Silesian fairy tales and legends are about supernatural beings living at the bottom of coal mines. They usually met coal miners, played different tricks on them, saved their lives from time to time, if they were honest, hardworking people.

Silesian women hardly ever worked; all the supernaturals they could meet would have had to be at home.  Anything basically would have had to happen at home.  

You are right, in the more modern times he grandparents used to take care of children. It was very hard to escape to the forest, believe me, even for a day.     

Originally written by Maxi Schwarz-Bastami on November 7, 2009 3:23 PM The topic of greed was not of sufficient interest to me.

Isn't this thread titled Fairy tales about greed? The fact that you seem to prefer another title such as Fairy tales about greed AND OTHER THINGS, doesn't alter the fact that the main topic is about greed.

I have very little time so I select where I spend it these days.

Yes, I can understand that.  Most of us are busy with work and some of us are also, besides taking care of house and home, busy studying and it all takes time...

However, folklore, fairy tales, history and such do interest me because of my current studies.  I may be writing an exam in one or two years and this ties into it.

It is interesting, I agree. I wish you good luck on your future exams.

...I like to enrich my knowledge in side issues that may be related to my current studies.

Very understandable, Maxi.Sounds very familiar. I have always enjoyed off topic issues because you never know where they can take you or where such side issues fit inside your studies.

That is why, for now, I have taken interest in this particular thread.

Good, I hope it will prove fruitful. I shall leave you to it.

Nanna

Originally written by Liliana Boladz-Nekipelov on November 7, 2009 11:19 AM I was just wondering  if people can name some fairy tales which talk about greed, in various cultures. The Gold Fish - Russian Fairy Tale

For the record,

The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish (Russian: Сказка о рыбаке и рыбке) is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale in autumn 1833... The tale is about a fisherman who managed to catch a "Golden Fish" which promised to fulfill any wish of his in exchange for letting it go. The storyline is similar to the Russian fairy tale Greedy Old Wife (according to Vladimir Propp) and was probably borrowed from Brothers Grimm's tale The Fisherman and His Wife. (Wikipedia)

As for the Grimm's original German tale, you can find its chronology in a footnote of The Fisherman and His Wife

On greed, see also

• The Old Man and the Golden Fish, a Chinese folk tale [1]

The fact that you seem to prefer another title such as Fairy tales about greed AND OTHER THINGS, doesn't alter the fact that the main topic is about greed.

The topic contains the words "fairy tales" and "greed".  If participants agree to it, we might be able to go off on a tangent using the word "fairy tale" to launch us, rather than "greed".  It remains to be seen whether others will go for it.  The main topic mentions two things and not one, and I have chosen to emphasize the first noun and not the second.  It will have a different flavour and I would really like to see whether this will fly.

I may also mosy over to the Greed thread.  I have meant to do so, but have not had the time.

Thank you for your feedback today, Nanna.

Maxi

Originally written by Jacek K. on November 7, 2009 10:41 AM For the record, The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish (Russian: Сказка о рыбаке и рыбке) is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Pushkin wrote the tale in autumn 1833... The tale is about a fisherman who managed to catch a "Golden Fish" which promised to fulfill any wish of his in exchange for letting it go. The storyline is similar to the Russian fairy tale Greedy Old Wife (according to Vladimir Propp) and was probably borrowed from Brothers Grimm's tale The Fisherman and His Wife. (Wikipedia) As for the Grimm's original German tale, you can find its chronology in a footnote of The Fisherman and His Wife On greed, see also The Old Man and the Golden Fish, a Chinese folk tale [1]

Ooh, interesting.  Now how did it come to be that the Chinese also had such a tale - and did it get transmitted at some point?   What were the values in their culture?

Maxi

Originally written by Maxi Schwarz-Bastami on November 7, 2009 4:47 PM Thank you for your feedback today, Nanna.

You're welcome, Maxi. You needn't mention it  There's more where that came from. The day isn't over yet

Nanna

Originally written by Maxi Schwarz-Bastami on November 7, 2009 4:52 PM Now how did it come to be that the Chinese also had such a tale - and did it get transmitted at some point?

The more you study these things, the more archetypes shared by all the people you discover.

Since I am going to see "Turandot" live from the Met tonight in HD, I have looked up that story from the 1920s, only to discover that:

The story of Turandot was taken from the Persian collection of stories called The Book of One Thousand and One Days ^[4] or Hezar o-yek shab (1722 French translation Les Mille et un jours by François Petis de la Croix — not to be confused with its sister work The Book of One Thousand and One Nights), where the character of "Turandokht" as a cold Chinese princess was found.^[5] The story of Turandokht is one of the best known from de la Croix's translation. (Wikipedia)

Oversimplifying the plot, one could venture to say that the sexual greed in "Turandot" (and that greed is easy to explain across the planet earth) overrides the fear of death as the law of the land Puccini presents to us is that "Any man who desires to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded".  

Note the universal use of the number three both in this tale and in the Golden Fish (for short).

I think the Little Match Girl is a wonderful story about the consequences of greed. 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl

Oversimplifying the plot, one could venture to say that the sexual greed in "Turandot" (and that greed is easy to explain across the planet earth) overrides the fear of death as the law of the land Puccini presents to us is that "Any man who desires to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles. If he fails, he will be beheaded".   Note the universal use of the number three both in this tale and in the Golden Fish (for short).

Hm, I just read in the Wikki description that she explains that her attitude revenge due to a previous princess having been murdered by a foreign prince.

Apparently the number three heralds back to the Greeks on our side, but I don't know what it signifies for the Chinese.

Originally written by Liliana Boladz-Nekipelov on November 7, 2009 5:27 PM I think the Little Match Girl is a wonderful story

This is for you, Liliana,

A very sweet animated take on the original story by H. C. Andersen

Here: http://www.animationartconservation.com/little_matchgirl.html

the story of how it was created.