Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue,

Come blow your horn,

The sheep's in the meadow,

The cow's in the corn;

Where is the boy

Who looks after the sheep?

He’s under the haystack

Fast asleep.

The Princess And The Pea

There was once a prince, a lonely prince. He traveled around the world to find someone like himself, a proper princess to share his life. But this he knew: She must be a real princess.

In his travels, he found many princesses. Each claimed to be a real princess. Each had the proper pedigree and credentials, but there always seemed to be something not quite right about each one. People started to say that he was looking for something that he did not want to find. Behind closed doors, they even snickered. At last, the prince returned home in despair; he wanted a princess so badly. The Old King and Queen welcomed him home.

One evening, during a fierce hurricane that had suddenly blown up, a persistent knocking was heard at the castle door. The prince's father sent a servant to find out who was there. Standing on the steps, lit by flashes of lightning, in the driving rain, was a young lady. "I'm a princess," she said," seeking shelter for myself and my page. My carriage has broken down and the coachman can't repair it till tomorrow." In the meantime, the prince's mother had appeared to welcome the guest. She stared disapprovingly at the girl's muddy wet garments, and decided to find out if she really was of gentle birth.

"We'll see soon enough if that is true," whispered the Old Queen softly to herself. The princess was given a warm dinner and some dry clothes while the Old Queen set off to prepare a sleeping chamber for the princess. First, she stripped all the bed clothes. Then, she placed a single pea in the center of the bedstead. Next, she called for twenty mattresses and piled them, one on top of the other, on the pea. Finally, twenty feather beds were added on top of the mattresses. The princess's sleeping arrangements were made.

In the morning, the Old King and Queen met the princess when she arose. If possible, she looked worse than when she had arrived! They asked how she had slept. "Oh, terribly bad!" exclaimed the princess. "I scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven knows what was in that bed. It seemed as if I were lying upon some hard pebble; my whole body is black and blue this morning. It is truly terrible!" And the princess started crying.

The Old Queen saw at once that she must be a real princess and offered her apologies, before rushing of to her son. "A real princess at last! Just think! She could feel the pea I hid under the mattress! Now, only a well- born lady could do that! Only a real princess could have felt the pea through twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds.

The prince had finally found the bride of his dreams. So the prince asked her to be his wife. After the wedding The prince once again traveled the world, this time with the princess, and they were happy. And the pea? It was put into a museum and visited by people from many countries. It may be there yet, if no one has stolen it.

The Sleeping Beauty

Long ago there lived a King and Queen who had no children  They always used to think, "If only we had a child!" But for a long time they had none. One day, as the Queen was bathing in a spring and dreaming of a child, a frog crept out of the water and said to her, "Your wish shall be fulfilled. After one year you shall bring a daughter into the world." And since frogs are such magical creatures, it was no surprise that after one year the Queen had a baby girl. The child was so beautiful and sweet that the King could not contain himself for joy. He prepared a great feast and invited all his friends, family and neighbours. He invited the fairies, too, in order that they might be kind and good to the child. There were thirteen of them in his kingdom, but as the King only had twelve golden plates for them to eat from, one of the fairies had to be left out. None of the guests was saddened by this as the thirteenth fairy was known to be cruel and spiteful.

An amazing feast was held and when it came to an end, each of the fairies presented the child with a magic gift. One fairy gave her virtue, another beauty, a third riches and so on -- with everything in the world that anyone could wish for. After eleven of the fairies had presented their gifts, the thirteenth suddenly appeared. She was angry and wanted to show her spite for not having been invited to the feast. Without hesitation she called out in a loud voice,"When she is fifteen years old, the Princess shall prick herself with a spindle and shall fall down dead!" Then without another word, she turned and left the hall.

The guests were horrified and the Queen fell to the floor sobbing, but the twelfth fairy, whose wish was still not spoken, quietly stepped forward. Her magic could not remove the curse, but she could soften it so she said "Nay, your daughter shall not die, but instead shall fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years." Over the years, the promises of the fairies came true -- one by one. The Princess grew to be beautiful, modest, kind and clever. Everyone who saw her could not help but love her. The King and Queen were determined to prevent the curse placed on the Princess by the spiteful fairy and sent out a command that all the spindles in the whole kingdom should be destroyed. No one in the kingdom was allowed to tell the Princess of the curse that had been placed upon her for they did not want her to worry or be sad.

