Philemon And Baucis
: Nature Myths And Stories For Little ChildrenOn a high hill in Greece, long ago, lived Philemon and Baucis. They had
always been poor but never unhappy.
At the time of this story the people in the valley below them were very
busy.
Zeus, their king, had sent word that he was about to visit them.
Hermes, his messenger, was to come with him.
The people were getting ready great feasts, and making everything
beautiful for their coming. For miles out of the city, men were watching
for the golden chariot and white horses of the king.
One night, just at dark, two beggars came into the valley.
They stopped at every house and asked for food and a place to sleep.
But the people were too busy or too tired to attend to their needs.
Footsore and weary, at last they climbed the hill to the hut of Philemon
and Baucis.
These good people had eaten scarcely anything for several days that they
might have food to offer the king.
When they saw the strangers, Philemon said, "Surely these men need food
more than the king."
Baucis spread her one white table cloth upon the table.
She brought out bacon and herbs, wild honey and milk.
She set these before the strangers with all the good dishes that she
had.
Then a wonderful thing happened.
The dishes which the strangers touched turned to gold.
The milk in the pitcher became rich nectar.
Philemon and Baucis dropped upon their knees.
They knew that their guests could be no other than Zeus and Hermes.
Zeus raised his hand and said, "Arise, good people, ask what you will
and it shall be yours."
Philemon and Baucis cried in one voice:
"Grant, oh Zeus, that one of us may not outlive the other, but that both
may die in the same instant."
This had long been the wish in each heart, and the fear of being left
alone in the world was the one trouble of their old age.
Zeus smiled and changed their rude hut into a beautiful castle, and
granted them many years of happy life.
One morning the people in the valley noticed that the castle had
disappeared.
They hurried to the spot and found growing in its place two beautiful
trees, an oak and a linden.
No trace of the good couple could be found.
Many years after, however, a traveller lying under the trees heard them
whispering to each other.
He lay very still and soon learned that in them Philemon and Baucis
still lived, happy and contented, and protected by Zeus from all harm.
More
-
Old King Cole
"Old King Cole was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he: He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three. Every fiddler had a fine fiddle, And a very fine fiddle ... Old Mother Hubbard
Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To get her poor dog a bone; But when she came there The cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none. She went to the baker's To buy him some bread, ... Old Mr Owl Writes A Book
"Old Mr. Owl wanted to write a book and he asked the fairies how to set about doing it," commenced daddy. "'Well,' said the fairy queen, 'it makes a good deal of difference, old Mr. Owl, what you want to write about.' "'What nonsense!' he ... Old North Wind
Old North Wind lived away up in the North Pole Land in the winter, and there her children, the Icebergs, grew. Old North Wind was very proud of her huge children, and when the long, cold winter was at an end she said: "My big, strong children, ... Old Sultan
A shepherd had a faithful dog, called Sultan, who was grown very old, and had lost all his teeth. And one day when the shepherd and his wife were standing together before the house the shepherd said, 'I will shoot old Sultan tomorrow morning, for he... Ole-luk-oie The Dream God
THERE is nobody in the whole world who knows so many stories as Ole-Luk-Oie, or who can relate them so nicely. In the evening while the children are seated at the tea table or in their little chairs, very softly he comes up the stairs, for he wa... On Popular Education
I suppose each of us has had more than one occasion to come in contact with monstrous, senseless phenomena, and to find back of these phenomena put forward some important principle, which overshadowed those phenomena, so that in our youthful and e... Once I Saw A Little Bird
Once I saw a little bird Come hop, hop, hop, So I said, "Little bird, Will you stop, stop, stop?" I was going to the window To say, "How do you do?" But he shook his little tail And far away he f... One Little Girl
One little girl Said, "Oh, dear, dear, I want to go to school, I will be late, I fear. "I am sure I won't forget To brush my teeth to-night, Just to put off a while, ... One's Own Children Are Always Prettiest
A sportsman went out once into a wood to shoot, and he met a Snipe. "Dear friend," said the Snipe, "don't shoot my children!" "How shall I know your children?" asked the Sportsman. "What are they like?" "Oh!" said the Snipe, "mine are the p... Orianna
