This story summarizes a Cornish folktale about an old man named Lutey who finds a crying mermaid trapped in a rock pool as the tide goes out. He helps carry her back to the sea, and in return she grants him magical powers, including the ability to break spells, find stolen property, and charm away disease. She gives him her magic comb and tells him they can meet again if he combs the water with it. The story establishes a folk tradition around Mermaid's Rock where they met.

1. A Mermaid and a Magic Comb
The coast near Lizard Point in Cornwall is a
place of great beauty, with steep wave
battered cliffs, towering over little hidden
coves and beaches. Here the sea has always
shaped the lives of those that live close by.
And, as many a fisherman knows, it hides
many secrets and mysteries.
If you walk along the coast, you will find lots
of strange things that have been left
stranded on the shore. But none stranger
than that found by an old Cornish man, some four hundred year ago. The man's name was
Lutey and he lived in a cottage in the little village of Corantyn (now Cury) near Mullion. It
was a fine summer's day: the sun shining in a cloudless sky. He was walking in one of the
coves near the Lizard Point. The tide had gone out, leaving a wide bar of sand. He was
walking along, looking at the shells and flotsam that had washed up onto the beach, when
he saw, in a deep pool left by the falling tide, a beautiful lady. She had long golden hair and
was sitting on a rock. She seemed very upset and was crying pitifully.
As he came near, she darted from the rock into the pool and he saw, to his amazement, that
she was a mermaid. He was curious and a little alarmed, for he had heard many tales of the
danger of such 'sea sirens' from the fishermen of Gunwalloe. He wanted to run home but,
thinking of her pitiful cries, he moved carefully towards the pool. He could see that the
mermaid too was very afraid, as she tried to hide herself in the rocks among the sea-weeds.
"You needn't mind me", he said. "I'm an old man. I won't hurt you. What are ye doing by
thyself then, this time o' day?" At first, she was too afraid to speak, then crying bitterly she
begged him to go away. The old man again told her he meant her no harm but could not
leave her when she was so upset.
"What saddens you, young one?" he said. His voice was kind and the mermaid swam a little
nearer to the rock. She looked at him with large green eyes, and, after a little more coaxing,
she told him her story. She had been swimming near the coast with her husband and
children. Tired by the hot sun, the merman suggested swimming to a cave they liked, in
Kynance Cove. They entered the cavern at mid-tide. There was some nice soft weed, and
the cave was deliciously cool. Her husband settled down to sleep and told them not to wake
him until the turn of the tide. Tired out by their play, the little ones too settled down.

2. She had left the cove to look for food and smelt a beautiful scent on the summer breeze. It
came from the flowers that grew about the point, so she had drifted in on the waves, to get
as close as possible. Her mind lulled by the sweet perfume, she had not noticed the falling
tide, until she found herself cut off in the rock pool. Now she could not get back to her
husband and family. She looked again towards the sea. Seeing once more the long dry bar
of sand, she again began to cry. "What shall I do?" she said. "I must get back to the cave."
The old man tried to comfort her but she told him that, if her husband awoke and found her
missing, he would be terribly angry. She was supposed to be hunting food for his dinner. He
would, she said, be sure to awake at the turn of the tide, as that was his dinnertime. If no
food arrived, he'd raise a storm in his fury and would, as likely as not, eat the children, for
mermen were very savage when they were hungry.
The old man was horrified by this and asked what he could do to help. She begged him to
carry her out to sea. If he would be so kind, she would grant him three wishes. At once he
knelt down upon the rock and the mermaid clasped her fair arms around his neck. He got up
from the rock and slowly carried the mermaid across the sands on his back. As he put her
gently into the sea, she thanked him and asked him what he wished.
"I ask not," said he, "for silver or gold, but for the power to do good: to break evil spells, to
charm away disease and to find stolen property." The mermaid happily agreed to give him
these powers. She told him he must come to the half-tide rock the next day, and she would
tell him how to achieve the things he wanted. Then, taking her comb from her golden hair,
she gave it to him and told him to comb the water with it when he got to the rock. Next day
he went to the rock, combed the water and the mermaid appeared. She thanked him again
for his help, and began to tell him many magical things: he learned how to break the spells
of witches, how to prepare a cup of water that would show the face of a thief and the
healing power of the seaweeds and herbs.
She told him that, as long as he kept the comb, she would come to him whenever he
combed the water with it. Then, with a smile, she slid off the rock and disappeared. They
met several times after that and the old man learned many secret things. Once the
Mermaid's curiosity got the better of her. She persuaded her old friend to take her to a
secret place, from which she could see more of the dry land and the strange people, with
split tails, who lived on it.
When he took her back to the sea, she asked him to visit her home, and even promised to
make him young if he would do so. To this, the old man gently said no.Instead, he stayed in
his cottage and became known as a strong healer who could charm away the worst of luck.
And this learning, he passed on to his children, along with the magic comb. The rock at
which they met, became known as 'Mermaids Rock'. And should you doubt this story, just
visit the coast and ask for Mermaids Rock. It will soon be pointed out to you. You may even
be lucky enough to see a mermaid yourself; but remember, such magic only happens to
those who truly believe.

