Many of those who read these lines probably remember fondly the moment when, as children, they went to sleep while their parents, relatives or caregivers told them a story. This type of story, often fantastic, often inspires hope and offers us a unique world in which to lose ourselves, and the moment of telling it involves an act of positive communication between child and adult.

There are many different stories in different cultures and societies, which convey and show us the various values, customs and beliefs that are valued in each of them. Given this great diversity throughout the world, throughout this article we will see a brief collection of some of the most beautiful stories in the world , as well as their lessons.

12 of the most beautiful stories in the world

Below we leave you with a dozen great stories from around the world, of great beauty and mostly with some kind of moral, which we can tell our children or simply enjoy reading.

1. Little Red Riding Hood

“Once upon a time there was a young girl who lived with her mother in the woods, and who was called Little Red Riding Hood because she never took off a cap of that colour that her mother had made for her. The girl had a grandmother on the other side of the forest, who was ill. So one day Little Red Riding Hood’s mother sent the little girl to take a basket of bread, cakes and butter to her grandmother , although she warned her not to talk to strangers or to stray from the path.

After saying goodbye, Little Red Riding Hood took the basket and started walking towards her grandmother’s house, following the path while singing. She was there when she met a wolf, who asked her where she was going in such a hurry. Even remembering what her mother told her, the young woman was not afraid of the wolf so she answered that she was going to her grandmother’s house, who was sick. The wolf asked her where her house was, to which the little girl replied that it was in a clearing on the other side of the forest.

The wolf, who was already sure that he was going to eat Little Red Riding Hood, thought of eating the old lady as an appetizer, so he drew up a plan. He suggested to Little Red Riding Hood that in addition to the basket she should bring her grandmother a bouquet of flowers from the forest. Little Red Riding Hood answered that her mother had told her not to leave the path, but the wolf indicated that there was another path that she could get to faster . The two of them separated, the wolf running to grandmother’s house. He tricked the old woman into thinking she was his granddaughter, after which he ate her and dressed her in his clothes, and then went to bed. Shortly afterwards, Little Red Riding Hood arrived and knocked on the door. The wolf told her to come in, lying on the bed.

Little Red Riding Hood saw her grandmother very changed. -Granny, what big eyes you have,” said the girl. -They are to see you better,” answered the wolf. -Granny, what big ears you have,” said Little Red Riding Hood again. -They are to hear you better,” replied the wolf. -Granny, what a big mouth you have,” he said now for the third time. -The wolf shouted, rushing at the girl and eating her in one bite. After eating her, the animal decided to take a nap in grandmother’s bed.

However, there was a hunter nearby who heard what he thought was a child’s scream. He went to the hut and saw, to his amazement, the wolf taking a nap with a swollen belly. Wondering why it was so swollen, the hunter took a knife and cut open its guts. There were Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, still alive, and he helped them out from inside the wolf. After that, and to teach the wicked being a lesson, they filled his belly with stones and sewed it back up. When the wolf woke up, he felt thirsty and had a stomach ache, something that made him go to the nearest river. However, as he bent down to drink he stumbled and fell into the water, where he drowned under the weight of the stones. After that, Little Red Riding Hood returned home, promising never again to disobey her mother and never again to talk to strangers or stray from her path in the forest.

This story is a classic known to almost the entire Western world , which works on aspects such as obedience to parents, cunning and caution towards strangers. It also tells us about the loss of innocence and the entry into the adult world (the wolf has often been seen as a symbol of sex, and the red cap as a symbol of menstruation and the passage into adulthood of the girl who wears it)

2. The Fox and the Raven

“Once upon a time there was a raven perched on a tree branch, which had gotten a big, beautiful cheese and held it up with its beak. The smell of the cheese attracted a local fox . The clever fox, ambitious for food, greeted the crow and began to flatter it, admiring the beauty of its plumage. He also told him that if his song corresponded to the beauty of his feathers it must be the phoenix. The raven, flattered, opened his beak to show the fox his voice. However, while doing so, the cheese fell to the ground, which the fox took advantage of to grab it and run away. “

This fable is by Jean de La Fontaine , and in it the author lets us see the need to be careful with those who flatter and flatter us in order to manipulate us or get something out of us.

