Not All Fairy Tales End With A Kiss

 Army_of_the_Dead "The Dead are following," said Legolas. "I see shapes of Men and of horses, and pale banners like shreds of cloud, and spears like winter-thickets on a misty night. The Dead are following."       "Yes, the Dead ride behind. They have been summoned," said Elladan.           - The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"   also known as the Dead Men of Dunharrow or Oathbreakers, were Men of the White Mountains, cursed to remain in Middle-earth by Isildur after they abandoned their oath to aid him in the War of the Last Alliance. They haunted the caverns beneath the Dwimorberg, and the valley of Harrowdale that lay in its shadow, though they were said to appear in the valley only in times of trouble or death. They were led by the King of the Dead. Since the line of Isildur was thought to have ended, no one could call upon the Dead Army to aid them in their hours of need, as they would only answer to an Heir of Isildur.

 Bonnacon - Wild bull-like creature with horns is a mythical, bull-like beast with the mane of a horse and horns that spiral inward on top of its head. The bonnacon's curved horns are not effective for defending itself against hunters, so instead it shoots a stream of potent dung that can burn anything in its path. The bonnacon is a strange beast believed to have existed in the ancient world. The first attestation to the existence of the bizarre creature is traced to the Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder. Belief in its existence continued well into the Middle Ages and it was a prominent figure in many medieval bestiaries – perhaps due to the crude and unusual way it defended itself.  Its basically just a early ancestor of the hippo. Most likely not actually mythical just poorly understood and illustrated. Also would have made ideal food for large armies because it would not run and its territory would be easy to find aka they mark everything with poo. The bonnacon is a stran

 Armadillo's_Song The Armadillo yearns to sing like the frogs and the crickets and the birds. But is he willing to pay the price to learn? (Bolivia)   Once there was an armadillo who lived in the Bolivian rainforest. He loved music more than anything in the world and all he wanted to do was to be able to sing like many of the other animals could.   He sat by the pond and listened to the frogs calling to each other.   ‘Oh, I wish I could sing as low as you can. Can you teach me to sing, please?’ he asked them.   But the frogs just laughed at him and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’   He sat under the trees and listened to the crickets chirruping to each other.   ‘I wish I could sing as high you do,’ he said to them. ‘Can you please teach me?’   But the crickets laughed at him as well and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’   So the poor armadillo left the pond and walked slowly back to the edge of town.   Now the music that the armadillo loved the best was

 The_Arkansas_Traveler was the state song of Arkansas from 1949 to 1963; it has been the state historical song since 1987. The music was composed in the 19th century by Colonel Sanford C. 'Sandy' Faulkner (1806–1874); the current official lyrics were written by a committee in 1947 in preparation for its naming as the state song.    The song is traditionally known to have had several versions of lyrics, which are much older than the copyrighted song. The official lyrics as the state historical song of Arkansas are copyrighted and can be found on the website of the Arkansas Secretary of State   "The Arkansas Traveler" was frequently featured in animated cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s, most prolifically by Carl Stalling in music he composed for the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series.

 Antmen Four weapon bearing arms, red eyes and a crushing jaw   Source: Homer’s Iliad   Habitat: Greece         These mythical creatures were similar to army ants that were human size. They could carry and use four weapons at a time and use their large red eyes to see from all directions at once.   They could easily crush a human soldier’s skull with their huge, powerful jaws.   Just as ants, they were extremely organized and had no fear of death. Given the order, they would rush and eagerly enter any battle.   Also, just as real ants, they never took any prisoners.   The story goes that after a devastating plague killed off the entire population of the island of Aegina, the governing king begged his father (Zeus) to repopulate his Kingdom with its ants.   This created an army of fierce and eager warriors that took direction from and remained loyal to this king.   The king’s son, Peleus, took a group of these human-sized insects to the Greek city of Thessaly. The son of Peleus, Achille

