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 Procession Of Velletri	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Procession Of Velletri: religious festival, communal devotion, spectacle, miracle, local identity, procession, civic faith, popular custom, sacred pageantry, legend	1877
The White Soul	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The White Soul: innocence, posthumous purity, ghostly image, salvation, spiritual beauty, death, transcendence, Christian morality, vision, consolation	1877
The Happy Couple (I Sposi Felici)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Happy Couple (I Sposi Felici): marriage harmony, domestic virtue, mutual affection, contentment, providence, simplicity, household peace, moral example, love, blessing	1877
The Beautiful Englishwoman	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Beautiful Englishwoman: foreign beauty, desire, travel, courtship, fascination, cultural contrast, romance, admiration, social encounter, legend	1877
The Miserly Old Woman	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Miserly Old Woman: avarice, old age, hoarding, comic punishment, poverty mentality, selfishness, moral lesson, household conflict, greed, retribution	1877
The Old Miser	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Old Miser: greed, hoarding, isolation, comic or moral punishment, suspicion, poverty of spirit, family tension, obsession, irony, retribution	1877
The Simple Wife (La Sposa Cece) (1)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Simple Wife (La Sposa Cece): marital comedy, foolishness, domestic misunderstanding, peasant humour, innocence, gender satire, household life, absurdity, mockery, marriage	1877
The Penance Of San Giuliano	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Penance Of San Giuliano: guilt, repentance, mistaken crime, pilgrimage, expiation, sanctity, suffering, redemption, hospitality, Christian legend	1877
The Wooing Of Cassandro	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Wooing Of Cassandro: courtship, persistence, rivalry, romance, wit, negotiation, honour, family resistance, comic pursuit, marriage	1877
Giuseppe L'Ebreo	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Giuseppe L’Ebreo: faith, outsider figure, conversion, miracle, prejudice, religious encounter, moral testing, community, redemption, legend	1877
S Giovanni Bocca D'Oro (Three Tales)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	S Giovanni Bocca D’Oro (Three Tales): eloquence, sanctity, preaching, miracle, charity, Christian virtue, moral instruction, holy reputation, compassion, devotion	1877
The King Of Portugal	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The King Of Portugal: royal legend, travel, distant sovereignty, justice, marvel, political memory, prestige, adventure, authority, foreign court	1877
Filagranata	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Filagranata: enchanted maiden, quest, marvels, royal marriage, magic, trials, transformation, perseverance, wonder, happy ending	1877
Padre Vincenzo (Three Tales)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Padre Vincenzo (Three Tales): priestly legend, sanctity, miracle, local devotion, moral example, compassion, intercession, community memory, piety, humility	1877
Vaccarella	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Vaccarella: pastoral life, innocence, rustic beauty, cattle or milkmaid motif, courtship, simplicity, village humour, fortune, tenderness, countryside	1877
The Twelve Words Of Truth	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Twelve Words Of Truth: cumulative formula, religious instruction, memory test, sacred knowledge, oral tradition, catechism, truth, verbal contest, popular piety, recitation	1877
Pietro Baillardo (Three Tales)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Pietro Baillardo (Three Tales): magician figure, diabolic lore, cunning, forbidden knowledge, supernatural contest, deception, reputation, wonder, danger, legend	1877
King Otho	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	King Otho: kingship, justice, power, historical memory, pride, conflict, political legend, Roman past, authority, downfall	1877
The Preface Of A Franciscan	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Preface Of A Franciscan: clerical wit, sermon frame, humility, monastic humour, moral lesson, self-presentation, piety, irony, religious anecdote, popular speech	1877
Amadea	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Amadea: innocence, suffering, female endurance, virtue rewarded, family trial, piety, patience, rescue, domestic sorrow, moral justice	1877
'Pope Joan' (La Papessa)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Pope Joan (La Papessa): disguise, forbidden ambition, gender concealment, papacy, deception, scandal, transgression, fate, exposure, legend	1877
The Bad-Tempered Queen (La Regina Cattiva)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Bad-Tempered Queen (La Regina Cattiva): tyranny, jealousy, cruelty, royal household, comeuppance, domestic conflict, moral justice, pride, reversal, authority misused	1877
Nun Beatrice	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Nun Beatrice: Marian miracle, absent nun, substitution, repentance, mercy, convent life, divine compassion, return, hidden sin, redemption	1877
Ass Or Pig	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Ass Or Pig: transformation, foolish choice, marriage, animal bridegroom, deception, fate, magic, comic grotesque, identity, consequence	1877
The Transformation-Donkey	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Transformation-Donkey: metamorphosis, animal form, trickery, enchantment, humiliation, recovery, comic wonder, altered identity, magic, reversal	1877
The Pot Of Rue (Il Vaso Di Ruta)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Pot Of Rue (Il Vaso Di Ruta): herb symbolism, chastity, mourning, household custom, female honour, affection, rustic life, emotional token, courtship, omen	1877
