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Czech Folktales
The determined and lively Czech people offer their lively perspectives on life through their vivid folk and fairy tales.
The Czech people trace their roots through medieval Bohemia and further back to the ancient Western Slavs before the start of the Viking Age. Their lively stories are parables and moral fables, rich with satire and the weave of determination in the face of grim reality. With a new introduction this new collection brings you classic tales including 'The Three Roses', 'The Witch and the Horseshoes', 'The Haunted Mill' and 'The Soldier and the Devil'. Such stories cling to the fantasy that all will come well in the end and that justice will be well served by truth, common threads in the proud folklore of the Slavic peoples throughout the world.
FLAME TREE 451 : From myth to mystery, the supernatural to horror, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of myths, folklore and the fantastic.
The Czech people trace their roots through medieval Bohemia and further back to the ancient Western Slavs before the start of the Viking Age. Their lively stories are parables and moral fables, rich with satire and the weave of determination in the face of grim reality. With a new introduction this new collection brings you classic tales including 'The Three Roses', 'The Witch and the Horseshoes', 'The Haunted Mill' and 'The Soldier and the Devil'. Such stories cling to the fantasy that all will come well in the end and that justice will be well served by truth, common threads in the proud folklore of the Slavic peoples throughout the world.
FLAME TREE 451 : From myth to mystery, the supernatural to horror, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of myths, folklore and the fantastic.
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
About the author
Jake Jackson
174 books179 followersSF and dark fantasy author but also a writer/creator of practical music books - Beginner's Guide to Reading Music, Guitar Chords, Piano Chords, Songwriter’s Rhyming Dictionary and How to Play Guitar. Other publications include Advanced Guitar Chords, Advanced Piano Chords, Chords for Kids, How to Play the Electric Guitar, Piano & Keyboard Chords, Scales and Modes and Play Flamenco. Also editor of Mythology books
Released EP Jakesongs on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, LastFM, etc and on CDBaby. Lifelong passion for fantastic worlds of any kind, from movies to fiction, art to music, posters, album and paperback book covers.
Jake Jackson is the artist name for Nick Wells, Publisher of Flame Tree Press / Flame Tree Publishing.
Released EP Jakesongs on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, LastFM, etc and on CDBaby. Lifelong passion for fantastic worlds of any kind, from movies to fiction, art to music, posters, album and paperback book covers.
Jake Jackson is the artist name for Nick Wells, Publisher of Flame Tree Press / Flame Tree Publishing.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 2, 2025
Reading a nationalities folk tales does two things:
1) makes you want to move to that country
2) makes you want to learn that language
3) makes you want to learn more
Did I say it only makes you do two things? Whoops. Maybe just read it and find out.
In essence folktales are repetitive, but the writing doesn’t have to be. The writing could have been more precise but if you skim the repetitive bits you are left with the great story that is trying to be portrayed.
1) makes you want to move to that country
2) makes you want to learn that language
3) makes you want to learn more
Did I say it only makes you do two things? Whoops. Maybe just read it and find out.
In essence folktales are repetitive, but the writing doesn’t have to be. The writing could have been more precise but if you skim the repetitive bits you are left with the great story that is trying to be portrayed.
October 5, 2025
A haphazardly compiled collection of tales: a significant oversight in a passage from one tale (p.220) appearing in the next, completely unrelated tale (p.226) marks the gravest of these errors. This book has limits to its scope and analysis, but a few of the tales (The Golden Spinning Wheel, The Devil’s Little Brother-in-Law, The Three Golden Hairs) are worth reading.
December 28, 2024
Very entertaining, Grimm-style compendium of Czech folktales, some dating back to the 1300s. I only wish each story came with a short bit of background, rather than all the background information being grouped together in the introduction.
February 15, 2026
2 / 5
I enjoyed stepping into old stories with strange creatures, odd magic and moral lessons, particularly the darker tales that carried the familiar eeriness of Grimm Fairy Tales.
That said, the collection felt a little messy and repetitive. Many tales felt too similar and I found myself wishing for more variety or tighter curation. Whilst I appreciated the little introductions, more history and background would have been great. I know for ‘word-of-mouth’ tales this is hard to come by, but information on how they evolved, what myths they would have influenced etc, would have been useful.
Some character descriptions and language definitely reflect attitudes of their time so one to read with that historical lens, but a good pick up and read a few pages type book. Not the most cohesive collection but an enjoyable way to explore Czech storytelling and connect with a culture close to my heart that is often overlooked.
I enjoyed stepping into old stories with strange creatures, odd magic and moral lessons, particularly the darker tales that carried the familiar eeriness of Grimm Fairy Tales.
That said, the collection felt a little messy and repetitive. Many tales felt too similar and I found myself wishing for more variety or tighter curation. Whilst I appreciated the little introductions, more history and background would have been great. I know for ‘word-of-mouth’ tales this is hard to come by, but information on how they evolved, what myths they would have influenced etc, would have been useful.
Some character descriptions and language definitely reflect attitudes of their time so one to read with that historical lens, but a good pick up and read a few pages type book. Not the most cohesive collection but an enjoyable way to explore Czech storytelling and connect with a culture close to my heart that is often overlooked.
September 9, 2024
Some of these stories were awfully gory. There are many stories in which the “Devil” is featured, and he is described as being “black.” Seems kind of racist to me.
September 15, 2024
I hoped there'd be some 'new to me' folktales in this collection, but the vast majority were Christianized retellings of familiar Slavic and Germanic tales. Of course, this is ultimately unsurprising but still mildly disappointing given that other hyper-regional collections in my library feature unique tales.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews