Fablehall

Myths · Legends · Tales for the night

Old stories, told slowly.

Gods who shape the world from ice and fire, heroes who look back once too often, pyramids raised by real hands. Fablehall tells the myths, legends, Bible stories and history of the world from the sources they were written down in.

Coming soon · follow for updatesSee the tales

Coming soon

The first tales

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    Norse

    The Norse creation myth

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    Greek

    Persephone and the turning of the seasons

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    Egyptian

    Isis and Osiris

  • Coming soon

    Mesopotamian

    Gilgamesh and Enkidu

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    Irish

    The children of Lir

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    Welsh

    Pwyll and the otherworld of Annwn

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    Arthurian

    The sword in the stone

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    Japanese

    Izanagi and Izanami

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    Chinese

    The cowherd and the weaver girl

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    Indian

    The churning of the ocean of milk

  • Coming soon

    Finnish

    The creation in the Kalevala

  • Coming soon

    Slavic

    Vasilisa and Baba Yaga

  • Coming soon

    Greek

    The twelve Olympians

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    Biblical

    Noah and the ark

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    Ancient Egypt

    How the Great Pyramid was built

  • Coming soon

    Arabian Nights

    Scheherazade and the thousand and one nights

Two ways to listen

One story, told twice

Awake · about 20 minutes

The documentary

The story with its context: where it was written down, what it meant to the people who told it, and how it echoes in later tales. Clear narration and a new painting every few breaths.

Lights out · slow and quiet

The sleep story

The same myth told at bedtime pace, with long pauses, soft rain or a low fire underneath, and no sudden turns. Made to fall asleep to.

Five languages, one video

Every episode carries its own narration in 5 languages. On YouTube, pick yours under Settings → Audio track; subtitles follow.

  • English
  • Español
  • Português
  • Deutsch
  • Français

The hall

113 stories from 31 cultures and eras

Myths, Bible stories, real history and classic tales: what we are telling first, each with the texts it follows. A marks a story that also comes as a sleep story; the darker ones are documentary only.

Myths & legends

Norse

  • The Norse creation myth ☾, also as a sleep storyProse Edda (Gylfaginning), Poetic Edda (Voluspa)
  • Thor in the hall of Utgard-Loki ☾, also as a sleep storyProse Edda, Gylfaginning 44–47
  • The death of BaldrProse Edda, Gylfaginning 49; Voluspa
  • The binding of FenrirProse Edda, Gylfaginning 34
  • Odin and the mead of poetry ☾, also as a sleep storyProse Edda, Skaldskaparmal 4–6
  • Ragnarok, the end and rebirth of the worldVoluspa; Prose Edda, Gylfaginning 51–53

