The Wendigo
The first wendigo came into being many years ago, when a village was starving to death in the coldest of winters. Continue reading The Wendigo
Category: Folktales
The Ghost of the Lily of the Valley
There was a woman who lived alone in the woods with her young son. Every day from sunrise to sunset, he played among the trees. One day, he returned with a handful of lily of the valley. “These are beautiful!” … Continue reading The Ghost of the Lily of the Valley
The Marsh Lights
If you look at the marshes on summer nights, you will sometimes see little lights hovering above the weeds. Some people say they are marsh gases that burn, others say that they are the souls of children who died but … Continue reading The Marsh Lights
Lost Souls of the Saal River
It was said that long ago, the Saal River was haunted by the souls of children stolen by nixies. Nixies are female water spirits, famous for inhabiting pools and rivers. These stolen souls sang along the banks of the river, … Continue reading Lost Souls of the Saal River
How the Wren Became the King of the Birds
Many years ago, all the birds of the world gathered to decide which of them would be the king of the birds. After many days of debate, they decided that they would hold a contest. Whichever bird could fly the … Continue reading How the Wren Became the King of the Birds
The Water Maid
Long ago in the central mountains, a young man named Henio became lost while hunting. For many weeks he wandered through the forest, with only his horse to keep him company. He drank the water from the streams and ate berries and the small animals he caught, but he knew that he would perish if he did not find shelter quickly.
One morning, he came to an ancient stone wall. It was so high he could not see over it, and looking in either direction he could see no end.
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The Ring of King Solomon
A long time ago in the far north lands a terrible monster crawled out of a crack in the earth. It was an ancient creature the size of a mountain, covered with scales like boulders. The beast had two orange eyes which glowed with a hellish light. Should any living creature look into those eyes, it would become enchanted, and walk to the beast to be eaten. The monster had a terrible hunger deep within its belly, and immediately set to devour the nearest villages and forests.
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Sedna
Long ago in an Inuit village lived a young woman named Sedna. She loved her parents dearly, and spent her days happily in their company. Many of the young men of the village wanted to marry her, but Sedna did not wish to marry any of them. She was well taken care of in her parents’ home, and did not wish to start her own household.
Bluebeard
Once there was a wealthy widow who had five children; four sons and a daughter she named Margareta. The sons had left to be soldiers some time ago, and the daughter stayed home and helped their mother run the estate.
A Tale of the Tontlawald
Long, long ago in a country filled with many lakes lay a vast stretch of marsh called the Tontlawald. No one dared to venture there. It was known to be filled with ghosts who would walk the marshes, drowning anyone who ventured too close. A single village was situated nearby, and the people who looked upon the Tontlawald at night saw strange lights dancing in the marsh mists.
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The Dead Wife
Once upon a time there were a man and his wife who lived in the forest, very far from the rest of the tribe. Very often they spent the day in hunting together, but after a while the wife found that she had so many things to do that she was obliged to stay at home; so he went alone, though he found that when his wife was not with him he never had any luck. One day, when he was away hunting, the woman fell ill, and in a few days she died.
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The Dragon and His Grandmother
There was once a great war, and the King had a great many soldiers, but he gave them so little pay that they could not live upon it. Then three of them took counsel together and determined to desert.
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The Rose
There was once a poor woman who had two children. The youngest had to go every day into the forest to fetch wood. Once when she had gone a long way to seek it, a little child, who was quite strong, came and helped her industriously to pick up the wood and carry it home, and then before a moment had passed the strange child disappeared.
The Three Cows
There was a farmer, and he had three cows, fine fat beauties they were. One was called Facey, the other Diamond, and the third Beauty. One morning he went into his cowshed, and there he found Facey so thin that the wind would have blown her away. Her skin hung loose about her, all her flesh was gone, and she stared out of her great eyes as though she’d seen a ghost; and what was more, the fireplace in the kitchen was one great pile of wood-ash. Well, he was bothered with it; he could not see how all this had come about.
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Thieves’ Lights
There are many curious and miraculously unusual happenings and things in nature, of which no human understands how they occur or how they relate to other things, but they exist nonetheless. And when people hear stories about them, they are amazed and terrified, but they cannot comprehend them. Thus it is with the Raven Stone, which many people talk about, but no one knows anything about with certainty. But it is known for sure that Raven Stones exist.
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The Juniper Tree
Long ago, at least two thousand years, there was a rich man who had a beautiful and pious wife, and they loved each other dearly. However, they had no children, though they wished very much to have some, and the woman prayed for them day and night, but they didn’t get any, and they didn’t get any.
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The Child Phantom
Many years ago there died on the estate of Sundshult, in the parish of Nafverstad, a child of illegitimate birth, murdered by his parents to hide their crime. This child became a spirit, left to wander the earth, disturbing the rest and making night uncomfortable for the people of the neighborhood.
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The Moon
In days gone by there was a land where the nights were always dark, and the sky spread over it like a black cloth, for there the moon never rose, and no star shone in the gloom.
Prunella
There was once upon a time a woman who had an only daughter. When the child was about seven years old she used to pass every day, on her way to school, an orchard where there was a wild plum tree, with delicious ripe plums hanging from the branches. Each morning the child would pick one, and put it into her pocket to eat at school. For this reason she was called Prunella.
The Dark Daughter of the Norse King
When the Norsemen came to Scotland and lay claim to the land, they were famous for every manner of cruel spoliation, and slaughter of the people wherever they landed. They were a bold, courageous, hardy, rough, peremptory and unscrupulous race. More than that, it was attributed to them that they practiced witchcraft, charms, and enchantments, and had much of other unhallowed learning among them.
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