On the morning of her fifteenth birthday, the Princess awoke early -- excited to be another year older. She was up so early in the morning, that she realized everyone else still slept. The Princess roamed through the halls trying to keep herself occupied until the rest of the castle awoke. She wandered about the whole place, looking at rooms and halls as she pleased and at last she came to an old tower. She climbed the narrow, winding staircase and reached a little door. A rusty key was sticking in the lock and when she turned it, the door flew open.

In a little room sat an old woman with a spindle, busily spinning her flax. The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the King's command that all spindles should be destroyed. "Good morning, Granny," said the Princess, "what are you doing?" "I am spinning," said the old woman. "What is the thing that whirls round so merrily?" asked the Princess and she took the spindle and tried to spin too. But she had scarcely touched the spindle when it pricked her finger. At that moment she fell upon the bed which was standing near and lay still in a deep sleep.

The King, Queen and servants had all started their morning routines and right in the midst of them fell asleep too. The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the yard, the doves on the roof and the flies on the wall. Even the fire in the hearth grew still and went to sleep. The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her, ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep. The cook was in the midst of scolding the kitchen boy for a mess he'd made but they both fell fast asleep. The wind died down and on the trees in front of the castle not a leaf stirred.

Round the castle a hedge of brier roses began to grow up. Every year it grew higher until at last nothing could be seen of the sleeping castle. There was a legend in the land about the lovely Sleeping Beauty, as the King's daughter was called, and from time to time Princes came and tried to force their way through the hedge and into the castle. But they found it impossible for the thorns, as though they were alive, grabbed at them and would not let them through.

After many years a Prince came again to the country and heard an old man tell the tale of the castle which stood behind the brier hedge and the beautiful Princess who had slept within for a hundred years. He heard also that many Princes had tried to make it through the brier hedge but none had succeeded and many had been caught in it and died. The the young Prince said, "I am not afraid. I must go and see this Sleeping Beauty." The good old man did all in his power to persuade him not to go, but the Prince would not listen.

Now the hundred years were just ended. When the Prince approached the brier hedge it was covered with beautiful large roses. The shrubs made way for him of their own accord and let him go unharmed. In the courtyard, the Prince saw the horses and dogs lying asleep. On the roof sat the sleeping doves with their heads tucked under their wings. When he went into the house, the flies were asleep on the walls and the servants asleep in the halls. Near the throne lay the King and Queen, sleeping peacefully beside each other. In the kitchen the cook, the kitchen boy and the kitchen maid all slept with their heads resting on the table.

The Prince went on farther. All was so still that he could hear his own breathing. At last he reached the tower and opened the door into the little room where the Princess was asleep. There she lay, looking so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her and touched her. As he touched her, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and smiled up at him.

Throughout the castle, everyone and everything woke up and looked at each other with astonished eyes. Within the month, the Prince and Sleeping Beauty were married and lived happily all their lives.

Beauty And The Beast

Once upon a time there lived a merchant. He had three beautiful daughters. Beauty was the youngest daughter and was the most loving. One day the merchant was going on a long journey. 

He called all his daughters and asked what they wanted. His elder daughters asked for new clothes and ornaments. But beauty said, “I only want you to come back safely, but if you happen to find a white rose, please get it for me.” The merchant bid farewell to his dear daughters and set for the journey. He purchased the items that his elder daughters had asked for. But he did not get a white rose. On his way back, the merchant lost his way. He spotted a castle at a distance and decided to stay there at night. 

As he entered the castle, dining table was lying in front of him as if someone has prepared dinner. He relished the dinner. He slept on the soft and smooth bed. He woke up in the morning and found a white rose plant in the garden outside. The merchant was glad to see the flower. He plucked a flower and immediately a Beast came and said, “I will kill you now.” But the merchant begged his pardon. Then the Beast said, “I will leave you now, but you have to come back and bring me the thing that you see first after entering your home.” The merchant promised and left for his home.

As the merchant entered his home, beauty came running to hug her father. His father was very sad to see her as he had to leave her at the castle. Beauty enquired about his anxiety and her father explained everything. Beauty said, “Don’t worry father, you have to keep your promise, so let’s go”.

