Down the Moonlit Path tells timeless stories that capture our human history and speak to the ways we live in the world today. Working with folk and fairy tales from many regions, we can see relationships form between the tales collected for DtMP, and discover hundreds of similar tales found in cultures throughout the world. Information on the source stories is included alongside other cultural variations on these tales below.
In many cases, these stories come from oral traditions and were not recorded until colonizing nations arrived; it is important to note that some sources below are from the earliest written records, though we have tried to incorporate links that are as near the perspective of the originating culture as possible.
In many cases, these stories come from oral traditions and were not recorded until colonizing nations arrived; it is important to note that some sources below are from the earliest written records, though we have tried to incorporate links that are as near the perspective of the originating culture as possible.
Hansel & Grethel
source story
variations French: Hop O’ My Thumb and Finette Cendron Spanish: Garganta de la Olla (2 versions) |
The story of Hansel and Grethel is central to the production of Down the Moonlit Path. The title of the show is based on “the moonlit path” of stones Hansel and Grethel use to get home, which mirrors the structure of the show: to guide audiences down different paths of tales from around the globe.. Many of us on the creative team found a direct childhood connection to the Brothers Grimm variations of this story, and we imagine it may be one audiences connect with, too.
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The Storks and the Night Owl
The Storks and the Night Owl has an epic feel and stylization that follows the tradition of The Arabian Nights. The source of this adaptation begins at German folklorist Wilhelm Hauff's variation. Though the story takes place in the Iraqi city of Baghdad, adaptations of this tale take a more fantastical viewpoint of regional culture and traditions.
This story introduces into DtMP's world the themes of traveling and transformation—from human to animal and back. |
source story
variations German: Sasha, Manzoor, and the Stork Persian: The King Who Transferred His Soul to a Parrot |
The Hummingbird & The Shepherdess
source story
variations Peruvian: The Frog and the Condor French: The Benevolent Frog Iroquois: The Girl Who Was Not Satisfied with Simple Things |
A beautiful and simple story from South America. The movement inherent to the story (field to mountain and back) as well as the aspect of a tiny animal as unexpected savior connects us to different landscapes, and to themes present in many of the DtMP tales.
Initially inspired by a similar Aymara tale, "The Frog and the Condor," we adapted a tale collected by Chile's Museum of Precolombian Art that appeared to be more widely told in the region. This story contains a clear comparison between the animals represented—two birds of opposite sizes—and better develops the young shepherdess at the center of the narrative. |
Mangita & Larina
A Filipino story of two sisters, this tale has a Cinderella thread, with an evil sister who puts off work as well as a fairy godmother. It also highlights real-world concerns alongside its magical elements by setting Mangita and Larina within the structure of the colonized Philippines and surviving poverty by the skills learned from their deceased parents.
One of the few recorded versions of the story, John Maurice Miller's retelling for his 1904 book Philippine Folklore Stories, is the basis for the DtMP adaptation. |
source story
variations Zimbabwean: Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters French: Diamonds and Toads American: The Talking Eggs |
Cunnie-Mo'n-Father
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Cunnie-Mo'n-Father is a Jamaican story that draws from the West African tradition of Anancy (trickster god) tales. Its singularity as a consistent character's story highlights its global reach and the effect of imperialism on tale-telling. George Parkes' telling of the tale as recorded by Martha Warren Beckwith in her Jamaica Anansi Stories collection was the starting point for DtMP adaptation.
Cunnie also develops a child protagonist to overcome an unjust parental figure. Even though the underlying themes of this tale may be dark, the history of Anancy stories as ones of trickery keeps the tone light and energetic. |
How Morning Star Lost Her Fish
Morning Star is a Native American story of the Haudenosaunee people; it focuses on conflicts between nature and human control, and our ability to correct our role in the natural order.
The story finds similarities in other Haudenosaunee tales about the legend of the Morning Star as a personified character, and in the stories of "little people" who can provide fortune or mischief to those who encounter them. |
source story
variations Haudenosaunee: Legend of the Morning Star and The Gifts of the Little People Blackfoot: The Story of Poia Tuscarora: The Corn Spirit Cherokee: Little People of the Cherokee |
The Twin Brothers
source story
variations Congo: The Magic Tree Tibetan: The Two Brothers German: The Two Brothers by the Brothers Grimm Native American (Caddo): The Twin Brothers |
The characters of twin brothers are often used in fairy tales, and this Congolese version reveals the "two sides of the same coin" that characterizes many of these tale types.
The Twin Brothers also presents powerful female representation in the form of an African princess (Mwana) and spiritual queen (Nzambi) in addition to its moral call not to reach beyond what you are given. |
The Crane Wife
A Japanese tale about transformation, secret identity, and humility, The Crane Wife tells the story of a hard-working rice farmer who becomes impatient with the secrecy surrounding the good fortune his new wife brings him and his mother.
A long-standing oral tale with many variations, DtMP started from the story recorded by Kate Douglas Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith in Tales of Wonder. The Crane Wife finds similarity in other folk tales from across the world that focus on laborers who come across a stroke of luck and question it until it disappears. |
source story
variations Japanese: The Willow Wife Chinese: The Dinner That Cooked Itself German: The Elves and the Shoemaker Greek: Cupid & Psyche: The 4 Tasks |
Hans, Who Made the Princess Laugh
source story
variations African-American: Words Without End German: The Golden Goose Italian: Peruonto Russian: The Unsmiling Tsarevna |
The themes of travel and proving oneself through cunning is present in this story, and balances against traditional fairy tale images of the dimwit hero and the sticky animal who helps the hero win.
Hans becomes another connecting thread between the tales of Down the Moonlit Path that takes a much more light-hearted approach in revealing its statements on family, difficult journeys, and staying true to yourself. |