Love is eternal. Love is also ancient. There has been so much talk about love in all forms of art. Folklore too, has love as one of its main elements. There are many folklore legends and myths that revolves around love and lovers. These legends and stories may be known to you, or they may be not. The following list will introduce you to some famous romantic stories from folklore around the world.
Love in these stories plays the central. The undying and uninhibited love in these tales sometimes gets fulfilled. Other times, it merely extinguishes. The most important thing that these stories relay are the messages. They highlight love as an enabling factor in human life. Many of these love stories have sad and tragic endings. Yet even the unfulfilled love stories have a charm of their own. After you read these brief introductions to various tales, we hope you read more about these stories. After all, love has been before us and it will be here after us. It is good to know what all can be learned from these folkloric lovers.
#1 The Legend of Butterfly Lovers (Chinese)
Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai’s love story is one of the most famous folktale in the Chinese culture. In the eastern Zin Dynasty, Zhu is the only daughter of a wealthy merchant. While women were traditionally discouraged from studying scriptures or attending school, Zhu’s father allows her to study. Donning a disguise of a man, she attends school in Hangzhou. There she meets Liang Shanbo. They have an instant connection and become brothers.
Wile Zhu hides her true identity, she starts developing feeling for her fellow schoolmate. But this love is not yet to be fulfilled. Her father sends her a letter, urging her to return home. But Zhu has already given her heart to Liang. When Liang travels with his “sworn brother” to accompany Zhu safely home, she drops several hints indicating her true identity. Yet Liang is unaware.
Later when Liang comes to know of the truth, it is too late. While they both finally confess their feeling, their union become impossible. Zhu’s family has already given her hand in marriage to some other man. Upon hearing this, Liang becomes severely ill and dies. When Zhu finally gets married, the wind above Liang’s grave forbids the bridal procession to continue. Zhu, in despair, goes to the grave and cries bitterly. The grave opens and suddenly they are joined together. Morphing into butterflies, they fly together, never to be separated again. Hence they are known as the “Butterfly Lovers”. Tell me you aren’t fascinated!
#2 The Cowherd and The Weaver Girl (Chinese)
The Cowherd and The Weaver Girl is a love story which is out of this world. Quite literally. Zhinu, the weaver girl falls in love with Niulang, the Cowherd. Also, their love is not fated to survive. While Zhinu is considered the planet Vega, Niulang symbolizes the star Altair. Separated by the Milky Way, which is the Silver river, they can only meet once a year. It is believed that when the flock of magpies makes a bridge on the 7th lunar day of the 7th month in Chinese calendar, these lover will unite for a night.
Qixi festival in China celebrates the love story of these lovers. This also accounts for Chinese Valentine’s Day. The story is well known in Chinese folklore, as well as in many cultures of neighboring countries, though with a different version of the same story..
#3 The Legend of Lady Meng Jiang (Chinese)
Lady Meng Jiang’s devotion and love for her husband has been celebrated in Chinese folklore. The versions of folktale set in Qin dynsaty talks about Lady Jiang’s husband who was forced to serve the kingdom. He was forced to work as a corvee laborer to make the Great Wall Of China.
Without bidding farewell to his wife, her husband left. Meng Jiang traveled to bring clothes for her husband for winter. Sadly, upon reaching, she came o know that he had died. Hearing that, she wept so furiously that her anguish caused The Great Wall to collapse. Her love for her husband and her sorrow upon his death is widely known and remembered. Even though the folktale has many versions, they all point towards one thing: the devotional love of Lady Meng Jiang.
#4 The Love Story of Heer-Ranjha (Indian)
If you are interested in Indian folklore and folktales, you must have heard of Heer-Ranjha. The tragic couple is hailed as the epitome of love and devotion. The poem alluding to this pair was written by Waris Shah and is widely known and praised. The pair’s love story depicts the way lovers are ostracized. Both Heer and Ranjha never gets married due to various problems and obstructions.
Heer and Ranjha are believed to be real people in some versions of the poem. Nevertheless, it is believed that they are buried in Heer’s hometown Junga. Couples smitten in love often visit their mausoleum to pray for a successful union.
#5 The Legend of Mirza-Sahiban (Indian)
Mirza and Sahiban’s love story is another Indian legend. They are quite popular in Indian folklore as well. Mirza and Sahiban cannot unite as lovers due to familial resistance. Mirza’s mother and Sahiban’s father are “milk sibling”, meaning that they were breastfeed from same woman. This makes them “cousins”. But when Mirza finally comes to live with his uncle, he fell for Sahiban.
Upon receiving same affections, they both starts meeting secretly. However, their romantic rendezvous doesn’t last long and they are caught by Sahiban’s family. Mirza is forced to leave and Sahiban is chosen to marry another man. When Mirza finally take Sahiban with him and they elope. The end, however, is painful. Mirza and Sahiban has a tragic end with both of their death. If you are interested to read further about them, you should read the poem. It is not only a great love story, but also a fine work of literature.