3. The cicada and the ant

“Once upon a time, in a hot summer, there was a cicada that in the shade of a tree did not stop singing, enjoying the sun and not wanting to work. Her neighbor passed by, an ant which was working and carrying food for her home. The cicada offered him to rest next to her while she sang to him. The ant replied that instead of having fun he should start gathering food for the winter, which the cicada ignored and continued to have fun.

But time passed and the cold of winter arrived. The cicada suddenly found itself cold, with nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Hungry, the ant came home to ask for help, since she had plenty of food. The ant answered that what had the cicada been doing while she was working long hours. The cicada answered that it sang and danced under the sun. The ant told her that since she did that, she would do it now during the winter, closing the door.

This story is another of Aesop’s fables which shows us the importance of valuing work , as well as the need to strive and persist in order to survive and prosper. It also establishes a criticism of laziness and passivity.

4. The hare and the tortoise

“Once upon a time, a tortoise was walking along the road slowly when a hare approached him. The hare mocked the hare’s slowness and asked the tortoise why he was walking so slowly, to which the tortoise replied that in spite of his slowness no one could beat him in terms of endurance. Tired of the mockery, the tortoise suggested that the hare run a race. The hare, mocking the tortoise and thinking that he would get an easy victory, accepted the challenge, which would be carried out the next day.

When the day arrived, with the help of a fox that would mark the start and finish and a crow that would referee, the race began. The tortoise began to move slowly, while the hare shot out. Seeing the advantage it had, the hare stopped to wait and tease it, until the tortoise reached its position . Then the hare ran again to overtake him and stopped soon after, repeating this situation several times and the hare believed that it would be enough to run a little to get to the first one.

However, the hare ended up falling asleep in one of the waiting rooms. The tortoise continued slowly but surely, getting closer and closer to the goal. When the hare woke up, he realized that the tortoise was about to reach the finish line, and he began to run. However, he did not arrive in time and the tortoise reached his goal, being the first one in his race. The hare never made fun of the tortoise again.

This tale, rather a fable created in antiquity by Aesop, serves as an example of the value of effort and persistence symbolized by the tortoise, as well as in the face of observing how arrogance and arrogance can lead us to lose , just like the hare.

5. The Three Little Pigs

“Once upon a time, there were three little pig brothers who lived happily in the depths of the forest, but one day they discovered that there was a wolf in the vicinity. That is why they decided to build themselves a house that could serve as a shelter.

Each one of them, with a very different character from each other, made a house with different materials. The first and laziest of these was made into a small straw house, which was quickly completed. The second little pig looked for a stronger material but one that he could also use to build quickly, using the wood for the construction of his house. The third little pig, the hardest working one, came to the conclusion that the safest thing to do was to build a house of bricks, even though it would cost him much more to finish it.

Once the three had finished, the three celebrated and sang, among them songs like “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf, the wolf, the wolf? Hearing these songs, the wolf came and saw the little pigs, and decided to eat them. He pounced on them, causing the three to take refuge in their homes. However, the wolf did not give up. He went first to the straw house, shouting to the little pig that lived in it to open it or he would blow and blow until the house was knocked down. Since the pig did not open, the wolf started blowing, easily knocking down the house . The little pig ran to his brother’s house, which was made of wood. On this occasion he also shouted, “I will blow and blow and this house will fall down!

The wolf began to blow with great force, and despite needing much more strength he finally managed to bring down the wooden house. The two little pigs went to the house of the most hard-working brother, taking refuge there. There the wolf demanded to be opened, or else “I will blow and blow and this house will be torn down! The wolf blew and blew with all his might, but the third house was made of brick, very strong, and he did not give in. Determined to finish off the little pigs, the wolf saw that this house had a chimney, and tried to sneak through it.