Bunny White, one night when the Fairies were holding a revel, peeped out of his window to see the frolic, for Bunny and the Fairies were the best of friends because members of Bunny's family had for ages drawn the carriage of the Queen. But to... Orion The Hunter And His Fight With The Bull
<p>In the 49th Tale I told you there were two giants among the mighty hunters in the sky, Boötes, whose adventure with the Bears you have already heard, and Orion. (O-ry´-on).</p> <p>Orion was the most famous of all. In his day men had no ... Our Baby
Mrs. Chang, Mrs. Lee, Mama has a small babee; Stands up firm, Sits up straight, Won't eat milk, But lives on cake. ... Our Baby
One head with curly hair, Two arms so fat and bare, Two hands and one wee nose, Two feet with ten pink toes, Skin soft and smooth as silk, When clean, 'tis white as milk. ... Our Little Enemies
"Hello, Central, give me 1882, Mrs. Consumption Germ. Oh, is that you, I am so glad to hear your voice. Do tell me what you have been doing this long time!" "Oh, my good friend Pneumonia, I have been hiding away all these years to keep the doct... Our Stories
A is Aladdin B is Little Boy Blue C is Cinderella D is A Year with Dolly E is Echo and Narcissus F is The Fisherman and his Wife G is The Gingerbread Boy H is The House that Jack Built I is Indian Le... Our Visitors
By Isabel Lyndall When grandma comes to visit, She very often brings Her satchel full of cookies, And ginger cakes and things. Grandpa carries in his grip For Dorothy and me, One of the newest toys th... Over In The Meadow
BY OLIVE A. WADSWORTH Over in the meadow, In the sand, in the sun, Lived an old mother toad And her little toadie one. "Wink!" said the mother; "I wink," said the one: So she winked and she blinked ... Owl With The Great Head And Eyes
Long ago, when Glooskap was the ruler of the Indians in Eastern Canada, and when the animals all worked for him and talked like men, Wolf was one of Rabbit's enemies. On the surface they seemed to be friends, but each was afraid of the ot... Owney And Owney-na-peak
BY GERALD GRIFFEN When Ireland had kings of her own--when there was no such thing as a coat made of red cloth in the country--when there was plenty in men's houses, and peace and quietness at men's doors (and that is a long time since)--there l... Pace-egging
It is a custom in some parts of England for boys to go round the village on Easter eve begging for eggs or money, and a sort of dramatic song is sometimes used on the occasion. The following copy was taken down from recitation some years ago in the ... Paperarelloo
Once upon a time there lived a king and a queen who had one son. The king loved the boy very much, but the queen, who was a wicked woman, hated the sight of him; and this was the more unlucky for, when he was twelve years old, his father died, and h... Parwati And The Beggar-man
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In It there lived a Brahman. He had seven daughters, and when they had reached a marriageable age he asked them who would arrange their marriages and bring them handsome husbands and make their fortune... Parwati And The Brahman
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a poor Brahman. When the month of Bhadrapad came round, every household bought little images of Parwati, and the women began to walk about the streets and sound gongs. When the poor B... Parwati And The Priest
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there was a temple to the god Shiva. One day when Shiva and his wife Parwati were walking about they happened to come to this temple. They sat down there and began to play saripat. [17] After som... Past History
BY EDWARD LEAR a A was once an apple-pie, Pidy, Widy, Tidy, Pidy, Nice insidy, Apple-pie! b B was once a little bear, Beary, Wary, ... Pat A Cake
Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man. So I do, master, as fast as I can. Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T, And then it will serve for Tommy and me. ... Pat A Cake
A Froebel Finger Play Baby, would you like to make For yourself a little cake? Pat it gently, smooth it down. Baker says: "Now, in to brown; Bring it here, baby dear, While the oven fire burns clear." "Baker,... Pat-a-cake
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man Bake me a cake as quick as you can Pat it and prick it, and mark it with B, And put it in the oven for baby and me." Hurry it, hurry it, baker's man; Bring it to us as quick ... Peas
Children get the pods of a pea, and flinging them at each other, cry Pea-pod hucks, Twenty for a pin; If you don't like them, I'll take them agin. The hucks are the shells or pods, and agin the provincial pronuncia... Peerifool
There was once a King and a Queen in Rousay who had three daughters. When the young Princesses were just grown up, the King died, and the Crown passed to a distant cousin, who had always hated him, and who paid no heed to the widowed Queen and her... Persephone
