Dragonfly Tales

Hello story lovers! This episode's story is from Scotland – it’s a very old tale that can be traced back to the Orkney islands - about a bold lass who goes on a magical adventure. We've also got a riddle for you from Jonathan Swift. We are little airy creatures All of diff'rent voice and features, One of us in glass is set, One of us you'll find in jet, T'other you may see in t...

Hello listeners! We hope you're enjoying the merry month of May! It's half term holidays here in the UK and I’m off to tell stories of shipwrecks and pirates at the famous Chatham Historic Dockyard . If you're in the area, come and say hello! This episode's story is also a tale from the sea - and comes all the way from Chile in South America. Off the coast of Chile there is a beaut...

Hi Story Lovers! In this episode, we are joined by Kim from Super Great Kids Stories. She shares a briliiant Japanese tale about some magical badgers! If you want to hear more from Kim, be sure to check out her podcast at https://www.supergreatkidsstories.com We also rejoin Falling Star for Part 2 of our epic adventure from the Cheyenne tribe of the Great Plains. Remember to join us over on Patreo...

Hello listeners! In this story from the Cheyenne Tribe of the Great Plains, our hero Falling Star must face danger to find his people and his place on earth. The Cheyennes were once a warrior tribe, but they have a great tradition of storytelling and living in balance with the land and nature around them. They respect nature so much …. Believe that nature is sacred and that everything has its own...

Hi story lovers! We're off to look for pixies on Dartmoor for this lovely folktale. Dartmoor is a real place and it's very magical! It's situated in the county of Devon, in the west of England. People have inhabited the moorland for about 10,000 years, but the land is ancient, stretching back into the primordial mist. It's an important reserve for rare plants and animals, and of course, PIXIES! Pi...

Hello listeners! This episode, our story is a Hungarian version of a classic fairytale. I'm sure you know the story of the three little pigs and the Big Bad Wolf. But I bet you haven't heard THIS version. There are far too many wolves in this story. Let's hope Little Pig can best them! Remember to join us over on Patreon – you could get to be a guest teller like Astrid, you get early access, bonus...

Bonjour listeners! This episode, our story is from the city of Paris, France. It's a fairytale created by a writer called Pierre Gripari in the 1960s. When he was a boy, he read lots of traditional French fairy tales by Charles Perrault – like sleeping beauty and little red riding hood. And he loved them! But when he grew up, he realised that he wanted fairytales that were about where he lived – t...

Hello lovely listeners! This episode we welcome the fabulous storyteller Sandra A Agard. Sandra ia a professional storyteller, author, and playwright. She‘s been sharing stories for over forty years in libraries, schools, festivals and museums. Emily has been lucky enough to work with Sandra and just loves listening to the way she brings stories to life.  If you want to read some of Sandra's books...

Hello lovely listeners! This episode we travel deep into the forest to the cave of a mysterious man who seems to have a cave full of wonders... This is a version adapted from a story by children's author Ruth Ainsworth . My sister and I heard the story when we were little and really liked the storyline - but because it was written a long time ago, some of the language was a bit old fashioned. We h...

We have TWO stories for you this episode. Our first is from Super fan Astrid, who tells us Why Ravens are Black. What a fantastic storyteller you are, Astrid! Do you like riddles? We love them! Emily's story is a tale full of riddles, about a clever King and even more clever girl. It has versions all over the world, but this version is from what is now called Kahzakstan. Remember to join us over o...

This episode we have a famous legend from Wales, featuring the formidable witch goddess Ceridwen, who lives near the shore of Llyn Tegid . The story of Ceridwen's Cauldron is very old and has many different versions, but they all feature her magic cauldron and a fabulous chase filled with transformation - thanks to the magic of Awen. Awen is a Welsh and Breton word for 'inspiration', that magical...

Happy New Year everyone! Here's Part 2 of our Christmas Special story - The Nutcracker. The music on this episode is from The Nutcracker Suite and is by famous Russian composer Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky You can find out more about Mr Tchaikovsky HERE and listen to the music from the ballet HERE . Remember to join us over on Patreon – you get early access, bonus content, videos and shout outs so hop...

Happy Holidays everyone! We are delighted to share part 1 of our Christmas Special with you! Have you ever loved a toy so much you wished it came to life? Have you ever dreamed that you went on wonderful adventures with that toy that seemed so real? Well, over two hundred years ago an author named E.T.A Hoffman wrote a beautiful story that enchanted children and grown ups - The Nutcracker & th...