 Ouija_board also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic) as a movable indicator to spell out messages during a séance. Participants place their fingers on the planchette, and it is moved about the board to spell out words. "Ouija" is a trademark of Hasbro, but is often used generically to refer to any talking board.    Paranormal and supernatural beliefs associated with Ouija have been criticized by the scientific community and are characterized as pseudoscience. The action of the board can be most easily explained by unconscious movements of those controlling the pointer, a psychophysiological phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect. however its almost always just a group of people trying to tri

 Amphisbaena Snake with a head at each end   Many theories suggest the symbolic significance of the serpent imagery. It has been proposed that the serpent was a symbol of rebirth because of its ability to shed its old skin and appear as a reborn snake. It may have been a representation of the earth and underworld with each head representing one.   The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the "Mother of Ants"

 Alicia’s_Ghost : The Alicia Trilogy Book 1   If you’re seeking a delightfully naughty and frightful read that’s just in time for Halloween, you can’t go wrong with Alicia’s Ghost. Professor Carlos Mann is still mourning the death of his beloved wife, the stunningly gorgeous Alicia. They were married for only three short years before she was brutally murdered, leaving Carlos in a perpetual state of shock and overwhelming grief. Now he is trying to pick up the pieces and resume a normal life as best he can. But it’s not easy; he still has terrifying nightmares of her murder that cause him to wake up dripping in a cold sweat. His teaching position at Leland University gives him some respite, at least. That’s soon about to change, however; after he befriends one of his students, the shy and charming Amy Joy, he suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a sex trafficking ring run by a masochistic dominatrix. As he tries to save his new friend from almost certain torture, he’s now got

 Amarok  is a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology, said to stalk and devour any person foolish enough to hunt alone at night. Unlike wolves who hunt in packs, amaroks hunt alone. In the 19th century, Danish geologist and Greenlandic scholar Hinrich Johannes Rink reported that the Greenlandic Inuit hold the word amarok exclusively for this specific, legendary wolf, whereas other Arctic peoples use it to refer to any wolf. Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, by Hinrich Johannes Rink and it recounts several folk legends that feature the amarok.

 Sasquatch_and_the_Bear   A Rogue River Tall Tale    as told by Captain Tim Brueckner collected by Me   Take a look over at this gravel bar on our left.  It's called Bony Point, and we saw something here the other day that I thought was kind of interesting so I thought I’d mention it.   You see where the gravel bar meets the tree line up there and how it forms those shadows?  Well, standing back there in those shadows was a big old Sasquatch.  And, this isn’t unusual, because we have a lot of Sasquatches down here.  But, we had some people on board who had never seen one, so we idled down to watch.   Well, as we watched, after a little while, this old Sasquatch wanders across the gravel bar, wades out about hip deep in the water, grabs about a six foot sturgeon by the tail.  He drags it up on the gravel bar, thumps it in the head with a big old rock and kills it.   Now, I don’t know why they do that.  I’ve seen them do that before.  Whether they actually eat the fish, or if it’s ju

 Aigamuxa  - Human-like mythical creatures with eyes on their feet or Aigamuchab, are African humanoid man-eating creatures from khoikhoi mythology with eyes on their feet. The Aigamuxa usually wander the deserts of Africa until they spot prey. They have razor-sharp teeth that can easily slice through flesh.

 Saint_Nicholas   270–310   Saint Nicholas , 270–310   December 6   Saint Nicholas was a bishop. One night, he went to the house of a poor family and threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The family wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. People still give gifts on his feast day. Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of children.   Discuss: What are some gifts that you can give to family members and friends today? Think of some things that don’t cost anything.    Saint Nicholas was a bishop. He lived in what is now Turkey. One night he tiptoed to the house of a poor family. The family was asleep. Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The next day, the whole family was very happy. They wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. He was so kind that people still talk about him today. Some people give gifts on his feast day, December 6.   The stor

 Abominable_Snowman Giant human-like body, white shaggy fur, big feet   or Yeti   the Yeti is a monstrous creature. The entity would later come to be referred to as the Abominable Snowman in western popular culture. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their folk beliefs.   The name Abominable Snowman was coined in 1921, the year Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Howard-Bury led the 1921 British Mount Everest reconnaissance expedition which he chronicled in Mount Everest The Reconnaissance, 1921.   A famous snowman character is Frosty, the titular snowman in the popular holiday song "Frosty the Snowman" (later adapted into film and television specials), who was magically brought to life by the old silk hat used on his head.

