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Genre: Myths & Legends
How the Platypus Came to Be
The nose of a duck, the fur of an otter and the tail of a beaver: platypuses are one of the strangest animals in the world! So where did they come from?
The Light at the Bottom of the Sea
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MaltaNew Vocabulary: Basement, Captain, Earthquake, Faithful, Hoofprint, Horizon, Kneel, Portrait, Saint, Tie up, TreasureWord Count: 979Original Author: Saviour PirottaÅ»gugina lives on the coast of Malta with her son. When pirates attack, she rushes to the church to pray to St Demetrius. ‘St Demetrius,’ she says, ‘if you save my son I will light a lamp that burns forever!’ What happened next was too much for her to believe…
Saint George and the Dragon
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Collar, Desert, Dew, Dragon, Kingdom, Knight, Pass out, Saint, Scratch, Tame, Well (water)Word Count: 1662Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyDownload this episode as a PDF. Transcript Welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from OK to Good, and from Good to Great. I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show. Today’s story is for pre-intermediate learners. The name of the story is Saint George and the Dragon. […]
Why Blood is Red
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: AncientNew Vocabulary: Confusion, Debate, Dye, Flame, Organ, Passion, Reflection (thought), Spit (noun), Urine, VariedWord Count: 1007Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyIn the beginning, there were two brother gods, Kimesh and Musesh. Kimesh created the planets with loud fire, and Musesh created the plants and animals with calm thought. Everything was fine for a while, until Kimesh decided the world needed some more colour…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 3 & 4
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Banter, Bargain, Bind, Coarse, Decrepit, Dodge, Fellow (person), Flatter, Flinch, Handsome (a lot), Immortal, Long for, Make a mockery, Nick, Noble, Owe it to yourself, Prey, Sham, Sin, Solely, Tact, Tick (clock), Triumph, Vow, Waver, Wild boar, WreckWord Count: 4006Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyEvery day, the lord of the castle goes hunting and Gawain stays in bed, bantering with the beautiful lady. Each night, Gawain and the lord exchange their ‘gains’ for the day. But Gawain cannot stop worrying about meeting the Green Knight, and when the lady offers him help, he can’t resist…
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Parts 1 & 2
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Alliteration, Axe, Be on your guard, Bless, Blow (hit), Chapel, Chastity, Chatter, Chivalry, Court (royalty), Feast, Fruits of …, Hag, Holy, Hop, Knight, Lady, Lord (Middle Ages), Mass (religion), Offspring, Potion, Rhyme, Shield, Siege, Sire (verb), Spoils, Step in the ring, Suit of armour, Trencher, WickedWord Count: 2910Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyKing Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table lIve peacefully at Camelot. But on New Year’s eve, a terrible knight rides into the castle, made entirely of green. He gives them a challenge: a man must come and attack him with his axe, and if the Green Knight survives, he will attack the man in a year and a day. Arthur’s nephew, Gawain, accepts the challenge, but things are not as they seem…
The Last King of the Britons
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Banquet, Be reunited, Crack, Dismount, Do someone an honour, Dwarf, Faerie folk, Give up (defeat), Make a deal, Risk your life, Rule, ShepherdWord Count: 1272Original Author: British MythsKing Herla is fighting a war against the Saxons and winning. A group of dwarves comes to his wedding and makes a deal with him: if they can come to his wedding, then in the future the king will go to the dwarf king’s wedding. He thinks the dwarves will give them amazing gifts, but he doesn’t know the risk he’s taking…
The Princess Who Carried a House
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Astrologer, Bow (ship), Dye, Instinct, Limb, Monk, Potion, Rule over, Superstition, WoundWord Count: 2633Original Author: Pannason RittaOne day, the King and Queen had a beautiful daughter. Her birth was easy, but still, the room filled with shocked cries when she came out. Why? She had no scars, extra limbs or unusual marks, but in her tiny hand she held a wooden house, in the traditional Thai style.
The Mermaid of Zennor
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: MedievalNew Vocabulary: Bench, Captain, Carve, Cast anchor, Don’t need to be asked twice, Mermaid, Mysterious, Overlook (view), Tail, Work up the courageWord Count: 970Original Author: Ariel GoodbodyOne day, the mysterious woman noticed Mathew. After church ended, she smiled at him, and looked at the door. He followed her, and this time she walked slowly, so that he did not lose her. However, he could still not work up the courage to walk beside her. Finally, she came to the cliffs that overlooked the ocean. Mathew went and stood beside her, and they talked for a while.
The Land of Youth
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Genre: Myths & LegendsSetting: FairytaleNew Vocabulary: Cast a spell, Disguise, Druid, Forever, Hunt, Land, Marry, Monster, Son-in-law, Ugly, YouthWord Count: 1563Original Author: Irish MythsNiamh’s father was afraid of many things. He thought that someone might try to kill him so that they could be king. He thought that someone would run faster than him in the next game. But he had a druid who could see the future, so he asked him to see the future. ‘Nobody will kill you, my king. And only one person would run faster than you: your son-in-law. So if your daughter never…