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Sang Kancil Counts the Crocodiles
(Sang Kancil Mengira Buaya)
A Malaysian folktale
Deep in the tropical rainforest of Malaysia where one can hear many kinds of birds, for instance, magpies, cuckoos and sometimes hornbills singing to their hearts-content, the sound of cicadas’ crying to attract their potential mates and if one is lucky enough he or she can hear the cries of siamangs or lotongs as they rummage the forest to find food or just play by clinging or swinging from one tree to another using the strong vines hanging from the green canopies.
Lion and Jackal
A South African folktale
The Lion and the Jackal agreed to hunt on shares, for the purpose of laying in a stock of meat for the winter months for their families.
As the Lion was by far the more expert hunter of the two, the Jackal suggested that he (himself) should be employed in transporting the game to their dens, and that Mrs. Jackal and the little Jackals should prepare and dry the meat, adding that they would take care that Mrs. Lion and her family should not want.
This was agreed to by the Lion, and the hunt commenced.
The man who never lied
An African folktale
Once upon a time there lived a wise man by the name of Mamad. He never lied. All the people in the land, even the ones who lived twenty days away, knew about him.
The king heard about Mamad and ordered his subjects to bring him to the palace. He looked at the wise man and asked:
" Mamad, is it true, that you have never lied?"
" It's true."
The beggar and the miser
An Arab folktale
An old beggar passed through an old village. He knocked on the door of a big beautiful house, with a tall barn and a large iron padlock on the gate. In this house lived a man, known in the village for his miserliness: he never helped people, even though he was very rich.
'Please give me some meat or milk?' - asked the beggar.
The monk and the student
A Chinese folktale
In one school the teacher was a monk. Most of all he loved to have a snack and a nap afterwards. Every time before the lessons he ate so much that he could barely move.
Soon after the beginning of the lessons he always took a nap and slept until the bell for the end of the lessons sounded.
The herb ”mega”
A Japanese folktale
A poor merchant dropped in the village inn to spend the night. He left aside his merchandise and asked the innkeeper to prepare dinner.
The merchant had a few items and a couple of coins, but the greedy innkeeper thought:” Why shouldn't I take all his merchandise and money.”
The two brothers and the white-bearded old man
A European folktale
Once upon a time there were two brothers. They decided to start venturing from town to town and from village to village to to seek happiness. Along the way they saw an old man with white beard heading towards them.
The old man stopped and asked the boys where they were headed. When he found out he told them:
The nightingale
A European folktale
One day a nobleman caught a nightingale and wanted to put it in a cage. But the bird spoke to him:
- Let me go and I will give you a good advice. It may be of use to you some day.
The rich man agreed to let it go.
The nightingale gave him these advices:
Prince Kindhearted
A Polish folktale
One day a nobleman caught a nightingale and wanted to put it in a cage. But the bird spoke to him:
- Let me go and I will give you a good advice. It may be of use to you some day.
The rich man agreed to let it go.
The nightingale gave him these advices:
The toy-goose
A Danish folktale
A Flea, a Grasshopper, and a Toy-goose once wanted to see which of them could jump highest, and so they invited the whole world and everybody else who would like to come, to see the frolic. When the three met together in the room, everyone thought they were remarkable jumpers.
"It is quite true!"
A Danish folktale
"That is a terrible story!" said a Hen in a quarter of the town where the affair had not happened. "That is a terrible story from a poultry-yard. I dare not sleep alone to-night! It is quite fortunate that there are so many of us on the roost together!" And she told a tale, which made the feathers of the other hens stand on end, and the cock's comb fall down flat. It is quite true!