The merchant and Beauty went to the castle. The Beast spoke in a very kind voice. He said that his daughter will not be caused any harm. The next day, the merchant left. The Beast treated Beauty very well. One day the Beast asked Beauty, “Am I very frightful?” Beauty said, “ You are very kind but, you are very ugly.” Then the Beast said, “Then I think you dislike me.” “No, I like you very much” said Beauty. “Then will you marry me ?” asked the Beast.

“But, how can I marry a beast?” said Beauty. The Beast turned mournful.

After a few days, Beauty requested the Beast that she would visit home for sometime. The Beast became sad, but said, “Will you come back?” Beauty said, “I will be glad to come back”. The Beast said, “Come back in one week. When you want to come back keep this ring on a table near you and sleep. Once you wake up, you will be in the castle.” Beauty agreed. Beauty was very happy to meet her father and her two sisters. Time flew very soon and beauty broke her promise, she stayed for another week. One night she had a dream. 

Beast was very ill and was crying in the garden of the castle. Beauty became sad. She kept the ring the next day near the table and slept. When she woke up, she was in the castle. 

She searched for the Beast and as per her dream, found the Beast in the garden dying. She ran to him and cried, “Dear Beast are you ok? I love you dearly and I will marry you. I will take care of you.”

Suddenly, a handsome prince appeared before her in place of the Beast. He said, “I am the beast whom you love dearly. Due to an evil spell, I was turned into a beast. I was told that I would be free when a young beautiful woman would love me and promise to marry me.”

Beauty and the prince married and lived happily ever after.

The Ugly Duckling

Once upon a time down on an old farm, lived a duck family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new eggs. One nice morning, the eggs hatched and out popped six chirpy ducklings. But one egg was bigger than the rest, and it didn't hatch. Mother Duck couldn't recall laying that seventh egg. How did it get there? TOCK! TOCK! The little prisoner was pecking inside his shell.

"Did I count the eggs wrongly?" Mother Duck wondered. But before she had time to think about it, the last egg finally hatched. A strange looking duckling with gray feathers that should have been yellow gazed at a worried mother. The ducklings grew quickly, but Mother Duck had a secret worry.

"I can't understand how this ugly duckling can be one of mine!" she said to herself, shaking her head as she looked at her last born. Well, the gray duckling certainly wasn't pretty, and since he ate far more than his brothers, he was outgrowing them. As the days went by,the little duckling was very sad because he thought he was the ugliest amongst all his brothers and sisters. They would not play with him and teased the poor ugly duckling. One day, he saw his reflection in the water and cried, “Nobody likes me. I am so ugly.” He decided to leave home and went far away into the woods.

Deep in the forest, he saw a cottage in which there lived an old woman, her hen, and her cat. The duckling stayed with them for some time but he was unhappy there and soon left. When winter set in the poor duckling almost froze to death. A peasant took him home to his wife and children. The poor duckling was terrified of the children and escaped. The ugly duckling spent the winter in a marshy pond.

Finally, spring arrived. One day, the duckling saw a beautiful swan swimming in the pond and fell in love with her. But then he remembered how everyone made fun of him and he bent his head down in shame. When he saw his own reflection in the water he was astonished. He was not an ugly duckling anymore, but a handsome young swan! Now, he knew why he had looked so different from his brothers and sisters. “They were ducklings but I was a baby swan!” he said to himself. 

He married the beautiful swan and lived happily ever after.

Cinderella

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl who was very unhappy. Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters, and her stepmother didn't like her one little bit. They treated Cinderella very badly. All the nice things, kind thoughts and loving touches were for her own daughters. And not just the kind thoughts and love, but also dresses, shoes, shawls, delicious food, comfy beds, as well as every home comfort. All this was laid on for her daughters. But, for the poor unhappy girl, there was nothing at all. No dresses, only her stepsisters' hand-me-downs. No lovely dishes, nothing but scraps. No nice rests and comfort. For she had to work hard all day, and only when evening came was she allowed to sit for a while by the fire, near the cinders. That is how she got her nickname, for everybody called her "Cinderella". Cinderella used to spend long hours all alone talking to the cat.

One day, they were invited for a grand ball in the king’s palace. But Cinderella’s stepmother would not let her go. Cinderella was made to sew new party gowns for her stepmother and stepsisters, and curl their hair. They then went to the ball, leaving Cinderella alone at home.

