Many folk stories are hundreds or even thousands of years old and the same stories can be
found in many different parts of the world. 'Beauty and the Beast' was told in classical Greece
and ancient India ; the story 'Hansel and Gretel' has been found in the West Indies, in African
villages, and among the American Indians. The story of 'Cinderella' was told in China, by the
Arabs and the Zuni Indians. Many were not written down until the Frenchman Perrault and the
Grimm brothers from Germany collected the stories and published them. They were not only for
children ; the whole family used to sit round the fire to listen to the storyteller.
The stories often begin with a family situation - 'Once upon a time there was a poor woodcutter who lived near the forest with his wife and two children.' The endings are often alike too: 'so they were married and lived happily ever after.' Also in the stories the hero is usually handsome and the heroine is often beautiful.
Folk tales usually deal with feelings and experiences. Some of them are love, courage, jealousy and revenge. Therefore, these stories prepare children to face the real world. They teach children that in order to succeed in the world, you need to be skilful, determined, intelligent, brave and good.