However, the little pigs had lit the fire, the wolf burning and howling in pain. The evil wolf fled back into the forest never to return. As for the little pigs, the two laziest brothers thanked the third one for his work and effort, learning an important lesson and later creating a brick house for themselves.

Another of the most classic and well-known stories, the three little pigs teaches us values such as hard work and its importance to thrive in life , indicating that it will be the core of our work and effort that will allow us to survive and develop.

6. Hansel and Gretel

“There was once a very humble family consisting of a woodcutter, his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. The parents were constantly struggling to bring food home, but at one point they found themselves unable to continue feeding their children. That is why the parents decided to abandon their children in the forest. The children cried, since they had heard the conversation, but Hansel promised Gretel that he would find a way to return home. The next day, the father took the children deep into the forest, and when they fell asleep he left them.

When they woke up, Hansel and Gretel found themselves alone in the middle of the forest . However, Hansel had left stones along the way, so that by following the trail they could return home. Surprised, the parents decided that the next time they would go deeper into the forest. This time Hansel could not collect stones, so he decided to leave a trail with bread crumbs. The next day, they were again taken to the woods and left there while they slept.

They started to look for the trail, but unfortunately they realized that it had disappeared: the birds of the forest had eaten them. Desperate and hungry, they began to wander. When they were about to faint, they suddenly found a bread and cake house in the middle of the forest, with sugar windows and full of sweets. Famished, they pounced on it. At that moment an old woman opened the door of the house, inviting them in gently and promising them food and a bed. That night the children had a good dinner and asked to sleep indoors, although there was something strange about the old woman.

When the day came, it was discovered why: the old woman was in fact a witch, who locked up Hansel and took Gretel as her maid, pretending to fatten the child and then eat him. However, and despite the fact that initially Hansel deceives the witch by pretending not to get fat , a day arrived when the old woman got tired of waiting and sent Gretel to check that the oven was well lit and prepared, theoretically to knead bread but pretending to eat the children.

The little girl pretended not to know how to do it , so the witch insulted her and proceeded to look at it herself, putting her head in the oven. Gretel took advantage of the moment and pushed the witch inside, closing the door and making the witch burn. She then released Hansel, and when they were about to leave they decided to see if there was anything useful in the witch’s house. Surprisingly, they found jewelry and precious stones of great value, which they took before trying to return home. Finally, one day they managed to get home, and thanks to the witch’s precious stones they got enough money to live happily and with their family for the rest of their days.

A popular tale by the Brothers Grimm that expresses the need to collaborate, loyalty and the importance of distinguishing reality from appearances , as well as highlights the usefulness of intelligence and ingenuity in overcoming difficulties (both on the part of Hansel when looking for a way to return home and Gretel when pretending to be ignorant in order to put an end to the witch. It also reflects the loss of hope (on the part of the parents) and the perseverance and maintenance of faith (on the part of the children) despite facing difficult situations.

7. The Six Blind Wise Men and the Elephant

“Once there were six blind elders of great learning, who had never seen or known what an elephant was. These wise men, not being able to see, used touch in order to know the objects and beings of the world. One day, knowing that their king had one of these animals in his possession, they humbly asked to know it. The ruler accepted and brought them before the animal , which the wise men approached to recognize.

The first of the wise men touched one of the being’s fangs, coming to the conclusion that an elephant was sharp and smooth as a lance. Another touched its tail, thinking the elephant was like a rope. Another reached the trunk of the elephant, indicating that it was like a snake. The fourth touched the knee of the animal, indicating that it was more like a tree. A fifth thought that the others were wrong, for he touched the ear of the pachyderm and concluded that the elephant is like a fan. The last sage touched the back, indicating that the elephant was really like a strong, rough wall.

