From Here to There and Back Again,

The Boy Fiddler of Sicily

Stone Shirt and the One - Two. American Indian.

"ALAMAT" kwentong bersyon ng mga tagalog.

   The Emperor's Nightingale - China

  The Cave of the Yellow Dog - Mongolia

  The Celtic Hills - Wales

  Who Lived in the Skull - Russia

  The Dreaming Tree - From Brazil

  The Magic Orange Tree - Haitian

 The Story's of the Norse

STONE-SHIRT AND THE ONE-TWO.

TONE-SHIRT was a terrible giant who wore a shirt of shells so fastened that no arrow could pierce it. He lived with his three daughters on the shore of the Big Sea Water.

His daughters were not bad or hardhearted, but they were forced to do all sorts of evil to protect their father. They had magic arrows which went wherever they wished and found their way straight to the hearts of their enemies, though shot' without aim.

Stone-shirt, while out hunting one day, saw a beautiful woman gathering flags. "Who are you?" said he to her.
She was afraid of him, and said "I am Spear-mint."

"You are not," roared the giant, "you are Mouse, the wife of the Crane. I will kill him and you shall live with me. Kill your child before I return or I will dash him to pieces before your eyes."

The giant was not long gone, and when he returned he carried the scalp of the Crane, whom he had met on the way back to his wigwam. Seizing Mouse by the hair, he shook the scalp in her face, and then dragged her through the forest.
The deer had shed his horns many times when the baby boy, now grown to be a fine lad, went with his grandmother to dig flag-roots. They took a sharp flint knife with which to cut the ground, for the roots are hard to pull.
When they had been some time in the swamp, they found that the roots came up easily and then more easily till at last they had only to take hold of a flag to have it at once loosened from the earth. The old woman said, "Surely something strange is going to happen. Let us go home, I do not care to dig any more to-day."

The boy took an armful of flags to the place where he had put the others, but the pile was gone. He called to his grandmother and asked her if she had moved the roots.

"No, my child," said she, "perhaps some giant has stolen them, let us go home."
The boy looked around and soon spied a man sitting under a tree not far off. He felt sure it was he who had stolen the flags, and taking up some small stones, threw them at him, calling him, ''Thief, coward."

The man did not move. At last a stone larger than the others struck his leg and broke it. He lifted up the leg, bound it tightly with a strip torn from his coat and again sat down under the tree. Then he beckoned to the boy, and pointing to some bones in front of him, asked: "What bones are these?"
The boy answered promptly, "Elk or deer."
"No," said the man," these are the bones of your father. Has not the old woman told you how he was killed by Stone-shirt and his bones left to rot like those of the wolf?"

"No," said the boy.
"Has she not told you of your mother whom Stone-shirt carried off?"
"No," said the lad again; but the man saw he would fight the giant, so he said no more, but disappeared as suddenly as he had come.
The boy went back to his grandmother and told her what he had heard. She knew at once that he must have seen a spirit. When the boy blamed her for keeping the story of his father's death a secret, she cried and said, "You are my only hope. If you go to fight Stone-shirt, he will kill you and I shall be alone."
The boy made no answer, but went and lay down on his couch of skins, for he felt a heavy sleep coming over him. He slept three days and three nights. When he awoke he refused food and said: "I am going to all nations to enlist warriors in my cause," and passed out of the wigwam.

The boy was tall and well-formed, and while he slept he had taken on the face of a young man. He traveled many moons, and wherever he went the chiefs listened to him, and the young men of the different tribes took up their bows and arrows and declared themselves ready to follow him.Among them were two magicians, the Wolf and the Rattlesnake. These two went with him some distance, and the three entered his grandmother's wigwam.
After they had eaten a meal which the old woman gladly prepared for them, the young man
took a stone axe and handing it to her asked her to cut him in two.
She refused, but he persisted, and at last commanded her to do as he said, and in such a tone that she dared not disobey.

