The 12 most beautiful stories in the world (with explanation)

Probably many of those who read these lines fondly remember the moment when, as children, they went to sleep while their parents, relatives or caregivers told them a story. And it is that this type of narrations, often fantastic, usually inspire illusion and offer us a unique world in to get lost, in addition to the fact that the moment of counting them implies an act of positive communication between the child and adult.

There are a large number of different stories in different cultures and societies, which transmit and show the various values, customs and beliefs that are valued in each of they. 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 her lessons.

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12 of the most beautiful stories in the world

Here we leave you with a dozen great stories from various parts of the world, of great beauty and mostly with some kind of moral, that we can tell our children or just enjoy reading.

1. little Red Riding Hood

“Once upon a time there was a young girl who lived with her mother in the forest, and she received the name of Little Red Hood for never taking off a hood of that color that her mother had made for her. The girl had a grandmother on the other side of the forest, who was sick. For this reason, one day Little Red Riding Hood's mother he told the little girl to go and take a basket with bread, cakes and butter to her grandmotherher, though he warned her not to talk to strangers or get out of the way.

After saying goodbye, Little Red Riding Hood took the basket and began to walk towards her grandmother's house, following the path while she sang. In those she was when she met a wolf, who asked her where she was going in such a hurry. Still remembering what her mother told her, the young woman was not afraid of the wolf so she replied 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 already knew that he was going to eat Little Red Riding Hood, thought of eating the old woman as an appetizer, so he made a plan. He suggested to Little Red Riding Hood that, in addition to the basket, she take a bouquet of flowers from the forest to her grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood replied that her mother had told her not to get out of the way, but the wolf told him that there was another way that he could get there faster. They both separated, the wolf running to the grandmother's house. He tricked the old woman into thinking that she was her granddaughter, whereupon she ate her and dressed in her clothes, later getting into bed. Shortly after Little Red Riding Hood arrived, who knocked on the door. The wolf told him to come in, lying on the bed.

Little Red Riding Hood saw her grandmother very changed from her. "Grandma, what big eyes you have," said the girl. "They are to see you better," answered the wolf. "Grandma, what big ears you have," Little Red Riding Hood said again. "They are to hear you better," replied the wolf. "Grandma, what a big mouth you have," she said now for the third time. "It's better to eat you!" the wolf yelled, pounced on the girl and devoured her in one bite. After eating it, the animal decided to take a nap in the grandmother's bed.

However, there was a hunter nearby who heard what he thought was a girl's scream. He went to the cabin and saw, astonished, the wolf taking a nap with a swollen belly. Wondering the reason for that swelling, the hunter took a knife and opened its guts. There were Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, still alive, and she helped them out of the wolf. After that and to give a lesson to the evil being, they filled his belly with stones and sewed it back on. When the wolf woke up, he felt thirsty and stomach ache, something that made him go to the nearest river. However, as he stooped to drink he tripped and fell into the water, where he drowned under the weight of the stones. After that she Little Red Riding Hood returned home, vowing never again to disobey her mother and never again to speak to strangers or stray from her path in the woods."

This tale 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 entrance into the world of adults (the wolf has often been seen as a symbol of the sexual, and the red hood as a symbol of menstruation and passage to adulthood of the girl who holder)

2. The Fox and the Crow

“Once upon a time there was a crow perched on a tree branch, which had obtained a large and beautiful cheese and held it with its beak. The smell of cheese attracted a fox to the area. The intelligent fox, coveting food, greeted the raven and began to flatter him, admiring the beauty of his plumage. Likewise, he told her that if his song matched the beauty of his feathers, it must be the phoenix. The raven, flattered, opened its beak to show the fox his voice. However, while he was doing it, the cheese fell to the ground, something that the fox took advantage of to grab it and run away. “

This fable is authored 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 obtain something from us.

3. The Ant and the Grasshopper

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

But time passed and the cold of winter came. The cicada was suddenly cold, with nowhere to go and nothing to eat. Hungry, she approached the ant's house to ask for help, since she had abundant food. The ant replied that what had the cicada been doing while she spent long hours working. The cicada replied that she sang and danced under the sun. The ant told her that since she did that, she would do that now during the winter, closing the door ”.

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

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4. The hare and the Tortoise

“Once upon a time, a tortoise was slowly walking down the road when a hare approached it. She made fun of her slowness and asked the turtle why she was going so slowly, to which the turtle replied that despite her slowness no one beat her in terms of resistance. Tired of the teasing, the tortoise suggested that the hare race. This her, taunting the turtle and thinking that she was going to get an easy victory, she accepted the challenge, which would take place the next day.

