The clever little hedgehog

Once upon a time, a Wolf, a Fox, and a Hedgehog lived together on the rolling steppes of Mongolia. One day, a long caravan of camels bearing all manner of goods from faraway lands passed near their home. When the dust raised by the caravan had settled, the three firends discovered a little plum that had fallen from one of the many sacks. The animals had heard about plums, but none had ever seen one, let alone tasted one. They began to discuss...

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The Khulan and the crow and the wolf

In times long ago, a khulan – that is a Mongolian wild ass –, a crow and a wolf lived together as brothers. One day they went in search of a new place to live and the crow said: “There is this place where every one of us would find plenty to eat. But there lives a skilled hunter with his bow and his traps. The traps would be a danger for us.” little khulan all relaxed The wolf thought: “If the khulan would happen to get caught in one of the...

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The Dumb wolf

Once upon a time a wolf was wandering about when he saw a black pudding lying right in his path. The wolf wanted to eat it at once but the black pudding asked: “Mister Wolf, do not eat me! A little further ahead a three-year old mare is stuck in the mud. Why don’t you go there and eat her instead?” hunting a wolf the early modern European way The wolf followed the black pudding’s advice and there really was a mare stuck in the mud. When the...

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Two good horses

In times long past, two horses that had been sold to a place far away longed for home. But while they were on their way home, one of the horses had grown old and then one day it stayed behind as it could not go any further. ...and so the young horse walked on alone “Now, little brother, be good and always follow the road. Your aged, older brother is going to die. Little brother, do not wander off the road. Do not approach things that you...

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The Cat Who Pretended To Be A Lama

A long time ago there was a lama, a Buddhist monk, who spent his time in deep meditation. Next to him there lay a cat. One day the cat stole the lama’s snuff bottle and the lama went after the cat and got his snuff bottle back. Then another time the cat stole the lama’s rosary and hid in a hole. When the lama grabbed the cat by the tail, the tail suddenly got torn off. not a Mongolian snuff-bottle but close enough The cat went away and...

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The Bear

A poor cooper*was on a search for a tree fitting to make it into rings for a barrel. When he came to an island in the lake, he saw a red willow. This one, he wanted to make into rings. But when he approached the willow to cut it down, it said to him: “Don’t chop me down, please! I will give you everything that you want.” And it kept its word – soon the cooper became wealthy. Even rich, people say. After a little while had passed, he went...

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The Tale of the Khaan and the Badarcin

  Once upon a time there lived a khaan, that is, the Mongolian equivalent to a king. On one very normal day, he suddenly announced: “I will leave my throne to the man telling a lie which makes a sitting man stand up and a sleeping man wake up.” A tailor heard this and came before the khaan to become khaan in his stead. “Dear khaan, dear khaan! In the heavy rain of the day before last, the edges of heaven got torn and I went and sewed them...

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