Folk tales

The burgomaster who stayed seated

The burgomaster’s trousers begin to smoke. The council sets out to find a solution that requires nobody to stand up.

Her most precious possession

The lord of the castle has made his subjects pay one time too many. Emma may leave with whatever she can carry herself.

The chest that was not allowed to sneeze

A comic tale about Hugo de Groot, Maria, Elsje and the book chest of Loevestein.

The bell that rang for the robbers

Ellert and Brammert have a bell for their victims. Marieke has been listening long enough.

A child without an instruction manual

Father has worked out exactly what kind of child he wants. The stone has not yet said yes to it.

Four villages and three bright sparks

The gentlemen have come to think up names. First they want to eat. Then a ditch turns out to be wiser than the whole committee.

The battle against the fish

There’s a monster lying in the street. Fortunately, Weert has a sheriff who knows exactly where he is safe.

The morning when nobody had done anything

The farmer calls himself the hardest worker in the Kempen. His work mostly gets done while he is asleep.

The woman who did not belong on land

Edam catches a wonder. Haarlem feels entitled to a bigger wonder. Nobody asks the wonder what she wants.

The bill with one dime too many

Zwolle wants every last coin. Kampen makes sure there are a great many of them.

The fellow who couldn’t stand himself

Beneath the brewery lives something nobody may look at. The youngest brewery hand goes down anyway — with his eyes shut.

The captain who was never late

He sets sail when every sensible person stays in port. Turning back is not on his list.

The duke with the dirty feet

The court wants a good laugh at a cobbler on the throne. But the cobbler has a few jobs for the court.

The woman who fed the sea

A free retelling of The Little Woman of Stavoren: about discarded grain, a returning ring and a crust of bread.