Cinderella felt very sad and began to cry. Suddenly, a fairy godmother appeared and said, “Don’t cry, Cinderella! I will send you to the ball!” But Cinderella was sad. She said, “I don’t have a gown to wear for the ball!” The fairy godmother waved her magic wand and changed Cinderella’s old clothes into a beautiful new gown! The fairy godmother then touched Cinderella’s feet with the magic wand. And lo! She had beautiful slippers! “How will I go to the grand ball?” asked Cinderella. The fairy godmother found six mice playing near a pumpkin, in the kitchen. She touched them with her magic wand and the mice became four shiny black horses and two coachmen and the pumpkin turned into a golden coach. Cinderella was overjoyed and set off for the ball in the coach drawn by the six black horses. Before leaving. the fairy godmother said, “Cinderella, this magic will only last until midnight! You must reach home by then!”

When Cinderella entered the palace, everybody was struck by her beauty. Nobody, not even Cinderella’s stepmother or stepsisters, knew who she really was in her pretty clothes and shoes. The handsome prince also saw her and fell in love with Cinderella. He went to her and asked, “Do you want to dance?” And Cinderella said, “Yes!” The prince danced with her all night and nobody recognized the beautiful dancer. Cinderella was so happy dancing with the prince that she almost forgot what the fairy godmother had said. At the last moment, Cinderella remembered her fairy godmother’s words and she rushed to go home. “Oh! I must go!” she cried and ran out of the palace. One of her slippers came off but Cinderella did not turn back for it. She reached home just as the clock struck twelve. Her coach turned back into a pumpkin, the horses into mice and her fine ball gown into rags. Her stepmother and stepsisters reached home shortly after that. They were talking about the beautiful lady who had been dancing with the prince.

The prince had fallen in love with Cinderella and wanted to find out who the beautiful girl was, but he did not even know her name. He found the slipper that had come off Cinderella’s foot as she ran home. The prince said, “I will find her. The lady whose foot fits this slipper will be the one I marry!” The next day, the prince and his servants took the slipper and went to all the houses in the kingdom. They wanted to find the lady whose feet would fit in the slipper. All the women in the kingdom tried the slipper but it would not fit any of them. Cinderella’s stepsisters also tried on the little slipper. They tried to squeeze their feet and push hard into the slipper, but the servant was afraid the slipper would break. Cinderella’s stepmother would not let her try the slipper on, but the prince saw her and said, “Let her also try on the slipper!” The slipper fit her perfectly. The prince recognized her from the ball. He married Cinderella and together they lived happily ever after.

Thumbelina

There once was a woman who wished very much to have a little child, but she never did. Finally, she went to a fairy and told her that she would like to have a child. The fairy told her that she had a different kind of corn and that if she planted it in a flower pot something might happen. The woman took the corn home and immediately planted it in a flower pot, and almost right away a beautiful flower started to grow. It looked a little like a tulip with the bud tightly closed. "It is a beautiful flower" said the woman, and she touched the little bud. As soon as she did it opened up in beautiful reds and golds. Inside the flower on the green velvet stamens sat a tiny little girl.

She was so tiny, half the length of your thumb, that the woman named her Thumbelina. The woman made her a bed out of a walnut shell, which the lady polished and lined with blue violet leaves and a rose leaf for a blanket. The woman filled a plateful of water and put beautiful wreaths of flowers around the edge of the plate with their stems in the water. A large tulip leaf was floating in the middle of the plate of water, and Thumbelina sat in it like it was a boat. Thumbelina loved to sit in her boat paddling around the plate of water singing sweetly throughout the day.

One night while she slept in her Walnut shell bed, an ugly old toad crept into the house and right up on the table where Thumbelina was sleeping. The toad thought "What a lovely wife she would make for my son" and stole the Walnut shell and all taking Thumbelina with her into the night. The next day the old toad introduced Thumbelina to the toad which was to be her husband. She was very unhappy because all he could say was "croak croak" and he was as ugly as the old toad.

She was placed on a lily pad and told that this was where she would live. Thumbelina was crying when the little fishes in the stream decided to help her and they chewed away at the stem of the lily pad releasing her little lily pad and she floated away. She floated away for many days into far lands and met knew friends. She met a little white butterfly who agreed to tow her with Thumbelina's little silk sash. Thumbelina was happy in the sunshine and was singing beautifully when some little birds saw her and came and grabbed her around the waist taking her off into the trees.

