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Czech Fairytales
Like all the people on earth, the Czech people also brought forth their own fairytale treasure that has been passed down from generation to generation since time immemorial. Although the fundamental themes reveal familiar characteristics, Czech fairytales retain their distinctive feature luring young and old alike. Stories such as "The Princess with the Golden Star on her Forehead" or "Fire Bird and Red Fox" by Bozena Nemcova and Karel Jaromir Erben offer not only a romantic, but also a thrilling insight into the life of ordinary people in Bohemia and Moravia as well as into the world of their wishes and dreams.
And thus prevails the magic expression, which like no other, reminds adults of their childhood and brings a twinkle in children's eyes, "Once upon a time..."
And thus prevails the magic expression, which like no other, reminds adults of their childhood and brings a twinkle in children's eyes, "Once upon a time..."
115 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
20 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Karel Jaromír Erben
118 books45 followersKarel Jaromír Erben was a Czech historian, poet and writer of the mid-19th century, best known for his collection "Kytice", which contains poems based on traditional and folkloric themes.
He was born on November 7, 1811 in Miletín u Jičína. He went to college in Hradec Králové. Then, in 1831, he went to Prague where he studied philosophy and later law. He started working in the National Museum (Národní muzeum) with František Palacký in 1843. He became editor of a Prague's newspaper in 1848. Two years later, in 1850, he became archives' secretary of the National Museum. He died on November 21, 1870 of tuberculosis.
He was born on November 7, 1811 in Miletín u Jičína. He went to college in Hradec Králové. Then, in 1831, he went to Prague where he studied philosophy and later law. He started working in the National Museum (Národní muzeum) with František Palacký in 1843. He became editor of a Prague's newspaper in 1848. Two years later, in 1850, he became archives' secretary of the National Museum. He died on November 21, 1870 of tuberculosis.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 3, 2025
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افسانهها، قصههای فولکلور و داستانهای پریان با آنکه اغلب رازآلود و دور از واقعیتاند، میتوانند حامل معانی ژرف و تأملبرانگیز باشند. روایتهایی از کشف رمزی پنهان، باطل شدن سحری قدیمی یا دگرگونی یک نفرین به موهبتی بزرگ (و گاه برعکس)، از ویژگیهای بارز اینگونه داستانهاست.
با این حال، تعدد این روایتها و تأثیرپذیری فرهنگها از یکدیگر یا اقتباس نویسندهای از نویسندهای دیگر باعث شده بسیاری از این داستانها با وجود فضای وهمآلودشان، از معنا و ساختار تهی شوند. در نتیجه، گاه قهرمانان با شیوههایی نفرینها را باطل میکنند که نه در اسطورهها سابقه دارد، نه در آیینها جایگاهی. اینجاست که داستانها هویت خود را از دست میدهند و به روایتهایی بهاصطلاح “مندرآوردی” بدل میشوند.
این کتاب شامل ۹ داستان است. از میان آنها، تنها دو داستان واقعاً ساختار و مضمون یک داستان پریوار اصیل را بهدرستی رعایت کردهاند، که یکی از همین دو، شباهتی بسیار زیاد به یکی از قصههای پریان فرهنگ روس دارد.
در مقابل، سه داستان مجموعه بهوضوح ضعیف و حتی میتوان گفت فاجعهبار بودند و چهار داستان دیگر متوسط و صرفا سرگرم کننده بودند.
داستانهای قابل تأمل این مجموعه:
• پرندهی آتشین و روباه آتشین
• کاترین و شیطان
درمجموع اگر بخواهم نمره بدم به نظرم نمرهی ۲/۵ مناسب این مجموعه باشد.
افسانهها، قصههای فولکلور و داستانهای پریان با آنکه اغلب رازآلود و دور از واقعیتاند، میتوانند حامل معانی ژرف و تأملبرانگیز باشند. روایتهایی از کشف رمزی پنهان، باطل شدن سحری قدیمی یا دگرگونی یک نفرین به موهبتی بزرگ (و گاه برعکس)، از ویژگیهای بارز اینگونه داستانهاست.