The six wise men began to argue and fight over who was right. They consulted another sage, who did enjoy the gift of vision , and after consulting him they realized that they were all partly right, having known only part of the same reality.

This story of Indian origin makes us see how sometimes things are not true or false, but that there can simply be different perspectives from our own that can be as true as the ones we defend.

8. The Witch and the Sister of the Sun

“Once upon a time, in a faraway country, there was a Tsar and a Czarina who had as their son a mute boy named Ivan. They also had a stable boy, who from time to time told the boy beautiful stories. One day, when Ivan was already twelve years old, he went to the stable boy to tell him another one. However, the stable boy told him something different than expected: he told him that in a short time his mother would give birth to a girl, who would become a witch and devour the father, the mother and the servants of the palace. The only way that Ivan would be saved would be to ask his father for his best horse and flee wherever the steed took him. Distressed, the young man ran to his father and, for the first time, spoke up to ask him for a horse.

The king, happy to hear his son for the first time, gave him his best horse. Ivan rode on it and rode wherever the animal took him. As time went by, he started asking for shelter from different people he met: a couple of old ladies (who told him that they had little time left to live, and that it was time for them to finish knitting), a man called Vertodub (who could not help him because he would die once he had pulled some oaks from the ground) and yet another, Vertogez, who could not help him either because it was time for him to go back to the mountains.

The young man wept and wept, disconsolate, until he finally reached the palace of the sister of the Sun. She welcomed him with kindness, treating him like a son. Ivan lived in the palace for days, but from time to time he cried because he had no news of his home. The sister of the Sun asked him several times why his tears, which initially the young man replied that it was because the wind had irritated them (something that made the sister of the Sun ordered the wind to stop blowing), however, finally the young man confessed what happened and asked him to return home. At his insistence, the Sun’s sister gave him permission and treated him with a brush, a comb and two apples capable of rejuvenating anyone who ate them.

On the way back, young Ivan saw Vertogez again, and seeing that there was only one mountain left for him to turn over and then die, he threw the brush to the ground. From it came new and enormous mountains, so many that they were lost to sight. Vertogez rejoiced. Shortly afterwards, as he continued on his way, Ivan found Vertodub about to uproot the last three trees, after which he would die. The young man pulled out his comb and threw it into the field, and from there huge forests sprang up, something that made Vertodub happy and gave him more work to do. Later, Ivan reached out to the old women, to whom he gave the rejuvenating apples . The old women ate them and became young again, and in compensation they gave him a handkerchief that was capable of creating a lake by shaking it.

Finally, Ivan came home again. There his sister would come out to greet him, with love, and asked him to play the harp while she prepared the meal. While he was doing so, a little mouse came out of his hiding place, shouting at him to run away because his sister was sharpening her teeth to devour him. The young man fled, leaving the mouse playing the harp to distract the sister. Soon the sister entered the room ready to devour Ivan, but she realized that her prey had fled.

He began to chase Ivan, who, seeing the fortress, shook his handkerchief in such a way that he put a lake between them to gain an advantage. The witch crossed the lake and continued to pursue the young man, passing near Vertodub. The young man, understanding what was happening, began to pile up the oaks that he was pulling up to form a mountain that would prevent the witch from passing. Although this managed to gnaw at the trees, it gave Ivan a great advantage. As the witch shortened the distance and practically reached the young man, they approached where Vertogez was .

Understanding what had happened, Vertogez grabbed the highest mountain and turned it over right in the middle of the path that separated the brothers, hindering the witch. Despite this, she continued to approach Ivan little by little. Shortly before reaching him, the two reached the gates of the palace of the sister of the Sun. The young man asked to open the window, something that the sister of the Sun did. The witch asked that her brother be delivered to her, proposing that they weigh themselves in a weight: if the witch weighed more she would eat it, and if not, Ivan would kill her. The latter agreed, weighing himself first.