She struck the blow tremblingly, hitting the red deer's tail that he wore, when lo! each half of his body took form, and instead of one handsome young warrior, there were two who were so much alike that one could not be distinguished from the other.
The One-Two, as they called themselves, went out to meet the people who were now advancing through the forest. The number of them was so great that it was a day's march from the foremost men to those at the end of the trail.

Their way lay through a barren place, and they traveled all day without seeing trees or water. The next morning they began to grumble, for they suffered from thirst. As the day wore on they grumbled more and more and began to threaten the One-Two, though no one had been compelled to follow.
The Rattlesnake, who had much wisdom, said, "One-Two, now is the time to bring out your magic cup."

This cup was a large bowl of polished bass-wood. It could be held in the hand, and yet when one looked inside it one could not see the bottom. One-Two had received it from a magician when he first set out on his journey. He had sealed it as he had been told, with a water-lily leaf and the balsam of the fir, and kept it to use when in great distress.

The brothers consulted together and decided to take the Rattlesnake's advice. They handed the cup from one to another. As soon as one had taken all that he wanted, even to what might have been half that it held, the cup was full again. But before it could be passed to the Wolf he was dead.
Then the people grumbled again, for the Wolf was brave and gave them courage. The brothers paid no attention to the complaints; but one held the cup while the other took some
water from it and with it he sprinkled the Wolf.
Wolf arose and cried: "Why did you disturb me? I was having such pleasant dreams."
They gave him the cup and he drank all that there was in it; but when he handed it to the brothers it did not refill.
They had brought but little food with them, and no animals crossed their path in the barren place; so they were hungry, and on the third day began again to grumble and to accuse the brothers.
The One-Two said nothing, but towards evening they said to the Wolf, who was keen of sight and of scent, "Is not that an antelope in the distance?"

"Yes," said the Wolf, "but it is the goat with many eyes, the watchman of Stone-shirt. Nevertheless I will go and kill it."
Then the Rattlesnake said, "Let me go, for the antelope will see you and will run away."
But the One-Two sent the Wolf, for they knew him to be the braver. He started at once, going in and out so as to hide in the bushes,
After he had gone, the Rattlesnake said to the brothers, "Do you see me?"
"No," was the answer, and they began to search for him. They looked in vain till the Rattlesnake chose to show himself, although they were standing in an open space where there was no place for him to hide.
The Rattlesnake again asked to be allowed to hunt the antelope. The brothers told him he might go, and in a few hours he returned with the game on his shoulders.
The Wolf saw him as he passed, and at first was very angry, but afterwards he said to himself, "What does it matter, so long as the people get food?"
Again they were without water; so the One-Two changed themselves into doves, took the magic cup and flew with it towards the lodge of Stone-shirt, which they knew was on the edge of a lake.
The daughters of Stone-shirt bathed in the lake every morning; and having been annoyed by birds peeping at them from the bushes, they set a snare for them.
The One-Two, knowing nothing of this, were caught, and the maidens carried them to a lodge. Stone-shirt looked at them with suspicion, for he knew no such birds lived thereabouts, and he feared they were spies. His daughters, however, persuaded him not to kill them. They stroked them and fed them and in the morning let them fly away.
The brothers went back to the bushes where they had dropped the cup, filled it and flew with it to their camp.

The next day they ventured near Stone-shirt's lodge in their natural form. This time they saw their mother. She did not believe their story at first, for she had left only one child. But when they explained how everything had happened, she begged them not to fight Stone-shirt, and told them about his armor and his daughters’ arrows.
But they could not be persuaded. They told her they would surely fight the giant the next day, and warned her not to go down to the lake for fear she might be hit by a stray arrow.

That night the One-Two disguised themselves as mice and crept into the wigwam of Stone-shirt, where they nibbled the strings of all his bows. The Rattlesnake went with them and hid himself behind a rock on which Stone-shirt sat every morning.
When the giant appeared as usual, the Rattlesnake bit him. He leaped high in the air and exclaimed, "We are betrayed!"