Greek

  • Persephone and the turning of the seasons ☾, also as a sleep storyHomeric Hymn to Demeter; Ovid, Metamorphoses 5
  • Orpheus and Eurydice ☾, also as a sleep storyVirgil, Georgics 4; Ovid, Metamorphoses 10
  • Prometheus and the gift of fire ☾, also as a sleep storyHesiod, Theogony 507–616; Works and Days 42–105
  • Pandora and the jar ☾, also as a sleep storyHesiod, Works and Days 42–105; Theogony 570–612
  • Odysseus and the CyclopsHomer, Odyssey 9
  • Daedalus and Icarus ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 8
  • Perseus and MedusaApollodorus, Library 2.4; Ovid, Metamorphoses 4–5
  • Theseus and the MinotaurPlutarch, Life of Theseus; Apollodorus, Epitome 1
  • Jason and the ArgonautsApollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica
  • Echo and Narcissus ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 3
  • Baucis and Philemon ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 8
  • The twelve Olympians ☾, also as a sleep storyHesiod, Theogony; the Homeric Hymns
  • The birth of Zeus and the war of the TitansHesiod, Theogony 453–735; Apollodorus, Library 1.1–1.2
  • Athena and the contest for Athens ☾, also as a sleep storyHesiod, Theogony 886–900; Apollodorus, Library 3.14.1; Herodotus 8.55
  • Baby Hermes and the cattle of Apollo ☾, also as a sleep storyHomeric Hymn to Hermes
  • Apollo and Daphne ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 1.452–567
  • The birth of Aphrodite ☾, also as a sleep storyHesiod, Theogony 176–206; Homeric Hymn 6
  • The realm of Hades ☾, also as a sleep storyHomer, Odyssey 11; Hesiod, Theogony 767–774; Virgil, Aeneid 6
  • Dionysus and the pirates ☾, also as a sleep storyHomeric Hymn 7 to Dionysus; Ovid, Metamorphoses 3.582–691
  • Arachne and Athena ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 6.1–145
  • Phaethon and the chariot of the sun ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 1.750–2.400
  • King Midas and the golden touch ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 11.85–193
  • Pygmalion and the statue ☾, also as a sleep storyOvid, Metamorphoses 10.243–297
  • Eros and Psyche ☾, also as a sleep storyApuleius, Metamorphoses 4.28–6.24
  • The twelve labours of HeraclesApollodorus, Library 2.5; Diodorus Siculus 4.11–26
  • Demeter at Eleusis ☾, also as a sleep storyHomeric Hymn to Demeter 90–300

Egyptian

  • Isis and Osiris ☾, also as a sleep storyPlutarch, On Isis and Osiris; Pyramid Texts
  • The night journey of Ra ☾, also as a sleep storyAmduat; Book of Gates
  • The weighing of the heart ☾, also as a sleep storyBook of the Dead, spell 125

Mesopotamian

  • Gilgamesh and Enkidu ☾, also as a sleep storyEpic of Gilgamesh, Standard Babylonian version, tablets I–II
  • Utnapishtim and the great flood ☾, also as a sleep storyEpic of Gilgamesh, tablet XI
  • The descent of Inanna ☾, also as a sleep storySumerian poem "Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld"
  • Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creationEnuma Elish

Irish

  • The children of Lir ☾, also as a sleep storyOidheadh Chlainne Lir (early modern Irish)
  • Fionn and the salmon of knowledge ☾, also as a sleep storyMacgnimartha Finn (The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn)
  • Oisin in Tir na nOg ☾, also as a sleep storyMichael Comyn, Laoi Oisin i dTir na nOg (18th century)

Welsh

  • Pwyll and the otherworld of Annwn ☾, also as a sleep storyMabinogi, First Branch

Arthurian

  • The sword in the stone ☾, also as a sleep storyRobert de Boron, Merlin; Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, book 1
  • Gawain and the Green Knight ☾, also as a sleep storySir Gawain and the Green Knight (14th century)

Japanese

  • Izanagi and Izanami ☾, also as a sleep storyKojiki, book 1
  • Amaterasu and the rock cave ☾, also as a sleep storyKojiki; Nihon Shoki
  • Urashima Taro ☾, also as a sleep storyNihon Shoki; Tango Fudoki; Otogizoshi
  • Yuki-onna, the snow woman ☾, also as a sleep storyLafcadio Hearn, Kwaidan (1904)
  • The tale of the bamboo cutter ☾, also as a sleep storyTaketori Monogatari (10th century)

Chinese

  • The cowherd and the weaver girl ☾, also as a sleep storyClassic of Poetry; later Qixi tradition
  • Pangu and the cosmic egg ☾, also as a sleep storyXu Zheng, Sanwu Liji (3rd century)
  • Chang'e and the moon ☾, also as a sleep storyHuainanzi

Indian

  • The churning of the ocean of milk ☾, also as a sleep storyBhagavata Purana 8; Mahabharata, Adi Parva
  • Savitri and Satyavan ☾, also as a sleep storyMahabharata, Vana Parva
  • The descent of the Ganges ☾, also as a sleep storyRamayana, Bala Kanda; Bhagavata Purana

Finnish

  • The creation in the Kalevala ☾, also as a sleep storyKalevala (Lonnrot, 1849), canto 1
  • The forging of the Sampo ☾, also as a sleep storyKalevala, cantos 7–10 and 39–43

Slavic

  • Vasilisa and Baba Yaga ☾, also as a sleep storyAfanasyev, Russian Folk Tales ("Vasilisa the Beautiful")
  • Ivan Tsarevich and the firebird ☾, also as a sleep storyAfanasyev, "Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Grey Wolf"

Maya

  • The creation in the Popol Vuh ☾, also as a sleep storyPopol Vuh, part 1
  • The Hero Twins in XibalbaPopol Vuh, part 2

West African

  • How Anansi got the stories ☾, also as a sleep storyR. S. Rattray, Akan-Ashanti Folk-Tales (1930)

Polynesian

  • Maui slows the sun ☾, also as a sleep storyGeorge Grey, Polynesian Mythology (1855)

Persian

  • Zal and the Simurgh ☾, also as a sleep storyFerdowsi, Shahnameh
  • Rostam and SohrabFerdowsi, Shahnameh

Dutch

  • The Flying Dutchman ☾, also as a sleep story"Vanderdecken's Message Home", Blackwood's Magazine (1821); earlier sailors' accounts

German

  • The Pied Piper of Hamelin ☾, also as a sleep storyBrothers Grimm, Deutsche Sagen 245; Hamelin records
  • Mother Holle ☾, also as a sleep storyGrimm, Kinder- und Hausmärchen 24 (1857)
  • The star money ☾, also as a sleep storyGrimm, Kinder- und Hausmärchen 153 (1857)

Stories from the Bible

Biblical

  • The creation in Genesis ☾, also as a sleep storyGenesis 1–2
  • Noah and the ark ☾, also as a sleep storyGenesis 6–9
  • The tower of Babel ☾, also as a sleep storyGenesis 11:1–9
  • Joseph and his brothers ☾, also as a sleep storyGenesis 37–50
  • Moses and the ExodusExodus 1–15
  • Ruth and Naomi ☾, also as a sleep storyRuth 1–4
  • David and Goliath1 Samuel 16–17
  • The wisdom of Solomon ☾, also as a sleep story1 Kings 3–10
  • Elijah and the still small voice ☾, also as a sleep story1 Kings 17–19; 2 Kings 2
  • Jonah and the great fish ☾, also as a sleep storyJonah 1–4
  • Daniel in the lions' denDaniel 5–6
  • Queen Esther ☾, also as a sleep storyEsther 1–10
  • The nativity ☾, also as a sleep storyLuke 2:1–20; Matthew 2:1–12
  • The prodigal son ☾, also as a sleep storyLuke 15:11–32
  • The good Samaritan ☾, also as a sleep storyLuke 10:25–37

History

Ancient Egypt

  • How the Great Pyramid was built ☾, also as a sleep storyDiary of Merer (Wadi al-Jarf papyri); Herodotus 2.124–125; Lehner and Hawass, Giza and the Pyramids (2017)
  • The opening of Tutankhamun's tomb ☾, also as a sleep storyCarter, The Tomb of Tut.ankh.Amen (1923–1933); Griffith Institute excavation archive
  • The Rosetta Stone and the reading of hieroglyphs ☾, also as a sleep storyChampollion, Lettre a M. Dacier (1822); Parkinson, Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment (1999)

Ancient Greece

  • The Library of Alexandria ☾, also as a sleep storyStrabo, Geography 17.1.8; Plutarch, Caesar 49; Bagnall, Alexandria: Library of Dreams (2002)
  • The Antikythera mechanism ☾, also as a sleep storyPrice, Gears from the Greeks (1974); Freeth et al., Nature 444 (2006)
  • ThermopylaeHerodotus, Histories 7.175–239