با این حال، تعدد این روایتها و تأثیرپذیری فرهنگها از یکدیگر یا اقتباس نویسندهای از نویسندهای دیگر باعث شده بسیاری از این داستانها با وجود فضای وهمآلودشان، از معنا و ساختار تهی شوند. در نتیجه، گاه قهرمانان با شیوههایی نفرینها را باطل میکنند که نه در اسطورهها سابقه دارد، نه در آیینها جایگاهی. اینجاست که داستانها هویت خود را از دست میدهند و به روایتهایی بهاصطلاح “مندرآوردی” بدل میشوند.
این کتاب شامل ۹ داستان است. از میان آنها، تنها دو داستان واقعاً ساختار و مضمون یک داستان پریوار اصیل را بهدرستی رعایت کردهاند، که یکی از همین دو، شباهتی بسیار زیاد به یکی از قصههای پریان فرهنگ روس دارد.
در مقابل، سه داستان مجموعه بهوضوح ضعیف و حتی میتوان گفت فاجعهبار بودند و چهار داستان دیگر متوسط و صرفا سرگرم کننده بودند.
داستانهای قابل تأمل این مجموعه:
• پرندهی آتشین و روباه آتشین
• کاترین و شیطان
درمجموع اگر بخواهم نمره بدم به نظرم نمرهی ۲/۵ مناسب این مجموعه باشد.
June 17, 2017
Nice illustrations! The stories are interesting but I would have my doubts reading this for a kid. Not because they are violent or anything like that. But because of their portrayal of women and people of color in particular (the first story is about how one princess is punished by turning her into a black woman... and I'll leave it there but of course it is worse than that). For me it was interesting from a historical point of view ("Oh, that's how they saw things back then") but the stories don't show a kind of thinking that I would like to pass on my kids. If anything, it would definitely spark a discussion!
November 26, 2018
There is a story in here about a girl who was cursed and the curse was that she will no more be a "white maiden" but a black one (the author did insist she was "still beautiful" even though she was black, yes that's mighty noble of you). And another story about a king whose wife died whilst giving birth and when this child; his daughter grew up and ended up looking exactly like her mother, he wanted to marry her. So if I chose to ignore the racist and incest tones of these two particular stories, the other stories in here were infact quite amusing and clever.
The illustrations were beautiful and made the process of reading these fairytales more enjoyable. Yes, some stories had the same repetitive patterns as each other but I appreciated them nonetheless. There were also some stories that reminded me of Oscar Wilde's short stories that usually involve a devil, a merchant or a fisherman of a lower class, a prince, a king, a princess and mythical beings. My favorites were "The Three Spinners" and "Boil, Pot, Boil!"
The illustrations were beautiful and made the process of reading these fairytales more enjoyable. Yes, some stories had the same repetitive patterns as each other but I appreciated them nonetheless. There were also some stories that reminded me of Oscar Wilde's short stories that usually involve a devil, a merchant or a fisherman of a lower class, a prince, a king, a princess and mythical beings. My favorites were "The Three Spinners" and "Boil, Pot, Boil!"
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August 23, 2025I love how the Czech fairytales propagate laziness. Like the girl who does nothing but crying because she has to work, who ends up being queen and never ever had to work. Or the young man who waits around all day for his sorceress girlfriend to come and solve all his problems for him by magic. And they to live happily ever after. Quite a change from Bomans's fairytales in which pretty much everything goes wrong and had a sad ending. A nice and enjoyable read and I'm a little proud I can easily read them in German. The pictures are nice too!
January 4, 2012
A collection of Czech fairy tales translated into a variety of languages (I have the English edition), with charming illustrations. The authors of this collection are actually Karel Jaromir Erben & Bozena Nemcova.
August 25, 2017
Beautiful illustrations and whimsical fairytales. There is some blatant racism but I think it reflects the time period these stories originated from; you can almost taste the good natured pseudo innocence in their discrimination. Should be read to children with some caution and preparation to elaborate on problematic features.
November 8, 2015
Mágico recopilatorio de cuentos tradicionales no muy conocidos y bellamente ilustrados. Destaca la similitud de algunos de ellos con otras historias autríacas y ese carácter moralizante, aunque nada infantil, que desprenden los relatos originales.
January 17, 2015
Entretenido, aunque la traducción a veces dejaba mucho que desear. Vamos, como si lo hubiera traducido yo (bueno, un poco mejor...)
