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September 21, 2015
By William Rubel

History of the Stone Soup Folktale from 1720 to Now, by William Rubel

“Stone Soup,” engraving by Walter Melion for the cover of the first issue of Stone Soup Some Recipes for Stone Soup from 1732, 1808–and 2019! Boil stones in butter, and you may sip the broth. (Fuller 1732) ‘Give me a piece of paper’ (said the traveler) ‘and I’ll write it down for you,’ which he did as follows:—A receipt to-make Stone Soup. ‘ Take a large stone, put it into a sufficient quantity of boiling water; properly season it with pepper and salt; add three or four pounds of good beef, a handful of pot-herbs, some onions, a cabbage, and three or four carrots. When the soup is made the stone may be thrown away.’ Published in The American magazine of wit, 1808. The recipe published in 1808 is quite similar to the one in the version of the story made by the By Kids For Kids Story Time podcast in 2019. You can listen to their lively retelling of the tale on Megaphone here or at iTunes here! Origin of the Stone Soup Folktale Title page to the 1808 British magazine with the first English version of the Stone Soup story The Stone Soup story revolves around a clever man with a charismatic personality who can get people to help him when their first instinct is not to. This is the aspect of the story that folklorists have focused on. Folklorists place the Stone Soup story within the “clever man” category of the Aarne-Thompson-Uther folklore classification system that they use to organize the entire folkloric tradition. Stone Soup is an Aarne-Thompson-Uther type 1548 folktale. Where does the original Stone Soup story come from? Is it a genuine folk tale in the sense that it had a long life in an oral tradition before being published in print? Or is it a creation of authors writing for hire? Or a bit of both? I think it is probably a bit of both. The Stone Soup story does not appear in any of the major eighteenth- or nineteenth-century collections of folk tales. It wasn’t published by Charles Perrault or the Grimm brothers. The first version I have found, that of Madame de Noyer (1720), is the work of an internationally renowned writer. We will never know who “told her” the story, or whether she read it in a book that has not been identified, or whether she made the whole thing up! All of the early versions I have come across are already polished tales. None make the claim that they were collected from a peasant. If a strong oral tradition for the Stone Soup story existed in the 18th and 19th centuries it is probable that also referenced the fairly substantial body of published stories. The First Published Version: Madame de Noyer, France 1720 The first telling of the Stone Soup story that I have been able to locate is by a French woman, Madame de Noyer (1663–1719), a female journalist, a woman of letters and a dynamic personality who lived what can only be described as an interesting life. She seems to have been a woman who burned the candle at both ends. She lived in exile from France for the last part of her life, dying in Holland. Voltaire visited her in exile. Madame de Noyer’s version of the Stone Soup story, “Soupe au Caillou” (Madame du Noyer (1720), was published one year after she died, in a revised and expanded edition of collected letters that had been published a few years earlier. Madame de Noyer’s fame was so great that in French her version of the story is the most common version through the end of the nineteenth-century. You will find it in books that attribute it to other authors, but they rarely make the changes to her telling that are required to really claim authorship. Madame de Noyer begins her tale, as so many good storytellers do, with an element of mystery: “On me contoit l’autre jour que …” “Someone told me the other day that . . .” Her version of the story is set in Normandy, in northern France. Two Jesuits come to a farmhouse, but only the children are home. The Jesuits, who are hungry, convince the children that they are not begging for food, but in fact they are self-sufficient as they have a stone that makes soup. They tell the children that all they actually need is fire, a pot, and some water, and that their stone will do the rest. They remark that this is “curieux” and from that point the game is on. A fire is got ready, a pot put over, water is added, their stone is dropped in, and then, when the water is hot, this and that is asked for until, finally, a truly fabulous soup has been made. It is a story that always has a happy ending. Everyone always seems to have a good time making the soup, and the soup itself is always loved. In many versions the tramp (and it usually is a tramp) is asked for the recipe. In many other versions, like that of Madame de Noyer, all the neighbors and even all the other villagers are brought into the story. They attest to what a fabulous soup was made by a stone. Of course, nobody thinks that a stone can make soup. Nobody is tricked into feeding the stranger. The beggar is personable and is understood to be saying, “I’ll provide you some great entertainment in exchange for a meal.” As the banter surrounding the cooking was entertaining and by any standards the soup terrific, the making of stone soup always ends with smiles all around. Phillipe Barbe’s Version, France, 1771 Historic Stone Soup Story from 1771 in French by M. Barbe One characteristic of folktales is that they are contextualized by each teller. This is something the authors of the early Stone Soup stories clearly did. For example, the second version of the story was written by Phillipe Barbe (1723–1792) in his work Fables et

