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 Horned Women (3)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Horned Women: witchcraft, household terror, night visitants, superstition, protection, dread, folklore	1892
The Story-Teller At Fault	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Story-Teller At Fault: storytelling, pride, misjudgement, humour, blame, reputation, folk wisdom	1892
The Battle Of The Birds	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Scotland	The Battle Of The Birds: enchantment, rivalry, quest, shapeshifting, captivity, heroism, wonder	1892
Jack And His Master	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Jack And His Master: bargains, deception, magic, shapeshifting, servant hero, wit, escape	1892
Brewery Of Eggshells	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Wales	Brewery Of Eggshells: changelings, fairies, suspicion, folklore, infancy, uncanny household, revelation	1892
Bedd Gellert	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Bedd Gellert: loyalty, grief, rash judgement, faithful hound, loss, legend, repentance	1892
King O'Toole And His Goose (1)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	King O’Toole And His Goose: absurdity, ageing, kingship, comic fantasy, transformation, whimsy, nonsense	1892
Hudden And Dudden And Donald O'Neary	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Hudden And Dudden And Donald O’Neary: trickster wit, poverty, rivalry, theft, comic reversals, cunning, survival	1892
Gold-Tree And Silver-Tree (2)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Gold-Tree And Silver-Tree: envy, stepmother, beauty, poison, survival, jealousy, wonder	1892
The Lad With The Goat-Skin	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Lad With The Goat-Skin: disguise, lowly hero, transformation, perseverance, courtship, hidden worth, triumph	1892
The Shepherd Of Myddvai (1)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Wales	The Shepherd Of Myddvai: fairy bride, taboo, Welsh legend, healing lineage, marriage, separation, otherworld	1892
The Field Of Boliauns	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Field Of Boliauns: hidden treasure, greed, fairy gold, illusion, mischief, rural belief, disappointment	1892
Guleesh	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Guleesh: graveyard, fear, fairy aid, ordeal, courage, uncanny adventure, transformation	1892
Jack And His Comrades	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Jack And His Comrades: animal helpers, companionship, adventure, teamwork, humour, resourcefulness, wandering	1892
Fair, Brown, And Trembling (2)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Fair, Brown, And Trembling: Cinderella motif, disguise, romance, jealousy, beauty, trials, recognition	1892
Munachar And Manachar (1)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Munachar And Manachar: chain tale, humour, repetition, cumulative storytelling, domestic absurdity, rhythm, folk comedy	1892
Connla And The Fairy Maiden	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Connla And The Fairy Maiden: otherworldly love, temptation, departure, fairy woman, longing, youth, loss	1892
A Legend Of Knockmany (1)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	A Legend Of Knockmany: giants, wit, trickery, Ulster, strength, rivalry, comic folklore	1892
The Sea-Maiden	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Sea-Maiden: otherworld bride, sea magic, desire, loss, enchantment, longing, boundary worlds	1892
The Tale Of Ivan	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Wales	The Tale Of Ivan: quest, magical helpers, trials, kingship, courage, wonder, transformation	1892
The Shee An Gannon And The Gruagach Gaire (1)	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	The Shee An Gannon And The Gruagach Gaire: rivalry, strength, boasting, combat, honour, Highland folklore, endurance	1892
Conal Yellowclaw	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Ireland	Conal Yellowclaw: heroism, enchantment, monsters, quest, bravery, otherworld, rescue	1892
The Wooing Of Olwen	Celtic Fairy Tales	Joseph Jacobs	Wales	The Wooing Of Olwen: heroic courtship, impossible tasks, Arthurian lore, giant’s daughter, destiny, adventure, perseverance	1892
The Curse Of Echo (1)	Children of the Dawn	Elsie Finnimore Buckley	Greece	The Curse Of Echo: unrequited love, vanity, rejection, longing, voice, fading, punishment, transformation	1908
The Sculptor And The Image	Children of the Dawn	Elsie Finnimore Buckley	Greece	The Sculptor And The Image: art, longing, ideal beauty, creation, desire, prayer, transformation, love	1908
The Flight Of Arethusa	Children of the Dawn	Elsie Finnimore Buckley	Greece	The Flight Of Arethusa: pursuit, chastity, escape, divine aid, transformation, river, freedom, desire	1908
Hero And Leander (2)	Children of the Dawn	Elsie Finnimore Buckley	Greece	Hero And Leander: love, longing, separation, danger, devotion, night journey, fate, drowning, tragedy	1908
The Iron Wolf	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Iron Wolf: relentless pursuit, magical helpers, and escape from death.	1916
The Story Of The Wind	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of The Wind: poverty, grievance, supernatural redress, and perseverance.	1916
The Old Dog	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Old Dog: loyalty remembered, usefulness restored, and animal friendship.	1916
The Magic Egg	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Magic Egg: perilous magical abundance, carelessness, bargains, and escape.	1916
The Story Of The Forty-First Brother	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of The Forty-First Brother: overlooked youngest son triumphs through perseverance and luck.	1916
The Story Of Ivan And The Daughter Of The Sun	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of Ivan And The Daughter Of The Sun: quest, endurance, infernal trials, and radiant marriage.	1916
The Golden Slipper	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Golden Slipper: mistreated girl, magical aid, recognition, and reward.	1916
The Story Of Unlucky Daniel	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of Unlucky Daniel: misfortune, resilience, brave action, and reversal of fortune.	1916
The Cat, The Cock, And The Fox	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Cat, The Cock, And The Fox: gullibility, repeated rescue, and sly predation.	1916
The Two Princes	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Two Princes: brotherhood, rivalry, fate, and princely testing.	1916
The Serpent-Wife	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Serpent-Wife: enchanted marriage, secrecy, transformation, and loss.	1916
The Story Of The Unlucky Days	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of The Unlucky Days: poverty, fate, labour, and luck challenged.	1916
The Ungrateful Children And The Old Father Who Went To School Again	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Ungrateful Children And The Old Father Who Went To School Again: filial ingratitude rebuked through wit and social shame.	1916
The Story Of Tremsin, The Bird Zhar, And Nastasia, The Lovely Maid Of The Sea	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Story Of Tremsin, The Bird Zhar, And Nastasia, The Lovely Maid Of The Sea: heroic quest, magical bird, sea-maiden, and wonder.	1916
The Three Brothers (6)	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Three Brothers: sibling contrast, trials, and the worthiest prevailing.	1916
The Fox And The Cat (1)	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Fox And The Cat: bluff, reputation, and predators frightened by appearances.	1916
The Voices At The Window	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Voices At The Window: overheard doom, loyal warning, and sacrificial fidelity.	1916
The Vampire And St Michael	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Vampire And St Michael: death, resurrection, holiness, and evil overcome.	1916
The Serpent-Tsarevich And His Two Wives	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Serpent-Tsarevich And His Two Wives: monstrous birth, marriage trials, and divided loyalty.	1916
The Origin Of The Mole	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Origin Of The Mole: transformation, punishment, and an origin explained through folklore.	1916
Oh: The Tsar Of The Forest	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	Oh: The Tsar Of The Forest: laziness transformed through ordeal, magic, and cunning.	1916
The Wondrous Story Of Ivan Golik And The Serpents	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Wondrous Story Of Ivan Golik And The Serpents: humble heroism, serpent trials, strength, and magical aid.	1916
The Tsar And The Angel	Cossack Fairy Tales and Folk Tales	R. Nisbet Bain	Ukraine	The Tsar And The Angel: divine correction, humility, justice, and righteous kingship.	1916

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