 The_Baker's_Dozen,A_Saint_Nicholas_Tale Book by Aaron Shepard   One day, an ugly old woman visited the baker just as he was about to close his shop. ... The old woman wished to buy a dozen of the special Saint Nicholas cookies that were laid out on a tray. The good baker carefully counted out twelve cookies and handed them over to the lady.   What's the origin of the phrase 'Baker's dozen'? It's widely believed that this phrase originated from the practice of medieval English bakers giving an extra loaf when selling a dozen in order to avoid being penalized for selling short weight. ... A supermarket pack of a dozen loaves now contains just 12.   Aaron Shepard creates a world where it is not unusual for Saint Nicholas himself to make an appearance and for Christmas magic to appear in the form of holiday cookies.

 The_Story_of_the_Youth_Who_Went_Forth_to_Learn_What_Fear_Was (Märchen von einem, der auszog das Fürchten zu lernen)    is a German folktale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales. The tale was also included by Andrew Lang in The Blue Fairy Book. It is classified as its own Aarne–Thompson index type 326.   Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm   A father had two sons. The oldest one was clever and intelligent, and knew how to manage everything, but the youngest one was stupid and could neither understand nor learn anything. When people saw him, they said, "He will be a burden on his father!"   Now when something had to be done, it was always the oldest son who had to do it. However, if the father asked him fetch anything when it was late, or even worse, at night, and if the way led through the churchyard or some other spooky place, he would always answer, "Oh, no, father, I won't go there. It makes me shudder!" For he was afraid.   In the evening by the fi

 Chupacabra Small bear-like, hairless beast with spikes   is a legendary creature in the folklore of parts of the Americas, with its first purported sightings reported in Puerto Rico in 1995. The name comes from the animal's reported vampirism—the chupacabra is said to attack and drink the blood of livestock, including goats.   i believe it may be the origins of the The Bone Vampires is a species of alien creature from Doohan 6 and it gets its name from its way of feeding itself: by sucking the skeleton out of its victims. seen in Futurama

 Mary's_Child (Marienkind) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812. It is of Aarne-Thompson type 710. The Brothers Grimm noted its similarity to the Italian The Goat-faced Girl and the Norwegian The Lassie and Her Godmother. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Near a great forest there lived a woodcutter with his wife. He had but one child, a three-year old girl. Now they were so poor that they no longer had their daily bread, and they did not know how they were to feed her. One morning the woodcutter, filled with sorrow, went out to his work in the woods. While he was chopping wood suddenly there stood before him a beautiful tall woman with a crown of shining stars on her head. She said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, mother of the Baby Jesus. You are poor and needy. Bring your child to me. I will take her with me and be her mother and care for her." The woodcutter obeyed, fetched his child, and turned her over to the Virgin Mary, who

 Cerastes Large and extremely flexible serpent with horns   is a creature of Greek legend, a serpent that is incredibly flexible—so much so that it is said to have no spine. Cerastae can have either two large ram-like horns or four pairs of smaller horns.   The Cerastes, “horned”, is one of the many snakes born from the blood of Medusa in the Libyan desert. It receives a passing mention in Lucan’s catalogue of snakes. Another cerastes mentioned by Theophrastus and Pliny, in the form of a two-horned herbivorous worm, is obviously a caterpillar.   No more than 2 cubits (about a meter) long, the cerastes is sandy-colored and white, with red streaks across its back. The skin is very soft and stretchable. On the head are two, four, or eight horns, described as worm-like or ram-like. The fangs are like those of a viper and are not crooked. Instead of a backbone, a cerastes has a cartilaginous spine, making it the most flexible of all snakes.   The horns of a cerastes have two documented func

 Caladrius   According to Roman mythology, is a snow-white bird that lives in the king's house. It is said to be able to take the sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness and healing both itself and the sick person.