When the day came, with the help of a fox which would mark the start and finish lines and a raven that would act as referee, the race began. The tortoise began to move slowly, while the hare bolted. Seeing the advantage she had, the hare stood waiting for her and teasing her, until the tortoise reached its position. Then the hare ran again to overtake him and stopped shortly after, repeating this situation several times and the hare believing that it would be enough for him to run a little at the end to arrive first.

However, the hare ended up falling asleep in one of the waits. The turtle 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 goal, and he began to run. However, it did not arrive on time and the turtle reached its goal, being the first in its 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 facing observe how arrogance and arrogance can lead us to lose, just as it happens to the hare.

5. The three Little Pigs

“Once upon a time, there were three little brother pigs 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 each one a house that could serve as a refuge.

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

After the three had finished, the three partied and sang, including songs like “Who's afraid of the big bad wolf, the wolf, the wolf?” Hearing these songs, the wolf approached and saw the pigs, deciding to eat them. He pounced on them, causing all three to take refuge in their houses. However, the wolf did not give up. He went first to the straw house, shouting to the little pig that inhabited it to open it or it would blow and blow until the house fell down. Since the pig did not open, the wolf began to blow, easily knocking down the house. The little pig ran to take refuge in his brother's house, the one who had it made of wood. On this occasion he also yelled at them "I will huff and puff and I will tear this house down!"

The wolf began to blow with great force, and despite needing much more force, he finally managed to knock down the wooden house. The two little pigs went to the house of the hardest working brother, sheltering in it. There the wolf demanded that they open it up, or else "I will huff and puff and this house I will tear down!" The wolf blew and blew with all his might, but the third house was the brick one, very resistant, and it did not give way. Determined to finish off the little pigs, the wolf saw that this house had a chimney, and he tried to sneak through it.

However, the little pigs had lit the fire, burning the wolf 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 for his work and effort, learning an important lesson and later creating a brick house for each one”.

Another of the most classic and well-known tales, the three little pigs tells us teaches 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

“Once upon a time there was a very humble family made up of a woodcutter, his wife and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. Parents constantly struggled to bring food home, but there came a time when 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 to find a way to return home. The next day, the father took the children into the depths of the forest, and when they fell asleep he abandoned them.

When they woke up, Hansel and Gretel found themselves alone in the middle of the forest.. However, Hansel had been leaving stones along the way, in such a way that following the trail they were able to return home. Surprised, the parents decided that next time they would take them even further into the forest. This time Hansel could not collect stones, so he decided to leave a trail with breadcrumbs. The next day, again, they were taken to the forest and left there while they slept.

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

When the day came, the reason was discovered: the old woman was actually a witch, which she locked up Hansel and took Gretel as a servant, pretending to fatten the child and then eat it. However, and despite the fact that initially Hansel fool the witch by pretending not to gain weight, a day came 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, to which the witch insulted her and proceeded to look at him herself, sticking her head in the oven. Gretel seized the moment and pushed the witch inside, closing the door and causing the witch to burn. He then released Hansel, and as they were about to leave they decided to see if there was anything useful in the witch's house. Surprisingly, they found jewels and precious stones of great value, which they took before trying to return home. Finally, one day they managed to reach their 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 highlighting the usefulness of intelligence and ingenuity to overcome difficulties (both on the part of Hansel when looking for a way to return home like Gretel when pretending to be ignorant to end the witch. She also reflects the loss of hope (by the parents) and the perseverance and maintenance of faith (by the children) despite facing difficult situations.

7. The six blind wise men and the elephant

“Once upon a time there were six blind old men of great learning, who had never seen or known what an elephant was. These wise men, unable to see, used touch in order to know the objects and beings of the world. One day, and knowing that his king had one of these animals in his possession, they humbly asked him to meet him. The sovereign accepted and took them before the animal, to which the wise men approached to recognize him.

The first of the sages touched one of the tusks of the being, concluding that an elephant was sharp and smooth as a spear. Another touched its tail, thinking that 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 considered that the others were wrong, since he touched the pachyderm's ear and came to the conclusion that the elephant is like a fan. The last sage touched its back, indicating that the elephant was really like a strong and rugged wall.

The six wise men began to argue and fight to see who was right. On it they consulted another wise man, 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 tale of Indian origin makes us see how sometimes things are not true or false, but can simply exist perspectives other than one's own that can be as true like the ones we defend.