However, when the witch started to climb, the young man took advantage of the weight to jump upwards, with such strength that he reached the sky and found another palace of the sister of the Sun. There he would remain forever safe from the witch, who could never catch him.

This story, by Russian Aleksandr Nikoalevich, tells us about the importance of humility and consideration for others, as well as the idea of retribution for the good we cause: it is the old women, Vertodub and Vertogeb who by their actions prevent the witch from reaching her brother, giving him time to reach a place where he will be safe.

We also see a social critique , in which we are told about the relationship and respect towards people of different social condition: Ivan and his sister are noble, and while the first one relates to people of different nature and social position and does something for them, the second one is only limited to devour and pursue its objectives.

9. The owner of the light

“In the beginning of time there was no day or night, the world was in darkness and the people of the Warao depended on the light of the fire to find food. One day, a father of a family with two daughters received the news that there was a young man who possessed and owned the light. Knowing this, he gathered his daughters together and told the older one to go and find the young man and bring him the light. The girl went out to look for him, but she took the wrong road and ended up arriving at the house of the deer, with whom she played and then returned home. The older girl not having succeeded, the father made the same request of his youngest daughter. After much walking, she finally arrived at the house of the young owner of the light .

Once there, she told him that she was coming to meet him and to get the light for her father, to which the young man replied that he was waiting for her and that she would now live with him. The young man took a box, opening it carefully. When he did so, the light illuminated his arms and teeth, as well as the girl’s hair and eyes. After he had shown her the box, he put it away. The next few days the young man and girl had fun, playing with the light, and became friends. But the girl remembered that she had come to get the light for her father. The young man gave it to her, so that the girl and her family could see everything.

After returning, the girl gave the light inside the box to her father, who opened it and hung it on one of the trunks holding the family palafito (house built on the water that rests on the ground with trunks and stakes). The light illuminated the river and the surrounding land. This attracted the attention of the many surrounding villages , with many people coming to observe it and resisting leaving because it is more pleasant to live with light.

At one point, the father, tired of so many people, decided to end the situation: he slapped the box and, after breaking it, threw it into the sky. The light flew out and became the Sun, while from the remains of the box the Moon emerged. This made the day and the night go by, but since both stars were flying at high speed (product of the father’s throw) they were too short. Seeing this the father took a giant tortoise and, once the Sun reached the height of his head, he threw it to him telling him that it was a gift and to wait for it. The turtle advanced slowly, something that made the Sun go waiting for it. And that is why every day the Sun moves slowly through the sky, waiting for the turtle as it lights up the world”.

This little-known tale comes from the Warao indigenous people in the Orinoco delta . It is a story that explains the origin of day and night and offers us an explanation regarding its duration.

10. The bag full of stories

“Once upon a time, there was a boy named Lom to whom an old man servant told multiple stories and tales each night, using a different and new story each night. Lom had met a great many of them over the years, something he boasted about to his friends but never shared. These stories he never told were piled up in a bag in his room. The years passed and Lom became an adult, who met a young woman whom he eventually engaged and was going to marry.

The night before the wedding the old servant heard in Lom’s room a strange murmur, something that made him come closer : it was the stories, piled up and squeezed into the bag, which were furious. The stories asked the servant to let them out, many of them planning different revenges to ruin the young man’s day: one would become a little one whose waters would cause him a stomach ache, another proposed to become a watermelon that would give him a big headache, and another promised to transform himself into a snake and bite him. Faced with these plans, the old servant spent the night thinking about how to save Lom.

When the day came, when Lom was about to go to the village for his wedding, the servant ran to the horse and grabbed the bridles, being the one who guided him. Thirsty, Lom ordered them to stop near a well he had just seen, but the servant did not stop and they went on. After that they passed through a field full of watermelons, and although Lom asked to stop again, the old man made them continue on their way without stopping. Once at the wedding, the servant watched at all times in search of the snake, but did not find it.

