5 Adult Fantasy Stories from Folklore Around the World

Studies show that reading stories and fantasy novels increases the intelligence of both children and adults. Reading fantasy stories encourages you to imagine things that do not exist, driving you toward innovation and invention.

 

If you were to travel back in time 120 years and tell your grandparents that in the future a machine would appear that flies in the sky, allowing us to travel around the world, they would tell you that this is a dream in fantasy! Embark on a journey through adult fantasy stories and let your imagination take flight.

Fantasy Bedtime Stories for Adults

 

1- A Tale from Gypsy Folklore

There were two brothers, one rich and one poor. The rich brother hated the poor brother very much because he was the favorite of their parents and beloved by everyone.

 

One day, the rich brother said to the poor brother, "Let’s go visit our father, my brother." The poor brother agreed, and as they set off, the rich brother brought bread for himself, while the poor brother had no food to eat during the journey. When the poor brother saw his rich brother eating, he said, "Give me a piece of bread, my brother."

The rich brother replied, "If you give me one of your eyes, I will give you a piece of bread." The poor brother plucked out one of his eyes and gave it to his brother in exchange for a piece of bread.

 

After they had traveled a bit further, the poor brother grew hungry again and asked his brother for another piece of bread. The rich brother said, "If you give me your other eye, I will give you a whole loaf." The poor brother plucked out his other eye, leaving him blind. The rich brother then dragged the poor brother to a cemetery and left him there.

As the sun set, three crows gathered above the cemetery and started talking among themselves, not noticing the blind brother's presence. The oldest crow asked, "What have you done today in the world?" One of the crows replied, "I made the emperor's daughter sick, leaving her in agony between life and death."

 

Another crow said, "I incited a brother to pluck out his own brother's eyes." The crows then laughed and shared their secrets. One crow said, "In my country, there is a dew that, if rubbed on a blind person's eyes, will restore their sight." Another crow said, "If the emperor's daughter knew there was a frog under her bed that could be put into her bathwater, she would be cured."

Shortly after, the crows flew away. The blind brother felt his way to the dew mentioned by the crow. When he rubbed it on his eyes, he regained his sight. The city was full of blind people, so he told its residents, "Any blind person who rubs this dew on their eyes will see immediately." 

 

Indeed, all the blind people in the city regained their sight. The king of the city rewarded the brother with a large sum of money. Afterward, the brother went to the neighboring city to heal the emperor's daughter.

When he arrived, he said to the king, "Will you allow me to marry your daughter if I cure her?" The king replied, "Just heal her, and then I will allow you to marry her."

 

The brother then took the frog hidden under the princess’s bed and threw it into the bathwater. When the princess bathed in this water, she regained her health and beauty. The brother married the princess, and seven years after their marriage, the emperor died, and the younger brother became king. As king, he ordered his soldiers to bring his older brother to him.

The older brother came and was extremely surprised to learn that his blind younger brother had become king. He begged for forgiveness for what he had done. However, the younger brother harbored no ill will or desire for revenge against his older brother. Instead, he forgave him and asked him to bring their parents to live with them in the palace.

 

The older brother agreed and asked how he had become king and regained his sight. The younger brother told him everything and then sought permission from the king to fetch their parents.

The older brother went to the cemetery to listen to the crows and learn the secrets of the cities so he could become king like his brother.

 

When he arrived, he heard one crow say, "In my country, the sick princess has been cured." He heard another crow say, "In my country, all the blind people have regained their sight." The oldest crow then said, "We must be being watched."

 

The crows searched the cemetery to find who was revealing their secrets. When they found the older brother hiding and eavesdropping, they killed him on the spot.

{adult fantasy short stories}

2- A Fantasy Story from West Africa

Once upon a time, a poor farmer and a wealthy merchant lived in the same village. The farmer was a humble man, while the merchant was arrogant and conceited.