8. The witch and the sister of the Sun

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

The king, happy to hear his son for the first time, gave her his best steed. Ivan got on it and rode to where the animal took him. As time passed, he began to ask different people for shelter: a couple of old women (who told him no since they there was little time left to live, their time coming once they finished weaving), a man named Vertodub (who could not help him since he would die once ripped some oaks out of the ground) and yet another, Vertogez, who couldn't help him either since his time would come once he had just turned over some mountains.

The young man cried and cried, inconsolable, until he finally reached the palace of the sister of the Sun. This she welcomed him kindly, treating him like a son. Ivan lived in said palace for days, but from time to time he cried because he had no news from his home. The sister of the Sun asked him on several occasions the reason for his tears, to which the young man initially replied that it was because the wind had blown them away. irritated (something that made the sister of the Sun order the wind to stop blowing), however, finally the young man confessed what had happened and asked him to return to his home. At her insistence, the sister of the Sun gave her permission and entertained her with a brush, a comb and two apples capable of rejuvenating whoever ate them.

On the way back, the young Ivan saw Vertogez again, and seeing that there was only one mountain left for him to flip over and then die, he threw the brush to the ground. New and enormous mountains arose from it, so many that they were lost to sight. Vertogez was glad. Shortly after and continued on the road, Iván found Vertodub about to uproot the last three trees, after which he would die. The young man took out the comb and threw it into the field, and huge forests grew out of it, something that made Vertodub happy and gave him more work to do. Subsequently, Ivan he reached out to the old women, to whom he gave away the rejuvenating apples. The old women ate them and became young again, and in compensation they gave her a handkerchief which was capable of creating a lake when shaken.

Finally, Ivan came back to his home. There her sister would come out to receive him, with affection, and she asked him to play the harp while she prepared the food. While he was doing so, a little mouse came out of his hiding place, yelling at him to run away since 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 Iván, but she realized that her prey had fled.

He began to chase Iván, who, seeing that he was overtaking her, waved the handkerchief in such a way that he put a lake between them to gain advantage. The witch crossed the lake and continued to pursue the young man, passing near Vertodub. This one, understanding what was happening, began to pile up the oaks that he uprooted until they formed a mountain that prevented the witch from passing. Although she managed to gnaw through the trees, it gave Iván a great advantage. As the witch closed the distance and practically reached the young man, they approached where Vertogez was..

Realizing what had happened, Vertogez grabbed the highest mountain and flipped it over right in the middle of the path that separated the brothers, hindering the witch. Despite this, she is she continued to get closer to Iván little by little. Shortly before reaching it, both arrived at the doors of the palace of the sister of the Sun. The young man asked that the window be opened for him, something that the sister of the Sun did. The witch asked that her brother be handed over to her, proposing that they be weighed in a weight: if the witch weighed more, she would eat it, and if not, Ivan would kill her. The latter accepted, weighing himself first.

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

This tale, 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 that we cause: it is the old women, Vertodub and Vertogeb who, through her actions, prevent the witch from reaching her brother, giving her time to reach a place where she will be at except.

We also see a social critique, in which we are told about the relationship and respect towards people of different social status: Iván and his sister are nobles, and while the former leaves relating to people of different nature and social position and does something for them, the second is limited to devouring and chasing their goals.

9. The owner of the light

“At the beginning of time there was no day or night, the world lived in darkness and the Warao people depended on the light of fire to find food. One day, a father of a family with two daughters received the news that there was a young man who owned the light. Knowing this, he gathered his daughters and told the eldest to go find the young man and bring him the light. The girl went looking for her, but she took the wrong path and ended up arriving at the deer's house, with which she played and then returned to her home. The eldest having failed, the father made the same request to his youngest daughter. This, after much walking, finally arrived at the house of the young owner of the light.

Once there, he told her that she had come to meet him and to obtain light for her father, to which the young man replied that he was waiting for her and that now she would live with him. The young man picked up a box, opening it carefully. When he did, the light fell on her arms and teeth, as well as her hair and eyes. After showing it to him, he put it away. The following days the young man and the girl had fun, playing with light, and they became friends. But the girl remembered that she had come to look for the light for her father. The young man gave it to her, in such a way 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 logs supported the palafito (house built on the water that rests on the ground with logs and stakes) familiar. The light illuminated the river and the surrounding terrain. This attracted the attention of the numerous towns around, a large number of people flocking to observe it and refusing to leave as it is more pleasant to live with light.

