Folk Tales

Hiya, I've got a favor to ask. I half remember an old folk tale so I'll summarize what I know and see if any of you can tell me it's name or where to find the stupid thing.————————————————- •Ahem• "There once was a little boy who always seemed to be laughing and pulling pranks. He never listened to his parents and made a point to do the opposite of whatever they said, laughing all the way. One day his mother made the mistake of telling him he couldn't go on top of the distant mound at night for that was where the fair folk lived and danced. She tried to warn him that the fair folk were quick to anger and somewhat less forgiving than the boy's parents. So very shortly after he finished sneaking to the top of the mound at night to see the fair folk he got his wish. He saw the fair folk holding a giant party and noticed they looked very strange and deformed. Naturally he started laughing maniacally, interrupting the party and getting everyone's full attention. They told him he must be having great fun and they'll make sure he's always this amused. He got home much later laughing with tears streaming down his face and attempted to tell his mother what happened. His mother was furious and had finally had it with him. She tried to get him to stop laughing so she could yell at him properly but neither could get a word in. Eventually she snapped and yelled "GO AHEAD THEN!!! LAUGH YOUR HEAD OFF!!!" and for once the boy did as he was told."

edited 17th Dec '14 3:33:11 AM by Yewleaf

This thread hasn't been posted in a while, so here's a story that's fairly popular all over East Asia. It originated in China, but since it's also heard in Korea here's a Korean variant.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Princess Jingnyeo, who was the daughter of the King of Heaven. Jingnyeo helped him create the world by weaving together the clouds and the mists. One day, as she was taking a break from weaving, she met a simple cowherd, Gyeonu who was keeping watch over his cattle. The two fell in love, and the King, who was happy to see his daughter so deeply in love, allowed her to marry him. But the two quickly became so infatuated with each other, they began to neglet each other's duties. Jingnyeo no longer weaved, while Gyeonu let his cattle wander across the skies. Furious, the King of Heaven forbade the two from ever seeing each other, and banished the two lovers to opposite sides of the Milky Way. Full of despair, they began to sob terribly, and their tears became rainstorms the flooded the Earth. Knowing that he had made a mistake but not willing to let them neglect their jobs, the King compromised: once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th month, the two could cross the Milky Way on a bridge of magpies and meet each other. And so every year on that day, Gyeonu and Jingnyeo meet, and their tears of joy are why the monsoons winds around summer happen.

edited 25th Jan '16 6:45:15 PM by SantosLHalper

So, has anyone here heard of the Santa Compaña? This is a galician mith but it can also be hears in Asturias and León.

The Santa Compaña are a group of doomed souls that wander at night near houses where someone is going to die soon. The ghosts all wear shrouds and carry a candle that leaves wax essence in the air. They carry a coffin too. The head of the group is a live human that will not remember wandering around with the ghosts. That person will lead the Santa Compaña each night till he or she dies of sleep deprivation. They can be freed if they encounter another person in the night. In that case that poor sod will take their place unless he or she traces a circle on the ground and stands in it.

The Santa Compaña can be heard praying in the night and all animals in the forests will cease to make any noise. Cats and dogs will run away in fear.

Sometimes The Santa compaña appears to claim the soul of someone who is going to die, but sometimes they just are on a quest form a higher divine entity to punish humans.

You scared now?

edited 28th Jan '16 2:19:58 AM by pepimanoli