MAGHREB PRAYER MAT 1. Intro (0:00) Once upon a time a vizier had a little son whose name was Yusuf. Once he left his father's mansion and went for a walk. So, he got to a deserted road, where he would stroll alone, and he went down this road. 2. Fairy-Tale Theme/Old Man Theme (1:09) Suddenly, he noticed an old man dressed in sheikh clothes, wearing a black hat on his hat. The boy greeted him warmly, and the old man gave him a candy. As Yusuf ate it, the old man asked: - Boy, do you like fairy-tales? Yusuf loved them, so he nodded. - Well, I know one - the old man said, - this fairy tale is about Maghreb prayer mat. I could tell it, but it's really scary. Of'course, Yusuf told him, that he is not afraid, and was eager to listen. 3. Father's guest (2:34) Suddenly, a sound of ringing bells and some shouts came from his father's mansion - a usual thing when someone arrived. All the boy's eagerness disappeared at once, and he rushed to the mansion to see who the guest was. The guest appeared to be some unimportatant servant, and the boy rushed back, but the old man disappeard. Yusuf felt disappointed, and went back to the mansion. 4. Death Of The Parents (3:17) He came to his father and asked - Dad! Do you know anything about Maghreb prayer mat? His father's face went white, his body trembled, he fell on the floor and died. The boy was scared and ran to his mother. - Mummy! - he shouted, - What a terrible thing! The mother came up to him, smiled, put a hand on his head and asked: - What's the matter, sonny? - Mummy, - the boy cried, - I've asked my father about a thing and he suddenly fell on the floor and died! - What thing? - The mother asked, frowning. - Maghreb prayer mat! And suddenly his mother went white in the gills too, her body trembled, she fell on the floor and died. 5. The Exile Study/Death Of The Sufi (3:49) The boy was alone now, and soon his father's powerful enemies took control of the mansion, and he himself was sent away. He traveled around Persia for quite a long time, and in the end got to tekke, where he became a student of a Sufi. A few years passed, and Yusuf came up to Sufi when he was alone, bowed, and said - Master, I've already been studying here for a few years. May I ask you a question? - Ask, my son, - Sufi said, smiling. - Master, do you know anything about Maghreb prayer mat? Sufy went white in the gills, his heart ached terribly and he died. Then Yusuf ran away. He became a dervish, and travelled around Persia in search of famous masters. Everyone, he asked about Maghreb prayer mat fell on the floor and died. 6. Tearoom (5:57) As the years passed, Yusuf became older and weaker. He thought that soon he would die without having anything of his own after his death. Once he was sitting in the tearoom, thinking about this. Suddenly, he noticed that old man, who was wearing that black hat. The old man did not changed, the time never influenced him. 7. Fairy-Tale Theme 2 (7:06) Yusuf ran up to him, stood on his knees and begged: - Oh, gracious sheikh! I've been searching for you all my life! Tell me about Maghreb prayer mat! The old man in a black hat said: - Then, listen. And Yusuf was eager. The old man sat in front of him, gave a long breath and died. 8. Yusuf Becomes The Old Sheikh (Old Man Theme 2) (7:49) All day and night long Yusuf sat near the dead body silently. Than he stood up, took the old man's black hat and put it on the head. He had some money left, and he bought some candies in the tearoom. The End?