 

The farmer grew poorer over time, regardless of whether his harvest was good or bad. One day, the farmer went to the village sage and asked him the secret to wealth. The sage replied, "Seek out the god Ram and ask him for wealth, and you shall receive it." The farmer thanked the sage profusely and set off in search of Ram.

The farmer prepared three loaves of bread to sustain him on his journey and set out to find Ram. He met a Brahmin and gave him a loaf of bread, asking him to show the way to Ram, but the Brahmin took the bread and went on his way without giving him any information.

 

Then, he met an ascetic and gave him a loaf of bread, but again received no response. Finally, he encountered a poor man sitting under a tree. After learning of his hunger, the kind farmer offered him his last loaf and sat down beside him to rest.

After a while, the poor man asked, "Where are you headed?"

The farmer replied, "I have a long journey ahead of me. I wish to meet the god Ram, but I doubt you can show me the way to him."

The poor man said, "Perhaps I can," then smiled and said, "I am Ram. What do you want from me?"

The farmer told him the whole story. Moved by his tale, Ram gave him a wooden flute and said, "If you wish for anything, just blow into this flute and your wish will be granted immediately."

The farmer returned to his village, overjoyed. The merchant noticed his uplifted spirits and thought to himself, "That foolish farmer must have gained some wealth." The merchant went to the farmer’s house, congratulated him on his good fortune with deceptive words, and asked how he had come by such wealth. The naive farmer told him all about the flute.

 

The merchant, determined to get the flute by any means, waited for the right opportunity to steal it. As soon as the farmer left his house, the merchant went in, took the flute, and wished for a chest full of gold. But nothing appeared. He blew into the flute again with all his might, but still, no chest of gold appeared.

 

Although the merchant failed to use the flute, he did not return it to the farmer. Instead, he kept it and went to the farmer the next day, brazenly saying, "Listen, I have taken your flute, but I can’t use it, and now you can’t either because it’s with me. So let’s make a deal. I promise to return the flute to you and won’t interfere with your use of it, but on one condition: I get double of whatever you receive."

Although the farmer was reluctant to let the merchant profit, he was forced to agree to his terms. From that point on, whatever the farmer received through the flute, the merchant got double. When the farmer wished for a cow, the merchant got two cows. During a drought, when the farmer wished for a well, the merchant got two wells.

Unable to bear the merchant any longer, the farmer thought long until a clever idea struck him. He took the flute and blew into it loudly, saying, "Oh Ram, I wish to lose sight in one of my eyes." In an instant, the merchant went blind in both eyes. While trying to find his way between his two new wells, he fell into one and drowned.

After the merchant’s death, the farmer blew into the flute again and wished to regain his sight, and Ram granted his wish, restoring his vision.

3- A Fantasy Short Story from Russian Folklore

Long ago, there lived a Russian family consisting of a mother, a father, and a beautiful daughter. After the mother passed away, the father remarried to find someone to care for his daughter.

 

The new wife had a daughter of the same age as her stepdaughter and loved her dearly, always praising her no matter what she did. However, she constantly criticized and scolded her stepdaughter, despite the girl being diligent and kind.

One cold winter night, the wife told her husband, "I want your daughter out of my sight and away from my ears. Take her to the snow forest and let her live there."

 

The old man felt deep sorrow and began to cry, but this didn't change his wife's mind. Reluctantly, he took his beautiful daughter to the snow forest and left her there alone. The girl, heartbroken and filled with fear, recited every prayer she knew with great fervor.

The Snow King, the great ruler of that land, saw what the father had done to his daughter and felt immense sorrow for her plight. He approached her gradually and asked, "Do you know who I am? I am the Snow King."

 

The young girl replied politely, "Welcome, my lord." The Snow King then asked if she was comfortable, to which she replied, nearly out of breath from the cold, "Thank God, I am fine."

 

The girl's kindness so enchanted the Snow King that he decided to treat her differently from others. He gifted her a heavy carriage filled with many beautiful things and a dress adorned with silver and pearls. With these gifts, the girl became very wealthy.