His daughters seized their bows and arrows, but found them useless, as the strings had been gnawed.
The cry of Stone-shirt had roused the warriors who, having advanced in the night, were lying in ambush near his lodge. They let fly a shower of arrows and then rushed from their hiding-place.
Both the maidens were struck; and waving their hands to their enemies to fall back, they sang a death-song and fell dead across the path that led to the lodge.
One-Two were very sorry, for the maidens had been kind to them. They buried them with great mourning; but the bones of Stone-shirt were left to rot as he had left those of their father, the Crane.

Another popular legend tells the story of how Bathala created the people of the islands.

In the beginning when the Earth was still young, the gods, Bathala; Aman Sinaya; and Amihan, were the only beings that existed. Bathala was god of the Sky (Langit) and Aman Sinaya was goddess of the Sea (Dagat). The two have been fierce rivals for a long time, and everyday, they would try to outdo each other. Bathala used his lighting bolts and thunder, and Aman Sinaya used her waves and typhoons.

One day, Aman Sinaya decided to send her tempests into the Sky to cause a wild comotion. In order to stop her, Bathala threw giant boulders that came from atop of the mountains. It created thousands of islands onto the surface of the Sea, which became the Philippine archipelago. Amihan, the Northeast Wind in the middle of the two realms, decided to stop the battle once and for all by taking the form of a bird. She then flew back and forth between them. This made the Sky and the Sea closer than it was before. At the point where the two realms met, both deities agreed to end the fight and become friends.

As a sign of friendship, Bathala planted a seed underneath the ocean floor. It soon grew into a bamboo reed, sticking out of the edge of the Sea. Amihan had gazed upon it one day and heard voices, coming from inside the bamboo. "Oh, North Wind! North Wind! Please let us out!", the voices said. She pecked the reed once, then twice. All of a sudden, the bamboo cracked and slit open. Inside were two human beings; one was a male and the other was a female. Amihan named the man "Malakas" (Strong) and the woman "Maganda" (Beautiful). She then flew them onto one of the islands where they settled, built a house, and had millions of offspring that populated the Earth.

Then, it finally came when the children were too numerous for Malakas and Maganda to control. One day, they were ordered to work in the fields, but instead, they did nothing. When the parents arrived home, they noticed that their instructions weren't followed. Asking for some guidance, they prayed to the great god, Bathala, and he came to them and said, "Let your anger be shown to everyone and it shall make them into what they are meant to be." So out of their anger, they grabbed spoon ladles and began to give blows to everyone.

All the children started running away. Some hid under the bamboo tables and became slaves. A few of them went inside the burning cauldron and turned into the Aetas of the islands. Others climbed up the rooftop and became the datus of the villages. While some climbed on top of the trees and were believed to have become the commoners. Those who fled to the mountains turned into hunters and the ones who ran to the seashore turned into fishermen.

Here is the link to the web site, I really think you will enjoy it no matter what nationality you are.  http://www.irishstoryteller.com/boru.html

Brian Boru

(in Gaelic)
Briain Borumha.
___________________________________

Ireland's greatest King

Brian was the twelfth son of Kennedy of Thomond.
His eldest brother Malachi (or Mahon) succeeded to the throne of Munster.
Both Malachi and Brian were exceptional men. When the Danes
began to overrun the country, the two brothers united,
and swept them back inside
their walled cities

Malachi was the more noble;
Brian was more forceful, capable and energetic.
When Malachi was killed by treachery,
Brian was undisputed king.

He reigned for thirty-nine years.
It was a time of unsurpassed glory,
prosperity and happiness. He promoted the
arts and learning. He is credited with having
originated surnames. His patriotism and personal sacrifice
brought the clans together, under one king,
for the only time in Irish history.

He was eighty-nine when his army
faced the armies of the Norsemen at the
Battle of Clontarf. Brian's warriors won
the day, but Brian was dead, as were his son
and grandson.