One bird gave her some honey from a flower and then other birds came by. The bird who took her from the lily pad said "Isn't she very pretty?" The other birds started arguing that no, she was quite ugly and looked like a human being. Finally the one bird realized that everyone else thought she was too ugly to keep and the bird took her to a daisy leaving her there in a field. Well, now Thumbelina was all alone and she survived the summer by eating the honey from flowers and drinking the dew from the leaves in the morning. The summer was nice, but then came autumn and finally winter. Snow started falling and poor Thumbelina was freezing.

She realized she had to find shelter and walked for miles and miles in the cold. Finally she came to the door of a little field mouse's house. She knocked at the door and begged for something to eat. "You poor little creature" said the field-mouse - who was really very nice "come into my warm room and dine with me." He told her that she was invited to stay with him if she helped to clean and keep things very neat the way he liked. Thumbelina was happy to do the chores and stayed there very happily.

The only problem with living with the field mouse was his neighbor the ugly and miserable mole. The field mouse thought that the mole might make a good husband for Thumbelina, but she could not understand why he didn't like the sunshine or the singing of birds. In fact she found him very unpleasant and had not interest in marrying him.

One day after the mole had dug a long tunnel from his house to the house of the field mouse, they came across a beautiful swallow who it seems had falling through the ground into the tunnel. The mole made fun of the stupid bird who did nothing but sing all summer, and then obviously had died from the cold. Thumbelina thought that the Swallow was very beautiful, and was sad that the bird lay there dead. However, that night she thought of the bird and wove a warm blanket out of hay and brought it to the bird. She spread it over the bird and then laid her head on the bird's breast when she heard a thump thump. Thumbelina was thrilled that the bird had just been numbed from cold and that he was alive.

Thumbelina was a little frightened, after all the bird was much bigger than she was, but she laid more of the thick blanket over the bird. Over the winter she nursed the swallow back to life, hiding him from the field mouse and the mole, for they did not like birds. In the spring the swallow offered to take Thumbelina with him into the sunshine, but she felt she could not leave. The field mouse would be upset if she left and she owed him so much. However, by the end of the summer after much talk of her marrying the miserable mole, when the swallow returned with a "tweet tweet" and suggested that she go with him down south to get away from the coming winter, she agreed.

Thumbelina seated herself on the bird's back and they flew up in the air and over the forest and over the sea, high above the highest mountains. They eventually got to the warmer countries where purple and green grapes grew on vines; lemons and oranges hung from trees and the air was fragrant with herbs and orange blossoms. Children ran along the country lanes chasing butterflies, and as they came to a blue lake with deep trees surrounding a white marble palace Thumbelina could see many swallows nests.

The swallow suggested some of the beautiful white flowers below his nest might be a good place for her to make her home. She agreed happily and as they flew towards a beautiful white flower it opened and in the center of it stood a tiny young man. He was all white like crystal and wore a beautiful golden crown on his head. He thought Thumbelina to be the most beautiful young girl he had ever seen and put the crown on her head asking her to be his wife. He told her that he was the prince and if she married him he would be the queen of all the flowers.

She agreed and lived happily ever after. When the winter was over the swallow said that he must leave and go north to his other nest over the window of a man who wrote fairy tales. He loved to sing to the man "tweet tweet". This is where the whole story came from.

The White Snake

A long time ago there lived a king who was famed for his wisdom through all the land. Nothing was hidden from him, and it seemed as if news of the most secret things was brought to him through the air. But he had a strange custom; every day after dinner, when the table was cleared, and no one else was present, a trusty servant had to bring him one more dish. It was covered, however, and even the servant did not know what was in it, neither did anyone know, for the King never took off the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.

This had gone on for a long time, when one day the servant, who took away the dish, was overcome with such curiosity that he could not help carrying the dish into his room. When he had carefully locked the door,he lifted up the cover, and saw a white snake lying on the dish. But when he saw it he could not deny himself the pleasure of tasting it, so he cut off a little bit and put it into his mouth. No sooner had it touched his tongue than he heard a strange whispering of little voices outside his window. He went and listened, and then noticed that it was the sparrows who were chattering together, and telling one another of all kinds of things which they had seen in the fields and woods. Eating the snake had given him power of understanding the language of animals.

