Ep. 112
112. The Fleshing Flail from Heaven
A farmer drops a turnip seed and it grows into a tree that reaches all the way up into heaven. So, naturally, he climbs it.
2012 episodes (79)
Ep. 111
111. The Expert Marksman
With the aid of a magical gun, a huntsman tricks and kills three evil giants. In doing so, he wins the hand of a princess.
Ep. 110
110. The Jew in the Thornbush
Warning! This story contains offensive racial stereotypes from another era, and is not suitable for all audiences. A journeyman apprentice is granted magical items and powers after being kind to a dwarf, but he later uses them to toment a jew he meets along the road.
Ep. 108
108. Hans My Hedgehog
A farmer and his wife give birth to a son who is half boy, and hedgehog. He grows up to play the bagpipes, ride a rooster, and inherit a kingdom.
Ep. 107
107. The Two Travelers
Two craftsmen, one a tailor and the other a shoemaker, one good and the other bad, travel together through the country.
Ep. 106
106. The Poor Miller's Apprentice and the Cat
A miller is nearing retirement age and has no family to pass his mill down to. He tells his three hired men that whichever goes out into the world and brings back the best horse can have the mill. One of them, a very simple man, finds a magical cat along the way.
Ep. 104
104. The Clever People
Good-hearted but dim-witted people get taken advantage of by greedy people.
Ep. 103
103. The Sweet Porridge
A cautionary tale about having a magic item but forgetting how to use it.
Ep. 102
102. The Wren and the Bear
A chronicle of the short war between the animals that walk and the animals that fly.
Ep. 101
101. Bearskin
A desolate soldier is given a proposition by the devil: live for seven years like a beast and be set for life, or forfeit his soul. The soldier passes the challenge and finds a wife in the process, but the devil also comes out a winner.
Ep. 100
100. The Devil's Sooty Brother
A down and out discharged soldier gets hired on to become the Devil’s assistant. He serves well enough for seven years, and is well paid for his service.
Ep. 99
99. The Spirit in the Glass Bottle
A student discovers a mean spirit in a glass bottle. He outsmarts the spirit, and once he sets the spirit free, he is rewarded with a magical item that sets him and his poor father up for life.
Ep. 98
98. Doctor Know-It-All
A farmer asks a doctor how he too could become a doctor. The doctor gives him a sarcastic response, but the farmer follows it anyway. He then lucks into fame and fortune.
Ep. 97
97. The Water of Life
A King lies dying, and only the hard to find Water of Life can save him. His three sons, two wicked ones and one younger good one, go out to find it. Along the way, everyone gets what they have coming.
Ep. 96
96. The Three Little Birds
Three sisters marry a king and two of his ministers. The new queen births three children, but her two sisters conspire to throw the babies into the river. They are rescued by a fisherman, and with the help of a magical bird, all is made right.
Ep. 95
95. Old Hildebrand
A farmer’s wife and a priest have an affair, and the farmer’s neighbor helps him learn the truth.
Ep. 93
93. The Raven
After a princess is accidentally turned into a raven, and woodsman faces many challenges to break her from the spell.
Ep. 92
92. The King of the Golden Mountain
A rich merchant loses his riches, but a dwarf offers to restore them in exchange for a mystery item. That item turns out to be the merchant’s own son. Instead of becoming a slave to the dwarf, the boy manages to escape and have a number of adventures, including becoming king of a distant kingdom.
Ep. 91
91. The Gnome
After eating an apple off their father’s favorite tree, three princesses are magically cursed to be deep undreground where they must pick lice off dragons. Three huntsmen brothers, while searching for the princesses, stumble upon a gnome who lives in those same underground caverns. The two wicked eldest brothers try to cheat the youngest out of the reward for rescuing the princesses.
Ep. 90
90. The Young Giant
A young farmer’s son, who was no bigger than a thumb, suckles at the breast of a giant and becomes a giant himself (and quite a bit ill-mannered, too). He then goes out to make his way in the world.
Ep. 89
89. The Goose Girl
A meek princess is usurped by her servant and is forced to tend to the geese in silence. A talking horse witnesses the events and, despite being killed, helps bring the usurper to justice.
Ep. 88
88. The Singing, Springing Lark
A story of enchantment with lions, dragons, griffins, talking doves, true love, gifts from the sun, moon, and the four winds, and more.
Ep. 87
87. The Poor Man and the Rich Man
The Lord was travelling the world disduised as a simple man, as he often used to do. He was treated very differently by a rich man and a poor man, and each received an appropriate reward.
Ep. 85
85. The Golden Children
This is kind of a greatest hits remix story, involving a talking wish-granting golden fish, golden brothers with matching golden lillies and horses, travels through the wide world, a sudden marriage, and a witch in the woods who can turn men to stone. And they all live happily ever after.