3. A Mummy's Tale
Following the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb by Norfolk
explorer Howard Carter in 1922, tales of mummies' curses
had become very popular. Egypt's Valley of the Kings and
various museums were central to these tales.
However, some twenty years or so before Carter's find, a
mummy caused quite a stink - in Great Yarmouth!
In the early 1900s, St. Nicholas Church in Great Yarmouth
had a school attached to it. In the school was a science
room and in a corner of the science room stood an old
mummy casket, donated by the school history teacher. The
casket was used for teaching lessons on ancient civilisations
and was believed to contain the remains of an Egyptian
princess.
What a pong! This wasn't a giggling schoolboy-type smell.
This was a stench from beyond the grave. It was first
noticed in the science room and soon spread throughout
the school. Lessons couldn't continue. The staff searched
high and low but the stink remained. Nobody suspected the
casket as it was completely sealed, wasn't it?
When no other cause of the nasty niff was discovered, it was decided that the seal of the
casket might have been damaged. The contents would have to be removed and buried, but
the school would keep the resealed casket.
The remains of the Egyptian princess were buried in St. Nicholas' churchyard during the
dead of night, to avoid causing distress to the local folk. Disturbing ancient remains was
bound to cause stories of ghosts and mummies' curses.
Some nervous volunteers helped the vicar dig a grave, break the casket seal and quickly tip
the contents into a coffin. The casket was then resealed and returned to the school science
room. The next day the smell had disappeared.
Some days later, the vicar was awoken by a steady tap, tap, tap at the vicarage door. He
opened the door, expecting to find someone in distress, but found no one there.
"Boys!" he growled and returned to his bed.

4. Less than an hour later - "tap, tap, tap." This time his wife went with him to the front door.
Once again, no-one was there. The vicar checked outside but he didn't find anything or
anyone.
Over the next few nights the tapping continued. What could it be? The vicar spoke to his
neighbours and discovered they were also hearing the tapping at night, and they were
frightened.
A few nights later, a group of local people, taking a late night shortcut through the
graveyard, heard a loud tapping coming from inside the church. Thinking somebody must be
shut inside the building, they woke up the verger and asked him to unlock the door.
A lengthy search took place but no-one was found inside. However, as they were leaving the
church, the tapping began again.
The next day a local policeman was called in. "Boys!" he growled. However, even with the
policeman keeping a watchful eye on the local children, the tapping continued. It continued
inside the church, it continued on the vicar's front door and it continued on the doors
belonging to all those who had assisted in removing the contents of the casket.
It did not take long before gossip spread of the 'secret' burial of the Egyptian Princess.
People began to believe that the spirit of the mummy had been disturbed. The phrase 'the
tapping of the Egyptian mummy' became popular and ghost hunters and sightseers began
to visit the church. The churchyard became so busy that the area had to be closed off.
Then, that pong returned to the science room. This time there was no doubt - it was coming
from the casket. It would have to be opened again.
Rather than open the casket in secret during the night, this time it was opened in daylight.
They broke the seal and peered nervously in.
To their surprise, the casket was not empty. Inside, still wrapped in bandages, was one of
the mummy's arms! It seemed that in their hurry to bury the mummy, they had failed to
notice that not all of her was tipped into the coffin.
Everyone agreed with the tired and exhausted vicar that the arm must be reunited with its
owner. So the mummy was dug up and the arm carefully placed in the coffin with the rest of
the body.
With the mummy finally at peace, the tapping stopped and the science room once again
became a place fit for learning.

5. A Witch in a Bottle
You might have heard of a ship in a bottle - but have you
ever heard of a witch in a bottle? This is the tale of one
very troublesome witch.
At the Priory of St. Peter in Dunstable, on a cold winter's
morning, a local woman called Sally was condemned of
witchcraft by the Priory monks. She was slowly burned
at the stake. Her cat and broomstick suffered the same
fate.
But Sally did not choose to go quietly as some did. She
died loudly,screaming and cursing to her lastbreath. She
threatened a terrible revenge on the monks who had
condemned her.
The monks quickly found out that Sally was far more
trouble dead than when she had been alive! Mysterious
things began to happen. Invisible hands boxed the
monk's ears; the church altar candles flickered and spat
with an evil green glow.
Where Sally's ghostly fingers touched the prayer books, the covers were burnt. The monks
could not pray in peace or sleep at night. It was driving them mad!
A palmer was finally called to exorcise Sally's ghost, in a special church service but the
troublesome witch would still not go quietly.
When the palmer began the service, he was struck round the head with a mighty force that
threw him to the ground. As the dazed palmer struggled to his feet, the congregation froze
in fear as the witch's menacing laughter rang from the rafters above.
But the palmer himself was cunning and he finally outwitted the witch by putting a witch's
lure in a bottle. The lure was a secret mixture, known only to a few people, of herbs and
potions. It was very like a witch's spell itself!
The lure was so strong, it soon attracted the attention of the witch and when Sally's curious
ghost went to investigate, the palmer rammed the cork into the bottle tight! He gave a
warning that the bottle must never be broken or the witch would escape and take terrible
revenge on everyone.

6. The bottle was buried in a secret place in the priory grounds, just to make sure any friends of
the witch could not retrieve it. However, as nobody knew where it was buried, it was said
there were no more burials in the priory churchyard, just in case the buried bottle was
accidentally broken, releasing the ghost of the wicked witch of Dunstable.
As far as we know, no strange bottles have ever been dug up near the site of the old priory
but, if you should find yourself in the area, just remember to tread very, very carefully.
An 18th century poem - the Witches Warning - gives sound advice:
The spirit in the bottle
Go softly where ye treade
The lady is a cunning one
Disturb ye not the wicked dead
Never tarry on a restless night
Lest ye finde what darkness means
For she will trouble thee until in sleep
And steal thy soul through dreams.