Now it so happened that on this very day the Queen lost her most beautiful ring, and suspicion of having stolen it fell upon this trusty servant, who was allowed to go everywhere. The King ordered the man to be brought before him, and threatened with angry words that unless he could before the morrow point out the thief, he himself should be looked upon as guilty and executed. In vain he declared his innocence.

In his trouble and fear he went down into the courtyard and thought long and hard. Now some ducks were sitting together quietly by a brook and taking their rest; and, whilst they were making their feathers smooth with their bills, they were having a confidential conversation together. The servant stood by and listened. They were telling one another of all the places where they had been waddling about all the morning, and what good food they had found, and one said in a pitiful tone, “Something lies heavy on my stomach; as I was eating in haste I swallowed a ring which lay under the Queen’s window.” The servant at once seized her, carried her to the kitchen, and said to the cook, “Here is a fine duck; roast her for dinner.” “Yes,” said the cook, and weighed her in his hand; “she has spared no trouble to fatten herself, and has been waiting to be roasted long enough.” And as he prepared the duck for dinner, he found the ring inside.

The servant could now easily prove his innocence; and the King, to make amends for the wrong, allowed him to ask a favor, and promised him the best place in the court that he could wish for. The servant refused everything, and only asked for a horse and some money for traveling, as he had a mind to see the world and go about a little. When his request was granted he set out on his way, and one day came to a pond, where he saw three fishes caught in the reeds and gasping for water. Now, though it is said that fishes are dumb, he heard them complaining that they must perish so miserably, and, as he had a kind heart, he got off his horse and put the three fishes back into the water. They quivered with delight, put out their heads, and cried to him, “We will remember you and repay you for saving us!”

He rode on, and after a while it seemed to him that he heard a voice in the sand at his feet. He listened, and heard an ant-king complain, “Why cannot folks, with their clumsy beasts, keep off our bodies? That stupid horse, with his heavy hoofs, has been treading down my people without mercy!” So he turned on to a side path and the ant-king cried out to him, “We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!”

The path led him into a wood, and here he saw two old ravens standing by their nest, and throwing out their young ones. “Out with you, you idle, good-for-nothing creatures!” cried they; “we cannot find food for you any longer; you are big enough, and can provide for yourselves.” But the poor young ravens lay upon the ground, flapping their wings, and crying, “Oh, what helpless chicks we are! We must shift for ourselves, and yet we cannot fly! What can we do, but lie here and starve?” So the good young fellow climbed down, and gave them his own food which he had been carrying for his lunch. Then they came hopping up to it, satisfied their hunger, and cried, “We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!”

And when he had gone on a long way further, he came to a large city. There was a great noise and crowd in the streets, and a man rode up on horseback, crying aloud, “The King’s daughter wants a husband; but whoever sues for her hand must perform a hard task, and if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life.” Many had already made the attempt, but in vain; nevertheless when the youth saw the King’s daughter he was so overcome by her great beauty that he forgot all danger, went before the King, and declared himself a suitor.

So he was led out to the sea, and a gold ring was thrown into it, in his sight; then the King ordered him to fetch this ring up from the bottom of the sea, and added, “If you come up again without it you will be thrown in again and again until you perish amid the waves.” All the people grieved for the handsome youth; then they went away, leaving him alone by the sea.

He stood on the shore and considered what he should do, when suddenly he saw three fishes come swimming towards him, and they were the very fishes whose lives he had saved. The one in the middle held a mussel in its mouth, which it laid on the shore at the youth’s feet, and when he had taken it up and opened it, there lay the gold ring in the shell. Full of joy he took it to the King, and expected that he would grant him the promised reward.

But when the proud princess saw that he was not her equal in birth, she scorned him, and required him first to perform another task. She went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten sacks-full of millet-seed on the ground; then she said, “To-morrow morning before sunrise these must be picked up, and not a single grain be wanting.”

The youth sat down in the garden and considered how it might be possible to perform this task, but he could think of nothing, and there he sat sorrowfully awaiting the break of day, when he should be led to death. But as soon as the first rays of the sun shone into the garden he saw all the ten sacks standing side by side, quite full, and not a single grain was 

missing. The ant-king had come in the night with thousands and thousands of ants, and the grateful creatures had by great industry picked up all the millet-seed and gathered them into the sacks.

