Country: Ireland

Folk Tale: The Children of Lir

Plot: There was a lord called “Lir” who married the stepmother of his 4 children,
Aoife. Aoife was jealous of Lir’s attention and love towards his children. She
wanted to get rid of them, so she casted a spell on them turning them into swans
connected to different water bodies for 900 years. Lir banished Aoife and cursed
her after he found out what she had done. The swans prayed to God and their
prayers were answered as soon as when King Lairgnen touched them, they
transformed back into humans: however, they were old and close to death.

Moral: The moral of the story is that black magic, greed and jealousy lead to bad
consequences and don’t end well for both the victim and the wrongdoer. We also
learn that faith and religious beliefs bring freedom from suffering.

Country: Germany
Folk Tale: The Crow and the Pitcher
Plot: A thirsty crow found a pitcher with water in it. But the pitcher was high and
had a narrow neck, and no matter how he tried, it could not reach the water as it
was beyond the reach of its beak. After failing to push it over, the bird decided to
try to make the water rise by adding more weight. He drops in pebbles one by
one until the water rises to the top of the pitcher, allowing the crow to finally
drink the water.

Moral: The moral of the story is to always try to think and use intelligence when
stuck in a difficult situation and never give up.