After a few days, the girl returned home, and her stepmother was astonished by her beauty and elegance, for she was dressed like a princess in the finest clothes.

 

Enraged, the stepmother told her husband, "Take my daughter to the snow forest and leave her there so she can become rich like your daughter." The man, as usual, obeyed and took his wife's daughter to the same place and left her there.

The Snow King was there and asked his new guest, "Are you comfortable, my lovely girl?" The girl replied rudely, "Leave me alone! Can't you see my hands and feet are nearly frozen from the cold?"

 

The Snow King continued to ask the girl many questions, but he received no polite answers, and he became very angry. He froze the girl to death.

Back home, the woman said, "Old man, go and fetch my daughter." Her husband went to get her daughter and found her dead. He brought her back to his wife, who ran toward them as soon as she saw her daughter frozen.

 

The mother wept over her daughter and kissed her frozen lips, realizing that it was her own wickedness and envy that had led to her daughter's death.

{best fantasy stories of all time}

4- A Folk Tale from West Africa

Once upon a time, there lived a woman with a great wish: she longed to have a daughter but remained childless. This unfulfilled wish kept her from ever knowing happiness. Even during celebrations, she would think to herself, "Oh, how wonderful it would be if I had a daughter to share this joy with."

One day, while she was gathering sweet potatoes, she happened upon an unusually straight and beautiful one. She thought to herself, "Oh, how happy I would be if this beautiful sweet potato could turn into a girl and become my daughter."

To her astonishment, the sweet potato spoke back, "If I were to become your daughter, would you promise never to remind me that I was once a sweet potato?" Eagerly, the woman gave her promise, and the sweet potato transformed into a delicate and very beautiful girl.

The woman was overjoyed and treated the girl with great kindness, naming her Adisa. Adisa was more helpful than the woman could have ever hoped. She prepared food, baked bread, and gathered sweet potatoes. She did everything around the house to ease her mother’s burden.

One day, Adisa went to the market and stayed longer than usual because it was particularly crowded. Her mother grew anxious over her absence and, in her frustration, exclaimed, "Where could Adisa be? She doesn’t deserve that beautiful name; she’s nothing but a sweet potato!"

A bird nearby heard the mother’s words and immediately flew to a tree, waiting to inform Adisa of what was said. After some time, Adisa returned home, and the bird began to sing:

"Adisa, oh Adisa, your mother has a cruel heart. She says you’re just a sweet potato and don’t deserve your beautiful name."

Hearing the bird’s song, Adisa entered the house, weeping bitterly. Her mother asked, "What’s wrong, my daughter?" Adisa replied through her tears, "Oh mother, you insult me for being a sweet potato. You said I don’t deserve my name."

With these words, Adisa made her way toward the sweet potato field. Her mother, filled with fear, rushed after her, pleading, "No, Adisa, don’t believe this! You are my dear daughter, and you are precious to me."

 

But her words could not stop Adisa. As soon as she reached the field, she turned back into a sweet potato.

When the mother arrived at the field, she saw that her daughter had indeed become a sweet potato again. No matter what she did or said, nothing could bring back the daughter she had longed for. The mother had lost her daughter forever because she had broken her promise and reminded her that she was once a sweet potato.

5- A Folk Story from Turkish Heritage

Once upon a time, a sultan lived with his son and daughter. Upon the sultan's death, his son inherited the throne. However, it wasn't long before the boy's uncle turned the people against him.

 

The uncle, coveting the throne, convinced the people that he was more suitable to rule, as his nephew was still too young.

 

Unfortunately, the plan succeeded, and the people turned against the young boy, forcing him to flee the country with his sister.

They packed their belongings and left the palace under the cover of darkness, wandering without a destination until they arrived at a vast, endless plain.

 

Exhausted and scorched by the heat, they nearly succumbed to fatigue when they spotted a pond with green water. The brother said, "Sister, I can't take another step without quenching my thirst."

His sister warned him, "But who knows if that pond contains water or not? We've endured so much already; we can hold out a little longer to find clean water."

