragrance versus stature, humility, worth beyond appearance, smallness, beauty, modesty, comparison, inner value, satire on pride, natural merit	1855
The Rabbits And The Dogs	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Rabbits And The Dogs: fear, fine distinctions, urgency, pedantry, danger, practical reality, useless correction, panic, survival, misplaced exactness	1855
The Eggs	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Eggs: fragile plans, potential, carelessness, speculation, expectation, loss, domestic economy, disappointment, prudence, consequence	1855
The Duck And The Snake	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Duck And The Snake: misplaced trust, danger, deceit, innocence, predation, caution, nature, vulnerability, treachery, fatal error	1855
The Muff, The Fan, And The Umbrella	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Muff, The Fan, And The Umbrella: fashion, usefulness, vanity, seasonal relevance, feminine accessories, social display, utility versus ornament, rivalry, changing taste, status	1855
The Frog And The Tadpole	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Frog And The Tadpole: generational advice, growth, immaturity, pedantry, self-importance, development, instruction, youthful ambition, irony, transformation	1855
The Bustard	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Bustard: pride, caution, self-preservation, cowardice, dignity, prudence, reputation, isolation, survival, reserve	1855
The Linnet And The Swan	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Linnet And The Swan: modest talent, ambition, song, comparison, envy, self-knowledge, artistic vanity, natural gifts, aspiration, proportion	1855
The Hack Mule	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Hack Mule: overwork, endurance, exploitation, routine, drudgery, usefulness, patience, labour, burden, resignation	1855
The Goat And The Horse	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Goat And The Horse: hardiness, privilege, endurance, class contrast, labour, appetite, resilience, complaint, inequality, adaptation	1855
The Bee And The Cuckoo	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Bee And The Cuckoo: utility, beauty, song versus labour, rivalry, merit, contribution, productivity, self-worth, comparison, public value	1855
The Rat And the Cat	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Rat And the Cat: predator and prey, deceit, fear, appetite, cunning, survival, false security, vigilance, natural enmity, danger	1855
The Owl And Lamp, And The Dogs And The Ragman	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Owl And Lamp, And The Dogs And The Ragman: obscurity, clarity, noise, misunderstanding, satire on style, light versus darkness, confusion, interpretation, communication, literary criticism	1855
The Thrush, Parrot And Magpie	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Thrush, Parrot And Magpie: song, repetition, chatter, originality, imitation, true voice, noise, performance, artistic merit, comparison	1855
The Wolf And The Shepherd	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Wolf And The Shepherd: hypocrisy, trust betrayed, predation, false guardianship, danger, deception, pastoral life, moral warning, opportunism, vigilance	1855
The Lion, Eagle And Bat	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Lion, Eagle And Bat: opportunism, alliance, ambiguity, double-dealing, neutrality, power, self-interest, conflict, adaptability, mistrust	1855
The Monkey	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Monkey: imitation, vanity, performance, restlessness, superficiality, social mimicry, ridicule, cleverness, instability, folly	1855
The Ass And His Master	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Ass And His Master: obedience, blame, impossible expectations, thanklessness, servitude, fault-finding, authority, injustice, frustration, human folly	1855
The Turnspit And The Mule Of The Well	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Turnspit And The Mule Of The Well: drudgery, repetitive labour, routine, burden, usefulness, humble service, mechanical life, endurance, comparison, resignation	1855
The Author And The Rat	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Author And The Rat: criticism, destructive readers, envy, literary labour, ingratitude, bad faith, pedantry, authorship, corrosive judgment, satire on critics	1855
The Squirrel And The Horse	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Squirrel And The Horse: agility, pride, size versus quickness, comparison, vanity, movement, natural gifts, contrast, self-esteem, proportion	1855
The Fox And The Lady	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Fox And The Lady: fashion, celebrity, empty praise, social imitation, reputation, pretension, bad taste, prestige, literary fame, gullibility	1855
The Ostrich, The Dromedary, And The Fox	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Ostrich, The Dromedary, And The Fox: mutual flattery, ugliness, vanity, self-interest, explanation of praise, satire, friendship of convenience, delusion, social blindness, cunning	1855
The Crow And The Turkey	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Crow And The Turkey: envy, beauty versus utility, speed, resentment, insults, comparison, vanity, wounded pride, ridicule, superiority	1855
The Silkworm And The Caterpillar	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Silkworm And The Caterpillar: transformation, usefulness, hidden worth, appearance versus result, development, labour, patience, metamorphosis, judgment, value	1855
The Purchase Of The Ass	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Purchase Of The Ass: bad bargains, gullibility, hidden faults, commerce, appearances, buyer beware, foolish choice, value, deception, regret	1855
The Ox And The Grasshopper	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Ox And The Grasshopper: labour versus song, utility, burden, leisure, resentment, social roles, endurance, complaint, productivity, contrast	1855
The Macaw And The Marmot	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Macaw And The Marmot: verbosity, foreignness, chatter, display, emptiness, novelty, conversation, pretension, superficial brilliance, satire	1855
The Portrait	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Portrait: likeness, representation, vanity, realism, flattery, art, self-image, criticism, appearance, truth	1855
The Two Inns	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Two Inns: hospitality, appearance versus reality, travel, reputation, comfort, commerce, expectation, class, disappointment, judgment	1855
The Tea-Plant And Sage	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Tea-Plant And Sage: novelty versus tradition, fashion, taste, imported culture, herbal wisdom, changing habits, refinement, rivalry, social manners, preference	1855
The Cat, The Lizard, And The Cricket	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Cat, The Lizard, And The Cricket: domestic life, observation, wit, natural enemies, household comedy, vulnerability, conversation, caution, appetite, surprise	1855
The Concert Of The Beasts	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Concert Of The Beasts: bad art, noise versus harmony, collective vanity, amateurism, performance, criticism, taste, confusion, discord, satire	1855
The Sword And The Spit	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Sword And The Spit: noble use versus common use, status, utility, pride, warfare and domesticity, metalwork, comparison, false superiority, function, irony	1855
The Unfortunates	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Unfortunates: complaint, self-pity, adversity, comparative suffering, irony, consolation, human misery, perspective, exaggeration, fate	1855
The Cocks	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Cocks: rivalry, masculine pride, combat, boasting, vanity, dominance, spectacle, aggression, status, foolish contention	1855
The Monkey And The Magpie	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Monkey And The Magpie: chatter, vanity, imitation, gossip, rivalry, talk for show, restlessness, self-display, wit, empty noise	1855
The Nightingale And The Sparrow	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Nightingale And The Sparrow: true art, common noise, song, envy, merit, popularity, refinement, contrast, talent, judgment	1855
The Gardener And His Master	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Gardener And His Master: practical knowledge, class tension, interference, experience, authority, incompetence, labour, management, common sense, frustration	1855
The Two Thrushes	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Two Thrushes: rivalry, song, imitation, comparison, jealousy, artistic competition, natural talent, vanity, judgement, contrast	1855
The Lace-Makers	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Lace-Makers: craftsmanship, patience, collective work, delicacy, industry, female labour, skill, artistry, cooperation, precision	1855
The Hunter And His Ferret	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Hunter And His Ferret: skill, partnership, hunting, obedience, usefulness, strategy, dependence, discipline, reward, practical cooperation	1855

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