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The False Prince and the True:
"A king received word that his son, the prince, and a gentleman had argued over tennis until the other man struck the prince. The prince, though armed, had not returned the attack but only cried.

The king was displeased with the prince's cowardice, but decreed that the young man would be brought to court for having attacked the heir to the throne, for which he was likely to die. He let him go wherever he wished in the city, under guard, for the fourteen days before his case was heard.

The young man tried to get advice, but no one could advise him on how to escape, because he had struck the heir to the throne. An old woman told him she could save him if he would marry her. He rejected her offer, but on consideration, chased after her and agreed. She had him swear before a priest to marry her and then told him what to say.

In court, the young man tells the king that the queen had, while he was away, taken the son of a quarryman and passed him off as her own son. Then, after her death, the king had met a woman and married her in secret, leaving her tokens, but one day he went off to quell a rebellion and while he was gone, his bride vanished. The young man could now tell him that his chamberlain, the bride's father, had recognized the tokens and vowed that the king would not have her until he was willing to own her as his queen. The young man had been born to her in secret. Now he had the tokens to show his true birth.

The king owned him as his son. He told him how he had learned the truth and admitted he did not want to marry the old woman because she was old and his father had not chosen her for him. The king insisted that he must keep his promise, and the wedding was held. The prince tried to hunt and forget his old wife, but one day, in the night, he heard a noise and thought it was robbers. It proved to be a young and beautiful woman, who told him that she was his wife and a princess. A wicked fairy had cursed her to that form. A wizard had managed to have the spell break if a prince agreed to marry her as she was before her fifteenth birthday; then, as her fifteenth birthday approached, the wizard had discovered him and told her what she needed to know to save him."

Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair:
"A hermit lived alone. One day, a box floated down the river to him. It contained a beautiful boy child, Făt-Frumos, and a letter saying that his mother was a king's daughter who had erred and done this out of fear of her parents. A grape vine sprung up in his hut, and with its fruit, he was able to feed the child. When he was grown, the hermit died, telling him that a lion would come to dig his grave, and that he should take the horse reins in the attic, which, if he shook, would bring him a horse. He did as his foster father said. The horse gave him clothing, and he rode off. At the horse's direction, he took service with three fairies. The horse told him that every seven years, their bathroom had a flow of gold that would turn anyone's hair gold; it also had a chest with three magnificent suits of clothing. One day, the fairies went to a party but directed him to summon them back if the gold started to flow. It did. The horse directed him to bathe in it himself and take the clothes. He did, and they escaped the fairies.

He hid his hair and got a job working for a gardener for a king. One day, the king's oldest daughter arranged for herself and her sisters to bring melons to the king: hers was overripe, her next sister's was ripe, the youngest's was just about ripe. His councilors explained that the oldest should have been married already, the next was ready for marriage, and even the youngest daughter was nearly ready. Suitors came for them, and the oldest was married to a prince. The wedding procession set out from the castle; only the youngest princess stayed behind. Făt-Frumos loosed his hair, put on the suit like a flowering meadow, and rode his horse over the garden. It did much damage, but the princess was enchanted with him. The gardener was angry, but the princess gave him gold and told him not to beat the boy. When the second sister married, the youngest princess stayed behind, the boy loosed his hair, wore a suit like the starry night and rode his horse, ruining the garden; the youngest princess bribed the gardener with two handfuls of gold not to beat him. The king had a feast at his hunting lodge; again the youngest princess did not go, and Făt-Frumos loosed his hair, wore a suit with the sun, the moon, and stars, and ruined the garden so badly that weeks did not restore it. The youngest princess bribed the gardener with three handfuls of gold.

The king saw how his youngest daughter was always sad. His councilors suggested that all the princes and nobles should walk under the gate, and whoever the princess dropped a golden apple to would be her husband. They all walked, but she did not drop the apple. Then all the servants, last of all the bald undergardner, as Făt-Frumos appeared. She dropped the apple to him. The king refused, but after three times, she had dropped the apple to him every time. They married quietly and the king gave them a hut in a distant corner of his courtyard.

The princes who had wooed her were offended and banded together to attack her father. His sons-in-law raised armies to come to his aid. Făt-Frumos said he would do the same, but his father-in-law jeered at him, finally let him come only as a water carrier. But out of sight, Făt-Frumos changed into the clothes he had stolen from the fairies and came to the king's aid. The forces attacked three times, and the third, Făt-Frumos was wounded. The king gave him a handkerchief to bind his wounds.

The king began to go blind. It was learned that only the milk of red wild goats would cure him. His sons-in-law set out to find it. Făt-Frumos found the goats and got the milk, and offered to sell some to his brothers-in-law if they would let him brand them as his slaves. They agreed, thinking they could escape, but only Făt-Frumos's milk restored the king's sight.

At the banquet, Făt-Frumos revealed that he had branded the other two kings as his slaves and was the hero who had helped the king's army. The king demanded that he reappear as he appeared then. When Făt-Frumos did so, he gave up his throne to Făt-Frumos. The first thing Făt-Frumos did was free his brothers in law."

The Pot Bears a Son:
"Nasrdin Avanti borrowed a big pot from a rich and stingy man. Then he congratulated him: the pot had had a child. He gave him the small pot as well. Then he borrowed the pot again and returned to mournfully tell him that the big pot had died. When the rich man objected, he said that if it could bear a son, it could no doubt die as well."

