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Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

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An illustration by Gennady Pavlishin from the book Folktales of the Amur: Stories from the Russian Far East showing a little baby, Azmun, found on an island in the river, who grows up to become a hero. This type of foundling-hero story has been told worldwide.

A Brothers Grimm Story Proven Right: Many Fairy Tales Stem from Ancient Oral Traditions

Many writers have speculated on the origin, antiquity and meaning of fairy tales. These fantastical stories often involve magic; strange, archaic situations; speaking animals; kings, masters and...
Ded Moroz and Snegurochka in the sleigh

Meet Father Frost and his Fairy Goddaughter Snow Maiden: Magical Characters of Winter from Russia

Ded Moroz, translated to (Grand)father Frost, or Old Man Frost, is a legendary Slavic character that makes his rounds every New Year’s Eve. Along with his companion, Snegurochka, he brings delight to...
The devil carrying Danila Prepeleac.

Danila Prepeleac – The Man Who Tricked the Devil

Romanian mythology and folklore present a more comic image of the Devil. Also, in many cases, the Devil is fooled by clever humans who manage to escape him by means of various tricks. One example of...
The Jessie Willcox Smith Mother Goose (1914) (Wikimedia Commons)

English Nursery Rhymes with Unexpected and Sometimes Disturbing Historical Origins

Many people associate nursery rhymes with reading happy stories to children, or remember being children themselves and chanting them while they play. However, the popular explanations for the origins...
Walls of the Middle Age city of Dubrovnik, Croatia - one of the filming sites of Game of Thrones (Wikimedia Commons)

The Real History Behind Game of Thrones (Part one)

Game of Thrones is a series of fantasy books by acclaimed author George R.R. Martin and a highly popular television show on HBO. It is a world unto its own, but like other popular fantasy series,...
Cinderella's slipper

The 2,200-year-old Tale of the Chinese Cinderella

Before there was Cinderella, there was Ye Xian. Undeniably one of the most well-read fairy tales made popular by Disney’s 1950s film, Cinderella describes the life of a young woman forced into...
Red Riding Hood

'Little Red Riding Hood' traced back 2,000 years

Most people would have heard of the fairy tale of “ Little Red Riding Hood ”. It is the story of a young girl who wears a cloak and hood made of red velvet, who goes wondering through the forest...

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