Demeter had the care of all the plants, fruits and grains in the world. She taught the people how to plow the fields and plant the seeds. She helped them gather in their harvests. They loved the kind earth-mother and gladly obeyed her. Th... Peter Bull
From the Danish. There once lived in Denmark a peasant and his wife who owned a very good farm, but had no children. They often lamented to each other that they had no one of their own to inherit all the wealth that they possessed. They continu... Phaethon
Phaethon was the son of Helios, who drove the chariot of the sun. He lived with his mother, the gentle Clymene, in a beautiful valley in the east. One day when Phaethon was telling his companions about his father, the sky king, they laughed and... Pheasants
Wild fowls are called pheasants in the Caucasus. There are so many of them that they are cheaper there than tame chickens. Pheasants are hunted with the "hobby," by scaring up, and from under dogs. This is the way they are hunted with the "hobby."... Philemon And Baucis
On a high hill in Greece, long ago, lived Philemon and Baucis. They had always been poor but never unhappy. At the time of this story the people in the valley below them were very busy. Zeus, their king, had sent word that he was about to vis... Philip's Horse
Little Philip was very fond of horses, and as he was too old to sit on a chair or box or trunk and make believe a rocking-horse was pulling it along his bedroom floor, his father bought him a horse all spotted brown and white, with a beautiful wh... Pigeons
Pigeons never do know woe, Till they do a benting go. This means that pigeons are never short of food except when they are obliged to live on the seeds of the grass, which ripen before the crops of grain. The seed-stalk of grass is ca... Pimpernell
No heart can think, no tongue can tell, The virtues of the pimpernell. Gerard enumerates several complaints for which this plant was considered useful, and he adds, that country people prognosticated fine or bad weather by observing i... Pinkel The Thief
Long, long ago there lived a widow who had three sons. The two eldest were grown up, and though they were known to be idle fellows, some of the neighbours had given them work to do on account of the respect in which their mother was held. B... Pip's Adventure
ALL that little Philip Pirrip, usually called Pip, knew about his father and mother, and his five little brothers, was from seeing their tombstones in the churchyard. He was cared for by his sister, who was twenty years older than himself. She had... Pivi And Kabo
When birds were men, and men were birds, Pivi and Kabo lived in an island far away, called New Claledonia. Pivi was a cheery little bird that chirps at sunset; Kabo was an ugly black fowl that croaks in the darkness. One day Pivi and Kabo though... Places And Families
This division, like the last, might be greatly extended by references to Ray and Grose. ... Planning A Picnic
While he was only a fawn Nimble became very fond of water lilies. But he didn't carry them as a bouquet, nor wear one in his buttonhole. He was fond of lilies in a different way: he liked to eat them, and their flat, round, glossy pads. At night h... Plantation Stories
BY GRACE MACGOWAN COOKE I.--MRS. PRAIRIE-DOG'S BOARDERS Texas is a near-by land to the dwellers in the Southern States. Many of the poorer white people go there to mend their fortunes; and not a few of them come back from its plains, homesick... Pockets
Pockets are fine For marbles and twine, For knives and rubber bands; So, stuff them tight From morning till night With anything else but hands! ... Poison Ivy Or The Three-fingered Demon Of The Woods
<div> <img src="/images/i184.png" alt="The Poison Ivy" title="The Poison Ivy" height="400" width="275" /> The Poison Ivy </div> <p>You have been hearing about good fairies and good old Mother Carey and Medicine in the Sky. Now I am going to warn you a... Polly Was The Heroine Of The Fire
Jack and Evelyn had been to see a friend of theirs who owned a parrot. The parrot, whose name, of course, was Polly, had completely fascinated them. She could dance when a tune was whistled, she took sugar from her mistress's mouth, and she cou... Poor Old Mr Owl's Toothache
Evelyn had been eating a great deal of candy--so much that it had given her a very bad toothache--and when daddy came home he found her curled up on the bed looking very mournful. Jack had been trying to comfort her, but he hadn't been able to ... Pork And Honey
At dawn the other day, when Bruin came tramping over the bog with a fat pig, Reynard sat up on a stone by the moorside. "Good day, grandsire," said the fox. "What's that so nice that you have there?" "Pork," said Bruin. "Well, I have got a... Poussie Baudrons
"Poussie, Poussie Baudrons, Where hae ye been?" "I've been at London, Seeing the Queen!" "Poussie, Poussie Baudrons, What got ye there?" "I got a guid fat mousikie, Rinning up a stair." "Poussie... Preston
Proud Preston, poor people, Fine church, and no steeple. ... Prince Bayaya