January 4, 2019
So, I got to go to Prague, recently. I had delusions of learning Czech before I went, but that didn't seem to stick at all. It was fun, though. One of the ridiculous things I like to do when I have the great fortune to visit a city in another country, is hit a bookstore. For the most part, this is ridiculous, because I can't read any of them. But, there is often a little English section, and that can be interesting, because sometimes you see books there that you wouldn't see in your hometown bookstore, nor even think to look for online.
For example, this little book of Czech fairytales. I like the fact that it is hardbound with a ribbon bookmark woven into the binding. I like the fact that it has copious illustrations, by someone named Lucie Müllerová. I like the fact that it had tales each about the perfect length for reading after I was in bed, before I went to sleep.
These tales were collected by Božena Němcová (a woman from the mid 19th century who unfortunately lived only to the age of 42 but is now pictured on the Czech 500 crown note) and Karel Jaromír Erben (a gentleman from the 19th century who lived rather longer), but are presumably much older. They are the equivalent of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm in German-speaking lands, and for much the same reason: by collecting these folk tales, it was intended that the Czechs begin to think of themselves as a people, with a distinctive culture.
If this is valid, then it appears that the Czechs used to spend a lot of time making deals with devils. Actually, arbitrary conditions and unfair curses and deals with the devil all feature prominently in this collection, and I suppose perhaps this was good preparation for the experience of the Czech people throughout the 20th century.
My favorite tale is probably "The Devil and Kate", even though I have several friends named Kate and none of them are like the woman in the story. She is, in fact, not an entirely sympathetic character, as the devil in question is mostly feeling sorry for her and trying to help her out, but then regrets it. In fact, Kate more or less gets shuffled offstage about halfway through this story, which is odd since she's the only named character, except for Lucifer, who has a cameo in which he dispenses some excellent relationship advice but otherwise takes no part in the course of events.
In fact, though, I pretty much enjoyed all of these stories. I enjoyed even the ones where the outcome seemed unfair to at least some of the characters. It seems like a lot of daughters get married off to people they haven't had a chance to meet yet, for example, but they're normally peasants who now have magical abilities to conjure up wealth so it's not the worse fate I suppose. I think my favorite pictures were the ones of the magical pot which would pour forth porridge until you said the words to stop it, when the old lady forgot what the words were and it flooded the village. I like to imagine Lucie Müllerová frowned at least a little bit as she tried to figure out how that should be illustrated. It reminded me a bit of the Great Molasses Flood of Boston.
Like many fairy tales, there are plot holes big enough to drive an enchanted carriage with four horses through, and the characterization is generally pretty sketchy. However, as Shaun Tan has recently pointed out to me in his book "The Singing Bones", a good fairy tale sticks in your head because it has lots of imperfections, but they are of just the right kind, and the things that don't make sense just make you think about the story more. I am glad that people such as Erben and Němcová took the time to beat the bushes for these old tales, and wrote them down before they were forgotten. Read one every night before sleep, they are time tested to tease your brain in just the right way.
For example, this little book of Czech fairytales. I like the fact that it is hardbound with a ribbon bookmark woven into the binding. I like the fact that it has copious illustrations, by someone named Lucie Müllerová. I like the fact that it had tales each about the perfect length for reading after I was in bed, before I went to sleep.
These tales were collected by Božena Němcová (a woman from the mid 19th century who unfortunately lived only to the age of 42 but is now pictured on the Czech 500 crown note) and Karel Jaromír Erben (a gentleman from the 19th century who lived rather longer), but are presumably much older. They are the equivalent of the tales collected by the Brothers Grimm in German-speaking lands, and for much the same reason: by collecting these folk tales, it was intended that the Czechs begin to think of themselves as a people, with a distinctive culture.
If this is valid, then it appears that the Czechs used to spend a lot of time making deals with devils. Actually, arbitrary conditions and unfair curses and deals with the devil all feature prominently in this collection, and I suppose perhaps this was good preparation for the experience of the Czech people throughout the 20th century.
My favorite tale is probably "The Devil and Kate", even though I have several friends named Kate and none of them are like the woman in the story. She is, in fact, not an entirely sympathetic character, as the devil in question is mostly feeling sorry for her and trying to help her out, but then regrets it. In fact, Kate more or less gets shuffled offstage about halfway through this story, which is odd since she's the only named character, except for Lucifer, who has a cameo in which he dispenses some excellent relationship advice but otherwise takes no part in the course of events.
