"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the Oxford English Dictionary) in storytelling in the English language and has started many narratives since 1600. These stories sometimes end with "and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths".
The phrase is common in fairy tales for younger children. It was used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the French "il était une fois", of Hans Christian Andersen as a translation for the Danish "der var engang" (literally "there was once"), the Brothers Grimm as a translation for the German "es war einmal" (literally "it was once") and Joseph Jacobs in English translations and fairy tales.
In More English Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs notes that:
The opening formula are varied enough, but none of them has much play of fancy. 'Once upon a time and a very good time it was, though it wasn't in my time nor in your time nor in any one else's time.' is effective enough for a fairy epoch, and is common, according to Mayhew (London Labour, III), among tramps.[1]
Երկնքից երեք խնձոր է ընկնում՝ Մեկը գրողին, մեկը պատմողին, մեկն էլ լսողին: (Yerknkits yereq khndzor e ynknum` Meky groxin, meky patmoxin, mekn el lsoxin)
3 apples fall from the sky/heaven - one for the writer/author, one for the storyteller, one for the listener Note:(the three apples can "be given" to different people, when people tell stories they change the three to whatever they like. The version noted here is the most common/known)
My story ends and the spinach is eaten by the goat. (cf A Goat eats the root of a herb unlike cows, so being consumed by goats figuratively means something being irreversibly ended.)
Bhí ann fadó agus fadó a bhí. Dá mbeithinnse an uair sin ann ní bheithinn anois ann. Ach mar tá mé tá scéal beag amháin agam. Mar tá sé agamsa inniu go mba seacht míle fearr a bheas sé agatsa amáireach. Nár chaille tú leis ach péire dho na clárfhiaclaí, cúig cinn dho na cúilfhiaclaí agus stiall bhreá dhon charbad.
It was long long ago. If I was there that time I would not be here now. But as I am I have one small story. As I have it today may you have it seven thousand times better tomorrow. May you only lose a pair of the incisors by it, five of the grinders and a fine strip of the gum.
Ghabh siadsan an t-áth, agus ghabh mise an clochán. Báthadh iadsan agus tháinig mise. Níor thug siad dom ach brógaí páipéir agus bainne reamhair!
They went by the ford, and I went by the stepping stones. They were drowned and I survived. They gave me nothing but paper shoes and fat milk!
सुन्नेलाई सुनको माला, भन्नेलाई फूलको माला, यो कथा वैकुण्ठ जाला, फेरि भन्ने बेला तात्ततै आइजाला (Sunne lai sunako mala, bhanne lai phoolako mala, yo katha Vaikuntha jaala, pheri bhanne bela tattatai aaijaala)
A golden–garland to the listener, A flower–garland to the narrator; This story shall go to Vishnu's abode (Heaven), And come back hot (fresh) on someone else's (the next narrator) lips. (Said in a rhyme.)
And then they lived happily for the remainder of their days.
Og er de ikke døde, så lever de ennå.
And if they're not dead, they still live.
Snipp, snapp, snute, så er eventyret ute.
Snip, snap, snute (snout), then this adventure is finished. (sometimes the English is translated to rhyme "Snip, snap, snout, this adventure is told out.")
Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. Evvel zaman içinde, kalbur saman içinde, cinler cirit oynar iken eski hamam içinde, pireler berber [iken], develer tellal [iken], ben ninemin beşiğini tıngır mıngır sallar iken, uzak diyarların birinde...
Once there was, and once there wasn't. In the long-distant days of yore, when haystackswinnowedsieves, when genies played jereed in the old bathhouse, [when] fleas were barbers, [when] camels were town criers, [and when] I softly rocked my baby grandmother to sleep in her creaking cradle, there was/lived, in an exotic land, far, far away, a/an...*
∗: This traditional opening phrase by the storyteller is rich with rhyming wordplays, tongue-twisters, as well as comedic and bizarre situational juxtapositions that are meant to draw listeners in, and set the stage for a whimsical, fantastical storyline.
Gökten üç elma düşmüş; biri onların, biri anlatanın, diğeri de dinleyenlerin başına. Onlar ermiş muradına, biz çıkalım kerevetine.
Alternatively: Gökten üç elma düşmüş; birincisi, içindeki çocuğu yaşatmayı bilenlere, ikincisi, davranmadan önce dinleyip düşünenlere, üçüncüsü ise özündeki sevgiyi ve umudu hiç kaybetmeyenlere. Onlar ermiş muradına, biz çıkalım kerevetine.
Lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for our story's heroes, one for the person who told their tale, and one for those who listened and promise to share. And with that, they* all achieved their hearts' desires. Let us** now step up and settle into their thrones.***
Alternatively: Lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for those who know to keep their inner child alive, one for those who know to listen and think before they act, and one for those who never lose the love and hope within their soul. And with that, they* all achieved their hearts' desires. Let us** now step up and settle into their thrones.***
∗: the protagonists of the story ∗∗: the listeners ∗∗∗: a common conclusory storytelling expression meaning "may we all share in their good fortune"
All of the Star Wars films, as well as several of the expanded universe novels, begin with the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....".
