Gjizar the Nightingale
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons. The only thing the king cared about was praying at the mosque. So he had a beautiful mosque built and when the workers had finished it, he went there to pray. While he was praying, a dervish entered and said to him, more
Half Rooster
Once upon a time there was an old man and an old woman who owned nothing but a cat and a rooster. One day they got into a terrible argument and shouted at one another so furiously that they decided to separate forever. more
The Barefaced Man and the Pasha's Brother
Once upon a time there was a widow who had two sons. The older of the two was a pasha in Baghdad. When the younger son grew up, people said to him, "Aren't you lucky to have a brother who is Pasha in Baghdad?" more
The Boy and the Earthly Beauty
Once upon a time there was a very rich man who had a wife and a son. When he was about to die, he gave his son some advice, the most important part of which was never to go to the village where the Earthly Beauty lived. The boy grew up and lived happy and content, not knowing in which village where the Earthly Beauty lived. more
The Cycle of Mujo and Halili
The Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Këngë Kreshnikësh) are the best-known cycle of northern Albanian epic verse. Still sung by elderly men playing the one stringed "lahuta," these epic rhapsodies are the literary reflections of legends portraying and glorifying the heroic feats of warriors of the past. The main cycle, that of "Mujo and Halili," more
The Foolish Youth and the Ring
Once upon a time there was an old woman with one son who was a fool. The mother was very poor and spun yarn for a living. One day her son said, "Mother, I am going out now to sell the yarn." "All right, my son, see that you sell it quickly and bring back a loaf of bread for dinner." The youth departed and sold the yarn for three piastres. more
The Girl who Became a Boy
Once upon a time there was a man who had three daughters. When the king called up soldiers for the war, the man had no sons to send. As he sat and pondered what to do, his eldest daughter approached him and inquired, "What are you thinking about, father?" more
The Grateful Snake and the Magic Case
Once upon a time there was a poor man who had one son. One day the son found a snake almost frozen to death and took it home with him. When the little snake had recovered in the warmth of the house, it said to the boy, "I cannot repay you for what you have done but come with me to my father. When he asks you what he can do to repay you, ask only for his cigarette case. In the case is a strand of hair, and when you shake it, it will make all your wishes come true." more
The Jealous Sisters
Once upon a time there were three sisters, the youngest of whom was prettier than the other two. Her name was Fatima. One day the sisters asked the sun, "Dear sun, which of us is the prettiest?" "Fatima," the sun replied. The next day, the two sisters rubbed dirt into Fatima's face and asked the sun again, but it repeated, "Fatima is the prettiest."
The two sisters took counsel on what they could do to rid themselves of Fatima. They decided that the next day they would pretend to go out for wood. They would leave the house before Fatima and when she tried to follow them, she would not be able to find them in the woods. They thought they had found the solution. The next morning they said to Fatima, "You sweep the house and we'll go out to chop wood. You'll find us near a gourd we will hang in a tree." more
The King's Daughter and the Skull
Once upon a time there was a king who had three daughters. One day he went out riding on his horse and rode past a palace surrounded by a moat. The horse got one of its legs stuck in the mire and could not extract it. A number of people happened by, but no one could help. As nighttime approached, the king swore, "I will give my eldest daughter to anyone who can get my horse's leg out of the moat!" The moment he swore the oath, the horse was able to extract its leg, though there was no one to be seen around them. The king rode home and told his daughter that she was to be married. more
The Maiden in the Box
Once upon a time there was a poor old woman who had one son. When the boy grew up, she said to him, "We are poor folk, my son. Now that you are grown up, you will have to look for a job so that we can live. I cannot feed you any longer." The son realized that his mother was right and said to her, "Mother, I am not fit for hard work. Let us write to my godfather, the merchant in Smyrna. Let him take me on. Then I can send you money so that you will be cared for." So they wrote to his godfather who agreed right away to take the boy on. The mother made him some clothes and sent him by ship to Smyrna. When he arrived, his godfather received him kindly and gave him a job in his shop. more
The Maiden who was Promised to the Sun
Once upon a time there was a queen who had no children. She prayed to the sun and begged it to give her at least a daughter. She promised that when the child turned twelve, she would give it to the sun. Soon after this, the queen gave birth to a girl. One morning, as the maiden was on her way to school, the sun said to her, "Tell your mother to give me the thing she promised me." The maiden went home and told her mother what the sun had said. The mother replied, "Tell the sun that the thing I promised him is still too small." This the maiden told to the sun the next time she was on her way to school. more
The Princess of China
Once upon a time there were a king and a queen who had one son. One day the youth went hunting with the son of the Grand Vizier. In the course of the hunt, they killed a magpie and a drop of its blood fell onto the snow which had fallen heavily that winter. At that moment, a dervish happened by and, seeing the red blood in the snow, declared, "This blood is as red as the cheeks of the king of China's daughter." more
The Scurfhead
Once upon a time there was a king who had three sons. He also had a beautiful garden with a quince tree in it which bore only three quinces a year. Every time the tree bore fruit, a dragon came by and gobbled them up. The king desperately wanted to eat one of the quinces because they were so beautiful, but the dragon got them every time.
The eldest son decided to guard the quinces and went to his father to ask him for a net, a rattle and three candles to light his way in the dark. The father gave him what he asked for and the youth went into the garden and chose a place in the tall tree to wait for the dragon. more