 Cat_and_Mouse_in_Partnership   (Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)   Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm   A cat had made the acquaintance of a mouse, and had said so much to her about the great love and friendship that he felt for her, that at last the mouse agreed that they should live and keep house together. "But we must make preparations for winter, or else we shall suffer from hunger," said the cat, "and you, little mouse, cannot venture out everywhere, or in the end you will be caught in a trap."   This good advice was followed, and they bought a pot of fat, but they did not know where to store it. Finally, after much consideration, the cat said, "I know of no place where it will be better stored up than in the church. No one dares take anything away from there. We will put it beneath the altar, and not touch it until we are need it."   So the pot was stored safely away, but it was not long before the cat took a great longing for it, and said to the mouse, "

 Camazotz A giant, evil vampire bat demon from Ancient Mayan Mythology   Jungles of Central America   In Mayan Mythology, this evil mythical creature was a gigantic vampire bat said to be the same size as that of a full grown human male, sometimes even much larger.   It would randomly and suddenly go on the attack and suck victim’s dry of their blood.  Just as a real bat, he only came out during the night and terrorized the local people.   During the day, the Mayan people felt safe as they believed this monster spent his daylight hours existing somewhere out of site as a stone statue.   This blood thirsty and huge vampire bat terrorized the natives of Central America.  It was known to drink the blood of and kill both animals and people.   In Ancient Mayan Mythology there are numerous gods and demons.  The gods protected the Mayans from various demons by keeping them enslaved and trapped in the Underworld known as Xibalba.   In return for their protection, the gods demanded that the May

 The_Frog_King or Iron Heinrich is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in Grimm's Fairy Tales Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm   In olden times, when wishing still did some good, there lived a king whose daughters were all beautiful, but the youngest was so beautiful that the sun itself, who, indeed, has seen so much, marveled every time it shone upon her face. In the vicinity of the king's castle there was a large, dark forest, and in this forest, beneath an old linden tree, there was a well. In the heat of the day the princess would go out into the forest and sit on the edge of the cool well. To pass the time she would take a golden ball, throw it into the air, and then catch it. It was her favorite plaything.   Now one day it happened that the princess's golden ball did not fall into her hands, that she held up high, but instead it fell to the ground and rolled right into the water. The princess followed it with her eyes, but the ball disappe

 Bunyip Large water monster, huge mouth, crocodile tail   is described in several different ways. It is often described as having a huge mouth with long sharp teeth and the tail of an enormous crocodile. Its body though, can either be snake-like or furry and human-looking.   Descriptions of the bunyip vary, ranging from unusual to completely bizarre. Some of the first written accounts found in the newspapers of white settlers say it had the head of a crocodile with a dog-like face, tail of a horse, tusks, horns, flippers, and sported a thick coat of dark fur.   Even stranger accounts describe the bunyip as having traits of both land- and water-dwelling animals, with long claws and powerful hind legs. Some say the creature was a water spirit that took the form of a giant starfish. Still others claim it had one large eye on its head and a mouth on its stomach.   A drawing of Australia’s bunyip from 1890   Newspaper reports, eyewitness testimony, journal entries, and even physical finding

 Fairy_tale   A fairy tale, fairytale, wonder tale, magic tale, fairy story or Märchen is an instance of a folklore genre that takes the form of a short story.   stories that range from those originating in folklore to more modern stories defined as literary fairy tales. Despite subtle differences in the categorizing of fairy tales, folklore, fables, myths, and legends, a modern definition of the fairy tale, as provided by Jens Tismar's monologue in German, is a story that differs "from an oral folk tale", written by "a single identifiable author", which can be characterised as "simple and anonymous",

 Army_of_the_Dead "The Dead are following," said Legolas. "I see shapes of Men and of horses, and pale banners like shreds of cloud, and spears like winter-thickets on a misty night. The Dead are following."       "Yes, the Dead ride behind. They have been summoned," said Elladan.           - The Return of the King, "The Passing of the Grey Company"   also known as the Dead Men of Dunharrow or Oathbreakers, were Men of the White Mountains, cursed to remain in Middle-earth by Isildur after they abandoned their oath to aid him in the War of the Last Alliance. They haunted the caverns beneath the Dwimorberg, and the valley of Harrowdale that lay in its shadow, though they were said to appear in the valley only in times of trouble or death. They were led by the King of the Dead. Since the line of Isildur was thought to have ended, no one could call upon the Dead Army to aid them in their hours of need, as they would only answer to an Heir of Isildur.

