Folk tales in English traditionally start with the phrase “Once upon a time”, “A long time ago” or “There was once a …”, or something similar. This might be followed by “in a land far, far away”, and possibly “there lived a …”.
They often end with the phrase “… and they lived happily every after”, or something similar.
At least that’s the impression I have. Is it accurate though?
Here are a selection of opening and closing sentences from English folk tales:
Once upon a time there was a woman, and she baked five pies.
…
Well, when that heard her, that gave an awful shriek and away that flew into the dark, and she never saw it any more.
From: Tom Tit Tot
Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who had one daughter, and she was courted by a gentleman.
…
So the gentleman turned back home again and married the farmer’s daughter, and if they didn’t live happy for ever after, that’s nothing to do with you or me.
From: The three sillies
There was once upon a time a good man who had two children: a girl by a first wife, and a boy by the second.
…
Then the bird rattled the millstone against the eaves of the house a third time; and the stepmother said: “It thunders again, perhaps the thunder has brought something for me,” and she ran out; but the moment she stepped outside the door, down fell the millstone on her head; and so she died.
From: The Rose-tree
There were two lasses, daughters of one mother, and as they came from the fair, they saw a right bonny young man stand at the house-door before them.
…
And he took her home, and they lived happy ever after.
From: The Golden Ball
There once lived a king and a queen as many a one has been.
…
And they lived happy all their days.
From: Nix Nought Nothing
There was an old soldier who had been long in the wars—so long, that he was quite out-at-elbows, and he did not know where to go to find a living.
…
“You are a bigger fool than I am,” said the wife; “for I did only one foolish thing, and you have done two.”
From: Jack Hannaford
Well, there was once a very rich gentleman, and he’d three daughters, and he thought he’d see how fond they were of him.
…
And so they were happy ever after.
From: Cap-o-rushes
There was once a very learned man in the north-country who knew all the languages under the sun, and who was acquainted with all the mysteries of creation.
…
But the master remembered on his journey that he had not locked his book, and therefore returned, and at the moment when the water was bubbling about the pupil’s chin, rushed into the room and spoke the words which cast Beelzebub back into his fiery home.
From: The master and his pupil
Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it was neither in my time nor in your time nor in any one else’s time, there was an old man and an old woman, and they had one son, and they lived in a great forest.
…
And off they went, and were not long before they reached their journey’s end, when out comes the young wife to meet him with a fine lump of a young SON, and they all lived happy ever afterwards.
From: Jack and his golden snuff-box
Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was Jack, and he lived with his mother on a common.
…
They lived in a large house, and Jack’s mother lived with them in great happiness until she died.
From: Lazy Jack
Once there was a man Gobborn Seer, and he had a son called Jack.
…
As they left Gobborn told him: Now that Jack was done with this work, he should soon build a castle for his witty wife far superior to the king’s, which he did, and they lived there happily ever after.
From: Gobborn Seer
There lived formerly in the County of Cumberland a nobleman who had three sons, two of whom were comely and clever youths, but the other a natural fool, named Jack, who was generally engaged with the sheep: he was dressed in a parti-coloured coat, and a steeple-crowned hat with a tassel, as became his condition.
…
His majesty did not much relish the operation, but he assented to the marvel of it, and the princess and Jack were united the same day, and lived for many years in happiness and prosperity.
From: Princess of Canterbury
Not every tale starts with “Once upon a time”, and not everybody lives happily ever after, it seems. Also, Jack is a name that often seems to crop up in English folk tales.
What about in other languages?
How to folk tales begin and end in languages other than English?
Hungarian:
“Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy…” – “once there was, where there wasn’t, there once was a…”
“…és boldogan éltek, amíg meg nem haltak.” “…and they lived happily, until they died.”
I know a lot of Japanese tales start with 昔々「むかしむかし」 for “once upon a time” and then they typically end with 終わり「おわり」 for “the end.”
At least, that’s what I typically see for them.
Spanish has ¨Érase una vez …..¨to start off and ¨colorín colorado, este cuento se ha terminado.¨ Or did when I was growing up.
Finnish tales often start with “Olipa kerran…” (There once was…) and end with “Sen pituinen se” (That’s the length of it; meaning “here the story ends”). The last phrase is often preceded with “Ja he elivät onnellisina elämänsä loppuun asti” (And they lived happily until the end of their life).
Star Wars deserves a mention, too: “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away….”