7. Maud and the Dragon
A long time ago, on the western wall of the
old church in Mordiford, Herefordshire was
once a painting of a gigantic dragon. Above
the painting was a very odd poem, it read:
This is the true effigy of that strange
Prodigious monster which our woods did
range. In Eastwood it by Garstone's hand
was slain, A truth which old mythologists
maintain.
The dragon portrayed in the picture was a
fearsome creature with a massive body over
twelve feet long, a powerful tail, three pairs
of enormous wings , a terrible red mouth
with a forked tongue, webbed feet and
scales of green and gold. In the picture its
great wings flapped and its great tail twisted back in anger. However, according to local
mythology the dragon was not always so large or so threatening.
One day, many years before the image was painted on the church wall, in a stretch of hilly
forest north-east of the village of Mordiford known as Haugh Wood, a little girl called Maud
was out blackberrying. It was a warm autumnday. Suddenly Maudheard a strangenoise and
went to investigate. In the long grass and brambles she found the most charming little
creature. The creature was the colour of the greenest grass, with gold flecks like the sun; it
had a slender pointed tail but its most dazzling features were its flickering eyes, for they
shone as bright as the stars themselves.
Maud picked up the strange creature and carried it gently to her home. Her horrified father
recognised it as a baby dragon but Maud pleaded and pleaded with him not to kill it. Seeing
her great distress he relented and allowed Maud to place the little reptile by the fireside.
Here it lapped up a saucer of milk.
Maud went to bed but could not stop thinking about the little dragon. Wide awake she crept
downstairs to see it. To her horror, she overheard her parents planning to kill the creature in
the morning. Maud quickly put on her warmest clothes, for the autumn night was very chilly,
and took the baby dragon into the woods. In the undergrowth she made a mossy nest and
promised aloud to come back and feed it and care for it. Maud kept her promise. She kept
the dragon hidden and fed it on milk. For many years she would slip away whilst carrying out
her errands and go to the woods and see the creature, so the dragon and the girl grew up
together.

8. But the dragon could not stay hidden forever. As it grew the dragon developed a taste for
meat and began to eat the local farm animals. It would leave its lair in the woods and
venture out along a nearby Lane in search of cows. After it had eaten its fill it would go
down the wooded lane to the point where the rivers Wye and Lugg join to slake its thirst.
The beast grew into a monstrous serpent. It soon devoured most of the local cattle – and
sometimes the people, who searched it out to try and kill it.
Many brave young men tried to kill the creature but few returned and none succeeded. The
local people became too afraid to venture into the woods or to walk down the Lane.
Everybody, that is, except Maud. For. however hungry the dragon became and however
strong its dragonish traits, it never harmed the young woman who had shown it such
kindness.
Then, one day a condemned criminal, known as Garstone, offered to get rid of the dragon in
exchange for his freedom. He had nothing to lose for it was either facing the dragon or the
hangman’s noose. The desperate locals promised him a pardon if he should succeed. The
threat of execution had sharpened Garstone’s wits, he knew he could never win a straight
fight and needed to ensure that he had an advantage over the beast.
A few hours later the locals watched puzzled as he rolled a cider barrel down to the water's
edge. He jumped into the barrel and lay concealed waiting for the dragon to approach. The
ambush worked. When the curious dragon went to look at the barrel the criminal Garstone
jumped out and plunged a sword into the heart of the dragon.
With a thunderous cry the dragon staggered a little way up the lane before dropping with an
almighty thud to the ground. Garstone followed watching its death throes. He stood over
the dragon victorious but he never lived to enjoy his triumph, for as he watched the
trembling frame of the mighty beast, the dragon shuddered out one last mighty poisonous
breath. The poison covered Garstone and soon the man and the beast lay dead together.
There were many celebrations in the local area but seeing the once proud and fearsome
creature slumpedon the ground,the beautiful Maudcould not stop her tears flowing for her
childhood companion. As a reminder of the great victory the church wall was painted with a
picture of the great beast.
When the church was restored around 1810 the western wall was demolished and rebuilt.
The picture was never restored. However, the dragon was not forgotten for the path which
led from the dragon's lair in the wooded hills to its drinking place at the river became known
as Serpent Lane. And it is said that on the exact spot where the dragon breathed its last, and
Maud shed her tears of sorrow, the grass never grew again.