Ep. 84
84. Hans Gets Married
A poor farmer uses homonyms to convince a rich farmer to let him marry the rich man’s daughter.
Ep. 83
83. Lucky Hans
Hans, who must have been born under a lucky star, starts a journey with a nugget of gold the size of his head and is able to trade along the way until he ends up with what he really wanted most of all.
Ep. 82
82. Gambling Hans
Hans has such a gambling problem, he continues his habit right into the afterlife.
Ep. 81
81. Brother Lustig
A discharged soldier impresses St. Peter (who is disguised as a soldier). But as they travel together, St. Peter sours on the man. After having many adventured, the man arrives at heaven to find St. Peter barring the gates to him.
Episode 81: 80. The Death of the Hen
You can tell from the title that this isn't a happy tale, but it's worse than you think. The last line is "And then, everyone was dead." You have been warned.
Episode 80: 79. The Water Nixie
A very short tale about children who are captured by, and then escape from, a creature at the bottom of a well.
Episode 79: 78. The Old Man and His Grandson
A four year old boy must remind his parents to respect their elders.
Episode 78: 77. Clever Gretel
A fashionable cook, who is also a bit of a lush, eats all of the dinner she was supposed to serve to her master and his guest, so she quickly has to think of a story to cover her deeds.
Episode 77: 76. The Pink Flower
An evil cook learns what should have been an obvious lesson:don't kidnap a prince who has the power to make his own wishes come true.
Episode 76: 75. The Fox and the Cat
The fox is extremely rude to the cat, but the cat gets her revenge thanks to a huntsman's dogs.
Episode 74: 73. The Wolf and the Fox
The wolf bosses the fox around and constantly threatens to eat him. The cunning fox thinks up a few plans to trick the wolf into being caught by humans so he can finally live in peace.
Episode 73: 72. The Wolf and the Man
In this very short tale, the wolf disbelieves the fox, and discovers that a man is a very strong creature indeed.
Episode 72: 71. How Six Made Their Way in the World
A disgruntled soldier assembles a team of extraodinary characters, who set out to make their way in the world.
Episode 71: 70. The Three Sons of Fortune
Three sons go out into the world to earn their fortune, with only a rooster, a scythe, and a cat.
Episode 70: 69. Jorinda and Joringel
A witch lures young maidens to her forest castle and changes them into birds, which she keeps in cages. After capturing hundreds of maidens this way, the betrothed of her latest catch dreams of a way to free them all from the spell.
Episode 69: 68. The Thief and His Master
A man prays for guidance on a career for his son, receives a sign that he should become a thief, and so apprentices him out to a master thief.
Episode 68: 67. The Twelve Huntsmen
A prince fails to keep his promise to marry a princess, instead becoming engaged to another. The spurned princess and eleven lookalikes disguise themselves as huntsmen and try to win him back.
Episode 67: 66. The Hare's Bride
A short tale where a hare kidnaps a maiden so he can marry her, she escapes, and he becomes sad.
Episode 66: 65. All Fur
In his grief over losing his beautiful wife, a king sets to marry his beautiful daughter, who reminds him of the wife he lost. She escapes, disguises herself, and hides in another king's castle. Before long, she is discovered by that king, who makes her his queen.
Episode 65: 64. The Golden Goose
Unlike his clever brothers, a simple fellow is nice to a dwarf. His kindness gets repaid many times over, and he eventually becomes a king.
Episode 64: 63. The Three Feathers
Three princes, the youngest a simpleton, are given a contest by their father to see who would become the next king. The two older brothers dismiss the youngest, but with the help of a magical toad, he wins the contest.
Episode 63: 62. The Queen Bee
After a simple prince keeps his two older brothers from harming ants, ducks, and bees, the animals re-pay his kindness when they find a kingdom where everyone has been turned to stone.
Episode 62: 61. Little Farmer
The poorest farmer in the village becomes the town's richest, and only, resident.
Episode 61: 60. The Two Brothers
This is the longest fairy tale in the collection. Two young twin brothers eat the magical heart and liver of a golden bird, which bestows upon them the gift of a gold coin under their pillow each monring. Their father believes it to be the work of the devil, so he abandons them in the forest. A huntsman finds them, adopts them as his own, and teches them to be huntsmen as well. When they set out as young adults to make their way in the world, they collect a menageria of talking animals. Eventually, they go their separate ways, splitting their animals among them. One brother makes his way to a kingdom emperiled by a seven-headed dragon. The kingdom is down to its last virgin, the king's daughter, to appease the dragon. The king promises his daughter and the kingdom to whoever can slay the dragon. The brother and his animals do this, but the king's marshal kills the young huntsman and takes credit for the victory. The brother is resurected with the help of his animals (though his head is temporarily put on backwards). The brother exposes the lie and takes his rightful place as the prince of the kingdom. One day, while out hunting, the brother and his animals are set upon by a witch, who turns them all to stone. The other brother wanders by at this time, and is able to rescue the first brother and his animals, revive them, and kill the witch. And everyone lives happily ever after.