Presently the King’s daughter herself came down into the garden, and was amazed to see that the young man had done the task she had given him. But she could not yet conquer her proud heart, and said, “Although he has performed both the tasks, he shall not be my husband until he has brought me an apple from the Tree of Life.”

The youth did not know where the Tree of Life stood, but he set out, and would have gone on for ever, as long as his legs would carry him, though he had no hope of finding it. 

After he had wandered through three kingdoms, he came one evening to a wood, and lay down under a tree to sleep. But he heard a rustling in the branches, and a golden apple fell into his hand. At the same time three ravens flew down to him, perched themselves upon his knee, and said, “We are the three young ravens whom you saved from starving; when we had grown big, and heard that you were seeking the Golden Apple, we flew over the sea to the end of the world, where the Tree of Life stands, and have brought you the apple.” The youth, full of joy, set out homewards, and took the Golden Apple to the King’s beautiful daughter, who had no more excuses left to make. They cut the Apple of Life in two and ate it together; and then her heart became full of love for him, and they lived in undisturbed happiness to a great age.

Dog Jokes

 What did one flea say to the other?

 Should we walk or take a dog?

What type of markets do dogs avoid?

 Flea markets!

Why is a tree like a big dog?

They both have lot of bark!

What are caterpillars afraid of?

Doger-pillars!

What did the cowboy say when his dog ran away?

 Well, doggone!

How can you know if you have a stupid dog?

It chases parked cars! 

When is a black dog not a black dog?

When it's a greyhound!

What happened to the dog that ate nothing but garlic?

His bark was much worse than it's bite!

What is a dogs favorite flower?

Anything in your garden!

 What's a dog favorite hobby?

Collecting fleas!

What did the hungry Dalmatian say when he had a meal?

That hit the spots!

What do you call young dogs who play in the snow?

Slush puppies!

Why do dogs run in circles?

Because it's too hard to run in squares!

What is the only kind of dog you can eat?

 A hot dog!

What kind of dog sounds like you can eat it?

A sausage dog!

What do you do if your dog eats your pen?

Use a pencil instead!

What animal keeps the best time?

A watch dog!

What do you get if you cross a Beatle and an Australian dog?

Dingo Starr!

Why do you get if you cross a chili pepper, a shovel and a terrier?

A hot-diggity-dog!

What do you call a black Alaskan dog?

A dusky husky!

What do you call a great dog detective?

Sherlock Bones!

What is a dog's favorite sport? 

Formula 1 drooling! 

What do you get if you take a really big dog out for a walk? 

A Great Dane out! 

What do you get if you cross a giraffe with a dog?

An animal that barks at low flying aircraft!

 What do you call an alcoholic dog?

A whino!

What is the difference between Father Christmas and a warm dog?

Father Christmas wears a whole suit, a dog just pants!

When is the most likely time that a stray dog will walk into your house?

When the door is open!

Why don't dogs make good dancers?

 Because they have two left feet!

Cow Jokes

What do you call a cow with no legs?

Ground beef!

What do you call cattle with a sense of humor?

Laughing stock.  

Why did the blonde buy a brown cow? 

 To get chocolate milk. 

What are a cows favorite subjects in school? 

 Moosic, psycowolgy, cowculus. 

What do you get when you cross a cow and a goat?

A coat!

What do you call a sleeping bull?

A bull-dozer!

What do you call a grumpy cow?

Moo-dy!

What do you get when you cross a cow and a duck? 

Milk and Quackers!

What do you call it when a cow jumps over a barbed wire fence?

Udder-Catastrophe.

Where do you find the most cows? 

Moo-York. 

What do you call a cow that plays a musical instrument?

A Moo-sician!

What do cows get when they are sick? 

Hay Fever. 

Why does a milking stool have only three legs? 

Because the cow has the udder. 

What did the farmer call the cow that had no milk?

An udder failure!

What do you get if you cross a chicken with a cow?

Roost beef!

What happened to the lost cattle?

Nobody's herd!

What do cows get when they do all their chores? 

 Mooney. 

What did one dairy cow say to another? 

Got milk? 

How to you know that cows will be in heaven? 

