(Babylon was a city state in what is now Iraq, its history goes back at least five thousand years) In the beginning there was Apsu, the Primordial and Tiamat, the Chaos. Apsu was the father ancestor, identified with the land. Tiamat was the mother ancestor, identified with the sea. At […]
Geographical Origin: Asia
A very long time ago before men had learnt how to hunt and set traps, all the birds lived together peacefully in a great forest. Theirs was a happy and carefree existence, the forest supplied all their needs. There was a plentiful supply of nuts, fruits seeds and berries for […]
How the Phoenix got her fine plumage
Ishtar was the Lady of the Gods, the Goddess of fertility. She had been unlucky in love. Her husband Tammuz, the great love of her youth, had died when he was still very young. She had fallen in love with Gilgamesh, that great king, but he had spurned her advances. […]
Ishtar’s journey into the Underworld
An old farmer went to gather firewood. His wife was doing her washing in the river that ran past their house. Just as she had finished wringing out the clothes, and was spreading them out on the grassy bank to dry, she thought she saw something curious floating in the […]
Momo conquers the Lord of the Demon’s island
Once upon a time in a small town in the land of China there lived a stonemason. Using hammers and chisels he crafted ornaments, statues and grave stones out of rock. He was very good at his job, and people all around admired his craftsmanship and artistry. One day he was […]
The stonemason
In a very distant past, much longer ago than anybody can possibly remember, ten suns lived in the sky. This meant it was always daylight, and the surface of the earth was scorching hot. It was truly a very uncomfortable place to live, and the people who lived here at […]
The woman who flew to the moon
A crane was standing in a stream, hoping to catch some fish. A huntsman was crawling through the bushes on the riverbank, and spotted the crane. He’d not caught anything that day, and carefully readied his bow and arrow. He took aim and sent an arrow flying towards the crane. […]
The woodsman and the crane
Once upon a time there was a great king of China. This king had everything he wanted. He had rare treasures, a beautiful palace, fine horses, the bravest warriors and a people who loved him. But one thing the king lacked. He didn’t have a wife. So one day he […]
The tale of the sad Queen
A long time ago in a certain part of China, only boys were allowed to go to school. It was thought that girls should not be educated, but should remain ignorant. In fact they were rarely allowed out of the house, and if they did go out they should be […]
The lovers who became butterflies
Or: The ballad of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu Deep in the Chinese countryside a poor boy called Lai lived with his older brother and his wife. They just had a small piece of land where they managed to grow just about enough food for the three of them to […]