Episode 60: 59. Freddy and Katy
A young groom is vexed by the not-so-bright actions of his wife. This is essentially a longer version of the tale presented in Episode 34: Clever Else.
Episode 59: 58. The Dog and the Sparrow
A merchant runs over a dog in the road, and the dog's friend, a sparrow, gets revenge.
Episode 58: 57. The Golden Bird
A young prince manages to, despite ignoring almost all of the consistently correct advice given by a talking fox, obtain a golden bird, a golden horse, a beautiful princess, and a kingdom.
Episode 57: 56. Sweetheart Roland
A beutiful maiden barely escapes with her life and her sweetheart from her stepmother, who is a real witch. They must outwit her several times thereafter, but along the way the maiden nearly loses everything she holds dear.
Episode 56: 55. Rumplestiltskin
A miller's daughter is locked in rooms full of straw by a greedy king after her father brags that she can spin straw into gold. She can't, of course, but along comes a strangely named little man who can.
Episode 55: 54. The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn
A down on his luck traveller finds a magical tablecloth. He uses that to trick three others and steal a knapsack, a hat, and a horn. All three have magical military powers. He uses them to overthrow a king and seize the kingdom for himself.
Episode 54: 53. Snow White
The classic story of a witch queen's jeolousy of her beautiful step daughter princess. Also, seven dwarfs.
Episode 53: 52. King Thrushbeard
A princess is overly critical and disrespectful of all of her potential suitors. In a fit of anger, her father marries her off to the first beggar who comes along, a travelling minstrel. The minstrel teaches her humility.
Episode 52: 51. The Foundling
A wood cutter finds a child lost in the woods, and raises him as his own.
Episode 51: 50. Brier Rose
An offended witch curses a young princess to die from pricking her finger on a spindle on her 15th birthday. A good witch blunts the curse by instead having her fall asleep for 100 years.
Episode 50: 49. The Six Swans
A king is tricked by a witch into losing his six sons and his daughter. Through the witch's magic, the boys are turned into swans. The young princess sets out to undo the magic, though it takes seven years and nearly costs her her life.
Episode 49: 48. Old Sultan
A farmer decides his old dog is too useless to keep around any longer. The dog, along with his frind the wolf, come up with a plan to convince him otherwise. The pair later get into a feud, and at a duel, a bear and a cat are their seconds.
Episode 48: 47. The Juniper Tree
An evil stepmother kills her step-son, cooks him into a stew, and serves the stew to the boy's father. Her daughter witnesses the whole thing, and buries the boy's bones beneath a juniper tree. The boy returns as an enchanted bird, and the stepmother finds justice.
Episode 47: 46. Fitcher's Bird
An evil warlock has a long history of kidnapping and murdering beutiful young women. One of his intended victims manages to escape and exact revenge.
Episode 46: 45. Thumbling's Travels
A little man, no bigger than a thumb, goes out into the wide world.
Episode 45: 44. Godfather Death
A man chooses Death to be godfather of his 13th child. When he grows older, Death grants the child the power to heal the sick, under certain conditions. Trouble happens when those conditions are broken.
Episode 44: 43. Mother Trudy
A young girl disobeys her parents' instructions not to go visit the home of an evil witch, and comes to a bad end.
Episode 43: 42. The Godfather
A mysterious man grants a poor man the power to heal the sick or tell when their death is inevitable.
Episode 42: 41. Herr Korbes
A hen and a rooster go visit Herr Korbes. Along the way, they're joined by several other animals and ordinarily inanimate objects who also want to go visit the man.
Episode 41: 40. The Robber Bridegroom
A miller promises his daughter to the first semmingly nice man who come courting, but he turns out to be a robber and murderer. The bride to be is able to escape the terrible plans he has in store.
Episode 40: 39. The Elves
Three short stories of the elves interacting with our world, including the story of elves helping the poor shoemaker while he sleeps.
Episode 39: 38. The Wedding of Mrs. Fox
Two tales of Mrs. Fox remarrying after her beloved Mr. Fox passes away. The first time, though, he was only pretending to have died.
Episode 38: 37. Thumbling
A farmer and his wife have a son perfect in every way, but no bigger than a thumb.
Episode 37: 36. The Magic Table, the Golden Donkey, and the Club in the Sack
A tailor's three sons go out into the world and acquire three useful magical items. The main story is bookended with another story about an ornery goat.
Episode 35: 34. Clever Else
A husband and wife have a clever daughter who must prove how smart she is before her suitor will marry her.