In fact, though, I pretty much enjoyed all of these stories. I enjoyed even the ones where the outcome seemed unfair to at least some of the characters. It seems like a lot of daughters get married off to people they haven't had a chance to meet yet, for example, but they're normally peasants who now have magical abilities to conjure up wealth so it's not the worse fate I suppose. I think my favorite pictures were the ones of the magical pot which would pour forth porridge until you said the words to stop it, when the old lady forgot what the words were and it flooded the village. I like to imagine Lucie Müllerová frowned at least a little bit as she tried to figure out how that should be illustrated. It reminded me a bit of the Great Molasses Flood of Boston.
Like many fairy tales, there are plot holes big enough to drive an enchanted carriage with four horses through, and the characterization is generally pretty sketchy. However, as Shaun Tan has recently pointed out to me in his book "The Singing Bones", a good fairy tale sticks in your head because it has lots of imperfections, but they are of just the right kind, and the things that don't make sense just make you think about the story more. I am glad that people such as Erben and Němcová took the time to beat the bushes for these old tales, and wrote them down before they were forgotten. Read one every night before sleep, they are time tested to tease your brain in just the right way.
April 14, 2024
A beautifully illustrated book with lots of very charming and engaging fairytales that mostly stick to the classic trope of princes wanting to win their princesses, and having to prove themselves to do so, with plenty of magic and fun side characters involved. Lots of lovely imagery is created, and some are really fun and make you smile. There’s also a slightly darker fairytale involving a princess having to run away from her kingdom as her dad is obsessed with her and wants to marry her due to her looking exactly like her mother. (I actually really enjoyed that particular story, probably just needs a bit of a trigger warning if this book has been bought for a child.) I could not award this book 5 stars however as the first story in the collection contains racist content, and regardless if it is a ‘classic’ Czech fairytale or not, I don’t think it belongs in a modern printing. At least not without critical commentary that goes alongside it. 3.5 stars.
April 22, 2019
I love Fairy Tales. It’s like you get a better window into the author’s time and culture by reading Fairy Tales than you would if you read a more factual, historical book. I hadn’t heard of Karel Jaromír Erben, but my Czech research had turned up the name Božena Nemcová numerous times. Basically, they were, independently of each other, the Czech version of the Grimm brothers.
As with all anthologies some stories are better than others. The Three Spinners, a girl power celebration of laziness is an extended dad joke. The Devil and Kate has a children’s Faust feel to it. I particularly enjoyed The Golden Hill and Long, Broad and Sharp Eyes.
It’s a great read for people of all ages!
As with all anthologies some stories are better than others. The Three Spinners, a girl power celebration of laziness is an extended dad joke. The Devil and Kate has a children’s Faust feel to it. I particularly enjoyed The Golden Hill and Long, Broad and Sharp Eyes.
It’s a great read for people of all ages!
November 30, 2021
It can be hard for old fairytales to stand out or seem unique and different from each other. There are plenty of similarities between Slavic fairytales and more popular traditional tales, which dates back to the oral tradition of storytelling. Still, Czech tales have some unique characteristics that separate them from the rest. It is often the case that women end up saving the men or getting them out of trouble. Some characters are lazy and basically get rewarded for it. An all around great little collection of fairytales that gives a taste of the genre while being unique in its own ways, with some whimsical illustrations as well.
July 13, 2024
I have a new edition (2024) and it looks like some of the stories that rightfully concerned other readers are no longer included. I found the stories that are included sometimes funny and ironic, sometimes disturbing, and always sexist. So, they were like most fairytales. For what they are and the way different cultures pass down fantastical stories, I enjoyed them. Like with any story, discussing with children (and adults) the underlying worldviews, beliefs, and prejudices is a good idea.
October 30, 2024
Interesting how some of the fairy tales included in this collection were remarkably similar to stories I have also read in Grimm’s Fairy Tales, especially the one of the princess and her three dresses and mouse/animal coat. Brings back memories of reading through all those stories over and over when I was very young ✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 11, 2023
This is a collection of absolutely delightful fairy tales and illustrations. The printing is elegant with cloth binding and thick glossy paper. Some of the tales were brand new to me, others were Czech twists on familiar classics.
December 22, 2019
Simpatica raccolta di favole, tema dominante l'amore e il sacrificio nel conquistarlo.
