Stories, Folktales, Myth, Magic and Wisdom

Stories to Amuse and Wisen

Amazing stories from Bulgaria
Wizards Magic Domain
Mystic Magic Wisdom and Mystery
Stories form Around the World

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DREAMERS

One day, three farmers took their grain to the windmill up in the mountain. Tired and hungry after the journey they sat under the thick shade of an oak tree to rest and eat.
Hungry as they were, the farmers thought that the appealing roasted chicken that they have brought looks too good to share. After some deliberation the three friends reached the following wise decision:
They will all have a nap under the cool shade and whoever dreams the most wonderful dream will have the chicken all for himself.
Said and done. Heroic snoring resounded through the trees and even the birds stopped singing for a while, wandering: where did that horrible sound come from. After a while still drowsy they started telling their dreams.
“Oh, I had the most wonderful dream!” said the first one. “I dreamt that I was on the Moon exploring mysterious places and enjoying the sight of the Earth.”
“That’s nothing!” said the second one. “I dreamt that I was in Heaven enjoying the angelic singing, heavenly flowers and feeling unexplainable happiness as if I was out of this world.”
“That’s amazing!” said the third one. “As for me, I couldn’t sleep… And when I saw that one of you is on the Moon and the other in Heaven, I thought that you would never come back from such wonderful places. That’s why I ate the chicken myself.”

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THE RHINO

A young keen student went to a wise teacher in China and asked:
"Esteemed Teacher, please show me how can I achieve enlightment?"
"Climb to the top of that mountain," said the wise teacher. "And pray. But whatever happens don't think about the rhino!"
"What's a rhino?" asked the baffled would be student, for he wasn't very bright.
"Oh, it is a big animal with a formidable horn on its' nose," said the clever teacher. "But you shouldn't worry because we are in China and it lives in Africa thousands of kilometers away."
So the student climbed the mountain settled down and tried to pray. But all he could think of was the rhino.
So often unfounded fears keep our mind of the important things in life...

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The Holy Man and the Chief of the Thieves

A holy man lived high in the mountain. Many people from far away places came to him for advice, for healing, to confess their sins or to ask the saint to prey for them for his prayers was heard far and high, up to where God heard them.
Different people came to him: rich and poor alike.
A band of thieves heard about the holy man and waited at the foot of the mountain to rob the rich ones of their treasures. The thieves’ fortunes were good thanks to the holy man’s popularity.
Once the chief of the thieves said to his horrible accomplices:
“I feel robbed! We have been ambushing people here for ages and they keep coming. Surely by now everyone should know that there is a band of thieves at the foot of the mountain and they still keep coming to their Holy Man! I feel jealous that we have spent so much time here and accumulated considerable treasure but still haven’t seen the Holy Man who is obviously valued more than money by all the people that flock here like cattle knowing that we will free them of their money! I will go to the so called Holy Man and find out if he really is that wise.”
So the Chief of the Thieves went to the Holy Man, revealed himself and asked for instruction. The Holy Man accepted the hardened criminal as a student and thus began the crooks journey towards knowledge and wisdom.
After some time the Chief of the Thieves said to the Holy Man:
“Thank you for all the wise words and for your patience. Your teachings are really remarkable. Buy I am a creature suspicious by its very nature. I admire your theories, but are they really true? I am burning with desire to go into the wide world and check that from firsthand experience, but I can’t leave my band of thieves. They are simple people and will get into trouble without a leader, and there is no one except you that I can trust. Esteemed Teacher will you, please, lead the band while I am away?”
The Holy Man agreed and the Chief of Thieves departed on his fact-finding mission.
The Holy Man dressed as a robber went to the band to assume his new position.
“Despicable criminals,” said he the robbers. “From now on not only we will attack the rich travelers but also the poor! And not only we will take their money but ask them questions and act accordingly.” The bandits were reluctant to accept the increased workload with no perspective of increased profit. Because what would you expect to gain from robbing a poor man. Still the accepted the new rules, although grudgingly, for their chief was know to chop off the heads of those who opposed his orders. The new rules were the following: Once they caught travelers they asked them if the victims have grown rich by honest or dishonest means. If the attacked said that they have acquired their wealth through honest ways the thieves took their money and let them go, but if they confessed that the have earned their money in a crooked way the thieves will take their money all the same but beat them up on top of that and instruct them to grow rich again but this time to take care and be honest. When they caught a poor traveler the thieves will simply beat the poor soul asking why aren’t they rich and instructing the hapless chap to grow rich as fast as possible.
The Chief of Thieves came back from his journey having found out that indeed the teachings of the Holy Man were true, and assumed his role again, but he didn’t change the rules established by the wise monk.
You there beware. If you are rich and honest, God bless you. But if you are dishonest or poor be warned of the beating waiting for you at the foot of the Holy Mountain.

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Tough Luck

Once upon a time there lived a happy family: father, mother, a daughter and seven sons.
Every winter the father would go with the ox-cart to the forest for firewood. When his sons grew up he took them with him and as they grew stronger they helped him a lot with the hard work of cutting and loading the heavy logs.
One winter the father told them:
"My dear sons. I am too old and too weak now. I feel sick and want be able to to the forest for firewood soon and if we don't get any firewood today, tomorrow we will all be frozen dead. But you are strong now. You have be with me to the forest so many times and know what to do. Go without me and God be with you."
"But, father," replied the oldest son. "We will manage to cut and load the wood but what if the cart breaks? We won't be able to come to our warm home and will freeze to death in the cold forest. Only you know how to fix the cart!"
"Don't worry lads," said the old man. "I have thought of that too. If the cart breaks in the middle of the woods you have to call my dear frirend Tough Luck. He will come and help you as he has always helped me."
"That's OK then," said the sons took their ropes and axes and rode the ox-cart to the forest. But as the were young and strong but not that clever they overloaded the cart and after several squeeky turns in the narrow forest road the cart broke down.
"No problem," thought the young guys. "We'll call father's friend and he will help us fix the cart." and they started yelling: "Tough Luck! Tough Luck!" at the top of their voices, but only the forest echo mockingly answered them:"Tough Luck. Tough Luck."
The short winter day started to end soon and faced with the prospect of a deadly, freezing night and no prospects for help the brothers picked up their axes and tried to fix the cart themselves. After several tries, numerous mistakes and a few lucky guesses they managed to fix the cart somehow and carfully drove it home where they arrived just after dark.
"So how did your day go boys?" asked the father.
"Oh, the woodchopping went OK, but then the cart broke and you must know, father, that friend our yours Tough Luck was nowhere to be found, we yelled in the forest at the top of our voices calling for him, but in the end were forced to fix the cart ourselves. You can't depend on him."
"I don't think so, my sons," said the wise old man. "It's Tough Luck that showed you how to fix the car. Never failed me. You can count on tough luck to teach you all valuable lessons that you will learn in your entire life."

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King and Barber

/consultant’s manual/

Once upon a time there was a king. He was despotic and hedonistic as most kings usually are. He insisted on having a haircut every week regardless of the strain that put on the royal treasury. That was not the main problem. The main problem was that the naughty king always moved his head around and barking silly and often contradictory requirements at the poor professional. No wonder the result was invariably disastrous.
That led, regrettably, to the execution of the unfortunate barber, until the next week the whole comedy with a tragic ending was repeated all over again.
That sad story continued until there was no barber left in the kingdom.
The king was pacing his palace in a state which could be best described as unshaved, uncombed and generally unkempt. He was in a bad mood and blaming everybody for that.
Hope was nowhere to be seen, partly because all wandering barber have heard the bad news and were avoiding the narcistic king’s kingdom as hell.
Still there was one carefree barber who hasn’t heard or simply didn’t bother to hear about the grisly fate of his colleagues and bravely (or stupidly) wandered into the palace of the king who had tangled hair and unseemly beard.
“Hello, fellow professional,” said the cheeky barber to the king.
“How could you greet me like that,” roared the angry king. “I can have your head chopped off just for that!”
“You surely can your majesty,” answered the barber. “But if you cut my throat, your hair will remain uncut. Besides I am the barber-king and thus very much your equal in my own sphere of activity.”
“Barbers have no king,” said the king, relieved that no one is questioning his authority.
“No, they don’t,” answered the barber seriously. “What I mean by being a barber king is that when I am at my job, I am the king and my customer must obey every word of mine.”
“Even if your customer is the King, himself?” asked the king with irritation.
“Yes your majesty,” said the barber. “Even the king. That’s my rule.”
The king was furious but having no other choice of barbers readily available agreed to the requirements of the clever professional. The barber wrapped a towel around the royal neck and took out his razor. The king was about to start interfering when the barber stopped him with the words:
“Don’t even think about it! Remember, I am the king now! If you disobey me until I finish my job I might as well cut your head off.”
So the king shut his mouth and got a handsome shave and a haircut as a reward. They barber became his closest friend and they lived happily ever after respecting each other.

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Ancient Greek Myths and Legends

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The Most Beautiful Children

One day Mama Parrot was flying trough the forest all worried, carrying a parcel in her hook-like beak. She was in such a hurry that she nearly bumped into Mama Crow, who too was carrying a parcel in her strong black beak.
"Watch where you are going!" said the frightened Mama Parrot.
"And where are you going? What's the rush?" asked Mama Crow.
"Oh, I am so sorry," said Mama Parrot. "I forgot to prepare lunch for my dear children this morning and now I must hurry to the forest school."
"Ha, ha. Ga, ga..." laughed Mama Crow. "I forgot to prepare lunch for my little crows too. Let's go to the school together. We can exchange latest gossip on the way."
"Oh, I would but some other time," lied the Parrot. "I am so-o busy today. Dear Crow, be an angel, please, take the lunch to my children. You will go to the school anyway!?"
"Yes, why not," said the good-natured Mama Crow. "But how will I recognize your children?"
"That will be the easiest part," smiled Mama Parrot confidently. "Just look for the best looking birds in the forest school, those would be my children." Mama Crow, shook her head in disbelief and reluctantly picked Mama Parrot's lunch pack.
***
The next morning one furious Mama Parrot flew into Mama Crows kitchen and angrlily asked:
"Why didn't you give the lunch to my children. What did you do with the parcel I gave you? My cute little parrots flew home crying bitterly and very hungry."
"But," said Mama Crow defensively. "I did just what you said. I went to the school gave the lunch box to my own baby crows and looked around for the most beautiful little birds to give them the package you gave me and as I couldn't find any children better-looking than mine I gave them the other lunch box too..."

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Spin

Once upon a time a Turk was sitting in front of his coffee-shop grinding coffee beans with the help of a big wooden block, yelling: “Hu”, every time he hit the beans with the heavy piece of wood. A passer-by took pity of the hard-working coffee shop owner and offered to help him.
“Thank you, partner,” said the tired businessman. “Just tell me what can you do to help me?”
“I can yell “Hu” every time you hit the beans with the wood,” said his new partner.
The coffee shop-owner just shook his head and continued to grind the coffee in without uttering a sound, because now his helper was yelling: “Hu” instead of him.
Time passed customers started to come but the owner took their money and put them in his own pocket and didn't give any to his unwelcome partner. The latter got angry and sued the coffee owner.
After listening carefully to both sides, the judge ordered that from now on the coffee shop owner shall acquire a tin box and when customers pay him he must trow the coins in the tin box. The clinking sound of the coins will be the just payment for the labors of the eager helper, who cried: “Hu”.

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