What’s the most famous folk tale in your country?

12 comments

1. We have one about a guy who killed the evil dragon that harrased Kraków by stuffing sheep with sulfur. He then left this trap for a dragon, stupid dragon ate it and died. I believe CD Projekt made some reference to this tale in Witcher 3.

2. No doubt about it – [Espen Askeladd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Askeladden).

   From Wikipedia: *Askeladden is characterised as the runt of the family, being “the youngest, smallest, and weakest”, yet “clever, bold, patient”, and against all odds, eventually successful. The hero has great rewards in store, often the princess’s hand in marriage and half the kingdom.*

   …

   *The character is also closely related to the common and quite nationalistic jokes of the three Scandinavian archetypes, the Norwegian, the Swede and the Dane. In those jokes, the Norwegian always succeeds in petty contests where the others do not. The jokes resemble the fairy-tale pattern and are mostly told by Norwegian children. Here, one can interpret the Norwegian as the youngest and underdog brother of the three, a parallel to the historical facts of Norway’s position in Scandinavia.*

3. As a folks tale the most famous is probably the one about the mythical founder of Catalonia, Count Wilfred the Hairy (Guifré el pilós) who after helping the Carolingian emperor defeat the moors was fatally wounded and in his deathbed was asked by the emperor if he wanted any final gift to which Wilfred asked to be given “his own national emblem” and then the Emperor put his right hand on Wilfred’s wound and proceeded to swipe four bloodied fingers on the count’s golden shield thus creating the Catalan flag.

   Its a legend of course but I think quite beautiful

   As a child’s tale probably the Patufet, who was swallowed by a bull on whose stomach “there’s never rains or snows”

   Other than that either the Pine Giant or Saint George slaying the dragon

4. I’m not sure if there is a single one, but the [Hungarian Folk Tales](https://www.youtube.com/@HungarianFolkTales) cartoon series is beloved by a lot of people, it was also aired in some neighboring countries and it’s also available on youtube with English dubbing.

5. Not so much a folk tale inasmuch as evidence of Finland’s pagan roots that persist to this day. I don’t know if parents or older people these days do it anymore, but I was taught to watch out for the beast that dwells in deep waters (deep lakes, wells, etc.) called Näkki or Hiisi. If children were careless this beast would take them.

   Safety lesson is obvious to an adult, but a pretty unique way to teach it to children.

   Or the story of Lalli chopping off the head of bishop Henrik, who brought Catholicism to Finland. In itself an ambiguous story, where the good/evil of both characters is left to interpretation.

6. In England it’s *probably* Robin Hood, although I expect more people now interact with him through the Disney film and various TV series than any of the original ballads or their later prose retellings; King Arthur is also very popular. There are also folk tales which are popular in a specific area, such as the Lambton Worm in the North East.

   The Old English poem *Beowulf* is famous, but probably not that widely read. There are also many popular nursery rhymes and fairy tales for children.

7. I guess Otesánek, about parents who desperately wanted children and couldn’t have them, so the man took home a log resembling a baby boy. They called him Otesánek, he grew and grew and he got more and more hungry and insatiable until he ate his parents.

   I guess the moral of the story is not to have children, or they’ll eat you. Czechs, the original antinatalists.

8. I can’t think of any folklore that would be famous in all of the country.

   But in terms of famous folk tales, we do have some honourable mentions abroad.

   In North America;
   – the story of Hansje Brinker
   – the legend of Sleepy Hollow

   Internationally:
   – the mystery (or curse?) of *the Flying Dutchman*

9. Some of Irish mythology is also found in Gaelic folklores of the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Man.

   Most famous storys in Ireland would probably be the Fianna stories such as Oisín in Tír na nÒg or his father Fionn Mac Cumhaill and the Salmon of Knowledge. Diarmuid and Gráinne

   Also Cú Chulainn and the Táim Bò Cuailgne of the Ulster Cycle

   Many areas will have their own local folk tales and legends.

10. It’s hard to name that a folk tale specific to Belgium, since most of these stories are much older than the country. So all of them are either very widespread and exist in our neighbouring countries as well, or are very limited to one specific region.

    I guess [Reynard the Fox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynard_the_Fox) could be considered Belgian in a sense. The story probably has its origins in the early middle ages and is very widespread in Europe, but the first written record is a Latin poem made in Ghent. This poem inspired several French works, which in turn inspired the Dutch poem Van de vos Reynaerde (also written in or around Ghent). That poem then became the most famous work in Middle Dutch literature.

    A non-literary tale that’s fairly well-known in parts of Belgium (and also the Netherlands), is that of a creature who jumps on the backs of lonely travelers and forces them to carry him. It isn’t really a unified story and it can differ strongly depending on the region. He’s got local names like Ossaert, Kludde, Flodder, Slodderspook… He’s often associated with water and might be invisible or a shapeshifter or a dark beast.

    A semi-historical regional tale from Limburg is that of the [buckriders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckriders). They’re based on 18th century criminal gangs and got associated with the devil. Similar to witchcraft panic, hundreds of people got executed due to suspected involvement with these buckriders.

11. The first one that comes to mind is How a woman fooled the devil.

    Tl;dr the husband caught the devil in a bottle and made a deal with him to let him go if he proves that his wife is disloyal. The man left the bottle in the house and told his wife not to touch it. She couldn’t resist opening it, but in the end she tricked the devil saying she doesn’t believe he could fit in that bottle, so as he went to prove it, she trapped him again.

12. Probably the tale of [Martin Krpan](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Krpan).

    > A smuggler by profession, he makes a living by illegally transporting “English salt” (probably a euphemism for gunpowder). With the help of his loyal, diminutive mare, they transport the “salt” from the Adriatic coast throughout the Slovene Lands and Inner Austria.

    > On one of his trips, after Krpan meets the imperial carriage on a snowbound road and makes way for it by simply picking up his laden horse and moving it aside, his extraordinary strength is noted by the Emperor John.

    > Several years later, the Emperor summons Krpan to Vienna as his last hope against Brdaus, a brutal Saracen warrior who has set up camp outside the imperial capital and issued a challenge to single combat, and has already slain most of the city’s knights, including the Crown Prince.

    > Reluctantly, Krpan accepts the challenge, scandalizing the court with his uncouthness, honesty and homespun manner before defeating the brute in a duel by using not only his strength but an unexpected reserve of ingenuity. In gratitude, the Emperor bestows him with pouch of gold pieces and – more valuably – a royal license to legally traffic in “English salt,” as well an offer of his daughter’s hand in marriage.