Wisdom & Cleverness
Resourceful escapes, sharp observations, advice and ingenious tricks shape these tales. Look beyond who wins: what information did a character use, whose help mattered and who was harmed? Comparing an effective trick with a well-judged decision makes room for different readings of cleverness and wisdom.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Savitri and the Lord of Death
When a wise man warns that her chosen husband will die within a year, Princess Savitri marries him anyway, and when Death comes for him, she follows.
Japanese Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Issun-boshi, the One-Inch Boy
A boy no bigger than a finger paddles to Kyoto in a soup bowl, fights off two oni with his needle sword, and uses their lucky mallet to grow tall.
African Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Clever Tortoise and the Elephant
Tortoise wins two strength bets by secretly anchoring the rope to a rock and a palm, then lets Elephant and Hippopotamus believe he pulled it himself.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Ragnarok: The Twilight of the Gods
Wars and a winter without summers precede Ragnarok; the gods face their last battle, and afterward a green earth rises with survivors and memories of the old world.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Sigurd and the Dragon Fafnir
When the dwarf Andvari curses his stolen ring, the gold passes from the gods to a greedy family, until young Sigurd faces the dragon Fafnir on Gnita Heath.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Theft of Thor’s Hammer (Thrymskvida)
When the giant Thrym steals Thor’s hammer and demands Freyja as his bride, the gods come up with a plan that leaves Thor dressed in a wedding veil.
Arabian Nights
Ages 9-12
The Barber’s Tale of His Sixth Brother
Schacabac plays along with a Barmecide's invisible feast, earns a real one and twenty years' favour—then loses all when his patron dies.
Norse Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
The Creation of the World from Ymir’s Body
In the beginning there was only fire, ice and a great yawning gap, until a giant grew out of the melting frost and the gods shaped the world from his body.
Arabian Nights
Ages 9-12
The Seven Voyages of Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage
Sinbad’s crew breaks a roc egg and pays with a wreck; washed ashore, he frees himself from the Old Man of the Sea, then harvests nuts via angry monkeys.
Norse Folk Tales
The Mead of Poetry
Two jealous dwarfs brew a magic mead that turns anyone who drinks it into a poet, and Father Odin sets out in disguise to win it from the giants.
Hitopadesha
All Ages
The Doves and the Hunter’s Net
Caught together in a hunter’s net, a flock of doves follows their wise king’s plan to fly off with the net and seek help from a friendly mouse.
Jataka Tales
The Wise Hare
Four animal friends keep a fast day; when Sakka tests them, the hare offers himself to the fire and his image is painted on the moon.