 Bonnacon - Wild bull-like creature with horns is a mythical, bull-like beast with the mane of a horse and horns that spiral inward on top of its head. The bonnacon's curved horns are not effective for defending itself against hunters, so instead it shoots a stream of potent dung that can burn anything in its path. The bonnacon is a strange beast believed to have existed in the ancient world. The first attestation to the existence of the bizarre creature is traced to the Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder. Belief in its existence continued well into the Middle Ages and it was a prominent figure in many medieval bestiaries – perhaps due to the crude and unusual way it defended itself.  Its basically just a early ancestor of the hippo. Most likely not actually mythical just poorly understood and illustrated. Also would have made ideal food for large armies because it would not run and its territory would be easy to find aka they mark everything with poo. The bonnacon is a stran

 Armadillo's_Song The Armadillo yearns to sing like the frogs and the crickets and the birds. But is he willing to pay the price to learn? (Bolivia)   Once there was an armadillo who lived in the Bolivian rainforest. He loved music more than anything in the world and all he wanted to do was to be able to sing like many of the other animals could.   He sat by the pond and listened to the frogs calling to each other.   ‘Oh, I wish I could sing as low as you can. Can you teach me to sing, please?’ he asked them.   But the frogs just laughed at him and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’   He sat under the trees and listened to the crickets chirruping to each other.   ‘I wish I could sing as high you do,’ he said to them. ‘Can you please teach me?’   But the crickets laughed at him as well and said, ‘Don’t be silly – armadillos can’t sing!’   So the poor armadillo left the pond and walked slowly back to the edge of town.   Now the music that the armadillo loved the best was

 The_Arkansas_Traveler was the state song of Arkansas from 1949 to 1963; it has been the state historical song since 1987. The music was composed in the 19th century by Colonel Sanford C. 'Sandy' Faulkner (1806–1874); the current official lyrics were written by a committee in 1947 in preparation for its naming as the state song.    The song is traditionally known to have had several versions of lyrics, which are much older than the copyrighted song. The official lyrics as the state historical song of Arkansas are copyrighted and can be found on the website of the Arkansas Secretary of State   "The Arkansas Traveler" was frequently featured in animated cartoons in the 1930s and 1940s, most prolifically by Carl Stalling in music he composed for the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes series.

 Antmen Four weapon bearing arms, red eyes and a crushing jaw   Source: Homer’s Iliad   Habitat: Greece         These mythical creatures were similar to army ants that were human size. They could carry and use four weapons at a time and use their large red eyes to see from all directions at once.   They could easily crush a human soldier’s skull with their huge, powerful jaws.   Just as ants, they were extremely organized and had no fear of death. Given the order, they would rush and eagerly enter any battle.   Also, just as real ants, they never took any prisoners.   The story goes that after a devastating plague killed off the entire population of the island of Aegina, the governing king begged his father (Zeus) to repopulate his Kingdom with its ants.   This created an army of fierce and eager warriors that took direction from and remained loyal to this king.   The king’s son, Peleus, took a group of these human-sized insects to the Greek city of Thessaly. The son of Peleus, Achille

 Ouija_board also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the letters of the alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. It uses a planchette (small heart-shaped piece of wood or plastic) as a movable indicator to spell out messages during a séance. Participants place their fingers on the planchette, and it is moved about the board to spell out words. "Ouija" is a trademark of Hasbro, but is often used generically to refer to any talking board.    Paranormal and supernatural beliefs associated with Ouija have been criticized by the scientific community and are characterized as pseudoscience. The action of the board can be most easily explained by unconscious movements of those controlling the pointer, a psychophysiological phenomenon known as the ideomotor effect. however its almost always just a group of people trying to tri