#6 The Loyal Sweetheart (Native American)
The Loyal Sweetheart is a Native American folktale that features the themes of love and devotion. A young maiden, by the name of Blue Flower falls in love with a young warrior. Before going to the war, the warrior and the maiden vows to love each other endlessly. The warrior decides that he will marry her upon his return from the winter’s hunt.
But tragedy ensues when their village is attacked by raiders and many young women are kidnapped. They are forced to become wives. Blue Flower is one of them, who refuses to submit. Even if threatened to be burnt alive, she remains faithful to her lover. They later gets reunited when he returns and avenges her kidnappers. This folktale is one of those stories with happy ending. The warrior and Blue Flower gets married and remains loyal to each other, forever.
#7 Tatara and Vamiro (Indian)
The legend of Tatara and Vamiro is a folktale from Andaman and Nicobar. Tatara is a famous warrior who is revered by his clan and all the surrounding villages. He is supposed to be a skilled fighter. He also possesses a wooden sword which is believed to have magical powers.He falls in love Vamiro, a maiden from a different village. Once when Vamiro is alone on the beach singing, Tatara hears her song and falls in love with the melody.
However, their love is ostracized because they are from different villages and can not get married. Tatara in grief and pain, decides to separate them, in anger. He takes out his wooden sword and struck it in the ground. It results in a earth splitting crack, that divides the land into two islands. It is believed that the islands of Andaman and Nicobar are the result of that strike.
#8 The Spirit Bride (Native American)
The Spirit Bride is an Native American folktale about warrior whose bride dies on wedding day. Lamenting in grief, he soon becomes detached from his surrounding. Full of grief he wallows in the memory of his bride. One day he hears some elders speaking about the path to spirit world. Upon hearing and memorizing the path, he sets out to a meet his dead wife.
Upon reaching he passes a river through a boat along with the spirit of his wife to reach an island. He meets her but their meeting is cut short. He is then told by the Master of Life that he cannot join his wife in the spirit world because it isn’t his time yet. When he returns back, he becomes a chieftain and continues to live his life in hope that he will meet his bride soon. This folktale tells about the undying love and the reassurance it brings.
#9 The Legend of Diarmuid and Grainne (Irish)
The legend of Diarmuid and Grainne is hugely popular in Irish folklore. It is one of Ireland greatest romantic stories. Grainne considered to be the most beautiful girl in Ireland catches the eye of Fionne. He is an ageing ruler, who want to make Grainne her second wife. Grainne accepts the proposal but on the night of their engagement, she meets Diarmuid. He is a great warrior in Fionne’s army. She fell in love with her and decides to marry him. They elope and remain hidden for years.
When pregnant with Diarmuid’s child, tragedy befalls. Fionne’s army finally finds them, who is furious about the betrayal of Grainne. Diarmuid is fatally wounded from a boar’s attack. He lays dying when Fionne’s army finds them. Soon he dies and their love story meets a tragic end. Among many romantic tales in folklore, the love story between these lovers is famous for its tragic outcome.
#10 The Legend of Tello and Tagzona (Malaga)
Tello is a warrior captured and held in a prison. Tagzona is the daughter of the prison keeper and they falls in love. Due to their different religious inclination, their love is disproved. They flee and as they are being chased on a cliff, they come to a dead end. In desperation, they decide to throw themselves off the cliff. Believing that they may as well unite in death, they die together. The rock is now known as “the lover’s rock” or “Peña de los Enamorados”. Their love story is widely known as a Malaga legend in folklore.
#11 The Ghost of Grey Lady and Longleat House (English)
If you are into spooky folktale, this story is for you. Romantic and haunting, the tale about the ghost of Grey Lady is widely known in English folklore. The tale of Grey lady talks about passion of being in love and the loss. Lady Louisa Carteret is the name of our Lady Grey. She is the wife of the 2nd Viscount of Weymouth, Thomas Thynne. Rumored to be having an affair with a footman, Lady Grey angers her husband who takes drastic measure to censor the relationship.
The Viscount kills the footman and buries him in the cellar. He tells his wife that the footman has left the job. Upon hearing this, Lady Grey is filled with pain and longing for his lover and tries to find him. Believing that her husband is lying, she roamed the Longleat House in search of her lover until she dies. The legend says that she still haunts the house in search of her lover. Many staff members believes to have witnessed Lady Louisa searching for the footman, making the legend quite well known in English folklore.
Love stories survives in folklore not because they have any special elements, but because of their simplicity. These love stories have turned into legend because of the message they give us. The love they portray is selfless and fulfilling, even if the union between these lovers doesn’t become a reality. Love in itself and of itself is what makes these tales famous in the folklore of various countries around the world. We hope that these tales and legends give you some hope about love!
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