Top 6 Fairy Tales that Showcase the Power of Unity

Once, there was a father who, on his deathbed, called his three sons to his side. He handed them a bundle of arrows and said:

– Try and break this bundle. See if any of you can snap it.

The eldest son tried with all his might, but could not break the bundle. The second son also failed. The youngest son used all his strength, but the bundle remained unbroken.

The father then took the bundle, untied it, and broke each arrow one by one with ease. He calmly explained:
– This is the power of unity. If you stand together, no one can defeat you. Promise me that you will live in harmony and love one another after I am gone. With these words, the father passed away.

After his death, the father left his sons a great deal of wealth but did not specify how to divide it. The three brothers argued, each wanting a larger share, and refused to compromise. Eventually, they separated, each living in their own house and ignoring their father’s last wishes.

Not long after, a creditor came to demand repayment for a debt their father had owed. The brothers passed the responsibility among themselves, none willing to pay. The creditor took them to court, where the judge ordered them to contribute their share. They still refused, and the judge confiscated their property. It was only then that they remembered their father's words, but by then, it was too late.

Lesson: The saying 'A single tree cannot make a forest' holds true. In times of difficulty, unity is the key to overcoming challenges.

Once, a wealthy man had five children. Spoiled and indulged, they grew up lazy, selfish, and dependent on others. As they reached adulthood, each of them established their own household, but they were constantly envious of one another, fighting over the wealth their parents had left them. The father tried to advise them, but to no avail, which caused him great sorrow.

Soon, the father fell seriously ill. Knowing his end was near, he called his five children to him and asked his servants to bring him a bundle of sticks. The children were confused, not understanding their father's intent. He then asked each of them to try and break the bundle. Each one used all their strength, but none could break it. At that moment, the father said:
- Now, try breaking each stick one by one.

Immediately, the children broke the sticks easily. The father then explained:
- My children, this bundle represents the five of you. If you each work together, no enemy can defeat you. But if you only care about yourselves, you will become isolated and fail in life. If you unite and love one another, only then can I rest in peace.

Upon hearing this, the five brothers finally understood their father's lesson. They felt deep regret for their past actions and promised to live in harmony, unity, and love from then on.

Lesson: The story of the bundle of sticks teaches us a valuable lesson about the power of unity in human relationships. Living in unity helps us form strong social connections, whether among friends or family members.

The Gourd Story is a folk tale from the Khơ Mú people, explaining the origins of the various ethnic groups in our country and promoting the spirit of unity among them.

1. The Couple, the Forest, and the Dormouse

Once upon a time, a couple went to the forest and caught a dormouse. The dormouse begged for mercy, promising to reveal a secret. The couple, moved by its plea, let it go. The dormouse warned of a fierce storm that would flood the land. It advised them to hollow out a large log, stock up on food for seven days, seal the log with beeswax, and take shelter inside until the storm passed.

The couple followed the instructions and even urged their neighbors to do the same, but no one believed them. As they finished their preparations, thunder rumbled, dark clouds gathered, and a torrential rain flooded everything. All living things drowned in the flood. Thanks to their log, the couple survived. Seven days later, they emerged to find a desolate world, with no one left.

2. The Gourd and the Origins of the Ethnic Groups

Not long after, the wife gave birth to a gourd. Seeing her husband sad, she placed the gourd on the kitchen shelf.

One day, as the couple returned from the fields, they heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Curious, they took down the gourd and listened, hearing voices from within. The wife gently poked the gourd with a stick, and to their surprise, tiny people started to emerge. First came the Khơ Mú people, blackened by soot from the fire. Then came the Thái, Mường, Dao, Hmông, Ê-đê, Ba Na, Kinh, and others.

These were the ancestors of the various ethnic groups that make up our nation today.

In a village far away, there stood a large banyan tree. The tree was home to various kinds of birds, while travelers often rested beneath its shade after long journeys. One day, a hunter passed by and noticed the abundance of birds perched in the tree. He decided to set traps for them, but a crow, seeing his intentions, warned the other birds.

At that moment, a flock of pigeons flew by. Spotting grains of rice scattered on the ground, they swooped down to feast. But before long, they were caught in the hunter's net. Terrified, the leader of the pigeons quickly devised a plan. He spoke to the others: “While the hunter is away, let us work together to tear this net apart. Once we free ourselves, one of us will fly to seek help.”

