Opening

The Czech fairy tale tradition also carries over into puppetry with hand-crafted marionettes. It is part of the Czech culture in our times. Czech and Slovak fairy tales range between nursery tales and rather jovial devil tales, which show that Czechs may use satire: It can also be glimpsed where the story-teller makes fun of the folly of the world, the frailty of fellow-men, and perhaps his own. Hence, in Czech tales there are many who are bad and stupid, and some foolish kings are also prone to break their word.

Granted that, the story-teller also shows how bad ones are vanquished and the foolish put to shame. He thereby nourishes the hope in a good outcome of things. And in Czech tales there is a search for a haven of refuge from a often cruel and bad environment. We find fond dream-pictures of circumstances where all is beneficent and every important thing ends well. Great truth and justice have finally conquered, and cruel tyrants are taken out. Very many tales nourish such deep-set hopes and longings. (Baudis 1917, xiii-xiii-1)

Many Czech fairytales are like Grimm tales with a nicer twist. The stories are also found in many versions elsewhere, as the International Catalogue shows (Uther 2004). For example, "Clever Manka" is very popular among the Czechs and Slovaks and is considered by them especially typical of their own folk wisdom and folk humor. Yet the catch at the end appears in a story in the Talmud. Also, the story of the devil marrying a scold - another great favourite with the Slavs - also has its Talmudic parallel in the story of the Angel of Death marrying a woman. And yet, different peoples put their own marks of background, humour, and imagination on the stories that they retell.

Some Czech folklore beings

There may be fairies, water spirits and woodsmen in some Czech tales. They suggest "Take care; beware." Some scary beings that are told of, obviously serve to keep children and youths sound and safe in many ways - from getting to places where some drown, from getting wiser than the hell-bound, from getting lost in the wild woods, or from getting kidnapped in broad daylight or after dark! Granted that, there may be many forms of entertainment. Some warning tales also serve an underlying purpose, which may well be good and very well-meaning.

The water sprite called "vodnik" is usually presented as an unsightly green man riding a catfish. It is the nix (nech) by another name and in a specially conceived shape.

Kind water sprites sit around on branches of willows smoking pipes and play the violin at twilight time.

There are many different kinds of devils in Czech fairy tales. Hell's ruler uses magic and curses. A devil leaves hell to capture souls of sinners, by making people sell their souls for mere worldly gains.

White Ladies in this tradition are ghosts that lives at many Czech castles. She wanders through castle chambers and usually heralds approaching danger. Typically, the White Lady is depicted in a long white dress and a high cone-shaped hat.

Will-o'-the-wisps are various lights that lure travellers into bogs. But if a traveller is nice to them, they could lead him safely out of the forest.

The hairy "braying man" in the woods is a bogeyman who scares people with horrible screaming and braying.

The midday witch may kidnap naughty children at noon, and the twilight witch may do the same with children who wander outside after evening bells have chimed.