Once upon a time: 10 Romanian tales to know and tell

Before Harry Potter and princess Elsa were capturing the imagination of children and teenagers everywhere, local generations were growing up with the stories written or collected by Ion Creangă and Petre Ispirescu. Their tales are classics of Romanian literature and many of them can also be read in translation. Here is an overview some of the best-known ones, recounting acts of courage and industriousness, formative challenges and impossible aspirations. Capra cu trei iezi / The Goat and Her Three Kids, by Ion Creangă This is the story of the mother goat and her three kids and of what happens after she leaves them home by themselves while she is away to provide food for the family. She instructs them to open the door of the house only when hearing her sing a specific song. But the bad wolf overhears the conversation and what follows is no fairy tale. Fata babei şi fata moşneagului/ The Old Man’s Daughter and the Old Woman’s Daughter, by Ion Creangă The tale contrasts the lazy and badly-behaved old woman’s daughter with the diligent, patient and well-behaved old man’s daughter, who is driven out of her home by the scheming of her stepmother and stepsister. She travels to find work and is rewarded plentifully for the good deeds she performs during her journey and at her found patron. Not something that will happen to the old woman’s daughter when she attempts a similar voyage. An English-language translation of the story is available here. Povestea lui Harap-Alb/ The Story of Harap-Alb, by Ion Creangă Harap-Alb is the youngest of the king’s three sons and the only one who successfully passes his father’s courage test. He is thus sent to his uncle’s kingdom to marry one of his daughters. The journey there is filled with adventures, testing various of his skills, which he puts to use with the help of friends he made along the way, each with their own impressive powers. The hero even needs to be revived by his soon-to-be bride but all ends well in this case. Punguţa cu doi bani/ The Little Purse with Two Halfpennies, by Ion Creangă This story centers on the adventures of a rooster, whose owner wants him to start laying eggs, just as his partner’s hen does. Since it predictably results impossible, the rooster is sent away to make himself useful to his owner. The rooster’s powers prove impressive as it persistently fights to keep a purse with two halfpennies it found and wants to return to his owner, who ends up richer than he ever thought possible. Ursul păcălit de vulpe/ The Bear Fooled by the Fox, by Ion Creangă Also set in the animal kingdom, this one pits the fox against the bear. After making an illegitimate capture of fish, the fox draws the attention of the bear, who also wants to sample some of the food. But the fox advises him to go fishing and use a method which will leave the bear without his tail. No luck for the bear when trying to get his revenge either.