The days of Ireland's finest king were gone.
In the words of his eulogist,
"Brian was the last man in Erin who
was a match for a hundred."

The Rock of Cashel was where Brian Boru was crowned in 1002.   Click here to read more about Brian Boru

O'Brian Tower in Co. Clare, where Brian Boru originally lived.

Bunratty Castle was once the fortress of the O'Brian, Kings of Thomond. Click here to read more about the O'Brian Clan

Demon Girls of Ujae

Notes:

Stories From Around The World

                            
 The Magic Cap

THE goblins of Korea used to wear magic caps, called Horang Gamte, which had the power of rendering them invisible.

Now there once lived a man who was most diligent in his worship of his ancestors. He was always holding services to their memory, with lavish offerings of delicious food and drink. One day, when he had held such a service, a group of goblins came to his house, and ate up all the good things set out on the altars. And on every following occasion they did the same. Of course they were invisible, for they wore their magic caps, and so the offerings just disappeared. The man was very gratified at first to see his offerings eaten, for it seemed to prove that his ancestors relished them. So he spent more and more money to provide even more lavish feasts until he was almost ruined.

At last his wife complained of his extravagance. 'There must be something wrong,' she said.

'The spirits of our ancestors would never eat so much as to leave us almost ruined. There must be thieves coming in and stealing them while we are occupied with the ceremonial and bowing before the altar. In future I think we ought to keep a careful watch.'

So one night the husband hid behind a screen by the altar. He held a stout cudgel in his hand. In the middle of the night he heard the sound of whispering and of food being eaten. He peeped over the screen and saw the food steadily disappearing from the dishes. Yet he could see no one by the table. So all of a sudden he rushed out brandishing his cudgel and rushed round the altar and into all the corners of the room. Alarmed by his violent onslaught the goblins ran away, but the man touched one Of them with his cudgel and knocked his cap off. When the goblins had gone the man saw a red cap lying on the floor, the like of which he had never seen before. He picked it up curiously and put it on, and then began to shout 'Thief! Thief!’

His wife heard his shouts and came into the hall. But she could not see her husband, though she could hear him beside her gasping breathlessly, 'The thief got away, but he left a very strange cap behind. See?' His wife just stood there bewildered and said, 'But where are you, my dear? I can't see you.' Her husband took her by the hand and said, 'I'm here. What's the matter?' She felt him take hold of her, and tried to grasp him. she chanced to knock off the cap which he had put on his head. No sooner had it fallen to the floor than she saw him standing beside her.

She picked up the cap and said, 'Is this the cap you mean?' It must have made you invisible. So that's how the thief got in unnoticed. Let me try it.' she put it on her head and immediately vanished. 'This must be Horang Gamte, the magic cap. I'm sure of it!' she exclaimed. 'The thief was no man, but a goblin.'

Having made this remarkable find they determined that they would turn it to their profit. From that day on they went from house to house in the village, stealing all that they could lay their hands on. Many complaints were made to the authorities, but though a strict watch was kept not a single clue could be found, so stealthily were the thefts committed.

They continued their activities for more than a year, and became very rich. But one day the husband went to a jeweller's shop. It was not open yet, so he waited by the door. In a little while the jeweller came along and opened the door and the thief slipped in behind him. The jeweller took his money from the safe and began to count it. While he was counting it he was amazed to see the coins disappearing one by one. He searched the whole shop, on the door, and in every corner, but could find no trace of them. Then he looked up, and saw a piece of thread moving slowly in the air. He grabbed it with his fingers, something dropped on the floor, and there beside him he saw a man. The magic cap was beginning to wear out, and a thread had come loose from one of the seams.

The jeweller seized him with both hands, until he returned all the money he had stolen and offered him the magic cap did he let him go. Then the jeweller neglected his business and began himself to use the magic cap as the other had done. One day in the harvest time he went to a rich farmer's house, wearing the magic cap on his head.

The yard was full of labourers threshing rice with flails. As he passed through the yard to the house one of the flails knocked the cap off his head, and it fell in tatters to the ground. So he was discovered, and immediately arrested.

