Fairy stories or other short stories we remember from childhood

[grahamg]

There are quite a few fairy stories, or very short stories, (parables almost), that stick in my mind, and here are a couple you may remember too.

One concerned a magic jug of wine, (I think it was), that refilled itself the moment you finished emptying it, so you never ran out of wine ! .(how useful that would be).

The second one I recall quite often was the guy walking along with his ass, or donkey all loaded up, and someone he meets tells him he should ride on the donkey, so he does that.
The next man he meets tells him how cruel he's been forcing the poor animal to carry all that weight, so he tries to carry the donkey and load on his own back, and when crossing a bridge they all end up in the water, (moral of the story being ignore busy bodies perhaps?). .

 

[Laurie]

Peter, Snow White, Babes in the Wood, Hansel and Gretel. There are so many.

 

[Pappy]

I liked Ali Babba and the forty thieves. Remember mom reading it to me.

 

[jujube]

The original Brothers Grimm tales were grim to the max. They were "morality tales" intended to scare children into behaving. They definitely were not for entertainment.

 

[grahamg]

The original Brothers Grimm tales were grim to the max. They were "morality tales" intended to scare children into behaving. They definitely were not for entertainment.

Yes, there were so many scary stories out there weren't there.

I've remembered a couple of things about the loaded donkey and man story in the OP.

My aunt, when I was a child, had a series of "wire and bead" pictures, depicting the various stages of the story, (and it was an "Aesop's fable" of course, the moral of the story being you can't please everyone, so don't try! ).

 

[grahamg]

I've just done a search to discover there is about a hundred of Aesops Fables, (and the author was said to be a slave from ancient Greece).

Here is another one I vaguely remember, (with its moral message):

The Wolves & the Sheep
A pack of Wolves lurked near the Sheep pasture. But the Dogs kept them all at a respectful distance, and the Sheep grazed in perfect safety. But now the Wolves thought of a plan to trick the Sheep.

"Why is there always this hostility between us?" they said. "If it were not for those Dogs who are always stirring up trouble, I am sure we should get along beautifully. Send them away and you will see what good friends we shall become."

The Sheep were easily fooled. They persuaded the Dogs to go away, and that very evening the Wolves had the grandest feast of their lives.

(Moral being: "Do not give up friends for foes.")