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?

The Enchanted Bottle–an Irish Tale

A few years ago in the countryside lived a man and wife and their children. The couple, named Mick and Molly, was poor and made barely enough to get by and feed their family. Their lives changed one year when the crops failed, the pig got sick, and the chickens all died. Molly and Mick decided that the only thing to do was to sell the family cow.

The next morning Mick, with the cow, set off for the village. He worried that he would not get enough money from the cow to feed his family and pay the taxes on his land. As he walked, Mick suddenly saw a man ahead of him. The man seemed strange because he was small, wrinkled, and had eyes that seemed to never be still. The stranger’s eyes made Mick uncomfortable, but Mick was a kind person and walked with the strange man.

The two talked, and the stranger offered to trade an old empty bottle for the cow. Mick refused at first, but the man would not take no for an answer. He told Mick that his family would be rich if they took the bottle and that the cow might die on the way to the village. Frightened, Mick accepted the bottle from the man. The man then said, “When you get home, ask your wife to sweep the floor, lay out the table, and then say ‘Bottle, do your duty’.” With that, the man and the cow disappeared, and Mick was left alone on the road.

Mick turned toward home and began his long journey back. When he arrived, Molly was surprised to see him so quickly. She asked him how much he had gotten for the cow. Reluctantly, Mick showed Molly the empty bottle. Molly began to cry because she was afraid her children would all starve. Mick explained what the man had told him. Molly was sad, but she swept the floor, covered the table with a table cloth, and placed the bottle on the floor. Mick said, “Bottle, do your duty.”

Suddenly, from out of the bottle came two fairies. They covered the table with golden dishes, the finest foods imaginable, and other great treasures. Amazed, the family sat down and hungrily ate the food. When they had finished, they waited for the fairies to return and take the riches away. Mick and Molly soon realized that the treasures were theirs to keep. Over the next few months the family grew wealthy and bought more land, until one day their landlord came to the family and asked about their new-found wealth. At first, the couple did not tell the man about the bottle, but finally they relented and told him their secret. The landlord immediately offered to buy the bottle for a huge price. Mick and Molly refused. The landlord was persistent, and finally the couple agreed to sell the bottle because they were sure they had all the money they ever needed.

Without the bottle, Mick and Molly continued to spend money lavishly and lived unwisely. Soon, the family was once again on the verge of starvation, and Mick was again making the trip to sell the cow in the village. He hoped to meet the strange man again and was not disappointed. Mick told the man his sad tale, and the stranger again offered Mick a bottle for the cow. Excitedly, Mick accepted the bottle and rushed home to tell Molly about their good fortune.

When Mick arrived home, Molly quickly cleaned the floor and set the table. Mick said, “Bottle, do your duty.” But this time, instead of two nimble fairies, out of the bottle came two hulking brutes that beat the family to the ground with clubs. Much later, Mick was able to get up and knew what he must do. He packed up the bottle and traveled to his landlord’s estate.

There, he offered this new bottle to the landlord who was having a fine party at his home. Quickly, the landlord agreed to buy the bottle from Mick. The landlord cleaned the floor, set the table, and commanded the bottle to do its work. Again, out came the hulking men who began to attack the landlord and his rich guests. The man cried out and asked Mick to help him. Mick replied, “The men will never stop until I get my own bottle back.” The landlord agreed. Mick picked up both bottles, the men jumped back into their bottle, and Mick and his family lived happily ever after.