The Bum Bet Poland A very wealthy aristocrat lived in a mansion at the centre of his vast lands. He had moved the local village away from his grand house, and built a wall round the gardens and parkland. Yet sometimes he still heard some sounds wafting over his lawns. After dinner each evening,…
The Eagle Mother’s Gift Nunamiut Iñupiat People – Alaska, USA Once there was a time when humans knew no joy. Their whole life was work, food, digestion, and sleep. One day went by like another. They toiled, they slept, they awoke again to toil. Monotony rusted their minds. In these days there was a…
The Four Colors Hopi People – USA There was the cycle of the mineral, the rock. There was the cycle of the plant and now we’re in the cycle of the animal … coming to the end of that and beginning the cycle of the human being. When we get into the cycle of…
Saving the World Entire Judaism Three rabbis debated the hidden teachings of the Torah, the written law, in the light of the oral teachings of Moses, handed down from generation to generation. They debated about why God, HaShem, the Name, had created mankind through a single human being, Adam. ‘Why didn’t He just create…
Kvaz’s Chosen One Udmurt People – Russia Okylna had been doing her prayers in her small family shrine for years – eighty times a year, the precepts of her religion said – and she liked to participate in each and every communal prayer and offering in the sacred groves. It is for this reason,…
How Raven Brought Light to the World Haida People – Canada Long ago, everything was dark. Raven, who had been around forever, got tired of bumping into things. One day, he found an old man with a special treasure—a tiny box containing all the light in the universe, hidden in many boxes. Raven really…
A Shrub as a Message Ukranie A long, long time ago, the kings of Poland and Hungary made a pact whereby they would join their armies to invade and divide up the territories of Galicia-Volhynia, in what is now western Ukraine. In early summer, when the kings found it less irksome to undertake military…
Naiguata and the Seagulls Caraca Carib People – Venezuela Legend has it that the cacique of the Caracas, one of the Carib tribes that inhabited the coastal regions, was a dreamer. Perhaps that trait of character came from the name his parents had given him, Naiguatá, which meant ‘peak’ or ‘vantage point’ in their…
Glooskap and the Giant Skunk Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) People – Canada & USA After the struggle with Izignapogos that freed the food for everyone, Groundhog warned Koluskap that he was not finished because half-stone man had some friends down below. Koluskap and Mikumwesu, the two brothers, started down the river in their canoe with Koluskap…
The Kind Old Woman Hausa People – Nigeria & Niger There was once an old woman who went to the forest daily to look for firewood. One day, she heard a deep groan when she was gathering fallen branches. It sounded like a large animal. At first, she was frightened, but then, when it…