Spesso ricorrente il numero tre, nei titoli delle favole o nel testo dei racconti.
Spesso ricorrente il numero tre, nei titoli delle favole o nel testo dei racconti.
February 4, 2021
i wish the illustrations were prettier and there were more
i would not read this to kids ever, some racism and very troubling incest intentions
i would not read this to kids ever, some racism and very troubling incest intentions
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August 22, 2022The first fairy tale is really racist.
April 16, 2024
Folktales that share some elements with stories collected by the brothers Grimm in Germany, but all with unique spins and completely original. The colorful illustrations are delightful.
November 10, 2024
Hermoso libro de cuentos...no sabía que "las tres hilanderas", cuento que conocía desde pequeña, era checo. Me encantó y se lo daré a mi hija para que lo lea.
November 26, 2024
Hiçbir mesaj içermeyen, tuhaf, sıkıcı birkaç masal.
June 17, 2025
All the men were useless, except for Long, Broad and Sharp Eyes.
They are still out there somewhere, and they will save you.
They are still out there somewhere, and they will save you.
January 4, 2013
This comic book adaptation of 5 of Karel Jaromir Erben's fairy tales is available in several different languages. I bought the simplified Chinese version and loved it. While there were a few vocabulary words I didn't know (iron stronghold) it was fairly easy to sit down and read through in one night. The stories was lots of fun and I did enjoy the way they were translated into Chinese (The farseeing guy became 10 thousand li eyes). There were many good examples of grammatical construction you find in years 1 and 2 textbook. Including my favorite all time ba construction ever, 我把她吃了 (said the little log baby talking about his mother) I also really enjoyed the fairy tales themselves, they were just different enough to the stories I grew up with to be interesting and strange. There were lots of princes marrying princesses, evil wizards, odd helpful spirits, dragons, monsters, etc. There were the 3 friends with unique talents who helped their friend marry the enchanted princess, the magical twins one who killed a dragon but fell victim to a witch and the other who was able to defeat the witch, turn her into a princess and marry her, the spirits who convinced a young lad he wanted to be a gardener in the royal palace and got him to marry the princess by getting her to speak, the stupid man who gave away all he earned to the church and then got presents from a shepherd, and lastly the wooden log baby that ate everything. Great stories and great practice for Chinese.
February 15, 2016
"But the days fly by whether they are counted with pleasure or with sorrow"
"The ripe fruit falls to make way for other fruits"
Fairy-tales - all the time about a beautiful princess and about the struggles she and her future prince need to go through so they can earn their "and they lived happily ever after". We are told early on that nothing comes for free and that the ultimate goal is to get married ;) And, apparently, it doesn't matter much if it is a Romanian fairy-tale or a Czech one ... I should maybe read a Japanese one to check on my observation:)
My favorite one:) talks about a lazy girl who is taken by the queen and told to work, she does nothing, three women do the work on her behalf in secret, she gets married to the prince as a reward and the prince seeing how ugly the three women are because they worked asked his fresh wife to never work. And so it ends:) Moral? Each of us judge for yourself:)
Maybe I've always been an old child but I don't see the point of it. I am sure it's me.
"The ripe fruit falls to make way for other fruits"
Fairy-tales - all the time about a beautiful princess and about the struggles she and her future prince need to go through so they can earn their "and they lived happily ever after". We are told early on that nothing comes for free and that the ultimate goal is to get married ;) And, apparently, it doesn't matter much if it is a Romanian fairy-tale or a Czech one ... I should maybe read a Japanese one to check on my observation:)
My favorite one:) talks about a lazy girl who is taken by the queen and told to work, she does nothing, three women do the work on her behalf in secret, she gets married to the prince as a reward and the prince seeing how ugly the three women are because they worked asked his fresh wife to never work. And so it ends:) Moral? Each of us judge for yourself:)
Maybe I've always been an old child but I don't see the point of it. I am sure it's me.
February 7, 2017
A little treasure of Bohemian crystals. Each story full of faery glamour, woven with dark realism and occult seeds (like El ave ardiente y la Raposa fogosa and its alchemical references). My only complaint? I wanted more, because I have already read some of these tales within the brothers Grimm compilation.
January 24, 2019
My favorite: The Fire Bird and Red Fox
May 8, 2022
Aprender de una parte de mi genética fue muy lindo.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews