• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

What's Your Favorite Fairytale?

exchemist

Veteran Member
Or mythological story, fable, etc.

What stories stick out to you? Why?

They can be from anywhere; scripture, tales orally passed down, or something that's stuck with you from a young age.
Beatrix Potter's "Tailor of Gloucester".

It's a magical little story, full of atmosphere and with an element of redemption in it. And the drawings are exquisite.

A01089_9.jpg
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
When I was young, I was given a book "Treasury of Jewish Folklore". One story affected me much more deeply than I realized at the time: “Joseph della Reyna Storms Heaven,” It describes the attempt to cause the coming of the Messiah by means of prayer, fasting and rituals. The attempt almost but not quite succeeds. At the end of the story as told in that book the Messiah sadly led his white horse back to the stable.

The image of the white horse stayed in the back of my mind until my spiritual search began. Along the way, I became aware of other religions with a white horse such as Revelation in the Bible Revelation 19:11, KJV: "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."

For Islam, twelver Shī'a Islamic traditions believe that the Mahdi will appear riding a white horse.

And in the Hindu tradition we have Kalki:

kalki.jpg


So when I found out about Meher Baba and his claim to be that long awaited one for so many religions, I was compelled to decide one way or the other. I finally decided that he was indeed the one who had come to put an end to the man made world and bring in the God made world. A tiny seed planted in a book of folklore when I was young turned into a life-changing decision.

c2f8b1b13688c6593fbd7a2afa69cb41.jpg
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
I had an illustrated children's edition of the Aesop's Fables, that I loved as a kid. I was always partial to The Northwind and the Sun fable.

Edit: "The moral it teaches about the superiority of persuasion over force has made the story widely known"

The North Wind and the Sun - Wikipedia
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
Beatrix Potter's "Tailor of Gloucester".

It's a magical little story, full of atmosphere and with an element of redemption in it. And the drawings are exquisite.

A01089_9.jpg

I don't remember that particular story, but I do remember being enchanted with her artwork. I had a paper doll set from The Tale of Tom Kitten that I just loved...
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
I'm fond of Paradise Lost and how it is Satan who is admirable and greatly wronged in his fight against a cold, cruel, and absent tyrant that is god.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm fond of Paradise Lost and how it is Satan who is admirable and greatly wronged in his fight against a cold, cruel, and absent tyrant that is god.

I've never read that particular work, but I have read others with that theme, and always enjoyed pondering that line of thought.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
Molecules to man evolution.

What is it about that story you find enlightening or heartwarming?

I remember having a book about the three billygoats gruff and the troll under the bridge I enjoyed reading as a child...
 

John1.12

Free gift
What is it about that story you find enlightening or heartwarming?

I remember having a book about the three billygoats gruff and the troll under the bridge I enjoyed reading as a child...
Ok that's different questions now . ' James and the giant Peach ' and ' fantastic Mr Fox ' .
 
When I was little my favourite was
The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Anderson.

No one else seems to know it when I ask them though :disappointed:

The story opens with a poor soldier returning home from war. He meets a witch, who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinderbox. The witch gives the man permission to take anything he finds inside the chambers, but he must return the tinderbox. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold. He fills his pockets with money, finds the tinderbox, and returns to the witch. When she demands the tinderbox without giving a reason, the soldier lops off her head with his sword.

In the following scene, the soldier enters a large city and buys himself splendid clothing and lives in a magnificent apartment. He makes many friends, He learns of a princess kept in a tower after a prophecy foretold her marriage to a common soldier; his interest is piqued and he wants to see her but realizes his whim cannot be satisfied. Eventually, the soldier's money is depleted and he is forced to live in a dark attic. He strikes the tinderbox to light the room, and one of the dogs appears before him. The soldier then discovers he can summon all three dogs and order them to bring him money from their subterranean dwelling. Again, he lives splendidly.

One night, he recalls the story of the princess in the locked tower, and desires to see her. He strikes the tinderbox and sends the dog with eyes the size of teacups to bring her to his apartment. The soldier is overwhelmed with her beauty, kisses her and orders the dog to return her to the tower. The following morning, the princess tells her parents she has had a strange dream and relates the night's adventure. The royal couple then watch her closely. When the princess is carried away again, they unsuccessfully use a trail of flour and chalk marks on neighborhood doors to find where she spends her nights. Eventually, her whereabouts are discovered and the soldier is clapped in prison and sentenced to death. The tinderbox got left behind, so he cannot summon its help.

On the day of execution, the soldier sends a boy for his tinderbox, and, at the scaffold, asks to have a last smoke. He then strikes the tinderbox and the three monstrous dogs appear. They toss the judge and the councillors, the King and Queen into the air. All are dashed to pieces when they fall to earth. The soldier and the princess are united, and the dogs join the wedding feast.

The Tinderbox - Wikipedia
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
When I was little my favourite was
The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Anderson.

No one else seems to know it when I ask them though :disappointed:

The story opens with a poor soldier returning home from war. He meets a witch, who asks him to climb into a hollow tree to retrieve a magic tinderbox. The witch gives the man permission to take anything he finds inside the chambers, but he must return the tinderbox. In the tree, he finds three chambers filled with precious coins guarded by three monstrous dogs, "one with eyes the size of teacups", who guards a vault filled with pennies, one with "eyes the size of water wheels", who guards a vault filled with silver, and one with eyes "the size of Round Tower", who guards a vault filled with gold. He fills his pockets with money, finds the tinderbox, and returns to the witch. When she demands the tinderbox without giving a reason, the soldier lops off her head with his sword.

In the following scene, the soldier enters a large city and buys himself splendid clothing and lives in a magnificent apartment. He makes many friends, He learns of a princess kept in a tower after a prophecy foretold her marriage to a common soldier; his interest is piqued and he wants to see her but realizes his whim cannot be satisfied. Eventually, the soldier's money is depleted and he is forced to live in a dark attic. He strikes the tinderbox to light the room, and one of the dogs appears before him. The soldier then discovers he can summon all three dogs and order them to bring him money from their subterranean dwelling. Again, he lives splendidly.

One night, he recalls the story of the princess in the locked tower, and desires to see her. He strikes the tinderbox and sends the dog with eyes the size of teacups to bring her to his apartment. The soldier is overwhelmed with her beauty, kisses her and orders the dog to return her to the tower. The following morning, the princess tells her parents she has had a strange dream and relates the night's adventure. The royal couple then watch her closely. When the princess is carried away again, they unsuccessfully use a trail of flour and chalk marks on neighborhood doors to find where she spends her nights. Eventually, her whereabouts are discovered and the soldier is clapped in prison and sentenced to death. The tinderbox got left behind, so he cannot summon its help.

On the day of execution, the soldier sends a boy for his tinderbox, and, at the scaffold, asks to have a last smoke. He then strikes the tinderbox and the three monstrous dogs appear. They toss the judge and the councillors, the King and Queen into the air. All are dashed to pieces when they fall to earth. The soldier and the princess are united, and the dogs join the wedding feast.

The Tinderbox - Wikipedia

I do know that one! It was in a big book of his works I had as a child. I had forgotten about it until now!

**mod edit**
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I waa always fascinated by the tales of the Pendle witches.

A friend is a decent of Alison Device, one of the twelve witches hung in 1612.
 

MatthewA

Active Member
If had to choose a fairytale; would choose "Big Sam Was My Friend" By Harlan Ellison

This is the story of a teleporting interplanetary circus performer looking for his lost love.

 
Top