Butterfly Lovers:
"Zhu Yingtai is a beautiful and intelligent young woman, the ninth child and only daughter of the wealthy Zhu family of Shangyu, Zhejiang. Although traditions of that era discourage females from going to school, Zhu manages to convince her father to allow her to attend classes in disguise as a young man. During her journey to Hangzhou, she meets Liang Shanbo, a scholar from Kuaiji (present-day Shaoxing). They chat and feel a strong affinity for each other at their first meeting. Hence, they gather some soil as incense and take an oath of fraternity in the pavilion of a thatched bridge.

They study together for the next three years in school and Zhu gradually falls in love with Liang. Although Liang equals Zhu in their studies, he is still a bookworm and fails to notice the feminine characteristics exhibited by his classmate.

One day, Zhu receives a letter from her father, asking her to return home as soon as possible. Zhu has no choice but to pack her belongings immediately and bid Liang farewell. However, in her heart, she has already confessed her love for Liang and is determined to be with him for all eternity. Before her departure, she reveals her true identity to the headmaster's wife and requests her to hand over a jade pendant to Liang as a betrothal gift.

Liang accompanies his "sworn brother" for 18 miles to see her off. During the journey, Zhu hints to Liang that she is actually a woman. For example, she compares them to a pair of mandarin ducks (a symbol of lovers in Chinese culture), but Liang does not catch her hints and does not even have the slightest suspicion that his companion is a woman in disguise. Zhu finally comes up with an idea and tells Liang that she will act as a matchmaker for him and his "sister". Before they part, Zhu reminds Liang to visit her residence later so he can propose to marry her "sister." Liang and Zhu reluctantly part ways at the Changting pavilion.

Months later, when Liang visits Zhu, he discovers that she is actually a woman. They are devoted to and passionate about each other and they make a vow of "till death do us part". The joy of their reunion is short-lived as Zhu's parents have already arranged for her to marry a man from a rich family called Ma Wencai. Liang is heartbroken when he hears the news and his health gradually deteriorates until he becomes critically ill. He dies in office later as a county magistrate.

On the day of Ma and Zhu's marriage, mysterious whirlwinds prevent the wedding procession from escorting the bride beyond Liang's grave, which lies along the journey. Zhu leaves the procession to pay her respects to Liang. She descends in bitter despair and begs for the grave to open up. Suddenly, the grave opens with a clap of thunder. Without further hesitation, Zhu throws herself into the grave to join Liang. Their spirits turn into a pair of beautiful butterflies and emerge from the grave. They fly away together as a pair of butterflies and are never to be separated again."

~hums~

~dances~

Botan Dōrō:
"Otogi Boko version

On the first night of Obon, a beautiful woman and a young girl holding a peony lantern stroll by the house of the widowed samurai Ogiwara Shinnojo. Ogiwara is instantly smitten with the woman, named Otsuyu, and vows an eternal relationship. From that night onward, the woman and the girl visit at dusk, always leaving before dawn. An elderly neighbor, suspicious of the girl, peeks into his home and finds Ogiwara in bed with a skeleton. Consulting a Buddhist priest, Ogiwara finds that he is in danger unless he can resist the woman, and he places a protection charm on his house. The woman is then unable to enter his house, but calls him from outside. Finally, unable to resist, Ogiwara goes out to greet her, and is led back to her house, a grave in a temple. In the morning, Ogiwara's dead body is found entwined with the woman's skeleton.[9]

Kabuki version

A young student named Saburo falls in love with a beautiful woman named Otsuyu, the daughter of his father's best friend. They meet secretly, and promise to be married. But Saburo falls ill, and is unable to see Otsuyu for a long time.

Later, when Saburo recovers and goes to see his love, he is told that Otsuyu has died. He prays for her spirit during the Obon festival, and is surprised to hear the approaching footsteps of two women. When he sees them, they look remarkably like Otsuyu and her maid. It is revealed that her aunt, who opposed the marriage, spread the rumor that Otsuyu had died and told Otsuyu in turn that Saburo had died.

The two lovers, reunited, begin their relationship again in secret. Each night Otsuyu, accompanied by her maid who carries a peony lantern, spends the night with Saburo.

This continues blissfully until one night a servant peeks through a hole in the wall in Saburo's bedroom, and sees him having sex with a decaying skeleton, while another skeleton sits in the doorway holding a peony lantern. He reports this to the local Buddhist priest, who locates the graves of Otsuyu and her maid. Taking Saburo there, he convinces him of the truth, and agrees to help Saburo guard his house against the spirits. The priest places ofuda around the house, and prays the nenbutsu every night.

The plan works, and Otsuyu and her maid are unable to enter, although they come every night and call out their love to Saburo. Pining for his sweetheart, Saburo's health begins to deteriorate. Saburo's servants, afraid that he will die from heartbreak leaving them without work, remove the ofuda from the house. Otsuyu enters, and again has sex with Saburo.

In the morning, the servants find Saburo dead, his body entwined with Otsuyu's skeleton. His face is radiant and blissful.[10]"

The Five Chinese Brothers:
"Long ago in China lived a family with five brothers who resembled each other very closely. They each possessed a special talent. One can swallow the sea; one has an iron neck; one can stretch his legs; one can survive fire; and the last can hold his breath forever. When one of the brothers, a somehow very successful fisherman, agrees to let a young boy accompany him on his fishing trip, trouble results. This brother holds the entire sea in his mouth so that the boy can retrieve fish and treasures. When the man can no longer hold in the sea, he frantically signals to the boy, but the boy ignores him and drowns when the man releases the water.

The man is accused of murder and sentenced to death. However, one by one, his four brothers assume his place when subjected to execution, and each uses his own superhuman ability to survive. At the end of the story, a judge decides that the brother accused of murder must have been innocent, since he could not be executed, and the five brothers return home."