Best short folktale?
August 16, 2013 1:47 PM   Subscribe

Looking for a short, entertaining folktale that I can tell, that is under ten minutes long. What's your favorite?
posted by storybored to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: ...preferably a story that not too many people have heard already.
posted by storybored at 1:48 PM on August 16, 2013


Best answer: The belly button monster is pretty solid. Honey Bunny might be my favorite though. Or Jack and the Silver Sword. Ready to Tell Tales and its sequel both have a ton of these.
posted by craven_morhead at 1:51 PM on August 16, 2013


The Bremen Town Musicians, especially if there are children. Dear as Salt (many, many versions.)
posted by jetlagaddict at 2:00 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


If you're open to fairly tales, I love Diamonds and Toads, just because it's so... weird.
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:00 PM on August 16, 2013


Both of jetlagaddict's are great too! I thought the Bremen Town Musicians was pretty well-known, though.
posted by showbiz_liz at 2:02 PM on August 16, 2013


There's a pretty interesting (free) older collection here, including a lot of Greek takes on folk tales. The one that I'm most trying to think of is one where the maiden hides in a candlestick and the prince marries the candlestick but it's clearly so uncommon that no one's put it on the internet!
posted by jetlagaddict at 2:06 PM on August 16, 2013


dunno if it qualifies as a "folk tale" but I'd go with The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service. (wiki)
posted by namewithoutwords at 2:44 PM on August 16, 2013


I recited Casey at the Bat for a project like this when I was a kid. It went over really well for an audience of 11 year olds.
posted by phunniemee at 2:57 PM on August 16, 2013


Best answer: A Pottle of Brains.
posted by Thing at 3:05 PM on August 16, 2013


I don't have anything specific to recommend but I implore you to check out Better Myths for inspiration; not only is the dude funny as hell but he reads/reviews a lot of lesser-known stuff.
posted by elizardbits at 3:15 PM on August 16, 2013


Best answer: Eye Juggler. There are many variations, but that one is typical and reasonably well-told.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 3:23 PM on August 16, 2013


Best answer: HOW A LEARNED GREEK, WHOM A KING HELD IN PRISON, PASSED HIS JUDGMENT ON A HORSE

In a certain part of Greece there lived a king of great sway, of the name of Philip. This king, for some alleged crime or other, had imprisoned a Greek, a man of great learning, whose wisdom mounted to the skies. It happened one day that this monarch received from the king of Spain a present of a noble horse, of great size, and of a beautiful form. The king sent for his farrier to learn his opinion of the horse, but he was told that he had better apply to the learned Greek, who was reputed a man of universal knowledge. He therefore ordered the horse to be led into the field, and then commanded the Greek to be brought from his prison, and addressing him, said: “Master, let me have your opinion of this horse, for I have heard a great report of your wisdom.” The Greek inspected the horse, and replied: “Sire, this horse is indeed a beautiful courser, but in my opinion he has been nurtured on asses’ milk.” The king sent to Spain to inquire how the horse had been brought up, and found that the dam had died, and that the foal, as the Greek had asserted, had been reared on asses’ milk. This circumstance astonished the king not a little, and as a reward, he ordered half a loaf of bread a day to be given to the Greek at the expense of the court.

It fell out on another occasion, that as the king was inspecting his jewels, he sent again for the Greek, and said to him: “Master mine, your knowledge is great, and it seems that you know all things. Tell me, I pray you, whether or not you understand the virtue of these stones, and which of them seems to you the most valuable.” The Greek replied: “Sire, which of them do you yourself consider as the most precious one?” The king then took up one of the most beautiful amongst them and said: “This one, master, seems to me the most beautiful, and one of the highest value.” The Greek examined it, and straining it closely in the palm of his hand, and placing it to his ear, said: “This stone, sire, appears to me to have a living worm in it.” The king sent for his lapidary, and ordered him to break the stone, and to their surprise the animal was found within. The king now looked upon the Greek as a man of surprising wisdom, and ordered a whole loaf of bread to be given him daily at the expense of the court.

It happened not many days after this, that the king, entertaining some suspicions of his own legitimacy, again sent for the Greek, and taking him into his closet, said: “Master, I hold you for a man of great penetration, which indeed has been manifested in your answers to the questions I have proposed to you. I wish you now to inform me whose son I am.” The Greek then replied: “Sire, how strange a request! You well know that you are the son of your honoured predecessor.” But the king dissatisfied, said: “Do not evade my question, but tell me the truth implicitly; for if you hesitate, you shall instantly die the death of a traitor.” “Then, sire,” answered the Greek, “I must inform you that you are the son of a baker.” Upon this, the king being anxious to know the real truth, sent for the queen-mother, and by threats compelled her to confess that the words of the Greek were true.

The king then shut himself up in his chamber with the Greek, and said: “Master mine, I have received singular proofs of your wisdom, and I now entreat you to tell me how you have obtained a knowledge of these things.” Then the Greek replied: “Sire, I will inform you. With respect to the horse, I knew that he had been nourished with asses’ milk from his hanging his ears, which is not natural to a horse. And that there was a live worm in the stone I knew from the fact that stones are naturally cold, but this one I found to be warm, and it was therefore evident that the heat could only proceed from a living animal within.” “And how,” said the king, “did you discover that I was the son of a baker?” The Greek then replied: “Because when I told you of the wonderful circumstance of the horse, you ordered me a gift of half a loaf a day, and when I told you of the stone with the living worm in it, you ordered me a whole loaf. I then felt assured whose son you were; for if you had really been a king’s son, you would have presented me with a city, as my merits deserved; whereas your origin then betrayed itself, and your natural disposition was satisfied in giving me a loaf, as your father the baker would have done.” The king was then sensible of his own meanness, and immediately liberated the Greek from prison, and loaded him with gifts of value.

posted by verstegan at 3:29 PM on August 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


Moose Turd Pie by Utah Phillips is pretty great.
posted by aniola at 4:32 PM on August 16, 2013


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