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The Poor Prince: An Afghan Tale
Greetings, Travellers! Today, I want to share a story from Afghanistan with you! The story of the “Poor Prince” itself was retold by Adel Mahria with a translation from Dari by Sabzikar which can be found in Kabul’s former Ministry of Information and Culture bimonthly publication on folktales Volume 2, no. 2-3, published in 1974. It has been further retold by Afghan-Canadian Alaheh Amini. I discovered this tale while researching variants of the Polish Glass Mountain story we did a few episodes back. There are several clear links between this story and the Princess on the Glass Hill folklore type,…
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Princess Aubergine: Baingan Bádsháhzádi
Princess Aubergine is a Punjabi story of a beautiful fairy, wicked Queen, cursed necklace and an unlikely romance. Read the story, listen to the podcast and dive deep into the tropes/sources with us!
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The Glass Mountain: A Polish Tale
The Polish Tale of the Glass Mountain is a variant of the Princess on the Glass Hill archetype! Come join us as we meet Cinderlad/Ashlad, catch some golden apples and watch the Golden Knight fail!
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Storyteller Series: Jack Finn
An exclusive interview with storyteller and author, Jack Finn! Read all about his inspirations, writing advice and his unique take on weaving a story based on folklore.
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Aicha: The Demon Slayer
This incredible, globe-trotting heroine’s story is full of Ghouls, Sea-Lions, and Cowardly Princes! Presenting, Aicha the Demon Slayer from Algerian and Moroccan Folklore!
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Billy Duffy and the Devil
Using Emerson and Carleton’s “Billy Duffy” stories, we retell the hilarious tale and examine different elements like the Faustian Pact, Blacksmith and the Devil archetype, Will-o’-the-Wisp and so much more!
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Betrothed and Beheaded: Siya and Maadi
Siya and Maadi tells the tale of the ill-fated lovers in legends popularized from the Wagadou Empire. Virgin sacrifices, Decapitating Serpents, a Man in a (bad) disguise make up this tale that poses the “Greater Good” question we ask ourselves at every major movie showing.
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Daughter of the Sword
This coming-of-age story from South Africa has all the basics of a good story: enraged cattle lord, arrogant warriors, a bratty Princess being put in her place and best of all- lots and lots of cows! What more could we ask for? Based on the retelling by Ethel L. McPherson of Cape Town.
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The Story Bag: Korean Folklore
The Story Bag. In the spirit of the Lunar New Year, our story will be from Korea! Lunar New Year has many different names and countries like China, Korea, Vietnam, and Malaysia all celebrated January 22nd, 2023! We do cover the story of the Moon Goddess from the Mid-Autumn festival so if you want more festive stories then do check out that story here. This tale comes from So-un Kim’s “The Story Bag; a collection of Korean folk tales.” He was a prominent storyteller and essayist who wrote many books detailing Korean folktales and fairy tales! His politics, however, were…
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The Oak King and the Holly King
Greetings Travellers! Welcome back to Tales from the Enchanted Forest with your animal companions Fox and Sparrow! This blog post is dedicated to our last episode of 2022, the Legend of the Holly King and the Oak King. We have taken all the various retellings of this story and created a yuletide patchwork story to share with you this winter season! When I started researching for this episode, I instantly found references to this epic, eternal battle between the two kings but no actual story to tell aside from one King defeating the other on the solstice and giving rise…
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Why the Sea is Salt
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe have an odd Christmas story featuring ham, an outhouse and a magic quern that churns out whatever your heart desires. Come join us for a pointlessly fun winter tale to find a Norse explanation for why the Sea is Salt! Show notes, sources and Five Fantastic Finds included!
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Chang’e and Hou Yi: The Lady of the Moon
Chang’e and Hou Yi are two popular characters from Chinese legends, with him as the famed archer and her as the Lady of the Moon. Read about their love story and all the variations of the tale.
Tales from the Enchanted Forest 