Once upon a time, a beautiful and kind queen had only one daughter, who was as lovely as the day. As the princess was to be married off to a prince in a distant kingdom, the queen equipped her with a loyal maid, a beautiful horse named Falada that could speak, and a handkerchief stained with three drops of blood.
Once upon a time, there was a town called Hamelin, which was overrun by rats. The townsfolk were desperate and didn’t know how to get rid of them.
Once upon a time, there was a little tailor who was smart and full of energy. One day, after successfully swatting and killing seven flies in one swoop that had been disturbing him, he was so impressed with his own bravery that he made a belt inscribed with the words “Seven at One Blow”. He decided to set off into the world to seek his fortune.
In a small village, a miller died leaving his three sons with their inheritance. The oldest son got the mill, the middle son received the donkey, and the youngest son had nothing but the family cat, Puss. Feeling dejected, the young man feared he would starve.
Once upon a time, there was a vain Emperor who loved wearing fine clothes and showing them off to his people.
Once upon a time, in a sunny spot near a quiet lake, a mother duck was nesting. After patiently waiting, her eggs finally hatched, and cute little ducklings popped out, cheeping merrily. But one egg, the largest of all, didn’t hatch.
Once upon a time, in a forest, there lived three bears: a Papa Bear, a Mama Bear, and a Baby Bear. They lived harmoniously in a cozy cottage, each having their own sized chair, bed, and bowl for porridge.
Once upon a time in a far-off village, there lived a young shepherd boy. His daily task was to watch the village sheep in the nearby pastures. Although the boy enjoyed his work, he often found himself bored and lonely.
In a small village, there lived an old woman and an old man. One day, the woman decided to bake a gingerbread man. She shaped the dough beautifully, gave him eyes made of currants, a mouth made of icing, and clothes made of colored sugar.
Once upon a time, there lived a widow and her only son Jack. They were very poor and had to sell nearly everything they owned to buy food. One day, their last cow stopped giving milk, so Jack’s mother sent him to the market to sell it.
