Tale and Mythology

First Story Which Treats of a Mirror and of the Splinters Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story, we shall know more than we know now: but to begin. Once upon a time there was a wicked sprite, indeed he was the most mischievous of all sprites. One day he was in a very good humor, for he had made a mirror with the power of causing all that was good and beautiful when it was reflected therein, to look poor and mean; but that which was good-for-nothing and looked ugly was shown magnified and increased in ugliness. In this mirror the most beautiful landscapes looked like boiled spinach, and the best persons were turned into frights, or appeared to stand on their heads; their faces were so distorted that they were not to be recognised; and if anyone had a mole, you might be sure that it would be magnified and spread over both nose and mouth. "That's glorious fun!" said the sprite. If a good thought passed through a man's mind, then a grin was seen...

Far down in the forest, where the warm sun and the fresh air made a sweet resting-place, grew a pretty little fir-tree; and yet it was not happy, it wished so much to be tall like its companions– the pines and firs which grew around it. The sun shone, and the soft air fluttered its leaves, and the little peasant children passed by, prattling merrily, but the fir-tree heeded them not. Sometimes the children would bring a large basket of raspberries or strawberries, wreathed on a straw, and seat themselves near the fir-tree, and say, "Is it not a pretty little tree?" which made it feel more unhappy than before. And yet all this while the tree grew a notch or joint taller every year; for by the number of joints in the stem of a fir-tree we can discover its age. Still, as it grew, it complained. "Oh! how I wish I were as tall as the other trees, then I would spread out my branches on every side, and my top would over-look the wide world. I should have the birds building t...

It was lovely summer weather in the country, and the golden corn, the green oats, and the haystacks piled up i the meadows looked beautiful. The stork walking about on his long red legs chattered in the Egyptian language which he had learnt from his mother. The corn-fields and meadows were surrounded by large forests, in the mids of which were deep pools. It was, indeed, delightful to walk about in the country. In a sunny spot stood a pleasan old farm-house close by a deep river, and from the house down to the water side grew great burdock leaves, s high, that under the tallest of them a little child could stand upright. The spot was as wild as the centre of a thic wood. In this snug retreat sat a duck on her nest, watching for her young brood to hatch; she was beginning to ge tired of her task, for the little ones were a long time coming out of their shells, and she seldom had any visitors. Th other ducks liked much better to swim about in the river than to climb the slippery banks, ...