Wise Fairy Tales from Around the World: 40 Best Fairy Tales

By Compiled by Shavarsh Karapetyan

King Solomon asked for wisdom from God. And as it was the most important thing in the world, God granted him all the other gifts of life as well. Throughout their history all the nations of the world have been seeking for perfect wisdom and on that thorny path they have opened many closed doors. The spiritual and intellectual treasures hidden behind those doors have also been reflected in fairy tales and passed on from generation to generation. The fairy tales included in this book comprise ancient, time-tested truths and values still relevant to this day. Each of these tales is a separate unique world. Taking a journey through that wonderful world you will open or rediscover new layers of wisdom and discover the fairy tale inside you. Fairy tales teach us such virtues as diligence, dignity, honesty, loyalty, benevolence, tenacity, respect to the elderly people and so on and so forth. And they show the path to success by living, struggling and creating through those virtues. 

 Let’s open the door to wisdom by reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Edit Print
• Release date: Mar 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9788832546484

Book preview

Strong-willed Jun Su (Chinese Folk Tale)

Once upon a time there lived a little boy called Jun Su in Fujiang Village. His father had died very early leaving his wife and son all alone. They were very poor and lived in a shabby hut. Very often they didn’t even have a handful of rice to eat.

Thus Jun Su grew up and when it was time for him to go to school he had neither paper, nor a pen. But he made up his mind to study by all means. I must study, he said to himself, and he thought and thought and thought and at last thought of a way out of poverty.

He went to his rich neighbour one morning and said, I hear that you are looking for someone to do the work about the house. Take me. I know I’m still very young to work but I don’t ask much for my job. Just let me watch you sons doing their lessons from time to time and that’s all. The rich man was very happy to find a worker he wouldn’t have to pay wages and agreed readily.

Jun Su worked very hard from morning till night in the rich man’s house. He did all the hard and dirty work about the house but instead he could watch his master’s children studying and look through their textbooks. Sometimes he even managed to hear their whole lesson. When the children’s teacher came Jun Su hid himself in a corner and listened.

In a year he learnt a lot of new words. He knew many words but unfortunately he still couldn’t write. And what should he write on, anyway? What shall I do? he thought. He thought and thought and thought and at last he thought of a way.

Jun Su and his mother lived at the seaside. The sea waves smoothed the fine beach sand all day long.

Jun Su took a long stick and went to the seaside. He quickly wrote a word on the sand with his stick. The waves came and wiped off the word. So he wrote another word and again the waves came and wiped it off. Thus he could write endlessly without a pen or paper. But he had no books.

One day he went up to his rich master and said, All this time I’ve been working for you for free. But from now on I want you to pay me. Or if you allow me to read your books, I will serve you for free one more year.

The rich man didn’t want to lose such a cheap worker and agreed. So Jun Su already had books, too.

With the approach of winter, days began to get shorter. Jun Su worked till dark as daylight hours were not enough to do the whole work. Jun Su was too poor to buy oil for the lamp. But he was a very strong-willed and diligent boy. At moonlit nights Jun Su read and wrote by the moonlight and when the clouds hid the moon he gathered glowworms sparkling in the grass and attached them to a cotton stick. And the diligent boy read by their faint light at dark nights, too. Years passed by. Jun Su achieved his goal and became a great scientist. And people still remember and admire poor little Jun Su’s strong will and diligence.

The Most Important Thing (Italian Folk Tale)

Once, two friends began arguing what was the most important thing in a man’s life.

It’s beyond all doubt that money brings happiness! One of them exclaimed, You know how I became a poet, don’t you? Nobody wanted to publish my poems. But my aunt left all her fortune to me after her death and I published my poems. Now publishers are running after me. If I didn’t get my aunts money, nobody would even know that I was a poet.

That’s nonsense! his friend interrupted him, Everything is in the hands of fate. Now I’m the best singer in Italy but not so long ago nobody wanted to hear me and I sang to the fish on the seashore. But fate willed it that count Luigi should go for a sail just when I was singing on the seashore. The count heard me and invited me to sing at his fiancée’s ball. So that’s how it all began. And money has nothing to do with it. Fate is the most important thing in the world, my friend!

The poet and the singer argued a lot but couldn’t convince one another of the truth of their words and decided to go out for a walk. They went out of the house and walked where their feet would take to. They reached the suburbs of the town and saw a half-ruined hut there. A boy in rags was sitting on the threshold of the hut and was playing the guitar.

I see you’re very happy, boy. the poet said to him.

How can a man be happy when he hasn’t seen food for two days? the boy answered.

