They inspired Geoffrey Chaucer, whose "Canterbury Tales" contain five fabliaux, and Giovanni Boccaccio's "Decameron" draws on them as well, says Yale University French professor R.

WSJ: A Fresh, Frisky Look at Medieval Times

In New York City , the savviest of visitors make a beeline for The Moth, the storytelling competition where ten audience members volunteer to tell true tales (under five minutes long), which are often broadcast on its popular podcast.

BBC: New York stories

But inside his head, in thousands of tales and ballads handed down for five centuries, lived kings, witches, demons and mermaids.

ECONOMIST: Stanley Robertson