The pigeons united in their efforts, pecking at the net until it began to tear. As soon as the hole was large enough, the leader of the pigeons swiftly flew away. “I must go to the mice for help,” he thought to himself.

One day, Mother Duck had to go to the market, so she left her duckling with Mother Hen. Mother Hen called her chick to play with the duckling. The chick asked permission from her mother to take the duckling to the garden to search for worms. The chick eagerly ran ahead while the duckling waddled slowly behind. Annoyed by the duckling’s slow pace, the chick did not like it very much. Once in the garden, the chick began to scratch the ground with its feet to search for worms. The duckling, with webbed feet, couldn’t do the same. The duckling kept waddling around, pressing the ground down, which made it harder for the chick to find worms. The chick got frustrated and said to the duckling:

– You can’t dig for worms at all. Go somewhere else and let me find them by myself.

The duckling felt sad about the chick’s anger and went to the pond to search for shrimp instead. A sly Fox, with green eyes and a long tail, hid in the bushes and saw the chick searching alone. The Fox prepared to jump out and catch the chick. Scared, the chick hurriedly ran toward the pond, calling out: “Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

The duckling, who was swimming in the pond, heard its friend’s calls. Quickly, it paddled to the shore just in time to carry the chick away to safety. When the Fox reached the edge of the pond, it saw the duckling and the chick near the deep water, but after waiting for a long time and seeing no chance to catch them, the Fox licked its lips and left. Thanks to the duckling’s fast swimming, the chick was saved. The chick now realized it was wrong to push the duckling away and apologized. The duckling was not upset and even found some shrimp to share with the chick.

From then on, every time the duckling came over to play, the chick would happily run ahead to find worms for the duckling. The chick would hop ahead, and the duckling waddled behind. The two became the best of friends.

Lesson: We must live in unity and respect others, my dear.

Once upon a time, in a forest far away, there lived an old Mother Bear and her two bear cubs.

One day, the two cubs said to their mother:

- Mother, we have grown up. Please let us go out and find our own food.

Mother Bear hugged her cubs and gently reminded them of all the lessons she had taught them. Then, the two cubs bid their mother goodbye and set off on their journey. They walked and walked, but they couldn’t find anything to eat, and their stomachs started to growl.

Suddenly, they spotted a large piece of cheese on the ground. They were overjoyed! The two cubs rushed over to it, eager to divide it equally. But every time one cub tried to break it in half, the other cub quickly grabbed it, afraid that they would get the smaller portion. The piece of cheese lay before them, and their greed took over, making them forget all about their mother’s advice.

The two cubs first argued, and soon their shouting became louder and louder. Just then, an old Fox appeared. The Fox asked:

What are you two arguing about?

The cubs told the Fox about their dilemma over dividing the cheese.

The Fox replied:

- What’s the big problem? Give it to me, and I’ll divide it for you fairly. Each of you will get an equal share.

The cubs were thrilled and eagerly agreed:

- That’s a great idea! Please divide it for us.

The Fox took the cheese and deliberately broke it into two pieces—one large, one small.

The cubs quickly protested:

- This piece is bigger!

The Fox calmly responded:

- Don’t worry! If this piece is too big, I’ll fix it.

With that, the Fox took a large bite from the bigger piece, chewing it happily. The large piece became smaller.

The cubs shouted again:

- Now the pieces are not equal!

The Fox gave them a sympathetic look and said:

- It’s alright, I’ll fix it so they’re the same size.

The Fox took another large bite from the bigger piece, making it even smaller. The cubs were now furious and cried out:

- The pieces are still not the same size!

The Fox licked its lips and comforted them:

- Don’t worry, I’ll make them equal in no time.

And so, the Fox continued eating the cheese, one bite after another. The cubs, still hungry, kept looking to see which piece was bigger and which was smaller. Finally, after the Fox had eaten enough, it gave the two cubs the remaining tiny pieces, which were now equal in size.

The Fox smiled and said:

- There you go, the two pieces are now equal, though small. Enjoy, and please don’t argue again.

With a chuckle, the Fox wagged its tail and disappeared into the forest.

Lesson: The two cubs must learn to share, be united, and love each other. If they only know how to fight, they will be taken advantage of by others, like the old Fox in this story.