 

The brother objected, "I can't go any further; I must drink now." Ignoring his sister's advice, he drank from the pond and instantly transformed into a stag.

The sister mourned for her brother but realized there was no turning back. They continued their journey until they reached a large spring beside a towering tree, where they decided to rest. The brother, now a stag, said, "Climb the tree, sister, while I search for food."

 

The sister climbed the tree, and the stag roamed the nearby area, soon catching a wild rabbit, which the sister prepared for their meal. Thus, they survived day by day for several weeks.

One day, the sultan and his soldiers were wandering through the forest when one of the soldiers spotted the girl in the tree and alerted the sultan. The sultan looked up and saw the beautiful girl, who was as radiant as the full moon, more beautiful than he had ever imagined.

The sultan called out to her, "Are you an angel or a fairy?" The girl replied, "I'm neither an angel nor a fairy, but a human."

 

The sultan asked her to come down from the tree and accompany him to the palace, promising that no harm would come to her. She descended from the tree and went to the palace under the sultan's protection.

Days passed, and the sultan asked the girl to marry him. She agreed on the condition that he bring her brother, the stag, from the forest. The sultan sent his soldiers to find the stag, and they soon brought him to the palace. From then on, the siblings were inseparable, sleeping, waking, and staying together.

The sister and her stag brother lived happily in the palace. Unfortunately, their happiness was not to last. A black woman who worked as a maid in the palace was consumed with jealousy because the sultan chose a girl from a tree over her.

 

She waited for the right moment to take revenge, and it came soon enough. Near the palace was a beautiful garden with a huge pond in the center. The sultan’s wife often sat by the pond with a golden cup in her hand and silver shoes on her feet.

One day, as the sultan's wife stood at the edge of the pond, the maid pushed her in, where she was swallowed by a large fish. The black woman returned to the palace as if nothing had happened, wearing the lady’s clothes and taking her place.

 

When evening came, the sultan asked his wife what had happened to her face, and she said, "I was walking in the garden and got sunstroke." The sultan, not suspecting a thing, comforted her with kind words.

The stag sensed the black woman's deceit and asked her where his sister was. The maid, fearing he would expose her, planned to get rid of him. The next day, she feigned illness and bribed the doctors to tell the sultan that his wife was gravely ill and needed to eat a stag's heart to recover.

 

The sultan asked his wife if killing her brother would upset her. She sighed and said, "What else can I do? If you kill him, I will live, and he will be freed from his animal form."

The sultan ordered a knife to be sharpened and water to be boiled. The stag, realizing the black woman’s trick, fled to the garden. The soldiers chased and caught him, and the stag cried out loudly: "The knife is being sharpened and the water is boiling... Help, sister, help!"

From inside the fish's belly, a voice replied: "I am in the fish’s belly, brother, with a golden cup in my hand, silver shoes on my feet, and a baby prince in my lap!"

The sultan’s wife had given birth to a baby boy even while inside the fish. The soldiers, amazed by what they heard, went to the sultan and told him everything. The sultan ordered the pond to be drained and the fish to be opened. The soldiers did as instructed and found the sultan's wife inside the fish, holding a golden cup, wearing silver shoes, and cradling her baby.

The sultan, overjoyed, embraced his wife and son, and they returned to the palace. Meanwhile, the stag, by chance, licked some of the fish's blood and regained his human form. He reunited with his sister, who was ecstatic to see her brother as a human again.

The sultan banished the black woman to a distant forest to meet her fate. The sultan then celebrated the return of his wife and son, and the stag, now a prince, chose a wife from the ladies of the court. They held festivals and banquets, rejoicing together.

In time, the prince decided to reclaim the kingdom he inherited from his father. With the help of his brother-in-law, he captured and imprisoned his uncle, and the prince was crowned as the new ruler.

 

The people loved him dearly, for he was a just and compassionate ruler.

Here's the end of the stories.
Stay tuned for new inspiring stories! ❤️
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