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Welcome to World of tales - children's folktales, fairy tales and fables from around the world!

Whether a student, a parent or a teacher, here you can take a magical journey, filled with adventure, or just remember what it feels like to be a kid again. There is a little something for everyone among these pages, starting with the classic fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and Charles Perrault, going on to the morally edifying fables of Aesop and Jean de La Fontaine, and ending with the wisdom, gathered by the people: the folktales from different parts of the world.

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3 August 2010 - Added a fourth book with Grimm's fairy tales.

5 August 2010 - Added a bookstore. The store is powered by amazon.com . If you wish to show your support for worldoftales.com you can buy something from there or from amazon through this link.

24 August 2010 - Added Cinderella in Polish

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Explore the folktales

About folktales

The folktale is a story, passed down verbally from generation to generation. Each storyteller told the folktales a little differently, making them more interesting and fascinating as the ages passed. Different folktales bear the characteristics of the culture, folklore and customs of the people from which they originated.

Choose a continent

African folktales: There are currently 10 African folktales
Asian folktales:There are currently 17 Asian folktales
Australian folktales: There are currently 31 Australian folktales
European folktales: There are currently 10 European folktales
North American folktales: There are currently 10 North American folktales
South American folktales: There are currently 34 South American folktales
Browse all folktales : There are currently 102 folktales in the collection

Related:

Andrew Lang's Blue Fairy Book, sorted by continent
Asia
Europe

Top 10 folktales as visited by users

1.The four dragons is an Asian folktale.
2.Why the Cheetah's cheeks are stained is an African folktale.
3.The man who never lied is an African folktale.
4.The beggar and the miser is an Asian folktale.
5.Lion and Jackal is an African folktale.
6.Loawnu the wise woman is an Asian folktale.
7.The monk and the student is an Asian folktale.
8.Clever Jackal gets away is an African folktale.
9.The nightingale is a European folktale.
10.The Disobedient Son is a South American folktale.

Explore the fairy tales

Fairy tales

About fairy tales

The fairy tale has its roots way back in ancient times. A very significant literature genre, the fairy tales are present in all cultures worldwide. In contrast to folktales, which are spread form mouth to mouth and have no author, the author of the fairy tales in known and they are written down. In comparison to myths and legends, the time and place of occurrence in fairy tales are not defined. The characteristics of fairy tales include the appearance of fantastic elements in the form of talking animals, magic, witches and giants, knights and heroes. It wasn't until the 17th century that the fairy tales were written down and preserved for future generations. Fairy tales are a part of the larger folktale category.

Fairy tales research

The first to do research on fairy tales was the indologist Theodor Benfey during the 19th century. In 1910 the Finnish researcher Antti Aarne categorized fairy tales by their narrative content. Her work was later translated and enriched by Stith Thompson, with the result being the Aarne-Thompson classification system. In 1928 the Russian scholar Vladimir Propp contributed with his structural study of the morphology of fairy tales - an important contribution fairy tales research. The later research on fairy tales used a different theoretical approaches from anthropology, oral history, examining various individual philology, psychology and others. Good and evil in fairy tales is usually clearly separated, often in the form of good and evil characters. The content of fairy tales usually has a hero at the center and a conflict between good and evil, natural and supernatural forces. The hero is often a weak figure, like the youngest son. At the end of a fairy tale, the good is rewarded and evil - punished.

Fairy tales in Germany

In Germany the term fairy tales is largely associated with the first collection of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. There are, however, numerous German fairy tales that the Grimms did not record.

Fairy tales in France

The first collection of fairy tales in French was Charles Perrault's "Histoires ou Contes du temps passé avec des moralités". His work laid the foundation of the genre of fairy tales. The term fairy tale was later used by the French writer Madame d'Aulnoy. She named her book "Contes de fées" ("Fairy tales"), giving fairy tales their modern name.

Fairy tales in India

The Indian fairy tales have a long and varied tradition. The 2000 year old fairy tale collection called Panchatantra is among the most significant collections of Indian fairy tales. In beginning of the 20th century the Indologist John Hertel had the most important scientific contribution to Panchatantra.

Andrew Lang - Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 - 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, and literary critic. Born in Selkirk, Lang was the oldest among eight siblings. After graduating, he began to publish his works, showing he was a gifted journalist, poet, and writer.

Andrew Lang is best known as one of the most important collectors of folk and fairy tales. The twelve fairy tale books he... Go to Andrew Lang's fairy tales

Brothers Grimm - The Brothers Grimm are probably the best known story tellers in the world. Many years have passed since the time Jackob and Wilhelm Grimm released their "Children's and household tales". The first edition and was very modest, both in appearance and capacity - there were only 83 fairy tales, compared ... Go to Grimm's fairy tales

Charles Perrault - Charles Perrault was a French writer who lived in the second half of XVII century. He was one of the first writers in European literature who turned his eyes to folklore. Born in 1628 in a clerical bourgeois family, Perrault received legal education and had high royal office. In the second half of XVII century there was...
Go to Perrault's fairy tales

Elsie Spicer Eells - Elsie Spicer Eells (Sept. 21, 1880 - May 24, 1963) was the author of numerous books, mostly relating to fairy tales and folklore in Brazil. Go to Elsie Spicer Eells's fairy tales

Hans Christian Andersen - Hans Christian Andersen, born April 2, 1805 in Odense, was a Danish writer and poet. In his early days, Andersen wanted to become an opera singer. In 1819 he went to Copenhagen to pursuit that dream. His voice, however, was too weak and he was accepted as a dance student at the Royal Theater... Go to Andersen's fairy tales

Top 10 fairy tales as visited by users

1.The red shoes by Hans Christian Andersen - Visit Andersen's fairy tales
2.The Frog-King, or Iron Henry by The Brothers Grimm - Visit Grimm's fairy tales
3.Cinderella by The Brothers Grimm - Visit Grimm's fairy tales
4.The Sleeping Beauty In The Woods by Charles Perrault - Visit Perrault's fairy tales
5.Rapunzel by The Brothers Grimm - Visit Grimm's fairy tales
6.Cinderella, Or The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault - Visit Perrault's fairy tales
7.Rumpelstiltskin by The Brothers Grimm - Visit Grimm's fairy tales
8.The Fairy by Charles Perrault - Visit Perrault's fairy tales
9.The naughty boy by Hans Christian Andersen - Visit Andersen's fairy tales
10.Little Thumb by Charles Perrault - Visit Perrault's fairy tales

Explore the fables

About fables

The fable is a short story with a moral at the end. The main characters in most fables are animals.

Aesop - Little is known about the life of Aesop. According to historical facts he was a slave, who lived in the sixth century BC in ancient Greece. Some legends suggest Aesop was an ugly hunchbacked slave, although his real appearance is a mystery. One thing is known for sure - Aesop was a very smart, resourceful and inventive man...
Go to Aesop's fables

Jean de La Fontaine - Jean de La Fontaine was a French poet and fabulist, who lived and worked during the XVII century. For special contributions to French literature was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1684. Published in 1668, the collection of fables brought La Fontaine international fame. The works of the ancient... Go to La Fontaine's fables

Top 10 fable pages as visited by users

1.Aesop's Fables Page 1
2.Aesop 's Fables Page 9
3.La Fontaine 's Fables page 1
4.Aesop 's Fables Page 2
5.Aesop 's Fables Page 15
6.Aesop 's Fables Page 3
7.Aesop 's Fables Page 8
8.Aesop 's Fables Page 4
9.Aesop 's Fables Page 7
10.La Fontaine 's Fables page 2

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