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 Pig, The Cock And The Lamb	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Pig, The Cock And The Lamb: appetite, sacrifice, innocence, vanity, differing destinies, farmyard hierarchy, mortality, instinct, irony, contrast	1855
The Flint And The Steel	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Flint And The Steel: collaboration, spark of genius, friction, mutual dependence, creativity, partnership, utility, latent power, action, invention	1855
The Judge And The Robber	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Judge And The Robber: justice, hypocrisy, corruption, moral equivalence, authority, crime, satire of institutions, irony, punishment, social criticism	1855
The Housemaid And The Broom	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Housemaid And The Broom: domestic labour, neglect, utility, dependence, ingratitude, wear and tear, service, invisibility, complaint, household order	1855
The Lizards	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Lizards: trivial quarrels, mimicry, vanity, insignificance, repetition, social satire, pettiness, foolish conflict, noise, self-importance	1855
The Watches	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Watches: disagreement, authority, error, timekeeping, false certainty, conflicting systems, pedantry, truth, convention, social satire	1855
The Mole And Other Animals	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Mole And Other Animals: blindness, limitation, self-importance, ignorance, perception, natural defect, pride, delusion, perspective, satire	1855
The Rope-Dancer	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Rope-Dancer: skill, balance, public applause, risk, performance, fashion, spectatorship, talent, instability, showmanship	1855
The Owl And The Toad	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Owl And The Toad: ugliness, mutual praise, bad taste, flattery, affinity, self-delusion, absurd admiration, satire, vanity, blindness	1855
The Oil Merchant's Ass	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Oil Merchant’s Ass: burden, commerce, habit, exploitation, utility, endurance, routine, smell of trade, labour, humble service	1855
The Connoisseurs	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Connoisseurs: pretended expertise, shallow judgment, affectation, criticism, artifice, social performance, fashion, ignorance, taste, ridicule	1855
The Frog And The Hen	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Frog And The Hen: talkativeness, fertility of words, productivity, vanity, noisy self-advertisement, comparison, substance, pretension, usefulness, satire	1855
The Beetle (1)	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Beetle: self-importance, envy, resentment, obscurity, vanity, social pretension, bitterness, wounded pride, satire, disproportion	1855
The Rich Man's Library	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Rich Man’s Library: book collecting, pretension, unread books, vanity, display, false learning, wealth, cultural status, ownership versus understanding, satire	1855
The Viper And The Leech	Literary Fables of Yriarte	Tomas de Iriarte	Spain	The Viper And The Leech: malice, exploitation, harmful natures, corruption, predation, mutual danger, vice, parasitism, poison, moral contamination	1855
Billy Beg, Tom Beg, And The Fairies	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Billy Beg, Tom Beg, And The Fairies: fairy encounter, bravery, mischief, reward, peril.	1911
The Cormorant And The Bat	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Cormorant And The Bat: animal fable, judgement, identity, conflict, consequence.	1911
The City Under Sea	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The City Under Sea: submerged splendour, loss, mystery, memory, enchantment.	1911
The Tall Man Of Ballacurry	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Tall Man Of Ballacurry: ghostly encounter, fear, local legend, uncanny presence.	1911
The Coming Of Saint Patrick	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Coming Of Saint Patrick: conversion, faith, sacred power, change, legend.	1911
Joe Moore's Story Of Finn Maccooilley And The Buggane	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Joe Moore’s Story Of Finn Maccooilley And The Buggane: giant heroism, combat, folklore bravado, supernatural rivalry.	1911
Kitterland	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Kitterland: fairy enchantment, isolation, mystery, landscape, otherworldliness.	1911
The Fairy Doctor (1)	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Fairy Doctor: healing magic, folklore wisdom, faith, ambiguity, wonder.	1911
Teeval, Princess Of The Ocean	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Teeval, Princess Of The Ocean: sea royalty, enchantment, love, separation, destiny.	1911
Caillagh-Ny-Faashagh, Or The Prophet Wizard	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Caillagh-Ny-Faashagh, Or The Prophet Wizard: prophecy, magic, wisdom, fear, authority.	1911
The Wizard's Palace	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Wizard’s Palace: magic, quest, danger, marvels, hidden power.	1911
Ned Quayle's Story Of The Fairy Pig	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Ned Quayle’s Story Of The Fairy Pig: fairy mischief, uncanny animal, fear, rural lore.	1911
The Lhondoo And The Ushag-Reaisht	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Lhondoo And The Ushag-Reaisht: animal loyalty, conflict, loss, legend, nature.	1911
Manannan Mac-Y-Leirr	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Manannan Mac-Y-Leirr,: guardianship, magic, sovereignty, island identity, divine protection.	1911
The Witch Of Slieu Whallian	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Witch Of Slieu Whallian: witchcraft, suspicion, power, landscape, dread.	1911
John-Y-Chiarn's Journey	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	John-Y-Chiarn’s Journey: otherworld journey, trial, revelation, endurance, return.	1911
How The Herring Became King Of The Sea	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	How The Herring Became King Of The Sea: rivalry, cunning, transformation, status, animal lore.	1911
Tehi Tegi	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Tehi Tegi: fairy bride, longing, loss, divided worlds, sorrow.	1911
The Fairy Child Of Close-Ny-Lheiy	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Fairy Child Of Close-Ny-Lheiy: changelings, fairy abduction, maternal love, uncanny loss.	1911
The Making Of Mann	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Making Of Mann: origins, mythic creation, identity, place, wonder.	1911
Smereree	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Smereree: fairy haunting, fear, mystery, uncanny presence, folklore.	1911
The Fynoderee Of Gordon	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Fynoderee Of Gordon: helpful spirit, labour, loneliness, exile, gratitude.	1911
The Old Christmas	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Old Christmas: custom, memory, seasonal tradition, continuity, community.	1911
The Silver Cup	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Silver Cup: treasure, temptation, fairy gifts, luck, loss.	1911
The Lost Wife Of Ballaleece	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Lost Wife Of Ballaleece: disappearance, grief, fairy abduction, devotion, mystery.	1911
The Buggane Of Glen Meay Waterfall	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Buggane Of Glen Meay Waterfall: monstrous threat, wild places, fear, supernatural danger.	1911
The Moddey Doo Or The Black Dog Of Peel Castle	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Moddey Doo Or The Black Dog Of Peel Castle: haunting, dread, omen, spectral terror.	1911
How The Manx Cat Lost Her Tail	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	How The Manx Cat Lost Her Tail: origin myth, humour, animal lore, mishap.	1911
The Buggane Of St Trinian's	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Buggane Of St Trinian’s: monstrous disruption, courage, sacred space, conflict.	1911
The Mermaid Of Gob-Ny-Ooyl	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Mermaid Of Gob-Ny-Ooyl: sea enchantment, desire, danger, otherworldly beauty.	1911
King Magnus Barefoot	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	King Magnus Barefoot: kingship, invasion, legacy, history, heroic remembrance.	1911
Kebeg	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	Kebeg: trickery, wit, luck, rural humour, comeuppance.	1911
The Enchanted Isle	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Enchanted Isle: magical landscape, wonder, peril, isolation, destiny.	1911
The Lazy Wife	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Lazy Wife: idleness, domestic folly, consequence, humour, correction.	1911
The Little Footprints	Manx Fairy Tales	Sophia Morrison	Isle Of Man	The Little Footprints: sacred wonder, innocence, mystery, memory, place.	1911

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