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1001 Stories Collection

The Stonecutter

Audio

Added on 08th July 2020

Oral tradition Folktale from Japan

Asia Fables

1001 , Audio , Text , Storymap

Dissatisfaction with your lot in life can lead to surprising discoveries.

Story

Who is the most powerful being in the world? Perhaps it’s not as obvious as you think. A dissatisfied stone cutter is tired of spending his day cutting stone from a great mountain. He wishes to be powerful and strong but whatever he wishes to be there is always something more powerful and stronger until he makes a surprising discovery.

Why we chose it

The Stonecutter was one of our original audio stories. These stories are particularly suitable for learning to retell. Adele Moss, who told it for us, says it is a great story to dance.

Where it came from

The story is believed to be originally from Japan.

Where it went next

Andrew Lang included it in The Crimson Fairy Book.

Associated stories

The story has similarities with the story of The Golden Fish or the Brother’s Grimm story The Fisherman and his Wife. In all three stories the characters are dissatisfied with their lot in life and seek magical help to change it.