He was brought to trial, and the husband and wife as well. They were all condemned to imprisonment, and shortly afterwards died in prison.

Ondoru Yawa, told by Zo Song-Gab; Onyang (I9I3).
Korean Fairy Tales

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I cannot find a single picture for this story so I am just giving you a little Chinese Culture instead.

A CHINESE FAIRY STORY

    The Story of Hok Lee and the Dwarfs

        
          THERE ONCE LIVED in a small town in China a man named Hok Lee. He was a steady, industrious man, who not only worked hard at his trade, but did all his own housework as well, for he had no wife to do it for him.  "What an excellent, industrious man is this Hok Lee!" his neighbours said. "How hard he works. He never leaves his house to amuse himself or to take a holiday as others do! "

 But Hok Lee was by no means the virtuous person his neighbours thought him to be. True, he worked hard enough by day, but at night, when all respectable folk were fast asleep, he would steal out and join a dangerous band of robbers who broke into rich people's houses and carried off all they could lay their hands on. This state of things went on for some time, and though a thief was caught now and then and punished, no suspicion ever fell on Hok Lee, he was such a very respectable, hard-working man.

He had already amassed a good store of money as his share of the proceeds of these robberies when it happened one morning on going to market that a neighbour said to him, "Why, Hok Lee, what is the matter with your face; One side of it is all swelled up."

 True enough, Hok Lee's right cheek was twice the size of his left, and it soon began to feel very uncomfortable.

 "I will bind up my face," Hok Lee said. "Doubtless the warmth will cure the swelling."

 Next day, however, it was only worse, and day by day it grew bigger and bigger till it was nearly as large as his head and very painful. Hok Lee was at his wits' end what to do. Not only was his cheek unsightly and painful, but his neighbours began to jeer and make fun of him, which hurt his feelings very much indeed.

 One day, as luck would have it, a traveling doctor came to the town. He sold not only all kinds of medicine but also dealt in many strange charms against witches and evil spirits. Hok Lee determined to consult him and asked him into his house.

 After the doctor had examined him carefully, he said, "This O Hok Lee, is no ordinary swollen face. I strongly suspect you have been doing some wrong deed which has called down the anger of the spirits on you. None of my drugs will cure you, but if you are willing to pay me handsomely, I will tell you how you may be cured."

 Then Hok Lee and the doctor began to bargain, and it was a long time before they could come to terms. The doctor got the better of it in the end, for he was determined not to part with his secret under a certain price, and Hok Lee had no mind to carry his huge cheek about with him to the end of his days. So he was obliged to part with the greater portion of his ill-gotten gains. When the doctor had pocketed the money, he told Hok Lee to go on the first night of the full moon to a certain wood and there to watch by a particular tree. After a time the dwarfs and sprites who live underground would come out to dance. When they saw him they would be sure to make him dance too.

 "And mind you dance your very best," added the doctor. "If you dance well and please them, they will allow you to present a petition and you can then beg to be cured; but if you dance badly they will most likely do you some mischief out of spite." With that he took his leave and departed.

 Happily, the first night of the full moon was near, and at the proper time Hok Lee set out for the wood. With a little trouble he found the tree the doctor had described, and feeling nervous, he climbed up into it. He had hardly settled himself on a branch when in the moonlight he saw the dwarfs assembling. They came from all sides until at length there appeared to be hundreds of them. They seemed in high glee, and danced and skipped and capered about, while Hok Lee grew so eager watching them that he crept farther and farther along his branch until it gave a loud crack. All the dwarfs stood still, and Hok Lee felt as if his heart stood still also.

 Then one of the dwarfs called out, "Someone is up in that tree. Come down at once, whoever you are, or we must come and fetch you!"

 In great terror, Hok Lee proceeded to come down, but he was so nervous that, just before he reached the grounds he tripped and came rolling down in the most absurd manner. When he had picked himself up, he came forward with a low bow, and the dwarf who had first spoken and who appeared to be the leader, said, "NOW then, who are you, and what brings you here?"