"Snow White" is a Bavarian fairy tale known across much of Europe. The best known is the Bavarian version collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 as German: Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (or Dwarves). The Bavarian version features such elements as the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the glass coffin, and the seven dwarfs, who were first given individual names in the Broadway play Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1912) and then given different names in Walt Disney's 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The Grimm story, which is commonly referred to as "Snow White", should not be confused with the story of "Snow White and Rose Red", another fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm (in German "Schneeweißchen", rather than "Schneewittchen"). In the Aarne-Thompson folklore classification, tales of this kind are grouped together as type 709, Snow White. Others of this kind include "Bella Venezia", "Myrsina", "Nourie Hadig" and "Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree". STORY OUTLINE The English translation of the definitive edition of the Grimms' Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Berlin 1857), tale number 53, is the basis for the English translation by D. L. Ashliman. Once upon a time, as a Queen sits sewing at her window, she pricks her finger on her needle and three drops of blood fall on the snow that had fallen on her ebony window frame. As she looks at the blood on the snow, she says to herself, "Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony". Soon after that, the Queen gives birth to a baby girl who has skin white as snow, lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony. They name her Snow White, and soon after, the Queen dies. Soon after, the King takes a new wife, who is beautiful but also very vain. The new Queen possesses a mirror, an animate object that answers any question, to whom she often asks: "Magic mirror on the wall / Who is the fairest of them all?" (German: "Spieglein, Spieglein, an der Wand / Wer ist die Schönste im ganzen Land?"; Portuguese: "Espelho, espelho meu , existe alguém mais bela do que eu?"; Italian "Specchio, servo delle mie brame/ chi è la più bella di tutto il reame?"). The mirror always replies, "You, my Queen, are fairest of all." But, when Snow White reaches the age of seven, she becomes as beautiful as the day, and when the Queen asks her mirror, it responds: "Queen, you are full fair, it is true, but Snow White is fairer than you." In another version of the tale, the mirror simply replies: "Snow White is the fairest of them all." The Queen becomes jealous and orders a huntsman to take Snow White into the woods to be killed. She demands as proof that Snow White is dead, he return with her lungs and liver (in other versions, it was her heart). The huntsman takes Snow White into the forest. After raising his knife, he finds himself unable to kill her as he has fallen deeply in love with her. Instead, he lets her go telling her to flee and hide from the Queen. He then brings the Queen the lungs and liver of a boar, which is prepared by the cook and eaten by the Queen. In the forest, Snow White discovers a tiny cottage belonging to a group of seven Dwarfs, where she rests. There, the Dwarfs take pity on her, saying "If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want." They warn her to take care, to let no one in when they are away delving in the mountains. Meanwhile, the Queen asks her mirror once again, "Who is the fairest of them all?" She is horrified to learn that Snow White is not only alive and well, residing with Dwarfs, but is still the fairest of them all. Three times, the Queen disguises herself and attempts to kill Snow White. First disguised as an old peddler, the Queen offers colourful stay-laces and laces them so tight that Snow White faints, causing the Queen to leave her for dead. However, Snow White revives when the Dwarfs loosen the laces. Next, the Queen dresses as a different old woman and brushes Snow White's hair with a poisoned comb. Snow White again faints but again is saved by the Dwarfs. Finally, the Queen makes a poisoned apple, and in the disguise of a farmer's wife, offers it to Snow White. She is hesitant to accept it, so the Queen cuts the apple in half, eating the white part and giving the poisoned red part to Snow White. She eagerly takes a bite and falls into a state of suspended animation. This time, the Dwarfs are unable to revive her, and assuming that she is dead, place her in a glass coffin. Time passes, and a Prince traveling through the land sees Snow White. He strides to her coffin, and enchanted by her beauty, instantly falls in love with her. The Dwarfs succumb to his entreaties to let him have the coffin, and as his servants carry the coffin away, they stumble on some roots. This causes the piece of poisoned apple to dislodge from Snow White's throat, awakening her (in later adaptions of the tale, the Prince kisses Snow White, which brings her back to life). The Prince then declares his love for her, and soon a wedding is planned. The vain Queen, still believing that Snow White is dead, again asks her magical mirror who is the fairest in the land. Yet again the mirror disappoints her by responding, "You, my Queen, are fair; it is true. But the young Queen is a thousand times fairer than you." Not knowing that this new queen was indeed her stepdaughter, she arrives at the wedding, and her heart fills with the deepest of dread when she realizes the truth. As punishment for her wicked ways, a pair of heated iron shoes are brought forth with tongs and placed before the Queen. She is then forced to step into the iron shoes and to dance until she drops dead.