 Amphisbaena Snake with a head at each end   Many theories suggest the symbolic significance of the serpent imagery. It has been proposed that the serpent was a symbol of rebirth because of its ability to shed its old skin and appear as a reborn snake. It may have been a representation of the earth and underworld with each head representing one.   The creature is alternatively called the amphisbaina, amphisbene, amphisboena, amphisbona, amphista, amfivena, amphivena, or anphivena (the last two being feminine), and is also known as the "Mother of Ants"

 Alicia’s_Ghost : The Alicia Trilogy Book 1   If you’re seeking a delightfully naughty and frightful read that’s just in time for Halloween, you can’t go wrong with Alicia’s Ghost. Professor Carlos Mann is still mourning the death of his beloved wife, the stunningly gorgeous Alicia. They were married for only three short years before she was brutally murdered, leaving Carlos in a perpetual state of shock and overwhelming grief. Now he is trying to pick up the pieces and resume a normal life as best he can. But it’s not easy; he still has terrifying nightmares of her murder that cause him to wake up dripping in a cold sweat. His teaching position at Leland University gives him some respite, at least. That’s soon about to change, however; after he befriends one of his students, the shy and charming Amy Joy, he suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a sex trafficking ring run by a masochistic dominatrix. As he tries to save his new friend from almost certain torture, he’s now got

 Amarok  is a gigantic wolf in Inuit mythology, said to stalk and devour any person foolish enough to hunt alone at night. Unlike wolves who hunt in packs, amaroks hunt alone. In the 19th century, Danish geologist and Greenlandic scholar Hinrich Johannes Rink reported that the Greenlandic Inuit hold the word amarok exclusively for this specific, legendary wolf, whereas other Arctic peoples use it to refer to any wolf. Tales and Traditions of the Eskimo, by Hinrich Johannes Rink and it recounts several folk legends that feature the amarok.

 Sasquatch_and_the_Bear   A Rogue River Tall Tale    as told by Captain Tim Brueckner collected by Me   Take a look over at this gravel bar on our left.  It's called Bony Point, and we saw something here the other day that I thought was kind of interesting so I thought I’d mention it.   You see where the gravel bar meets the tree line up there and how it forms those shadows?  Well, standing back there in those shadows was a big old Sasquatch.  And, this isn’t unusual, because we have a lot of Sasquatches down here.  But, we had some people on board who had never seen one, so we idled down to watch.   Well, as we watched, after a little while, this old Sasquatch wanders across the gravel bar, wades out about hip deep in the water, grabs about a six foot sturgeon by the tail.  He drags it up on the gravel bar, thumps it in the head with a big old rock and kills it.   Now, I don’t know why they do that.  I’ve seen them do that before.  Whether they actually eat the fish, or if it’s ju

 Aigamuxa  - Human-like mythical creatures with eyes on their feet or Aigamuchab, are African humanoid man-eating creatures from khoikhoi mythology with eyes on their feet. The Aigamuxa usually wander the deserts of Africa until they spot prey. They have razor-sharp teeth that can easily slice through flesh.

 Saint_Nicholas   270–310   Saint Nicholas , 270–310   December 6   Saint Nicholas was a bishop. One night, he went to the house of a poor family and threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The family wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. People still give gifts on his feast day. Saint Nicholas is the patron Saint of children.   Discuss: What are some gifts that you can give to family members and friends today? Think of some things that don’t cost anything.    Saint Nicholas was a bishop. He lived in what is now Turkey. One night he tiptoed to the house of a poor family. The family was asleep. Nicholas threw a bag of gold coins in an open window. The next day, the whole family was very happy. They wanted to thank Nicholas, but he told them to thank God instead. Nicholas liked giving gifts in secret. He was so kind that people still talk about him today. Some people give gifts on his feast day, December 6.   The stor