Folklore

That night was stormy, and the three small girls in their captivity—tree branches clapping and the wind whistling—did not feel cold, for the room was warm and the floor was soft woolen. The mother, who liked to recount her grandmother’s stories on such a night, said: Once upon a time in ancient times. The eldest interrupted her: We know the story. There were three girls who secluded themselves until they ate. The mother returned, sighing: No, this is not the story. The middle one said: Three girls work in the Sultan’s palace, and the small one’s name is Love of the Romans. The mother laughed and said: Rather, the middle one whose name is Love of the Romans is the one who deliberately and intentionally threw the thimble into the water. ...

The tiger said to the fox: Let us race from the top of the world to its bottom, and whoever wins becomes the master of the world! The Cunning Fox: The fox agreed, and the tiger leaped launching, without noticing that the fox had hung onto his tail to drag him along wherever he went. As soon as the tiger was about to reach the other end of the world, he suddenly looked around to mock the fox, whom he believed had lagged far behind him. ...

In ancient times, there was an evil princess, ugly in appearance, wicked in character. She would hate people, rebuke them, mock them, and belittle them. Everyone who knew her and feared her served her because of the evilness of her nature. She had servants and maidens who would cheat people repeatedly, then return to her with their news and secrets. Whenever she heard what was discussed about her, her heart would burn with malice and she would rage terribly, so that no one would dare approach her or look at her face. ...

Among those wonderful tales of the Night after a Thousand, there is mention of the phoenix bird, or the Phoenix, named after the land of Phoenicia from which the legend originated. Some say its naming refers to a specific type of Greek palm tree. The bird was called the Phoenix because of its long neck. It is an imaginary bird mentioned in the stories of ancient myths belonging to ancient Eastern civilizations. ...

One day there was a great king named Sharīf, and he had two sons. The older was named Rafīq and the younger ʿAdil. When the king died, Rafīq became the new king. The King and the Sorceress: On the first night of his kingship, he requested of the soothsayers to bring him all the sorceresses in the lands and ask them what would happen to his kingdom if the neighboring kingdoms waged war against him and seized its throne. One of the strongest sorceresses of the lands answered and said: “Your people will hate you and strive to kill your elder brother.” All the other sorceresses agreed with her according to their magic. ...

In a large city in the lands of India, it is recounted that a man named Sanjam worked in washing, cleaning, and dyeing clothes. The front of his shop was always filled with clean, colorful clothes that he would hang beautifully. He was energetic in his work and never failed a single appointment with his customers. The Potter Hilāl: Working near him was the potter Hilāl, who made jars of clay. But he was lazy and greedy in his selling, so he did not have many customers like his neighbor Sanjam. The potter Hilāl envied his neighbor Sanjam for his work and said to himself: “I will do an evil turn to my neighbor!” ...

Awrā was a very beloved princess in the kingdom. She was distinguished by kindness, gentleness, and beauty. Her parents lived in a beautiful palace that contained everything she desired of things, except one single thing which she had longed for greatly since her childhood: knowing the moon. There were many kings who wished to realize the princess’s dream. They feared they would never be able to realize it, for there was an evil sorceress living in the kingdom. She had worked magic when the princess was a small child, and this magic made the princess fall asleep at night to sleep, distressed by the mere disappearance of the sun. She could never awaken at that time. ...

We would gather around him one evening on the stone platform. He sat at the head of the place while tranquility encompassed the house. We would listen to him and enjoy immensely with his tale that was never forgotten—Mansūr the young merchant in his shop at the beginning of the market would face you with his handsome face, his calm smile, and his clear eyes, displaying his wares before you: “This fabric from India, that from Syria, and this natural silk from China.” The intelligent merchant was known for truthfulness, honesty, and excellent goods. The name Mansūr in the market was on all tongues. ...

Nasreddin was leading a donkey and carrying on its back a bundle of wooden sticks, trying to cross the border, when Inspector Rakan stopped him for inspection and asked him: What is your name, man, and what is the nature of your work? Nasreddin answered: I am an honest smuggler and my name is Nasreddin. Inspector Rakan was surprised by Nasreddin’s strange response! He said to him: What are you saying, man? Do you admit you are a smuggler? Nasreddin said: Yes, I am. Inspector Rakan searched him well but didn’t find anything with him. ...

From a very long time ago, when all things were at their beginning—even plants and stars and almost all ancient things were extremely small—there was a school with a special class that all the students loved because it expressed joy better. The students studied colors in that class from the color white to the color black, passing through red and blue and brown and all the remaining colors. They prepared many colors to become more magnificent. ...