There came a point where 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 the Moon emerged from the remains of the box. This made day and night follow one another, but since both stars were flying at high speed (product of the launch of the father) they were excessively short. Seeing this, the father picked up a giant turtle and, once the Sun reached the height of his head, he threw it at him. telling him it was a gift and to wait for it. The turtle moved slowly, something that made the Sun wait for it. And that is why every day the Sun moves little by little across the firmament, waiting for the turtle while it illuminates the world."

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

10. The bag full of stories

“Once upon a time, there was a boy named Lom who was told multiple stories and tales every night by an old servant, using a different and new tale each night. Lom had been getting to know a large number of them over the years, being something that he boasted about to his friends, although he never shared them. These stories that he never told were accumulating in a bag, in his room. Years passed and Lom became an adult, who met a young woman with whom he ended up getting engaged and whom he was going to marry.

The night before the wedding the old servant heard in Lom's room a strange murmur, something that made him approach: were the stories, accumulated and squeezed in the bag, which were furious. The tales asked the servant to let them out, planning many different revenges to ruin the young man's day: one would become a little whose waters would cause stomach pain, another proposed to become a watermelon that would give him a great headache, and another promised to transform into a snake and bite him Faced with these plans, the old servant spent the night thinking how to save Lom.

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

When night fell, the newlyweds went to their house, which the neighbors had covered with rugs. The old servant suddenly entered the room of the couple, who angrily demanded what he was doing there. However, after lifting the carpet in the room, the three discovered a poisonous snake, which the old man caught and threw out the window. Startled and frightened, Lom asked how he knew he was there, to which the servant he replied that it was because they were a revenge plan 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 his descendants."

This is a tale of Cambodian origin that explains the need to share what we know and what is special to us with those we care about, because 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, got bored to a great extent while they were grazing. The young man, who spent most of the day alone in the company of the animals, decided to do something for fun. He ran into town, yelling that a wolf was attacking his flock. The inhabitants ran ready with hoes and sickles to help him. However, upon reaching the pastor, they asked him what had happened. He told them that he had made it up out of boredom, in such a way that the alarmed reaction of the town had served him as entertainment.

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

Returning to the flock, the shepherd suddenly saw how some wolves really attacked the sheep. Surprised and scared, he returned to the village shouting again that the wolves were attacking, this time for real. However, the inhabitants of the town assumed that they were also watching a performance and ignored it, continuing with their chores. Finally, the wolves killed all the sheep of the shepherd, without him being able to do anything or receive help.

Another of the fables attributed to Aesop, this narration expresses a fairly clear idea or moral: the fact of lying continuously will end up making you not trust that personEven if he ends up telling the truth. Trust is something very valuable that costs to obtain and once lost it is very difficult to recover.

12. The ugly Duckling

“Once upon a time, on a summer day, a duck was hatching its seven eggs and waiting to see them hatch. His hatchlings used to be the most beautiful and admired by others, and there came a day when the eggs began to hatch. Little by little, six little ducklings were born, all of them happily received by his mother and the spectators.

However, the last and largest of all would take a little longer, something that would get everyone's attention (even his newborn brothers). Finally, a happy duckling emerged from the egg, which was however 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 away and put him aside, something that would cause him a lot of suffering.

As the days passed, things did not improve, since he grew in such a way that his gangly appearance increased and also his movements were slow and clumsy. Teasing, including from his brothers, and scorn from his mother made him finally decide to run away from the farm where he lived. At first he took refuge in another nearby farm, but he soon found out that his owner only wanted to eat him and he too fled from there. Shortly after winter came, which the poor duckling had to endure alone and hungry, but managed to survive until spring.

One day, he came to a pond where he would see some beautiful birds which he had never seen in his life: they were graceful and slender swans. Although he doubted that they would allow it, the ugly duckling asked them if he could bathe with them, to which the swans answered not only yes, but after all he was one of them. 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 was able to observe that it was not such, but that during the winter it had finished developing, now being a beautiful swan. Finally, the little ugly duckling had finally found a place where he was accepted, finally among his own, and he could be happy for the rest of his days."

A well-known 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 it managed to grow beautiful, big and strong.

Bibliographic references:

• Aller, M. (2010). Around the world in 80 stories. [On-line]. Available in: http://www.educacontic.es/blog/la-vuelta-al-mundo-en-80-cuentos.
• Amery, H. (2000). Popular tales of the world. Usborne Publishing, USA.
• Baxter, N. (2004). Around the world in eighty stories. 2nd Edition. Delphi Editions.