When the night came, the newlyweds went to their house, which the neighbors had covered with carpets. The old servant suddenly entered the room of the bride and groom, who angrily demanded what he was doing there. However, after lifting the carpet from the room the three of them discovered a poisonous snake, which the old man caught and threw out of the window. Amazed and frightened, Lom asked him how he knew it was there, to which the servant replied that it was because they were a plan of revenge for the stories he had never shared . From then on, Lom began to read the stories one by one to his wife, something that would cause all of them great joy, and over the years, to their children and their descendants.

This is a story of Cambodian origin that explains the need to share what we know and what is special to us with those we care about , otherwise it can stagnate and be lost forever and even turn against us. Although the story refers to stories themselves, they can also represent anything important to us, such as our emotions and feelings.

11. The shepherd and the wolf

“Once upon a time there was a shepherd who, being in charge of his sheep, was greatly bored while they grazed. The young man, who spent most of the day alone with the animals, decided to do something for fun. He ran into town, shouting that a wolf was attacking his flock. The villagers ran with hoes and sickles to help him. However, when he arrived with the shepherd, they asked him what had happened. The shepherd told them that he had made it up out of boredom, so that the alarm reaction of the village had served as entertainment for him.

The next day the shepherd did the same thing again, which made the farmers and villagers come quickly. It was a joke again. The villagers were furious and went back to work, and so did the shepherd.

As he returned to the flock, the shepherd suddenly saw wolves really attacking the sheep. Surprised and frightened, he returned to the village shouting again that the wolves were attacking, this time for real. However, the villagers assumed that they were also facing an act and ignored it, continuing with their chores. Finally, the wolves killed all the shepherd’s sheep, without the shepherd being able to do anything or receive help.

Another of the fables attributed to Aesop, this narrative expresses an idea or moral quite clear: the fact of lying continuously will end up not trusting that person , even if he ends up telling the truth. Trust is something very valuable that is difficult to obtain and once it is lost it is very difficult to recover.

12. The Ugly Duckling

“Once upon a time, on a summer’s day, a leg was hatching its seven eggs and waiting to see them hatch. Its young were usually the most beautiful and admired by others, and the day came when the eggs began to open. Soon six little ducklings were born, all of them happily welcomed by their mother and the onlookers.

However, the last and greatest of all would take a little longer, something that would catch everyone’s attention (even that of their newborn siblings). Finally, a happy duckling emerged from the egg, which was nevertheless very ugly compared to the others and did not even look like a duck. Everyone made fun of him, and even the mother pushed him aside, something that would cause him a lot of suffering.

As the days went by, things did not improve, for he grew in such a way that his ungainly appearance increased and his movements were slow and clumsy. The taunts, including those of his brothers, and his mother’s contempt finally made him decide to run away from the farm where he lived. At first he took refuge on another farm nearby, but he soon discovered that his owner only wanted to eat him and he fled from there too. Shortly after that, winter came, which the poor duck had to endure alone and hungry, but he managed to survive until spring.

One day, he arrived at a pond where he would see some beautiful birds which he had never seen in his life: they were graceful, slender swans. Although he doubted that they would allow him to do so, the ugly duckling asked if he could swim with them, to which the swans replied not only that he could, but that he was one of them after all. At first he thought they were making fun of his ugliness, but the swans made him look at his reflection in the water. There, the ugly duckling could see that it was not such, but that during the winter it had just developed, being now a beautiful swan. Finally, the little ugly duckling had finally found a place where he was accepted, at last among his own people, and could be happy for the rest of his days.

An archaic children’s story by Christian Andersen that allows us to remember the importance of humility and kindness, to accept differences towards others and not to judge others by their physical appearance or our personal prejudices. It also reflects the effort and development, in such a way that it reflects some hard beginnings for the poor swan but who managed to grow up beautiful, big and strong.

Bibliographic references:

  • Aller, M. (2010). Around the world in 80 stories. [Online]. Disp…