THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER - A Greek Fairy Tale about generosity and hospitality: Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories - Issue 348

By Anon E. Mouse

ISSN: 2397-9607 Issue 348
In this 348th issue of the Baba Indaba’s Children's Stories series, Baba Indaba narrates the Greek Fairy Tale "THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER”.

One evening, in times long ago in Greece, old Philemon and his old wife Baucis sat at their cottage-door, enjoying the calm and beautiful sunset. They had already eaten their frugal supper, and intended now to spend a quiet hour or two before bedtime. So they talked together about their garden, and their cow, and their bees, and their grapevine, which clambered over the cottage-wall, and on which the grapes were beginning to turn purple. But the rude shouts of children and the fierce barking of dogs, in the village near at hand, grew louder and louder, until, at last, it was hardly possible for Baucis and Philemon to hear each other speak.
"Ah, wife," cried Philemon, "I fear some poor traveller is seeking hospitality among our neighbours yonder, and, instead of giving him food and lodging, they have set their dogs at him, as their custom is!"
When the strangers arrived at the home of Baudis and Philemon they ask for refreshment and shelter. Unlike their neighbours, Baucis and Philemon invite the strangers in, even though they have scant provisions in their pantry.
They then feed and water the strangers, who all but empty the pantry. But Baucis and Philemon make no complaint. They offer them overnight shelter which is accepted and in the morning offer the strangers breakfast which is accepted.
What happened next you ask…? Were they rewarded for their generosity or did their guests leave their pantry bear and the couple hungry? To find the answers to these questions, and others you may have, you will have to download and read this story to find out!

Baba Indaba is a fictitious Zulu storyteller who narrates children's stories from around the world. Baba Indaba translates as "Father of Stories".

Each issue also has a "WHERE IN THE WORLD - LOOK IT UP" section, where young readers are challenged to look up a place on a map somewhere in the world. The place, town or city is relevant to the story. HINT - use Google maps.

33% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.
INCLUDES LINKS TO DOWNLOAD 8 FREE STORIES
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abela Publishing
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9788826445267

Book preview

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

A Fairy Tale

Baba Indaba Children’s Stories

Published By

Abela Publishing, London

2017

THE MIRACULOUS PITCHER

Typographical arrangement of this edition

©Abela Publishing 2017

This book may not be reproduced in its current format

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Abela Publishing,

London, United Kingdom

2017

Baba Indaba Children’s Stories

ISSN 2397-9607

Issue 348

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Website:

www.AbelaPublishing.com

An Introduction to Baba Indaba

Baba Indaba, pronounced Baaba Indaaba, lived in Africa a long-long time ago. Indeed, this story was first told by Baba Indaba to the British settlers over 250 years ago in a place on the South East Coast of Africa called Zululand, which is now in a country now called South Africa.

In turn the British settlers wrote these stories down and they were brought back to England on sailing ships. From England they were in turn spread to all corners of the old British Empire, and then to the world.

In olden times the Zulu’s did not have computers, or iPhones, or paper, or even pens and pencils. So, someone was assigned to be the Wenxoxi Indaba (Wensosi Indaaba) – the Storyteller. It was his, or her, job to memorise all the tribe’s history, stories and folklore, which had been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. So, from the time he was a young boy, Baba Indaba had been apprenticed to the tribe’s Wenxoxi Indaba to learn the stories. Every day the Wenxoxi Indaba would narrate the stories and Baba Indaba would have to recite the story back to the Wenxoxi Indaba, word for word. In this manner he learned the stories of the Zulu nation.

In time the Wenxoxi Indaba grew old and when he could no longer see or hear, Baba Indaba became the next