Ancient Rome

  • The last day of PompeiiPliny the Younger, Letters 6.16 and 6.20; Beard, Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town (2008)
  • Hannibal crosses the AlpsPolybius, Histories 3.50–56; Livy 21.32–38
  • The Ides of MarchSuetonius, Divus Julius 80–82; Plutarch, Caesar 62–66
  • Life on Hadrian's Wall ☾, also as a sleep storyVindolanda tablets (Tab. Vindol. 291, 346); Historia Augusta, Hadrian 11; Breeze, Hadrian's Wall (2006)

Ancient China

  • The First Emperor and the terracotta army ☾, also as a sleep storySima Qian, Shiji 6; Portal (ed.), The First Emperor: China's Terracotta Army (2007)
  • Zhang Qian and the opening of the Silk Road ☾, also as a sleep storySima Qian, Shiji 123; Hansen, The Silk Road: A New History (2012)

Viking Age

  • The Vikings in Vinland ☾, also as a sleep storySaga of the Greenlanders; Saga of Erik the Red; Ingstad, The Viking Discovery of America (2001)

Middle Ages

  • The Black DeathBoccaccio, Decameron, introduction to day 1; Benedictow, The Black Death 1346–1353 (2004)
  • Gutenberg and the printing press ☾, also as a sleep storyHelmasperger notarial instrument (1455); Man, The Gutenberg Revolution (2002)
  • The fall of ConstantinopleNicolo Barbaro, Diary of the Siege; Kritoboulos, History of Mehmed the Conqueror; Runciman, The Fall of Constantinople 1453 (1965)

Age of Exploration

  • The travels of Marco Polo ☾, also as a sleep storyThe Travels of Marco Polo (Rustichello, c. 1300); Larner, Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World (1999)
  • The first voyage around the worldAntonio Pigafetta, Report on the First Voyage Around the World (1525); Bergreen, Over the Edge of the World (2003)
  • John Harrison and the problem of longitude ☾, also as a sleep storyBoard of Longitude papers (Cambridge Digital Library); Sobel, Longitude (1995)

Classic tales

Arabian Nights

  • Scheherazade and the thousand and one nights ☾, also as a sleep storyOne Thousand and One Nights, frame story (Lane translation, 1839–1841)
  • The voyages of Sinbad the sailor ☾, also as a sleep storyOne Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad cycle (Burton translation, 1885)
  • Aladdin and the wonderful lamp ☾, also as a sleep storyGalland, Les Mille et une nuits (1710), from Hanna Diyab's telling

Aesop

  • Fables of Aesop ☾, also as a sleep storyAesop's Fables (Townsend translation, 1867); Herodotus 2.134

Danish

  • The nightingale ☾, also as a sleep storyHans Christian Andersen, The Nightingale (1843)
  • The Snow Queen ☾, also as a sleep storyHans Christian Andersen, The Snow Queen (1844)

French

  • Beauty and the Beast ☾, also as a sleep storyJeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, La Belle et la Bete (1756)
  • Sleeping Beauty in the wood ☾, also as a sleep storyCharles Perrault, La Belle au bois dormant (1697)

Inuit

  • Sedna, mother of the sea ☾, also as a sleep storyBoas, The Central Eskimo (1888)

How we make it

Faithful to the old texts

Each script is written from the sources named with the tale, from the Eddas, Ovid and Genesis to Herodotus, Pliny and the Popol Vuh; history episodes also follow a standard modern work. Claims we cannot trace back to those texts are left out rather than guessed.

The narration is a synthetic voice and the paintings are made with image models, in the style of oil paintings, engravings and watercolours. We say so openly, and every video carries YouTube's label for altered or synthetic content. A person chooses every topic and checks every episode before it goes out.

Fablehall is made in the Netherlands by ADS Web Services B.V., the makers of SleepMusicAi.