9. The Legend of Robin Hood
High in the branches of the Great Oak, the hooded
man silently draws an arrow from the quiver
strapped across his back and notches it to the string
of his bow. Hours have passed since he climbed into
the arms of the tree before daybreak and, were it
not for the thick blanket of fog that swirls around
the trees, the sun would be shining down from high
in the sky. But a thick covering of mist is exactly
what the hooded man wants as he waits, silently,
patiently, high on his perch.
He slowly brings the bow level with his face. In
other trees around the clearing, four other men –
John, Alan, Much and Will - are doing exactly the
same. For they have heard hooves on the forest
track, have caught the sound of cartwheels slowly
lumbering and of voices, as the approaching party
call out to each other. They emerge from the white mist like ghostly figures. The hooded
man closes one eye, pulls back on the bowstring and stares along the strong, straight shaft
of the arrow. He waits, barely breathing, remembering, a day like this, same weather, same
place in this forest. It was two, perhaps three years ago, when it all began, when the people
started their fight back against injustice.
That day had found this same man, Robert of Locksley, strolling along the edge of the
woodland. He was not long back from foreign lands, fighting the crusades with the blessed
King Richard, and he needed to take stock of his lands, the Outwoods. True, they were not
really his lands, for he had to pay rent to the Abbey of St Mary who had ownership of these
fertile pastures, after being granted them in the will of the last Lord of the Manor. For
generations Locksley’s family (like so many others) had paid their rent to the Lord and
received good service in return.
Then the abbey took over the lands and everything changed. Rents increased, repairs were
not done, and those who could not keep up the new payments were cast from their homes,
usually in a violent manner. Whether they were young or old, it did not matter. The Abbot
and his friends in Nottingham Castle thought nothing of dragging a young mother and her
terrified children from their home; stealing their possessions and then burning it to the
ground.

10. Robert had already had dealings with the Abbot over these matters. Witnessing the eviction
of a young couple and their two small children, he was so enraged that he had run straight
to confront the Abbot. “You call yourself a man of God,” he had yelled at the portly priest,
“and yet you treat the poor no better than would the devil himself. Your men wreak misery
throughout these lands in your name and that of your partner in despair, the Sheriff of
Nottingham." As he had trudged along the forest edge, making a mental note of where
walls needed repairing, he saw a movement in the forest and stopped behind a large ash
tree to watch. There was a shabbily-clothed man, bow in hand, string pulled taut with an
arrow ready to fly. Robin’s eye followed the line of the shot and could see it pointed at a
large red deer, one of the Abbot’s own animals.
Robin was about to shout a warning to the man, when there was a loud twang as the
bowstring snapped back into place, and the animal fell onto its side, an arrow protruding
from its neck. The man rushed out from the cover of the trees, dropping his weapons as he
went. If the Abbot’s wardens were patrolling the forest and they had heard the deer fall,
they would seize him and, before the end of the day, he would be swinging from a noose in
the square outside the castle. As he ran, the man turned to look toward the forest edge and
Locksley recognised him. “Will, Will Scarlet, stop, for the Lord’s sake, stop,” he spoke in as
loud a whisper as he dare. The man paused for a moment. “If they catch you they’ll string
you up before that deer is cold.”
“Locksley … keep out of this. I hear what you say but when my children face death from
hunger and they threaten to take my home from me, like so many others, what would you
have me do?” There was a desperate look in the man’s eyes, a look of hunger, a look of
suffering, of complete despair. He knew the danger he was in but he had no choice. “This is
how we have to live now. Things have changed while you’ve been away. If we want to put
food in our children’s mouths this is the only way we can do it. Either we live in fear of the
Abbot’s men or in fear of our children dying before they have barely lived.” He stared at
Robert for another moment then his eyes shifted back to the woodland clearing. “That deer
is mine now,” he said and continued his run towards the fallen animal. From the shelter of
the tree behind which he stood, Locksley saw three wardens appear out of the shadows not
far behind the running man. They were so silent on their feet that Will had no idea they were
closing on him.
In the time it took the three men to halve the distance between themselves and the
poacher, Robert had moved to where he had seen Will drop his bow. He had already taken
the decision which would shape the rest of his life. He knew what would happen to this man
if caught and he knew what would happen to the children too, if their father ended the day
on the end of a rope gasping for breath. In the time it took him to make the 10 strides to the
bow he knew what he must do. In a flash he had the bow in his hand, an arrow notched to
the bowstring and two arrows ready on the ground next to him. He looked up to find that
two of the men had seized Will by the arms and were holding him as he struggled to break
free. Robert took aim at the man on the left, pulled back the string and let go. The arrow
flew straight, silent and true, thudding into the back of the man. By the time the other

11. wardens realised what was happening, the second arrow was already winging its way
towards the man on the right and, less than three seconds after the first man fell, the
second was clutching at his neck as an arrow pierced his body just below the shoulder. But
the third man was behind Will and Robert did not dare to shoot at him. “Will, get down, get
down, let me see him,” shouted Robert. But the third man was already scampering away
through the trees to safety and the office of the Abbot. By the time Robert joined Will, the
other two wardens had breathed their last. Will seemed rooted to the ground with fear,
unable to move or speak. “Will, come on, we have to get away from here! There are more of
them in this forest for sure. Take out your knife, cut from the animal what you can carry and
let’s be gone.”
Their luck was in as they moved silently towards Will’s home. Once they felt they were on
safer ground they began to talk. “You are a fool to risk your life alone like this Will Scarlet,
Robert began. "If you had been caught today.." “So what do we do then? You have no idea.
Your land is safe, you are a freeman and respected for your brave deeds in the King’s army.
Who am I? Nobody. Nothing. They think nowt of me and hundreds like me. They feed their
hounds better and care more for horses than they do their tenants and servants. They use
the law of the land against us however they wish and ignore it whenever it don’t suit them.”
They walked on in silence, then Robert spoke. “You're wrong Will Scarlet. I have just thrown
away all I had by saving you from the Sheriff’s rope. The alarm has been raised by now and
before sunset they'll be looking for me … and for you too.” Robert stopped by the edge of
the wood at the point where the path to his home broke off from the main track. He stood
still, gazing into the distance. “If they treat the law with such little respect and treat those
who try to live by the law with so little care, then perhaps it’s time for lesser folk to do
likewise. Bad laws are worse than no laws at all. It’s time we took back what belongs to us,
what is rightfully ours.”
Locksley turned his eyes away from the path home, looked along the other track and began
to walk. “I believe my path lies in this direction now,” he said firmly. “Are you with me Will?
Can you bring others to our cause? We don’t have to live in the dirt or under the boot of
those who would do us harm. We are many, they are few. We have cunning, guile,
knowledge of this land and these woods. And these woods can support us. They are rich
with food, enough for many to live on and, when times become harder, there will be some
who pass by that have more than they need.”
Robert paused to see what his companion had to say but, when there was no response, he
continued, his enthusiasm growing with every stride along the path. “We will never take
more than we need to live, not like those who rule us. Fairness and equality will be our
watchwords not greed and injustice. We will help our people find a new way to live. They'll
come after us but we will use the woodlands to shelter us, to hide us, to protect us as well as
any armour. If they want us, then they will have to brave the forest to find us. And we will be
waiting.” And Robert of Locksley was true to his word.