The musical Into the Woods begins with the Narrator's line, "Once upon a time." The second act commences with his line, "Once upon a time... later..." The musical is a retelling of many famous fairy tales.
In the Singaporean comedy series Under One Roof, Moses Lim's character Tan Ah Teck begins his stories with "Long before your time, in the southern province of China ...".
In the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the opening scene narrates the words "Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada."
The opening line of the theme song to MST3k is: "In the not-too-distant future ... next Sunday, A.D."
Bionicle features the line "In the time before time...".
The opening line of the TV series Merlin features the line "In a land of myth, and a time of magic..."
The first episode of Ivor the Engine opens with the line "Not so very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales..."
The Brothers Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of folktales, popularizing stories such as "Cinderella", "The Frog Prince", "Hansel and Gretel", "Town Musicians of Bremen", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Rapunzel", "Rumpelstiltskin", "Sleeping Beauty", and "Snow White". Their first collection of folktales, Children's and Household Tales, began publication in 1812.
A fairy tale is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful beings. In most cultures, there is no clear line separating myth from folk or fairy tale; all these together form the literature of preliterate societies. Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends and explicit moral tales, including beast fables. Prevalent elements include dragons, dwarfs, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, griffins, merfolk, monsters, pixies, talking animals, trolls, unicorns, witches, wizards, magic, and enchantments.
"Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection Grimms' Fairy Tales, numbered as Tale 53. The original German title was Sneewittchen; the modern spelling is Schneewittchen. The Grimms completed their final revision of the story in 1854, which can be found in the 1857 version of Grimms' Fairy Tales.
"Sleeping Beauty", also titled in English as The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, is a fairy tale about a princess cursed by an evil fairy to sleep for a hundred years before being awakened by a handsome prince. A good fairy, knowing the princess would be frightened if alone when she wakes, uses her wand to put every living person and animal in the palace and forest asleep, to awaken when the princess does.
"Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins. Her lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and published by French novelist Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 in Magasin des enfants to produce the version most commonly retold. Later, Andrew Lang retold the story in Blue Fairy Book, a part of the Fairy Book series, in 1889. The fairy tale was influenced by the story of Petrus Gonsalvus as well as Ancient Greek stories such as "Cupid and Psyche" from The Golden Ass, written by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis in the second century AD, and "The Pig King", an Italian fairytale published by Giovanni Francesco Straparola in The Facetious Nights of Straparola around 1550.
"Hansel and Gretel" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Grimms' Fairy Tales. It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister.
"Rumpelstiltskin" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child.
"Rapunzel" is a German fairy tale most notably recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. The Brothers Grimm's story was developed from the French literary fairy tale of Persinette by Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force (1698), which itself is an alternative version of the Italian fairy tale Petrosinella by Giambattista Basile (1634).
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish is a fairy tale in verse by Alexander Pushkin, published 1835.
The Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index is a catalogue of folktale types used in folklore studies. The ATU index is the product of a series of revisions and expansions by an international group of scholars: Originally published in German by Finnish folklorist Antti Aarne (1910), the index was translated into English, revised, and expanded by American folklorist Stith Thompson, and later further revised and expanded by German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther (2004). The ATU index is an essential tool for folklorists, used along with Thompson (1932)Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.
"The Twelve Dancing Princesses" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1815. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 306.
"Maid Maleen" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, number 198.
"The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. It falls under Aarne–Thompson classification types 461, and 930.
"The Brave Little Tailor" or "The Valiant Little Tailor" or "The Gallant Tailor" is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. "The Brave Little Tailor" is a story of Aarne–Thompson Type 1640, with individual episodes classified in other story types.
The Young Slave is an Italian literary fairy tale written by Giambattista Basile in his 1634 work, the Pentamerone.
Le Serpentin Vert is a French fairy tale written by Marie Catherine d'Aulnoy, popular in its day and representative of European folklore, that was published in her book New Tales, or Fairies in Fashion, in 1698. The serpent is representative of a European dragon. His description is: "he has green wings, a many-coloured body, ivory jaws, fiery eyes, and long, bristling hair."
"Puss in Boots" is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.
The Scarlet Flower, also known as The Little Scarlet Flower or The Little Red Flower, is a Russian fairy tale written by Sergey Aksakov. It is a variation of the plot of the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. In Russia, Beauty and the Beast story is known mostly via Aksakov's retelling.
"Kobutori Jiisan" translated directly as "Lump-Taken Old Man" is a Japanese Folktale about an old man who had his lump taken or removed by demons after joining a party of demons (oni) celebrating and dancing in the night.
English Fairy Tales is a book containing a collection of 41 fairy tales retold by Flora Annie Steel and published in 1918 by Macmillan and Co., Limited, London. It was illustrated by Arthur Rackham and entails a variety of fairy tales featuring mythical creatures, heroic figures, and moral lessons. The book explores themes including the struggle between good and evil and the importance of courage and intelligence. It provides readers with an insight into the realm of British folklore by offering a comprehensive collection of English folk narratives, thereby enhancing the accessibility of these stories for readers of the time and beyond. Originally, the tales featured in the book were primarily published in 1890 and 1894 by Joseph Jacobs.
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