THE STORY OF A MAGIC HORSE While the king of a distant country was off at the wars, his wife, the queen, gave birth to twin sons. There was great rejoicing throughout the court and immediately messengers were despatched to the king to carry him n... Prince Cherry
Long ago there lived a monarch, who was such a very honest man that his subjects entitled him the Good King. One day, when he was out hunting, a little white rabbit, which had been half killed by his hounds, leaped right into his majesty's arms. S... Prince Darling
ONCE upon a time there lived a king who was so just and kind that his subjects called him "the Good King." It happened one day, when he was out hunting, that a little white rabbit, which his dogs were chasing, sprang into his arms for shelter. Th... Prince Darling
Once upon a time there was a young Prince who was so well liked by everyone in the kingdom where he lived that they named him Prince Darling. This boy's father, the King, was a very good man, and his subjects loved and respected him for his jus... Prince Featherhead And The Princess Celandine
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen, who were the best creatures in the world, and so kind-hearted that they could not bear to see their subjects want for anything. The consequence was that they gradually gave away all their treasures,... Prince Fickle And Fair Helena
There was once upon a time a beautiful girl called Helena. Her own mother had died when she was quite a child, and her stepmother was as cruel and unkind to her as she could be. Helena did all she could to gain her love, and performed the hea... Prince Hyacinth And The Dear Little Princess
Once upon a time there lived a king who was deeply in love with a princess, but she could not marry anyone, because she was under an enchantment. So the King set out to seek a fairy, and asked what he could do to win the Princess's love. The Fair... Prince Hyacinth And The Dear Little Princess
BY MADAME LEPRINCE DE BEAUMONT Once upon a time there lived a King who was deeply in love with a Princess, but she could not marry anyone, because she was under an enchantment. So the King set out to seek a fairy, and asked what he could do to ... Prince Kindhearted
Once upon a time there lived a king who had but one son, and he was called the Kindhearted. When the prince was twenty years old, he asked the king, his father, to let him go traveling. His father fitted him out for the journey, gave him a true se... Prince Lindworm
Once upon a time, there was a fine young King who was married to the loveliest of Queens. They were exceedingly happy, all but for one thing--they had no children. And this often made them both sad, because the Queen wanted a dear little child to ... Prince Little Boy
BY S. WEIR MITCHELL A great many children live on the borders of Fairy-land and never visit it at all, and really there are people who grow up and are not very unhappy who will not believe they have lived near to it all their lives. But if once... Prince Narcissus And The Princess Potentilla
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who, though it is a very long while since they died, were much the same in their tastes and pursuits as people nowadays. The King, who was called Cloverleaf, liked hunting better than anything else; ... Prince Ring
From the Icelandic. Once upon a time there was a King and his Queen in their kingdom. They had one daughter, who was called Ingiborg, and one son, whose name was Ring. He was less fond of adventures than men of rank usually were in those days... Prince Sneeze
[Illustration: In a cave filled with icicles, a small dog and a giant are looking into an open chest.] Once upon a time a king and a queen gave a magnificent party in honor of the christening of their new-born son, Prince Rolandor. To this party... Prince Vivien And The Princess Placida
Once upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved one another dearly. Indeed the Queen, whose name was Santorina, was so pretty and so kind-hearted that it would have been a wonder if her husband had not been fond of her, while King Gridel... Princess Crystal Or The Hidden Treasure
A Story by Isabel Bellerby. THERE were the four Kings: the King of the North, the region of perpetual snow; the King of the South, where the sun shines all the year round; the King of the East, from whence the cold winds blow; and the King of t... Princess Finola And The Dwarf
BY EDMUND LEAMY A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut in the midst of a bare, brown, lonely moor an old woman and a young girl. The old woman was withered, sour-tempered, and dumb. The young girl was as sweet and as fresh as an open... Princess Minon-minette
Bibliotheque des Fees et aes Genies Once upon a time there lived a young king whose name was Souci, and he had been brought up, ever since he was a baby, by the fairy Inconstancy. Now the fairy Girouette had a kind heart, but she was a very tryi...