12. And that is why this day finds him perched in a tree, waiting with others, as officials from
Nottingham make their way through the woods with caskets filled with the taxes they have
taken from the poor people of the county.
On one side of the heavy cart sits a soldier, his head lolling, almost asleep. As they rumble
slowly into the clearing, Robert prepares an arrow for a warning shot, aimed just wide
enough of the soldier to let him know where the next one might land.
He pulls back the string as far as his bow will allow him, looks along the length of the arrow,
chooses a spot a few inches to the left of the guard and holds his breath, waiting, waiting,
waiting. Suddenly the arrow flies straight, silent and true. As it thuds into its target, the
startled guard looks up at the trees and sees a hooded man, bow in hand, an arrow loaded
with its tip pointing straight at his head. He knows immediately who he is looking at. He is
staring into the eyes of Robin Hood!

13. The Legend of the Three Sisters
In Australia, the mysterious Blue Mountains rise high
above lush rainforests and deep valleys. In the area
where lived the Gundungurra people, there rises an
outcrop topped by three rocky formations, known as
The Three Sisters. This is the story of how they came
to be there.
Long, long ago, the mystical land of Gondwana was
beautiful, peaceful and untouched. In Gondwana,
there lived Tyawan, a Clever Man of the Gundungurra
people. He had three daughters called Meenhi,
Wimlah and Gunnedoo, whom he treasured above all
else. In a deep hole in the valley there lived a Bunyip,
a huge evil creature who loved to feast on human
flesh, particularly that of young girls and women. Its
cry was harsh and horrible and if you heard it, the
only safe thing to do was run away as quickly as
possible. Everyone feared the Bunyip. If you needed to pass its hole, it was important to
creep very quietly so that it was not disturbed.
When Tyawan had to pass the hole, he would leave his daughters safely on the cliff above
behind a rocky wall – just in case! One day, waving goodbye to his daughters, he descended
the cliff steps down towards the path near the Bunyip’s hole. While the girls were waiting
and chatting on top of the cliff, a huge centipede suddenly appeared. Startled, Meenhi
screamed, jumped up, picked up a stone and threw it at the centipede.
The stone missed the centipede, but rolled over the edge of the cliff and, picking up speed,
crashed into the valley below. The sound echoed all around the mountains. Birds, animals
and even fairies stopped still as the rocks behind the three sisters, shook and split open,
leaving them perched together on a thin ledge. The Bunyip, angry at being awakened,
roared and dragged himself through the split to see the terrified sisters cowering on the
ledge. His evil eyes widened in delight at the feast before him.
Tyawan looked up and saw the Bunyip reaching for his daughters, so he pointed his magic
bone at the girls and immediately turned them to stone. They would be safe there until the
Bunyip had gone and then Tyawan would change them back to their former selves. But the
Bunyip, angered at being deprived of his prey, chased Tyawan through the forest and up a
mountain where he found himself trapped. So Tyawan used his magic bone again and
changed himself into a Lyre Bird and glided away. Everyone was safe. But then, in dismay,
Tyawan realised that he had dropped his bone whilst changing.

14. After the Bunyip had gone back to his deep dark pool, Tyawan glided down to the forest
floor and searched and searched for his magic bone ... where he can still be seen to this day,
in the shape of the Lyre bird, scratching and searching the forest floors of the Blue
Mountains, looking for his bone, calling to his daughters above and feeding on insects whilst
he searches. The Three Sisters stand silently watching him from their ledge, hoping and
hoping that one day their father will find his magic bone and be able turn them back to
Aboriginal girls.

15. The Princess and the Pea
Once upon a time there was a
prince who wanted to marry a
princess; but she would have to be
a real princess. He travelled all over
the world to find one, but nowhere
could he get what he wanted.
There were princesses enough, but
it was difficult to find out whether
they were real ones. There was
always something about them that
was not as it should be. So he came
home again and was sad, for he
would have liked very much to
have a real princess.
One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain
poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king
went to open it.
It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight
the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it
ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was
a real princess.
Well, we'll soon find that out, thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the
bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she
took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top
of the mattresses.
On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.
"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows
what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over
my body. It's horrible!"
Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through
the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

16. Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.
So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the
pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.
There, that is a true story.

