Women's Tales

For International Women's Day, I wanted to share some of my favorite stories with female protagonist.

1. "Li Chi Slays the Great Serpent" in In Search of the Supernatural by Gan Bao, Kenneth J. DeWoskin & J.I. Crump.
An impoverished girl decides to kill the serpent that eats a maiden annually.

2. "The Good Stepmother" in All the World’s Reward: Folktales Told by Five Scandinavian Storytellers by Reimund Kvideland & Henning K. Sehmsdorf.
A king's fiancée helps her would-be stepdaughter minimize the effects a curse.

3. "The Wolf Queen" in Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela.
A lady magically transforms herself into a wolf so she can avoid an undesirable suitor.

4. "The Seven Crows" in Folk Stories from the Hills of Puerto Rico Rafael Ocasio.
A young girl undergoes a quest to find her lost older brothers.

5. "A Calabash of Poi" in In the Path of the Trade Winds by Cora Wells Thorpe.
A goddess visits mortal households and judges the residents based on their hospitality.

6. "The Story of King Shahriyar and His Vizier's Daughter, Shahrazad" in The Annotated Arabian Nights: Tales from the 1001 Nights by Paulo Lemos Horta & Yasmine Seale.
Two sisters use bibliotherapy to heal a sultan's rape trauma and save his kingdom's women.

7. "Whuppity Stoorie" in The Well at the World’s End, Folk Tales of Scotland by Norah & William Montgomerie.
A farmwoman must learn a fairy's name or lose her son.

8. "The Promises of the Three Sisters" in Folktales of Egypt by Hasan M. El-Shamy.
A brother and sister have epic journeys and reunite with their mother and father.

9. "Judas's Ear" in Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions by John Bierhorst.
A widow disguises herself as a man and rescues three princesses.

10. "The Search for Luck" in Modern Greek Folktales by R.M. Dawkins.
An elderly woman travels far from home so she can speak to the sun.