"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", (French: Cendrillon, ou La petite Pantoufle de Verre, Italian: Cenerentola, German: Aschenputtel) is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune. The story was first published by Charles Perrault in Histoires ou contes du temps passé in 1697. Although both the story's title and the character's name change in different languages, in English-language folklore "Cinderella" is the archetypal name. The word "cinderella" has, by analogy, come to mean one whose attributes were unrecognized, or one who unexpectedly achieves recognition or success after a period of obscurity and neglect. The still-popular story of "Cinderella" continues to influence popular culture internationally, lending plot elements, allusions, and tropes to a wide variety of media. Plot (Aschenputtel) A wealthy gentleman's wife lay on her deathbed, and called her only daughter to her bedside. She asked her to remain kind and generous, and God will protect her. She then died and was buried. After a transition of seasons (winter and spring) the widower married another woman, who had two beautiful daughters of her own; they were both cruel and wicked. The stepsisters stole the girl's fine clothes and jewels and forced her to wear only rags; they banished her into the kitchen to do the worst chores, and gave her the nickname "Aschenputtel" ("Cinder-Fool".) Despite all of this the girl remained good and pious, and would always go to her mother's grave to cry and pray to God to give better circumstances for herself. One day, the gentleman visits a fair, promising his stepdaughters gifts of luxury. The eldest asked for beautiful dresses, while the younger for pearls and diamonds. His own daughter merely asks for the first twig that will hit his hat off on the way. The gentleman goes on his way, and acquires presents for his stepdaughters. While passing a forest he gets a hazel twig, and gives it to his daughter. She plants the twig over her mother's grave, waters it with her tears and over the years, it grows into a glowing hazel tree. Under it the girl would pray for thrice a day, and a white bird would always come to talk and grant her everything she would ask for. The king decides to give a festival that will last for three whole days and nights, and invites all the beautiful maidens in the land to attend, because the prince is supposed to select from one of them a bride for himself. The two sisters were also invited, but when Aschenputtel begged them to allow her to go with them into the celebration, the stepmother refused because she had no dress nor shoes to wear. When the girl insisted, the woman threw a dish of lentils into the ashes for her to pick up, guaranteeing her permission to attend the festival, and when the girl accomplished the task in less than an hour with the help of two, white doves sent by her mother from Heaven, the stepmother only redoubled the task and threw down even a greater quantity of lentils. When Aschenputtel was able to accomplished it in a greater speed, not wanting to spoil her daughters' chances, the stepmother hasted away with them to the ball and left the crying stepdaughter behind. The girl retreats to the graveyard to ask for help. The white bird drops a white gown and silk shoes. She goes to the ball, with the precaution of leaving before midnight. The prince dances with her, but she eludes him before midnight strikes. The next evening, the girl appears in a much grander gown of silver and silver shoes. The prince falls in love with her and dances with her the whole evening, but when midnight comes, she leaves again. The third evening, she appears dressed in spun gold with slippers of gold. Now the prince is determined to keep her, and has the entire stairway smeared with pitch. Aschenputtel loses track of time, and when she runs away to leave, one of her golden slippers gets stuck on that pitch. The prince proclaims that he would marry the maiden whose foot would fit the golden slipper. The next morning, the prince goes into Aschenputtel's house and tries the slipper on the eldest stepsister. The sister is advised by her mother to cut off her toes in order to fit the slipper. While riding with the stepsister, the two doves from Heaven tell the Prince that blood drips from her foot. Appalled by her treachery, he goes back again and tries the slipper on the other stepsister. She cuts off part of her heel in order to get in her foot in the slipper, and again the prince is fooled. While riding with her to the king's castle, the doves alert him again about the blood on her foot. He comes back to inquire for another girl. The gentleman tells him that they kept a kitchen-maid in the house - yet does not mention that she is his own daughter - and the prince asks him to let her try the slipper. The girl appears after washing herself, and when she puts on the slipper, the prince recognizes her as the stranger with whom he had danced at the ball. In the end, during Aschenputtel's wedding, as she is walking down the aisle with her stepsisters as her bridesmaids, for they had hoped to worm their way into her favor, the doves from Heaven fly down and strike the two stepsisters' eyes, one in the left and the other in the right. When the wedding comes to an end, and Aschenputtel and her prince march out of the church, the doves fly again, striking the remaining eyes of the two evil sisters blind, a punishment they have to endure for the rest of their lives. Aschenputtel's relationship with her father in this version is ambiguous; Perrault's version states that the absent father is dominated by his second wife, hence why he does not prevent the abuse of his daughter. However, the father in this tale plays an active role in procuring Aschenputtel's request of a branch, and it is not explained why he tolerates the mistreatment of his child. He also describes Aschenputtel as his "first wife's child" and not his own. [ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashputtel ]