 So Hok Lee told him the sad story of his swollen cheek, and how he had been advised to come to the forest and beg the dwarfs to cure him.

 "It is well," replied the dwarf. "We will see about that. First, however you must dance for us. Should your dancing please us, perhaps we may be able to do something, but should you dance badly, we shall assuredly punish you; so now take warning and dance away.

 With that, he and all the other dwarfs sat down in a large ring, leaving Hok Lee to dance alone in the middle. He felt half frightened to death and, besides, was much shaken by his fall from the tree, and he did not feel at all inclined to dance. But the dwarfs were not to be trifled with.

 "Begin!" cried their leader, and, "Begin!" shouted the rest in chorus.

In despair Hok Lee began to dance. First he hopped on one foot and then on the other, but he was so stiff and so nervous that he made but a poor attempt, and after a time sank down on t he ground and vowed he could dance no more.

 The dwarfs were very angry. They crowded round Hok Lee and abused him. "You come here to be cured, indeed!" they cried. "You have brought one big cheek with you but you shall take away two." With that they ran off and disappeared, leaving Hok Lee to find his way home as best he might.

 He hobbled away, weary and depressed, and not a little anxious because of the dwarfs' threat. Nor were his fears unfounded, for when he rose next morning his left cheek was swelled up as big as his right, and he could hardly see out of his puffy eyes. Hok Lee was in despair, and his neighbours jeered at him more than ever. The doctor had disappeared, so there was nothing for it but to try the dwarfs once more.

 He waited a month until the first night of the full moon came round again, and then he trudged back to the forest and sat down under the tree from which he had fallen. He had not long to wait. Before long the dwarfs came trooping out until all were assembled.

 "I do not feel quite easy," said one. "I feel as if some horrid human being were near us."

 When Hok Lee heard this, he came forward and bowed down to the ground before the dwarfs, who came crowding round and laughed heartily at his comical appearance with his two big checks.

"What do you want now?" they asked.

 Hok Lee proceeded to tell them of his fresh misfortunes and begged so hard to be allowed one more attempt at dancing that the dwarfs consented, for there is nothing they love so much as being amused. Now Hok Lee knew how much depended on his dancing well. He plucked up a good spirit and began, first slowly, then faster by degrees, and he danced so well and so gracefully and invented such new and wonderful steps that the dwarfs were quite delighted with him.

They clapped their tiny hands and shouted, "Well done, Hok Lee, well done. Go on, dance some more."

And Hok Lee danced on and on until he really could dance no more and was obliged to stop.

 Then the leader of the dwarfs said, "We are well pleased, Hok Lee, and as a recompense for your dancing your face shall be cured. Farewell."

 With these words he and the other dwarfs vanished, and Hok Lee, putting his hands to his face, found to his great joy that his cheeks were now their natural size. The way home seemed short and easy, and he went to bed happy, and he resolved never to go out robbing again.

 Next day the whole town was full of the news of his sudden cure. His neighbours questioned him but could get nothing from him except that he had discovered a wonderful cure for all kinds of diseases.

 After a time a rich neighbour, who had been ill for some years, came and offered Hok Lee a large sum of money if he would tell him how he might be cured. Hok Lee consented on condition that the neighbour would swear to keep the secret. He did so, and Hok Lee told him of the dwarfs and their dances.

 The neighbour went off, he carefully obeyed Hok Lee's directions, and was duly cured by the dwarfs. Then another and another came to Hok Lee to beg his secret, and from each he extracted a vow of secrecy and a large sum of money. This went on for some years, so that at length Hok Lee became a very wealthy man and ended his days in peace and prosperity.

From the Green Fairy Book Edited by Andrew Lang

www.chronicles.thermaloblivion.com/andrewlang...   

A Wonderful site for fairy tales edited by the fabulous Andrew Lang

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