WokeTales - Woke Folktales

Episode 100 - The Golden Valley (Sicilian story)

The Golden Valley is a Sicilian story, taken from Ruth Manning-Sanders’ collection A Book of Monsters. One royal family locates the natural phenomenon of their dreams: a whole valley of gold. This is a story of a king and queen who are wonderful parents, three brothers who love each other, and a monster who loves a golden architectural flair. Sometimes gold is just pretty, and a monster can become the best friend you’ve ever had.

Episode 99 - Gretel in Darkness (Poem)

‘Gretel in Darkness’ is a 1975 poem by Louise Glück exploring trauma. The poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by Gretel, the little girl from the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel. In the poem, Gretel directly addresses the readers/listeners and Hansel, and offers her intimate thoughts reflecting on how she is haunted psychologically by the memory of the witch she killed, in order to save herself and her brother Hansel.

Episode 98 - The Ebony Horse (Persian Folktale)

The Ebony Horse is a story from the Arabian Nights, also known as the One Thousand and One Nights. The tale borders on being ‘science fiction’ before the genre existed. It sees a cunning inventor design an ebony horse which is capable of flying. A prince uses the horse to travel to other lands, where he falls in love with a princess. It is an entertaining tale, full of adventure and love and danger and suspense.

Episode 97 - The Red Pearls (Chinese Fairy Tale)

The Red Pearls is a Chinese Fairytale with a familiar set-up of love, magic, and immortality but takes a delightfully unexpected approach. It is a story of Liu Hai and Ninth Sister and how they have each other’s back and support each other. There’s a golden toad to stir things up but tune in to find out who’s side the godly magic is on. 

Episode 96 - The Lion, the Tiger, and the Eagle (Greek fairy tale)

The Lion, the Tiger, and the Eagle is a Greek fairy tale from the Ruth Manning-Sanders collection Damian and the Dragon. It is a story of three brothers and three sisters and how their father’s dying words chooses their marital destiny. 

Episode 95 - The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn (Scottish folklore)

The Lass Who Went Out at the Cry of Dawn is a story from Sorche Nic Leodhas’ collection of Scottish folk lore, Thistle and Thyme. This is a story of a girl who goes on an adventure to rescue her sister with an unconventional weapon, thanks to her farsighted parents.

Episode 94 - Mainu the Frog (African Fairytale)

Not many frogs can claim the resourcefulness of this African fairy tale’s titular character, Mainu. He helps Kiman throughout the story, from making journeys between heaven and earth, impressing lord Sun and lady Moon, to coming up with a trick to get Mainu married to the girl he is in love with, and all this without expecting anything in return.

Episode 93 - The Three Heads of the Well (English Folktale)

Three Heads in the Well (or The King of Colchester’s Daughters) is a tale hundreds of years old. Listen to what happens when two daughters of the king are rewarded or punished by the fairy heads in the well. 

Episode 92 - The Hare’s Liver (Korean folktale)

The Hare’s Liver is a folk tale from Korea, in honor of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit). It tells the story of an ailing Dragon King who is told he can recover his health only through eating a hare’s liver. He sends Turtle to get a hare from dry land. Remarkably, Turtle successfully returns with Hare, but can the Hare escape through his sharp wits?

Episode 91 - Martin and the Lions (Austrian fairytale)

Martin and the Lions is taken from Ruth Manning-Sanders’ 1988 collection A Cauldron of Witches. The story has a nasty witch and a conscientious hero, Martin. The story has elements of animal cruelty and progresses with how Martin manages to free the lions from the witch’s curse.