17. The Little Match-Seller
It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening
of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the
cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head
and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true
she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but
they were not of much use. They were very large, so
large, indeed, that they had belonged to her mother,
and the poor little creature had lost them in running
across the street to avoid two carriages that were
rolling along at a terrible rate. One of the slippers she
could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran
away with it, saying that he could use it as a cradle,
when he had children of his own. So the little girl went
on with her little naked feet, which were quite red and
blue with the cold.
In an old apron she carried a number of matches, and
had a bundle of them in her hands. No one had bought
anything of her the whole day, nor had any one given here even a penny. Shivering with cold
and hunger, she crept along; poor little child, she looked the picture of misery. The
snowflakes fell on her long, fair hair, which hung in curls on her shoulders, but she regarded
them not.
Lights were shining from every window, and there was a savory smell of roast goose, for
it was New-year's eve - yes, she remembered that. In a corner, between two houses, one of
which projected beyond the other, she sank down and huddled herself together. She had
drawn her little feet under her, but she could not keep off the cold; and she dared not go
home, for she had sold no matches, and could not take home even a penny of money. Her
father would certainly beat her; besides, it was almost as cold at home as here, for they had
only the roof to cover them, throughwhich the wind howled, althoughthe largest holes had
been stopped up with straw and rags.
Her little hands were almost frozen with the cold. Ah! perhaps a burning match might be
some good, if she could draw it from the bundle and strike it against the wall, just to warm
her fingers.
She drew one out - "scratch!" how it sputtered as it burnt! It gave a warm, bright light, like
a little candle, as she held her hand over it. It was really a wonderful light. It seemed to the
little girl that she was sitting by a large iron stove, with polished brass feet and a brass
ornament. How the fire burned! and seemed so beautifully warm that the child stretched
out her feet as if to warm them, when, lo! the flame of the match went out, the stove
vanished, and she had only the remains of the half-burnt match in her hand.

18. She rubbed another match on the wall. It burst into a flame, and where its light fell upon
the wall it became as transparent as a veil, and she could see into the room. The table was
covered with a snowy white table-cloth, on which stood a splendid dinner service, and a
steaming roast goose, stuffed with apples and dried plums. And what was still more
wonderful, the goose jumped down from the dish and waddled across the floor, with a knife
and fork in its breast, to the little girl. Then the match went out, and there remained nothing
but the thick, damp, cold wall before her.
She lighted anothermatch, and then she foundherself sitting under a beautiful Christmas-
tree. It was larger and more beautifully decorated than the one which she had seen through
the glass door at the rich merchant's. Thousands of tapers were burning upon the green
branches, and colored pictures, like those she had seen in the show-windows, looked down
upon it all. The little one stretched out her hand towards them, and the match went out.
The Christmas lights rose higher and higher, till they looked to her like the stars in the sky.
Then she saw a star fall, leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. "Some one is dying,"
thought the little girl, for her old grandmother, the only one who had ever loved her, and
who was now dead, had told her that when a star falls, a soul was going up to God.
She again rubbed a match on the wall, and the light shone round her; in the brightness
stood her old grandmother, clear and shining, yet mild and loving in her appearance.
"Grandmother," cried the little one, "O take me with you; I know you will go away when
the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm stove, the roast goose, and the large,
glorious Christmas-tree."
And she made haste to light the whole bundle of matches, for she wished to keep her
grandmother there. And the matches glowed with a light that was brighter than the noon-
day, and her grandmother had never appeared so large or so beautiful. She took the little
girl in her arms, and they both flew upwards in brightness and joy far above the earth, where
there was neither cold nor hunger nor pain, for they were with God.
In the dawn of morning there lay the poor little one, with pale cheeks and smiling mouth,
leaning against the wall; she had been frozen to death on the last evening of the year; and
the New-year's sun rose and shone upon a little corpse! The child still sat, in the stiffness of
death, holding the matches in her hand, one bundle of which was burnt.
"She tried to warm herself," said some.
No one imagined what beautiful things she had seen, nor into what glory she had entered
with her grandmother, on New-year's day.

19. Cats and Roosters
Once upon a time in Africa, roosters
ruled cats. The cats worked hard all
day and at night they had to bring all
they had gathered for the roosters.
The king of the roosters would take all
the food for himself and for the other
roosters.
The roosters loved to eat ants. Thus,
every cat had a purse hung round its
neck which it filled with ants for the
king of the roosters. The cats did not
like the situation. They wanted to rid
themselves of the king so that the
food they gathered through hard work and great difficulty would be their own. But they
were afraid of the roosters.
The roosters had told the cats that rooster's combs were made out of fire and that the fire
of their combs would burn anyone who disobeyed them: The cats believed them and
therefore worked from early morning until night for the roosters.
One night, the fire on the house of Mrs. Cat went out. She told her kitten. Fluffy, to bring
some fire from Mr. Rooster's house. WHEN Fluff went into the house of the rooster, she saw
that Mr. Rooster was fast asleep and his stomach swollen with the ants he had eaten. The
kitten was afraid to wake the rooster, so she returned home empty handed and told her
mother what had happened.
Mrs. Cat said, "Now that the rooster is asleep, gather some dry twigs and place them near
his comb. AS soon as the twigs catch fire, bring them home."
Fluff gathered some dry twigs and took them to the rooster's house. He was still asleep.
Fluffy fearfully put the dry twigs near the rooster's comb but it was no use. The twigs did not
catch fire.

