Folktales are unique literature: stories passed from generation to generation in a culture. All cultures have folktales. Often as these stories are told and retold, they change slightly. Many folktales originally told by word of mouth are now in written form, and many readers enjoy them. Myths and fairy tales are types of folktales. Folktales told in a culture tell a lot about the beliefs and values of a culture. For instance, Cinderella tells about the dream of rags to riches and about the rewards of being a hardworking, kind person.

America, because it attracted immigrants from many nations, is full of the folktales from many cultures. As people journeyed to America to build railroads, farm the land, and build communities, they added to the rich cultural heritage of our nation.

This is just one example of a folktale from a group of people who journeyed to America. Before you begin to read, discover where this folktale originated. As you read, think about what values and beliefs this folktale teaches. After you read, compare this folktale to others you have read. Is this like some that you know? How?

Before you begin to read:
Try to find the location where this folktale originated.

As you read:
Think about what values and beliefs this folktale teaches.

After you read:
Compare this folktale to others you have read. Is this like some that you know? How?

Tattercoats – An English Tale

Once upon a time in a beautiful palace by the sea lived a lonely, rich old lord. He spent his days looking out his window at the sea because he had neither a wife nor child alive, only a granddaughter whom he refused to see. Years before, the lord’s beloved daughter died giving birth to this granddaughter, and the old lord had refused to see the child since.

The child grew up alone with no one to care for her, love her, feed her, or even clothe her. She spent her days wandering through the castle waiting for a few scraps of food from the kitchen or clothes given away by the servants in the palace. The servants all called her “Tattercoats” and treated her badly, often making fun of her and even chasing her away from the castle sometimes.

The only friend that Tattercoats had was a goose herder who lived outside the castle. When Tattercoats would visit him and his flock of geese, he would often play his pipe, and she would dance and forget her many troubles.

One day, the king traveled through this land and decided to hold a grand ball in a palace not far from the one that belonged to the rich lord. The king wanted his son, the prince, to find a wife. The lord decided to prepare himself for the ball, leave his lonely seat by the window, and travel to the other palace because he did not want to anger the king by not attending. He clothed himself in gold and silk, adorned himself with jewels, and climbed on his horse to journey to the castle. Before he could leave his castle, a servant carried a message to the lord begging him to take his granddaughter to the great ball. “Let her play in her rags. It is all she is fit for,” the lord replied.

When Tattercoats heard about the ball and how her grandfather refused to take her, she ran to the goose herder and told him about her unhappiness. The goose herder listened to the girl and told her to forget her worries. He promised to take her to town to see the king and began to play his pipe. Before they went far, a handsome young man rode up and asked to travel with them. He quickly noticed how gracefully Tattercoats danced and saw her great beauty beneath the ragged clothes.

The young stranger asked Tattercoats to marry him, but she simply laughed and asked him how his rich friends would react to her. The young man would not take no for an answer and instructed Tattercoats to join him at the king’s ball at midnight. There, he would present her as his bride to the king and lords and ladies.

When midnight came, Tattercoats did as the prince instructed and arrived in a torn petticoat and bare feet just as the clock struck twelve. The goose herder and his flock of geese followed her. The lords and ladies began to point and laugh, but the young man who was the prince, proudly walked up to his future bride and then presented her to his father, the king.

Magically, as the goose herder began to play a mysterious tune, the geese became pages and the petticoat became a fine dress with a long train. The lords and ladies gasped in amazement at the girl’s beauty. The couple married. Meanwhile, the goose herder disappeared, never to be seen again, and the rich lord returned to his lonely seat by the window.