O is for Oman

Tale of Fadil or Ramadu

A boy's stepmother abused him. Worse, his teacher was her brother, so his suffering was constant. His father was oblivious and the boy told him nothing. His one ally was an enchanted horse that warned him of his stepmother's desire to kill him. When the steed foiled her plans too many times, the stepmother plotted its death. The boy and his pet escaped and he sent a letter to his father, explaining everything. The boy then had adventures and ultimately married a princess.

Source: An Omani Folktale by Asyah Al-Bualy

J is for Japan

The Mirror of Matsuyama

A girl's mother left her a hand mirror as a gift before dying. Not understanding its function, the girl thought her reflection was her mother's soul. Her father remarried and her stepmother believed the girl was trying to curse her. She demanded her husband confront his daughter and the girl explained her relationship to the mirror and her departed mother. The stepmother apologized to her stepdaughter and the family lived happily ever after.

Source: The Japanese Fairy Book by Yei Theodora Ozaki.

I is for India

 

A Tales' Revenge

Two men agreed their children should marry. During their journey homewards, the spirits of unshared stories agreed to murder the man who wouldn't retell them. His companion overheard their conversation and protected his companion until every assassination plot failed. Once the danger passed, he told his buddy what had happened. They then reached their destination and joined their children in marriage.

Source: Telling Tales (1989) by A. K. Ramanujan.

Variants: "The Story-Spirits" in Folk Tales from Korea (1982) by In-Sob Zong.