Twelve Feet Of Nose (Dodici Palmi Di Naso)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Twelve Feet Of Nose (Dodici Palmi Di Naso): magical gifts, comic excess, enchanted fruit, grotesque nose, trickster victory, poverty to fortune, humiliation, wish-fulfilment, revenge, transformation	1877
Signor Lattanzio	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Signor Lattanzio: riddling courtship, noble household, challenge, cleverness, marriage, status, testing, wit, fortune, family honour	1877
The Pot Of Marjoram (Il Vaso Di Persa)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Pot Of Marjoram (Il Vaso Di Persa): potted plant symbol, fragile love, jealousy, domestic sign, maidenhood, loss, sentiment, household ritual, courtship, token	1877
Scioccolone	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Scioccolone: simpleton hero, comic folly, luck, peasant humour, accidental success, innocence, reversal, mockery, rustic life, fortune	1877
Pasquino (Two Tales)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Pasquino (Two Tales): satire, street voice, public mockery, Roman wit, political comment, popular judgement, lampoon, reputation, urban folklore, humour	1877
The Two Friars	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Two Friars: clerical humour, rivalry, trickery, appetite, monastic satire, companionship, moral jest, popular anticlericalism, wit, comic anecdote	1877
The Fishpond Of St Francis (La Pescheria Di San Francesco)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Fishpond Of St Francis (La Pescheria Di San Francesco): saintly miracle, charity, abundance, Franciscan legend, nature, blessing, humility, provision, devotion, wonder	1877
The Chicory-Seller And The Enchanted Princess	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Chicory-Seller And The Enchanted Princess: poverty, underworld palace, enchantment, hidden bride, quest, humble hero, marvels, trials, transformation, marriage	1877
What Happened In The Room Of A Hotel	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	What Happened In The Room Of A Hotel: urban anecdote, mystery, scandal, supernatural possibility, secrecy, modern setting, suspense, curiosity, social embarrassment, uncanny event	1877
The Foolish Woman (La Donna Mattarella)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Foolish Woman (La Donna Mattarella): domestic folly, comic misunderstanding, marriage, peasant humour, simplicity, everyday absurdity, mockery, household mishap, gender satire, laughter	1877
Bellacuccia	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Bellacuccia: female wit, beauty, courtship, mischief, class contrast, romance, verbal cleverness, fortune, rivalry, popular humour	1877
Padre Filippo	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Padre Filippo: saintly humour, miracle, Roman devotion, charity, popular piety, holy mischief, compassion, urban folklore, protection, sanctity	1877
The Dead Man's Letter	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Dead Man’s Letter: message from beyond the grave, unresolved duty, guilt, haunting, justice, memory, death, revelation, obligation, supernatural warning	1877
The Countess's Cat	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Countess’s Cat: metamorphosis, domestic mystery, aristocratic household, suspicion, enchantment, animal form, hidden identity, uncanny, curiosity, revelation	1877
I Cocorni	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	I Cocorni: jealousy, honour, cuckoldry, mockery, marriage, social satire, reputation, comic humiliation, suspicion, Roman humour	1877
The Pilgrims	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Pilgrims: journey, faith, hardship, devotion, encounter, charity, miracle, spiritual testing, companionship, sacred travel	1877
St Theodora	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	St Theodora: disguise, gender concealment, monastic life, false accusation, humility, sanctity, endurance, repentance, secrecy, spiritual triumph	1877
The Beggar And The Chick-Pea (Il Poverello Del Cece)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Beggar And The Chick-Pea (Il Poverello Del Cece): poverty, miraculous growth, hunger, comic escalation, luck, small cause great effect, rustic humour, want, absurdity, fortune	1877
Donna Olimpia	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	Donna Olimpia: power, greed, Roman society, intrigue, clerical politics, ambition, wealth, manipulation, notoriety, corruption	1877
The Devil Who Took To Himself A Wife	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Devil Who Took To Himself A Wife: devil marriage, comic inversion, shrewish woman, infernal humour, gender battle, punishment, satire, folklore devil, domestic strife, grotesque comedy	1877
The Gluttonous Girl (La Ragazza Golosa)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Gluttonous Girl (La Ragazza Golosa): appetite, greed, comic excess, childish vice, punishment, household humour, food, indulgence, moral lesson, embarrassment	1877
The Greedy Daughter (La Figlia Ghiotta)	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Greedy Daughter (La Figlia Ghiotta): greed, appetite, family conflict, punishment, selfishness, comic morality, food, excess, shame, consequence	1877
The Dead Man In The Oak-Tree	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	The Dead Man In The Oak-Tree: ghostly return, burial, uncanny tree, debt or duty, fear, haunting, rural superstition, death, supernatural encounter, moral unease	1877
La Candeliera	Roman Legends: A Collection Of The Fables And Folk-Lore Of Rome	Rachel Harriette Busk	Italy	La Candeliera: devotion, household piety, miracle, object lore, poverty, blessing, sacred presence, custom, faith, domestic legend	1877

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