20. Fluff rubbed the twigs against the rooster's comb again but it was no use they would not
catch fire.
Fluff returned home without any fire and told her mother. The roost's comb does not set
twigs on fire.
Mrs. Cat answered "Why can't you do anything right? Come with me I will show you how to
make fire with the rooster's comb."
So together they went to the house of Mr. Rooster.
He was still asleep. Mrs. Cat putthe twigs as near to the rooster'scomb as she could.But the
twigs did not catch fire. Then, shaking with fear, she put her paw near the rooster's comb
and gently touched it. To her surprise, the comb was not hot, it was very cold and it was just
red colored.
AS soon as Mrs. Cat realized that the roosters had lied to the cats about their combs, she
joyfully went out and told the other cats about the rooster's tricks. From that day on, the
cats no longer worked for the roosters.
At first, the king of the roosters became very angry and said to the cats; "I will burn all of
your houses if you do not work for me!"
But the cats said, "Your comb is not made of fire. It is just the color of fire. We touched it
when you were sleep. You lied to us."
When the king of the roosters found out that the cats knew that he had lied to them, he ran
away. Now, whenever roosters see a cat, they scurry away, because to this very dav thev are
afraid of cats.

21. A Box Full of Kisses
The story goes back some time ago. A man punished his 3-
year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.
Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child
tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the
next morning and said, “This is for you. Daddy."
The man was embarrassed by his earlier over reaction, but
his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty.
He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is
supposed to be something inside?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at
all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl and he begged for her
forgiveness.
Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father
kept that gold box by his bed for many years and whenever he was discouraged, he would
take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container
filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and
God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

22. What can travel around the world while staying in a corner?
 A stamp.
There was a green house. Inside the green house there was a white
house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red
house there were lots of babies. What is it?
 Watermelon
A seven letter word containing thousands of letters
 Mailbox
A little pool with two layers of wall around it. One white and
soft and the other dark and hard, amidst a light brown grassy
lawn with an outline of a green grass. What am I?
 A Coconut.
Oh, what a surprise! Oh, what a miracle! It sprouted without a
seed, It stood without a trunk.
 The world.

23. "TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT."
 When someone has done something bad to you, trying to get revenge will only make
things worse.
"THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD."
 Trying to convince people with ideas and words is more effective than trying to force
people to do what you want.
"THE SQUEAKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE."
 You can get better service if you complain about something. If you wait patiently, no
one's going to help you.
"WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING."
 Strong people don't give up when they come across challenges. They just work
harder.
"NO MAN IS AN ISLAND."
 You can't live completely independently. Everyone needs help from other people.

24. (EPIC)
Long ago,the landof Ibalon, known as Bicol, was a landof lushand virginalbeauty, butno
one lived there.
One day, a mighty warrior called Baltog came upon the land. The richness and beauty of the
region made him decide to take his family andhis workersto this wonder place. Here they
lived in peace and prosperity.
But one day, the tranquility of their lives was threatenedby a hugeman-eating wild boar.
The ferocious beast destroyed the linsa or gabi plantsand other crops as well. It also killed
people. Soon, vastareas in Ibalon were reduced to waste, andcountlesspeople were either
killed or maimed. Baltog was dumb-founded as he surveyed the depredation wroughton his
kingdom.
Leaving his home underthe cover of the night, he went to the muddy fields to wait for his
enemy.
Baltog waited for long,long time. Finally, when the moon was bright,the man-eatingboar
came snortingand tearingcrops as it went along. Baltoghid underthe bushes. When the
boar came within reach, he sprangat it. Manand beast tumbled to the groundin mortal
combat. Fortunately,Baltog was able to pin down the beast and summoningall his strength,
he finally subduedthe boar, not with a spear, butbreaking its super-sized jaws with his own
strongarms. Baltog’svictory putan end to a terror thathad ravishedhis kingdom for a time.
Ibalon, however, saw few years of peace. One day, huge carabaosfollowed by winged
sharksand giant crocodiles rushedto Ibalon. Every mortalwas in fright: deathand
destructiontook a heavy toll.The mighty Baltog could no longerdefend his kingdom, for
years had sapped his strength.Defenseless, Ibalon had become an easy prey.
Luck, however, was still with Ibalon. On thattragic day, Handiomg, a mighty warrior of the
neighboringkingdom, happened to pass by Ibalon. Handiong came to the rescue.
Handiong and his brave seasonedmen threw themselvesat the stampedingand winging
wild enemies. For untoldhours,Ibalon saw mortalcombat. Blood flowed freely over the
landand the streams. One by one, they slew the beasts.

25. Only one monsterescaped Handiong’smortal blows. This was Oriol., the serpent who could
transformitself into a beautiful woman. With her seductive words,she enticed him. But
Handiong pursuedher throughtheforest withoutrest. To save itself, the she-snakestruck
an alliance with Handiong. She promised to drivethe evil spirits out of the mountainsif
Handiong would leave her alone. Andat last,peace came to Ibalon again.
Handiong encouragedthe people to plant,invent farming equipments, build banca and
houses.Under his wise administration,Ibalon became rich and peaceful again.
Outside Handiong’s domain, there appeared anotherthreat to his kingdom. This time it was
Rabut,a far more terrible monster, for underits spell, mortalscould turnto stone.
Handiong called his friend and companion, the mighty Bantong,to deal with the enemy.
Together with a handfulof men, Bantong raided the monster’slair. He foundthe enemy
taking its nap. With a cat-like agility, Bantong delivered a mortal blow at the monster’sneck.
The woundedmonster cried in agony, and in his strugglefor breath,the earthcracked and
the water in the sea rolled landward.
Ibalon underwentgreat physical change. New islandbeagn to dot the water nearthe
peninsula.Finally, a talland perfect cone reared its head to lordover the leveled ruins. This
perfect cone is now known as Mayon Volcano.
Thus endsIbalon.