Pinocchio (IT: [piˈnɔkkjo]; UK: /pɪˈnəʊkiəʊ/;[1] US: /pɪˈnoʊkioʊ/) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the 1883 children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, an Italian writer, and has since appeared in many adaptations of that story and others. Carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a small Italian village, he was created as a wooden puppet but dreamed of becoming a real boy. He has also been used as a character who is prone to telling lies and fabricating stories for various reasons. [ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinocchio ]

The Little Match Girl (Danish: Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne, meaning "The little girl with the matchsticks") is a short story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story is about a dying child's dreams and hope, and was first published in 1845. It has been adapted to various media including animated film, and a television musical. Plot summary On a cold New Year’s Eve, a poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is freezing badly, but she is afraid to go home because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She takes shelter in a nook and lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow, she sees several lovely visions including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward, sees a shooting star, and remembers her deceased grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone died and is going into Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother nearby for as long as she can. The child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the dead child in the nook and take pity on her, not knowing that she had left the world to no more be cold or hungry. [ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl ]

Rumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and antagonist of a fairy tale that originated in Germany (where he is known as Rumpelstilzchen). The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. It was subsequently revised in later editions. Plot In order to make himself appear more important, a miller lies to a king, telling him that his daughter can spin straw into gold. In reality, the girl is lazy and has never learned to spin at all. The king calls for the girl, shuts her in a tower room filled with straw and a spinning wheel, and demands that she spin the straw into gold by morning or he will cut off her head (other versions have the king threatening to lock her up in a dungeon forever). She has given up all hope when an imp-like creature appears in the room and promises to spin the straw into gold for her in return for her necklace. When the king takes the girl on the next morning to a larger room filled with straw to repeat the feat, the imp spins in return for the girl's ring. On the third day, when the girl has been taken to a still-larger room filled with straw and told by the king that he will marry her if she can fill this room with gold or kill her if she cannot, the girl has nothing left with which to pay the strange creature. He extracts from her a promise that her firstborn child will be given to him, and spins the room full of gold a final time. The king keeps his promise to marry the miller's daughter, but when their first child is born, the imp returns to claim his payment: "Now give me what you promised." The now-queen offers him all the wealth she has if she may keep the child. The imp has no interest in her riches, but finally consents to give up his claim to the child if the queen is able to guess his name within three days. Her many guesses over the first two days fail, but before the final night, her messenger (though he doesn't know the significance of his mission) comes across the imp's remote mountain cottage and watches, unseen, as the imp hops about his fire and sings. In his song's lyrics, he reveals his name. When the imp comes to the queen on the third day and she, after first feigning ignorance, then reveals his true name, Rumpelstiltskin loses his temper and his bargain. In the 1812 edition of the Brothers Grimm tales, Rumpelstiltskin then "ran away angrily, and never came back". The ending was revised in a final 1857 edition to a more gruesome ending wherein Rumpelstiltskin "in his rage drove his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up to his waist; then in a passion he seized the left foot with both hands and tore himself in two." Other versions have Rumpelstiltskin driving his right foot so far into the ground that he creates a chasm and falls into it, never to be seen again. In the oral version originally collected by the brothers Grimm, Rumpelstiltskin flies out of the window on a cooking ladle (Heidi Anne Heiner). [ source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumplestiltskin ]

The Frog and the Ox by Aesop (Joseph Jacobs' translation, 1894) "Oh Father," said a little Frog to the big one sitting by the side of a pool, "I have seen such a terrible monster! It was as big as a mountain, with horns on its head, and a long tail, and it had hoofs divided in two." "Tush, child, tush," said the old Frog, "that was only Farmer White's Ox. It isn't so big either; he may be a little bit taller than I, but I could easily make myself quite as broad; just you see." So he blew himself out, and blew himself out, and blew himself out. "Was he as big as that?" asked he. "Oh, much bigger than that," said the young Frog. Again the old one blew himself out, and asked the young one if the Ox was as big as that. "Bigger, father, bigger," was the reply. So the Frog took a deep breath, and blew and blew and blew, and swelled and swelled and swelled. And then he said: "I'm sure the Ox is not as big as this." But at this moment he burst. Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction.

