Family Folktales

Susan Poulter

About

What is Family Folktales? Think of it as story time on demand. Whether you're running errands, trying to make dinner, or getting little someones ready for bed, you can listen to a story or two. The stories may be new to you or old favorites. They may even be different, possibly gorier, versions of those stories you now share with your children. Listen, wherever you get podcasts.

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331 episodes

The Story of Hassebu

A lazy young fellow becomes a woodcutter, but after finding a cache of honey and sharing it with his coworkers, they abandon him and say he was killed by a lion. When Hassebu escapes his trap, what adventures await him?

1s
May 29
Prince Narcissus and the Princess Potentilla

When a creepy enchanter sets his sights on marrying the lovely Princess Potentilla, it’s up to the handsome Prince Narcissus to save her. Can he do it on his own, or will there be a bit of magic involved in his attempts?

1s
May 22
How the Little Brother Set Free his Big Brothers

Bears, magic, murder, and revenge all play a part in this Native American tale!

1s
May 08
How Isuro the Rabbit Tricked Gudu

A baboon and a rabbit outsmart each other in this tale from Zimbabwe. But who will prove to be the cleverer of the two?

1s
Apr 24
The Horse Gullfaxi and the Sword Gunnfoder

A prince is sent on a quest by his stepmother, the queen; will he find what he seeks, or even return home?

1s
Apr 10
The Enchanted Knife

A young man is determined to marry a princess. Will he be able to accomplish the King’s impossible tasks on his own, or will he need a bit of help from someone who wants him to succeed?

1s
Mar 27
Drakestail

A Clever duckling loans money to the King, who refuses to repay the loan. When Drakestail and his unusual friends seek repayment, how far will the king go to avoid paying what he owes?

1s
Mar 13
The Blue Mountains

A soldier is foiled in his attempt to marry a princess; as a result, he spends years searching for her. Will he find her before she marries another?

1s
Feb 28
The Arabian Nights Entertainments, Part 16

Welcome to The Arabian Nights Entertainments! This is the sixteenth and final part of Andrew Lang’s The Arabian Nights Entertainments. In this series, you’ll hear some familiar stories, some new stories, and even stories within stories.This is the final installment of The Arabian Nights Entertainments! We close out by finishing The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister. Three siblings, all young adults, have been orphaned without learning anything of their unusual origins. As a strange quest continues, their lives move closer to that of the Sultan; whose secrets will be revealed by the end of the story?

1s
Feb 16
The Merry Wives

Three women challenge each other to see whose husband is the stupidest; the winner will drink free on their weekly outings!

1s
Feb 14
Clever Maria

Three sisters are left at home when their father goes on a journey for the king; despite his clear instructions, he finds that two of them disobeyed him while he was away, and the third has incurred the wrath of the king. Will Maria be able to aid her father in the impossible task set by the king and save her own life?

1s
Jan 31
The Adventures of Covan the Brown-Haired

A family’s daughter has disappeared while tending the flocks, and two of her brothers have never returned from their searches for her. Will the youngest son find them, or meet the fate of the others?

1s
Jan 17
The Story of King Frost

A wicked stepmother sends her stepdaughter out into the snow, expecting her to die. But the Frost King is pleased with her answers to his questions and rewards the kind girl generously. When the woman sends her brat of a daughter out to seek the Frost King’s riches, what do you think will happen?

1s
Jan 03
The Owl and the Eagle

An owl and an eagle, best friends, decide they must find wives to tend their home and care for them. When the pair disappear for days, their wives set out with their children to find them. What challenges will the women face?

1s
Dec 20, 2023
The Green Knight

A princess is determined to marry the Green Knight, whom she met in her dreams. Will her wicked stepmother find a way to keep the lovers apart forever?

1s
Dec 06, 2023
The Nettle Spinner

A wicked count requires a young woman to spin her wedding shift and his burial shroud out of nettles from the cemetery before he will allow her to marry her beloved. No one has spun nettles before; is she up for the task?

1s
Nov 22, 2023
The Hazel-Nut Child

A couple is thrilled when they have a child the size of a hazel-nut, but they find it difficult to be supportive when he announces his plan to become a messenger. When he goes out to seek his fortune, will his small size be a help or a hindrance?

1s
Nov 08, 2023
The Elf-Maiden

Two young men fall in love with the same woman, and one conspires to abandon his friend on an island. But what will happen when he draws blood from a lovely young elf maiden?

1s
Oct 25, 2023
The Enchanted Head

A poor woman on her way to market is accosted by a head with no body, which then follows her home! Might there be a way for the two to help each other?

1s
Oct 11, 2023
The Death of Koschei the Deathless

A prince’s three sisters have all married wizards who can transform into birds, while the prince marries a warrior princess. Will his sisters’ husbands be able to help him when he inadvertently releases his bride’s arch-enemy?

1s
Sep 27, 2023
The Cats' Elopement

Two cats fall in love and leave their homes to find happiness together. When one is taken in by a princess, what will become of the other?

1s
Sep 13, 2023
The Brave Little Tailor

A tailor kills seven flies in a single blow! But when his bragging is a bit unclear, who knows what adventures await?

1s
Aug 30, 2023
The Princess on the Glass Hill

Cinderlad proves to be braver than his older brothers and is generously rewarded, but will he find a way to win the hand of the princess?

1s
Aug 16, 2023
The Shifty Lad

A woman is heartbroken when her only son declares that, rather than learn an honest trade, he will become a thief. The lad apprentices with a successful thief, but will he still meet the dire end predicted by his mother?

1s
Aug 09, 2023
The One-Handed Girl

A man dies, leaving to his son all his property, but gives his daughter a blessing. Later, the brother cuts his sister’s hand off in anger. Will either of them live happily ever after?

1s
Aug 02, 2023
The Donkey Cabbage

A young man does a kindness for an old woman, but the reward he gets is stolen by a witch! Will he be able to outsmart her and regain his treasures?

1s
Jul 26, 2023
Jesper who Herded the Hares

A kind and clever young man named Jesper sets off to marry the princess. Will the tasks the king sets prove too much for him?

1s
Jul 22, 2023
The Goat’s Ears of the Emperor Trojan

The emperor has ears like a goat’s, but woe to anyone who says so! Might a barber’s apprentice be the one who can hold his tongue?

1s
Jul 19, 2023
Laughing Eye and Weeping Eye, or, The Limping Fox

Three brothers set out on a quest to recover their father’s greatest treasure. Will any of them share their food with a limping fox, or take his help in finding their father’s treasure?

1s
Jul 12, 2023
The Story of the Three Bears

What would you do if an old woman broke into your house, ate your food, broke your furniture, and fell asleep in your bed? There’s no Goldilocks in this version of the classic story!

1s
Jul 05, 2023