Andrew Lang
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English
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The Arabian Nights is the title which encompasses all of the Persian, Arabian and Indian folk tales which have made their way into western culture over hundreds of years. This collection was edited by Andrew Lang, and his selections were made with the purpose of making the tales more suitable and interesting to a general audience.
10) The Witch
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English
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A widowed peasant man was left to raise his two twin children, a boy and a girl. He tried his best but nothing seemed to go right without a woman's touch. And so, he remarried and had more children but things were still not right - the stepmother was very mean to the twins, beating and starving them. This wasn't enough for the wicked stepmother and she decided to send them off into the woods where an evil witch lived. She tells the twins they are...
11) Hazelnut Child
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English
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There was an old couple who were not able to have children and so they constantly prayed to be blessed with one -- even one the size of a hazelnut. And that is exactly what they were given -- a child the size of a hazelnut who never grew! When he reached the age of 15, his mother asked him what he planned on doing with his life, as he was so small but clever. He replied that he wanted to be a messenger, a thing which made his mother laugh because...
12) Magic Ring
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English
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There lived an older couple with one son, Martin. When the husband died, he left behind only a small amount of money for his wife and Martin. Finding themselves without food, the wife, although she had wanted to keep the money for a rainy day, sent Martin into town with half of their money to buy grain for a year. When he walked into town, he found a dog that had been tied up and was being beaten for eating a pig of the butcher. Martin, unable to...
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A young princess, Fairer-than-a-Fairy, is kidnapped by a jealous, mean, old fairy named Lagree, who locks her away because none of the fairies can stand to have a mortal girl said to be more beautiful than them. Lagree locks her away in a palace, with her dog and cat, and tells her to tend to a fire and to never let it burn out. In her solitude, she one day meets a prince whom Lagree has captured and changed into the form of a rainbow that she discovers...
14) The Six Swans
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English
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A king who was a fantastic hunter one day got himself lost in the forest. Unable to find his way back home, an old woman appeared and said she would help him get home, provided that he married her daughter. Although her daughter was beautiful and the king agreed, he did not trust his new wife. And so he hid away in a palace in the woods his seven children, six sons and a daughter, from his previous wife. The new queen began to suspect something was...
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Ferko, a handsome young man, was born into a very poor family with very wicked brothers. Because the family is so poor, the parents have to send the three brothers away, with only a loaf of bread each. The brothers gang up on Ferko while he is sleeping, stealing his bread and convincing him he consumed it in his sleep. Taking advantage of his starvation, they trick him into allowing them to blind him and break his legs. They leave him to die, but...
16) Prince Ring
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English
Description
Prince Ring was a prince but not as adventurous as most. But one day, while out hunting, he finds a beautiful golden ring on the antlers of a deer that greatly attracts him and he finds himself on a much greater adventure than he ever intended. He gets separated from the rest of his hunting party and discovers a woman who has a large barrel, with another beautiful gold ring at the bottom. While inspecting it, the woman pushes Prince Ring into the...
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Alphege was born the son of a King, whose mother died in childbirth. His father mourned for several years, but eventually remarried to a beautiful, but evil, new queen who also bore him a child. The queen desired for her son to be the rightful heir, so from the very beginning she looked for ways to rid the kingdom of Alphege. Alphege was safe so long as he remained in his father's kingdom, thanks to the protection of his godmother. One day, however,...
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In order to provide English learners with extensive reading pleasure, it consists of jewels that span the East and West, from literary works of famous writers such as Aesop's fables, Andersen, Shakespeare, and picture brothers to traditional fairy tales from all over the world.
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The King and Queen, getting older in years, found it important that their son, Prince Sigurd, find a lady to marry. His father had a certain princess in mind and Sigurd set off to find her. This king eagerly granted his daughter's hand to Sigurd, but he made the condition that Sigurd must stay to help him govern his kingdom, as he was failing in health. Sigurd agreed, but said that he must return home when he received news of his father's death. When...
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English
Description
A village was being plagued by a witch in the form of a hawk, and three brothers tried to stop her. The older two failed, but the youngest was able to shoot down the hawk. He found a strange abyss where the hawk was shot down. With the help of his brothers, he descends into the abyss and finds a palace full of beautiful princess and boundless treasure. He discovers that the witch is their mother and she must be killed in order for the princesses to...