Then why are you playing the guitar? the singer asked.

What else can I do? This guitar is the only thing my father has left me.

The friends looked at each other; the same thought crossed their minds; That’s just the thing. Now we’ll know what is more important.

Each of them took fifty scudos out of their pockets and gave them to the guitar player.

Hundred scudos! the boy cried out, Thank you, kind signori!

No need to thank us. We’ll visit you this day next year to see whether the money helped you or not. the friends said and went back.

When the men left, the boy whose name was Alcide thought, First of all, I’ll buy a lot of sausages, and later I’ll think of what I shall do with all this wealth I’ve got so suddenly.

So the boy put the money under his hat and headed for a shop. But hardly had he made a few steps when all of a sudden a black crow flew down from an olive tree and snatched Alcide’s hat away.

Thief! Give me back my money! the poor boy shouted.

But the crow flapped its wings faster and flew away.

A year passed. The poet and the singer came to Alcide’s hut again. They didn’t have to knock on the door for the boy was playing the guitar on the threshold of the hut as before.

How come? the friends exclaimed in astonishment, Are you still playing the guitar?

What else can I do? A black crow took away my happiness together with my hat. Alcide answered sadly and told them how the crow had snatched away his hat and the money in it.

See! the singer said to the poet, Didn’t I tell you that fate sends us happiness or misfortune? Well, let’s suppose that the crow was tired of sleeping on dry brunches of his nest and decided to find a soft cloth to sleep on. But can you explain me why the crow would need Alcide’s hat just the moment when the boy put his money there?

That’s nonsense! the poet cried out, If the crow didn’t take the money, Alcide would be living like a lord now. Isn’t that so, my friend? Money is everything!

At these words the poet again took one hundred scudos out of his pocket and gave them to Alcide. The boy thanked him heartily. The friends shook their heads, promised to come back in a year and left.

This time Alcide decided to be more careful. Before going to the shop to buy sausages (as you remember he couldn’t buy sausages a year ago) Alcide put a silver coin in his mouth and hid the other ninety-nine coins in a safe place. Where do you think he hid the coins? He hid them in an old shoe lying in a corner.

Now no crow will get them. said Alcide happy with his invention, Neither will a thief want such an old junk. 

But as soon as Alcide went to the shop, the neighbor’s cat sneaked into his hut.

The cat’s masters fed it only when they themselves had eaten their fill which never really happened. Suddenly a mouse ran out of the hole. The cat ran after it. The mouse ran hither and thither and got into the very shoe Alcide had hidden his money. The cat turned over the shoe with its paw and the coins rolled out of it at once. And the mouse again got back into its hole. Then the cat began playing with the coins. It rolled them along the floor and stuck all the coins into the mice hole. When Alcide came back he found out that he was no longer rich. All the money was gone. It’s lucky that this time he managed to eat a sausage at least. And it’s no wonder that a year later the singer and the poet again found Alcide playing his guitar at the threshold of his shabby hut.

Well man, it’s unheard of! the poet cried out, What has happened this time? Have mice taken away your money?

Alas, kind signori! Alcide sighed, I can’t tell you anything for I don’t know myself how the money was gone.

Do you see now that everything is determined by fate? said the singer.

On the contrary, the poet answered, Now I’m convinced more than ever that only money can make a man happy. But I won’t try to prove it anymore for it costs me too dear. Now you prove your words.

I’ll try. the singer said. He fumbled about in his pocket and took out a small lead ball. To tell the truth, the singer didn’t remember what ball was that and how it had appeared in his pocket.

Here, take this, boy. said the singer and held out the ball to Alcide, You may need this more than money.

The men said goodbye to the boy and went away. The ball had been in the singer’s pocket for a very long time, but it remained in Alcide’s pocket even longer. When Alcide felt pinched with hunger he remembered the ball in his pocket. Even the guitar no longer did any good to him. Alcide took the ball out of his pocket and started playing with it and meanwhile he thought, What shall I do with this ball? Shall I sell it? No, no one will give me a soldo for this. Yet, if someone has made it, it means it’s worth something. and suddenly Alcide struck his forehead, I’ve got it! I can catch fish with it.

The boy cut a long flexible willow twig, bent a pin into a hook and tightly tied the ball to it. And he went to the seashore to catch fish. He sat on the seashore, cast the rod into the sea and waited. An hour passed and then another but, as ill luck would have it, the fish wouldn’t come near the bait. Alcide stayed on the seashore from morning till noon, and from noon till evening. Many would have already given up in his place but Alcide wouldn’t lose hope so easily. He never did things by halves. He was more