26. (EPIC)
Its called BIAG NI LAM-ANG (Life of Lam-ang)which is a pre-Hispanic
epic poem of the Ilocano people of the Philippines. The story was
handeddown orallyfor generationsbefore it was written down
around1640probably by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.
Don Juan andhis wife Namonganlived in Nalbuan,now partof La
Union in the northernpartof the Philippines. They hada son named
Lam-ang. Before Lam-angwas born,Don Juanwent to the
mountainsin order to punisha groupof their Igorot enemies. While
he was away, his son Lam-angwas born. It took four people to help
Namongangive birth. As soonas the baby boy popped out, he spoke
and asked thathe be given the name Lam-ang.He also chose his godparentsandasked
where his father was.
After nine monthsof waiting for his father to return,Lam-angdecided he wouldgo look for
him. NamonganthoughtLam-angwas up to the challengebut she was sad to let him go.
During his exhaustingjourney, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and hada dream
abouthis father’s head being stuck on a pole by the Igorot. Lam-angwas furious when he
learned what hadhappened to his father. He rushedto their village and killed them all,
except for one whom he let go so thathe couldtell other people about Lam-ang’sgreatness
Upon returningto Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathedby women in the Amburayan river. All
the fish died because of the dirt and odor from Lam-ang’sbody.
There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-ang wanted to woo. She lived
in Calanutian and he brought along his white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way,
Lam-ang met his enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily
defeated.
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by many suitors all of whom were trying to
catch her attention. He had his rooster crow, which caused a nearby house to fall. This made
Ines look out. He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again. The girl’s
parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster expressed the love of Lam-ang. The
parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter if Lam-ang would give them a dowry
valued at double their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he and
Ines were married. It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the river for the
rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into the mouth of the water monster
Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his bones, which she covered with a piece of cloth. His
rooster crowed and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to move. Back alive, Lam-
ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster and gray dog.

27. (FABLES)
A hawk flying about in the sky one day decided that he would like to
marry a hen whom he often saw on earth. He flew down and
searched until he found her, and then asked her to become his wife.
She at once agreed as long as he would wait until she could grow
wings like his, so that she might also fly high. The hawk agreed to
this and flew away, after giving her a ring as an engagement
present and telling her to take good care of it.
The hen was very proud of the ring and placed it around her neck.
The next day, however, she met the cockerel who looked at her in
astonishment and said, “Where did you get that ring? Do you not
know that you promised to be my wife? You must not wear the ring
of anyone else. Throw it away.”
The hen threw away the beautiful ring.
Not long after this the hawk came down bringing beautiful feathers to dress the hen. When
she saw him coming she was frightened and ran to hide behind the door, but the hawk
called to her to come and see the beautiful dress he had brought her.
The hen came out, and the hawk at once saw that the ring was gone.“Where is the ring I
gave you?” He asked. “Why do you not wear it?”
The hen was too frightened and ashamed to tell the truth so she answered, “Oh, sir,
yesterday when I was walking in the garden, I met a large snake and he frightened me so
that I ran as fast as I could to the house. Then I missed the ring and I searched everywhere
but could not find it.”
The hawk looked sharply at the hen, and he knew that she was deceiving him.He said to her,
“I did not believe that you could behave so badly. When you have found the ring I will come
down again and make you my wife. But as a punishment for breaking your promise, you
must always scratch the ground to look for the ring. Every chicken of yours that I find, I shall
snatch away.”
Then he flew away, and ever since all the hens throughout the world have been scratching
to find the hawk’s ring.
And that was the story of The Hawk and the Hen. So now you know that when hens peck
the ground, they are looking for a lost ring. The next tale is very short and explains why
spiders don’t like flies.

28. (FABLES)
Mr. Spider wanted to marry Miss Fly. Many times he told her
of his love and begged her to become his wife, but she
always refused, for she did not like him.
One day when she saw Mr. Spider coming again, Miss Fly
closed all the doors and windows of her house and made
ready a pot of boiling water. She waited, and when Mr.
Spider called, begging her to allow him to enter, she
answered by throwing boiling water at him. This made Mr.
Spider very angry and he cried, “I will never forgive you for
this, but I and my descendants will always despise you. We will never give you any peace.”
Mr. Spider kept his word, and even today one can see the hatred of the spider for the fly.
And that was the third of our short folk tales from the Philippines. If you enjoyed them we
have loads more stories like these on Storynory.com. For instance, you could try our Aesop’s
fables or the Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. You can also look through our World Fairy
Tales section for more stories from just about everywhere.
For now, from me, Geoffrey
RINCONADA NATIONAL TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

29. Sto. Domingo, Iriga City
Submitted by:
SHAN CHAI O. IBARRIENTOS
Grade VII
Submitted to:
MARICEL B. BERNAL
Teacher