All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
The Barber’s Clever Wife
A lazy barber begs the king for something and gets a field of waste land, but his sharp-witted wife turns it, and seven thieves, to good use.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Bear’s Bad Bargain
A bear carries a huge load of wood for a promised share of khichri, but the couple eat it all. A sneeze later leaves them with his wood and a pot of pears.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Beetle and the Silken Thread
A wise vizier is left to die at the top of a tall tower, and to save him, his wife must bring a beetle, a drop of honey and a thread as fine as a spider's web.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Beggar and the Five Muffins
A poor beggar and his wife make five muffins and cannot agree who gets the extra one, so they agree that whoever speaks first will get only two.
The Goat Who Laughed and Wept
A goat being made ready for a feast laughs out loud and then weeps, and when the teacher asks why, the goat’s answer changes the way he thinks.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Brahman Priest Who Became an Amildar
A king makes his household priest a district governor and gives him three pieces of advice, which the priest follows word for word, with ridiculous results.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Brahmarakshas and the Hair
A greedy landlord calls up a giant demon servant who must always have work, and when the work runs out, only his wife knows how to keep it busy.
Indian Folk Tales
The Brahmin Girl Who Married a Tiger
A tiger disguises himself as a learned young man and deceives a family into marriage. Threatened and isolated in the forest, the young wife sends a crow to summon her brothers.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Charmed Ring
A merchant's son spends all his money saving a dog, a cat and a snake, and when his magic ring is stolen, the cat and the dog set out to bring it back.
The Cat, the Mouse, the Lizard and the Owl
A cat caught in a hunter's snare begs her old enemy the mouse to bite through the string, and the mouse agrees, but only on his own careful terms.
Indian Folk Tales
The King Who Would Be Stronger Than Fate
A hermit tells a proud king that his baby daughter will marry the son of a slave, and the king sets out to prove that he is stronger than fate.
The King Who Would See Paradise
A king who cannot believe in what he cannot see makes a holy man promise to show him Paradise, and the glimpse he gets costs him far more than he expects.