Hello folks! This episode we're off to Eastern Europe to find Mareshka in the snowy landscape. Winters there can be terribly cold in Slovakia – with lots of snow and ice. And long ago, it was really important to store food for the winter and to live by the seasons, AND get to know the personalities of the twelve months. What do you think February would look like as a person? Or August? Draw a pict...

Hello lovely listeners! This episode we have a Jack story for you from France! Do you remember Lazy Jack from Season 2? Well, this classic fairytale introduces another, more clumsy Jack and lots of magic. There are versions of this story by the Grimm brothers, Henri Pourrat, the Comtesse D'Aulnoy and Joseph Jacobs. I hope you like this one. What are doing for the Holidays? How do you celebrate? An...

Hello storylovers! This episode we have two great stories for you! Our first is from storyteller Sarah Rundle from West London.  Sarah has performed at Festivals all around the world, she’s told tales in museums and theatres, pubs and cafes. I love hearing Sarah’s stories because they’re often very funny and a bit crazy. And this is very famous old folktale called The Dauntless Girl. It's a slight...

It’s Halloween and LEO'S BACK! This episode we introduce our special radio play - Horror at the Hotel de Ville! We had so much fun making this very silly story - we hope you enjoy it! Huge thanks to all our spooky comedians for their hilarious jokes ... Mila, Casimir, Sky, Magda, Bianca, Nara, George, Frankie, Tess, Farley and Elle.    We'd also like to say a BIG THANK YOU to our patrons - Little...

We are now on PATREON! We have a special new club for superfans of our podcast. It’s free to join and we'll be posting pictures, facts and other little things on our patreon page. But! If you would like some extra special Dragonfly Tales content – you can subscribe to our page for a small monthly fee. You can sign up to be a Little Sprite or a Power Pixie! And when you do, you get extra stories, v...

This episode features an old tale from Scotland - all about the power of a name. There are many versions of this tale from around the world: Rumplestiltskin, Tom Tit Tot, Ricdin Ricdon. But Whuppity Stoorie is by far our favourite. Remember to send in your spooky jokes for our Halloween Special! The easiest way to do it, is to record yourself on a smart phone and email it to us. If you would like...

Welcome to Season 6! This episode we welcome the Yarnsmith Dave Tonge to our podcast. Dave has many a yarn to spin. He is a fabulous storyteller – and also a Historian and an award-winning author! He’s written books on Northfolk folktales for children, Medieval folk tales and Tudor tales too. So if you like a bit of history to your tales, you’ll love Dave’s books. But today, he’s telling us a very...

Hi Story fans! In this episode we introduce Coyote, a superstar of Native American folklore. We can’t believe it’s taken us this long to give him his own episode. A coyote is a real animal, a wild dog that lives in the wide plains, forests and even urban areas of North America. They can be found right across the continent, but particularly in places like Texas, Colorado, California, and New Mexico...

Hi folks! We go way back to old Japan in this famous story of a poor young man who saves a fish. Japan is surrounded by water, so much of their folklore comes from the sea. Japanese mermaids are called Ningyo, and they are not like European mermaids at all! Thankfully, our hero catches the Dragon king's daughter and sets her free. That's got to be worth a reward, right? You can find out lo...

Hello story lovers! This episode we travel to Ireland to learn about a famous Irish fairy - the Leprechaun. Young Bridget decides it's easier to catch a leprechaun and get his gold than working hard for what you want. But fooling a fairy is not that easy! Leprechauns have existed in Irish mythology for hundreds, maybe thousands of years! Many believe they are descended from the old Irish gods,...

Hello and welcome to Dragonfly Tales, a story podcast with tales from around the world. This episode is an emotional one (sniff), as it is Leo's last episode hosting with Emily. He's off on lots of adventures but has promised to stop by from time to time. But stories go on... In our story, it is the final stage of our epic norse tale and Odin, the All Father of the Norse gods. And the batt...

Hello and welcome to Dragonfly Tales, a story podcast with tales from around the world. This episode, we welcome back LEO for part 2 of our epic! He also shares his top 4 favourite episodes of the podcast. And because we have so many shout outs and lots of action still to come in our story, he's coming back for PART 3! Hurray!!! In our story, we continue with our epic norse tale and Odin, the...