“Hey there folks! Welcome to World Folklore, which features folktales from around the globe. From Aesop’s fables to fairy tales, from Thor’s Wedding to the Screaming Tunnel, we’ve got funny short stories, scary ghost stories and popular folktales for everyone to enjoy. So, pull up a comfy chair, and stay awhile.” –S.E. Schlosser, author of The Spooky Series.
Featured Folktales
King Alfred and the Beggar
t one time the Danes drove King Alfred from his kingdom, and he had to lie hidden for a long time on…
King Alfred and the Cakes
Many years ago, there lived in England a wise and good king whose name was Alfred. No other man ever…
Robert the Bruce and the Spider
A battle-weary Robert the Bruce takes heart by watching a patient and persistent spider.
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Six blind men meet an elephant for the first time and try to discover what the animal is like by tou…
The Legend of William Tell and the Apple
Legendary Swiss hero William Tell is forced by a tyrant to shoot an apple off the top of his son's h…
King Maximilian and the Geese
When King Maximilian drops his book, he asks a boy tending a flock of geese to find it. But who will…
Canadian Folklore
Tolling of the Bell
In the wee hours of Friday morning, October 7, 1859, when all the good residents of Charlottetown sh…
The Dead Woman’s Photograph
Virgil Hoyt, a photographer's assistant up at St. Paul, had a whimsical view of the world, and he di…
Black Bartelmy’s Ghost
Black Bartelmy was an evil, surly buccaneer who murdered his wife and children and went to sea with …
Ghost Stories
Ghost stories are tales of spirits who return from the dead to haunt the places they left behind. They range from heartbreaking to humorous; sweet to terrifying and every shade in between. Read stories about ghosts, vampires, wendigos, and more.
Myths & Legends
A myth is a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people. The purpose of myths is to account for the origins of something, explain aspects of the natural world, or delineate the psychology, customs, or ideals of society. A legend is a traditional tale handed down from earlier times and believed to have an historical basis.
Fairy Tales
A fairy tale is a story set in a place where human characters interact with supernatural beings, like witches, vampires, and wizards. The protagonist in these stories often face impossible challenges and frightening scenarios against evil villains.
Popular Folktales
Bloody Mary, Quite Contrary
“Mary, Mary…” the half-heard whisper woke her in the darkness before dawn. Darkness. How appropria…
Hansel and Gretel
Once upon a time there dwelt near a large wood a poor woodcutter, with his wife and two children by …
Robin Hood Meets Allan-A-Dale
When Robin Hood learns that Allan-A-Dale's bride has been promised to an old man, he steps in to sto…
Rumpelstiltskin
There was once a poor Miller who had a beautiful daughter, and one day, having to go to speak with t…
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
A Fable as told by Aesop A Shepherd Boy tended his master’s Sheep near a dark forest not far f…
The Devil and the Werewolves
Now there once was a man named Jean Dubroise who never did a lick of work, but his house and his bar…