Folktales and Ancient Stories have always held people’s attention. People – in the East or West, young or old, men or women, in fact, everyone who can read and listen – have been attracted towards all good old stories. Children all over the world enjoy listening to or reading stories of adventure and excitement, valour and wisdom, tricks and magic, heroes and giants, humans, and animals. In short, a good old story is everyone’s cherished pastime.
Such stories, predominantly short and sprightly, are known to be timeless, and often the themes they touch upon find a resonance in cultures all around the world. Although most of the stories contained in mythology, folklore, legends and fables are often so fanciful and evidently surreal, their continued appeal to the readers and listeners remains undiminished. That is because, such stories take us out of our own little world and make us see a bigger, and a far different world, than the world we are living in.
Thanks to the abiding interest of countless storytellers since time immemorial, we have a huge treasury of folktales and ancient stories built over centuries. Almost every country in the world has its share of folktales and legends. These folktales and stories take the readers back to a world that existed hundreds and even thousands of years ago. By and large, these stories often underline morals and good behaviour, as in most stories the good conquers the evil and at the end, long suffering yields place to good times. Such stories manage to hold the readers spellbound, with an easy flow and a ‘what next’ spell.
Who doesn’t like to sit in a time machine and go back to a distant place, a different world, a world full of snakes and tigers, bandits and pirates, monsters and giants, dense forests and gigantic mountains, maharajas and queens, magicians and tricksters, talking animals and cursing birds, and a huge variety of such diverse attractions? That is why, good stories are known to be timeless and eternal.
Folktales and stories of yore, moreover, shed light on the life, culture, people, and practices of different countries they relate to. They not only entertain, but they also shed light on the priceless past. Good old stories help us in getting a feel of the history, geography, and the life and practices of countries and cultures.
Heather Forest, the renowned American Storyteller has expressed it beautifully in the following lines:
I have travelled around the world, without leaving home,
I go anywhere my imagination wants to roam,
I take a look, in a folktale book,
and travel on the wings of words.
Moonlight Books is proud to be engaged in presenting numerous Folktales and Ancient Stories through their Enchanting Stories from India and Abroad, Fabulous Folktales from India and Abroad, Short Stories from Devayana, Dashavataram, and a host of others.
Our prestigious multi-colour picture book series with attention-grabbing stories from many diverse countries – “Honeybee Moonlight Stories for Children”, will be before you soon.
R K Madhukar is a self-realized person and a prolific writer.