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Southern European Folktales

An illustration of the clever youngest maid defending home from robbers, Portuguese folktale scene.

The Wise Little Maid – europeanfolktales.com

Once upon a time in a quiet Portuguese town, there lived a wealthy merchant, a kindly man, who each year, on a fixed day of a fixed month, would depart for a distant city to collect money owed him on a business account. When he left, his wife and their three daughters, of which the wise little maid was one,
An llustration of child facing shadowy El Coco in Spanish folklore.

The Legend of El Coco

Across the towns and villages of Spain, when the sun dips below the horizon and shadows stretch long across narrow streets, a familiar warning has echoed through generations. “Duérmete, niño… que viene El Coco.” Sleep, child… or El Coco will come. No one agrees on exactly what El Coco looks
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