"Hansel and Gretel" (play /ˈhænsəl/ or /ˈhɑːnsəl/, and /ˈɡrɛtəl/; German: Hänsel und Gretel, diminutives of Johannes and Margaret) is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children save their lives by outwitting her. The tale has been adapted to various media, most notably the opera Hänsel und Gretel (1893) by Engelbert Humperdinck and a stop-motion animated feature film made in the 1950s based on the opera. Under the Aarne–Thompson classification system, "Hansel and Gretel" is classified under Class 327. PLOT Hansel and Gretel are the young children of a poor woodcutter. When a great famine settles over the land, the woodcutter's second, abusive wife decides to take the children into the woods and leave them there to fend for themselves, so that she and her husband do not starve to death, because the kids eat too much. The woodcutter opposes the plan but finally, and reluctantly, submits to his wife's scheme. They are unaware that in the children's bedroom, Hansel and Gretel have overheard them. After the parents have gone to bed, Hansel sneaks out of the house and gathers as many white pebbles as he can, then returns to his room, reassuring Gretel that God will not forsake them. The next day, the family walk deep into the woods and Hansel lays a trail of white pebbles. After their parents abandon them, the children wait for the moon to rise and then they followed the pebbles back home. They return home safely, much to their stepmother's horror. Once again provisions become scarce and the stepmother angrily orders her husband to take the children further into the woods and leave them there to die. Hansel and Gretel attempt to gather more pebbles, but find the doors locked and find it impossible to escape. The following morning, the family treks into the woods. Hansel takes a slice of bread and leaves a trail of bread crumbs for them to follow home. However, after they are once again abandoned, they find that the birds have eaten the crumbs and they are lost in the woods. After days of wandering, they follow a beautiful white bird to a clearing in the woods, and discover a large cottage built of gingerbread and cakes with window panes of clear sugar. Hungry and tired, the children begin to eat the rooftop of the candy house, when the door opens and a "very old woman" emerges and lures the children inside, with the promise of soft beds and delicious food. They do this without knowing the fact that their hostess is a wicked witch who waylays children to cook and eat them. The next morning, the witch locks Hansel in an iron cage in the garden and forces Gretel into becoming a slave. The witch feeds Hansel regularly to fatten him up, but Hansel cleverly offers a bone he found in the cage (presumably a bone from the witch's previous captive) and the witch feels it, thinking it to be his finger. Due to her blindness, she is fooled into thinking Hansel is still too thin to eat. After weeks of this, the witch grows impatient and decides to eat Hansel, "be he fat or lean." She prepares the oven for Hansel, but decides she is hungry enough to eat Gretel, too. She coaxes Gretel to the open oven and prods her to lean over in front of it to see if the fire is hot enough. Gretel, sensing the witch's intent, pretends she does not understand what she means. Infuriated, the witch demonstrates, and Gretel instantly shoves the witch into the oven, slams and bolts the door shut, leaving "The ungodly witch to be burned to ashes", the witch screaming in pain until she dies. Gretel frees Hansel from the cage and the pair discover a vase full of treasure and precious stones. Putting the jewels into their clothing, the children set off for home. A swan ferries them across an expanse of water and at home they find only their father; his wife died from unknown cause. Their father had spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children, and is delighted to see them safe and sound. With the witch's wealth, they all live happily ever after.