 It's a place of udder delight.

When is a farmer like a magician? 

When he turns his cow into pasture. 

 Why is a barn so noisy?

All the cows have horns. 

Why can't the bankrupt cowboy complain?

He's got no beef. 

What animals do you bring to bed? 

 Your calves. 

Why can't you shock cows?

They've herd it all!

Have you heard about the cow astronaut?

He landed on the moooon!

Why do cows wear bells? 

Their horns don't work. 

What are the spots on black and white cows? 

Holstains. 

What kind of milk comes from a forgetful cow? 

Milk of Amnesia. 

 Have you ever heard the term "When Pigs Fly!"...... 

 Well what if it were "When Cows Fly!" 

Where do cows go when they want a night out? 

To the moo-vies! 

What do you call a cow with a twitch? 

 Beef Jerky. 

Chicken Jokes

Which day of the week do chickens hate most?

Fry-day! 

What happens when you drop a hand gren-egg? 

It eggs-plodes! 

If fruit comes from a fruit tree, where does chicken come from?

A poul-tree!

What's a haunted chicken?

A poultry-geist!

What's a henway?

About 5 pounds!

Why did the chick disappoint his mother? 

He wasn't what he was cracked up to be! 

What did one chicken say to the other after they walked through poison ivy? 

"You scratch my beak and I'll scratch yours!

" What do you get when a chicken lays an egg on top of a barn?

An eggroll!

What do you call the outside of a hand gren-egg?

The bombshell!

What does an alarm cluck say?

"Tick-tock-a-doodle-doo!" 

Why does a chicken coop have two doors?

Because if had four doors it would be a chicken sedan!

How long do chickens work?

Around the cluck!

Why did the chicken cross the road, roll in the mud and cross the road again? 

Because he was a dirty double-crosser! 

What does a mixed-up hen lay?

Scrambled eggs!

What does an evil hen lay?

Deviled eggs!

Where do tough chickens come from?

Hard-boiled eggs!

Is chicken soup good for your health?

Not if you're the chicken!

Why did the chewing gum cross the road?

It was stuck to the chicken's foot!

Why did the turkey cross the road?

It was the chicken's day off!

What did the chicken do when he saw a bucket of fried chicken? 

She kicked the bucket! 

Why did half a chicken cross the road? 

To get to its other side! 

Which side of a chicken has the most feathers?

The outside!

Why do hens lay eggs? If they dropped them, they'd break!

How do chickens bake a cake?

From scratch!

What do chicken families do on Saturday afternoon?

They go on peck-nics!

What do chickens serve at birthday parties?

Coop-cakes!

Cat Jokes

What is the cat's favorite TV show?

The evening mews! 

How can you get a set of teeth put in for free? 

Smack a lion! 

What's worse than raining cats and dogs?  

Hailing taxi cabs! 

How is cat food sold? 

 Usually purr can! 

What flies around your light at night and can bite off your head? 

A tiger moth! 

 What does the lion say to his friends before they go out hunting for food? 

'Let us prey.' 

What's the unluckiest kind of cat to have? 

A catastrophe!

 Who was the most powerful cat in China? 

Chairman Miaow! 

What do you get if you cross a cat with a tree? 

 A cat-a-logue!

What looks like half a cat?

 The other half!

What was the name of the film about a killer lion that swam underwater?

'Claws.' 

If a four-legged animal is a quadruped and a two-legged animal is a biped, What's a tiger?

A stri-ped!

Why do you need a license for a dog and not for a cat?

Cats can't drive!

What animals are the best pets?

Cats, because they are purr-fect!

What did the cat have for breakfast?

Mice Crispies!

What are caterpillars afraid of?

Doger-pillars!

Why didn't the boy believe the tiger?

He thought it was a lion!

Why did the leopard wear a striped shirt?

So she wouldn't be spotted!

When is it very bad luck to see a black cat?

When you're a mouse!

Is it hard to spot a leopard?

No, they come that way!

What steps do you take if you a tiger is running towards you?

Big ones!

How does a lion greet the other animals in the field?

'Pleased to eat you.'!

What do you get if you cross a tiger with a snowman?

 Frostbite!

What did the lions say to his cubs when he taught them to hunt?

'Don't go over the road till you see the zebra crossing.' 

What is lion's favorite food?

Baked beings!