August 19, 2025
By Jeremy Lim

Facts & Fables #1: Why Lightning Exists

All was not well, up in the heavens. Tensions were building for what to do with the humans, who had disrupted the natural balance, and now were upheaving nature itself. They had forgotten their ancient promises, and now, a reckoning was in hand. However, the gods were also split on how to deal with the human problem. On one hand, they had been the most complex creations that the gods had made yet, and could not be wasted, but they had broken the sacred law, so a severe punishment had to be inbound, as they got more and more reckless with their expansion. So one of them took the decision into their own hands, appearing before the council of the gods to ask for the destruction of humankind. “We must smite them down before they get full of themselves! We must not lose sight of our main focus, our duty to preserve nature itself, our real greatest creations, not these creatures!” Indignant responses followed the bold statements. “Preposterous!” one of the council bellowed. “We have spent enough time and resources creating and maintaining the survival of these intelligent beings! We must not destroy them now, just when they have ensured survival independent of us!” The council agreed. They would not smite down the humans, despite the grave offense of their long-forgotten treaty. But the elders did not forget. Neither did they forgive. The humans, though just starting to use primitive tools, knew something was coming when they saw a massive storm, a mass of towering clouds, approaching them. The elders were coming, with permission or not, to end the humans. However, little did the elders know that the council had sent their operatives to trail them, and soon, there was infighting, a furious debate among gods as it became apparent that the council had found out about their secret mission. Someone had betrayed them. Tensions were high, as a mutiny occurred at the top of the cloud, and the gods began to quarrel, they sent gusts of wind against one another. The elders prepared to use their weapon. When gods fight, it is a battle of wills that determines who comes out on top. Charges of negative and positive built up, the difference between the two wills increasing, until… snap. The elder’s weapon was shattered as a flash of light crackled from the cloud, and struck the land below, an ominous booming sound following. The silence that followed was deafening. A huge scorch mark was all that remained of the white fire that had come from the sky, a reminder to the humans of the treaty, and the council began to speak. “For centuries, we have lived in harmony with nature. And as those centuries have passed, it seems as if you have forgotten your treaty with us, your devotion to protecting nature. Let this serve as a reminder to you of what happens when the delicate balance of nature is upheaved.” However, this also served as a reminder for the gods themselves, who had not meant to create such a powerful weapon. Today, whenever the gods have a heated debate or disagreement, and pressure builds up, lightning strikes, not necessarily us humans have done anything wrong, but as a sign that the ancient gods of nature are in conflict with one another.

August 14, 2025
By Jeremy Lim

Detective Denny #1

Spaghetti Sam was notorious for sneaking off during the day and leaving people tied up on the street, though the law enforcement didn’t acknowledge the strange claims. However, most of the neighborhood didn’t trust him much, as the one piece of evidence found at every single crime scene was a single rope of spaghetti. One day, when Detective Denny was going on his morning walk, he saw Pasta Parker tied up to a fire hydrant, blindfolded. “I said I liked macaroni better than spaghetti.” Pasta Parker wailed. “I really shouldn’t have said that.” “Don’t worry, I can help you, Pasta.” said Detective Denny. “Thank god someone finally decided to untie me!” Pasta said. “I’ll help you catch the perpetrator!” Denny looked around the crime scene, finding one singular strand of spaghetti. “It was Spaghetti Sam for sure!” Pasta Parker proclaimed indignantly. “Everyone knows that he ties people up using spaghetti! It is just that no one takes us seriously!” “I assure you, I am taking this very seriously, but I think the reason law enforcement hasn’t taken any prior actions is that Spaghetti Sam is a well established businessman.” Denny reassured, looking at the evidence very carefully. “However, I will look into it. I must take this back to my crime lab to examine.” “And I, Spaghetti Sam’s brother, shall help you!” Pasta Parker exclaimed, gladly following Denny to his home. Inside his lab, Denny pulled out other samples of past victims. Each of them were spaghetti ropes, almost indistinguishable from the one used to tie Pasta Parker up. But Denny was a thorough and patient detective, and knew there was more to this crime than it seemed. “You and Sam live in the same household, correct?” Denny asked. “Yes.” Parker answered. “What was the last conversation you had with Spaghetti Sam?” “It was last night. We were arguing over what type of grain to eat, along with our other brother, Macaroni Mason.” Parker recalled angrily. All evidence seemed to point toward Spaghetti Sam, but there was one more clue that Detective Denny hadn’t touched on yet. The blindfold. Looking at the blindfold carefully, Detective Denny saw that it seemed to be an intricate weave of spaghetti. Again, more evidence in the case against Spaghetti Sam. It was time to do a more thorough investigation on the prime suspect. “Let us talk to Spaghetti Sam,” Denny said. “Can you give me his address?” “Gladly.” Pasta Parker said fervently. Denny drove them both to the given address, and soon, they were on his doorstep, Parker fumbling around his pocket for his housekeys. His hand emerged empty-handed. “It seems that Sam took my housekeys after tying me up.” Pasta Parker exclaimed sheepishly. So they knocked on the thick pasta door of the menacing house, and Spaghetti Sam greeted them at the door. “Oh, brother!” Spaghetti Sam exclaimed. “I had been looking all around for you! Where did you go these last few hours?” “You know where I was!” Pasta Parker yelled, pointing his finger accusatorily. “Don’t pretend, you tied me up to a fire hydrant, and blindfolded me! You even stole my house keys!” Detective Denny restrained Pasta Parker before he could do anything brash. “I think that we should have a civilized discussion before we start pointing any fingers.” Denny stated. “Let us go to the living room to talk.” This was a classic test that Denny used on many occasions before this, and by watching the suspect’s reaction, he had caught many guilty criminals this way. However, Spaghetti Sam seemed calm and somewhat indignant, as if the claims Pasta Parker made were ridiculous. Again, Detective Denny thought, Sam had a lot of experience with the law, and was definitely capable of keeping a poker face. But Spaghetti Sam had never been through a full on interrogation before. Sam guided them to their seats in the living room with the gracious nature of a good host. This would not be an easy interrogation. “Pasta Parker had made some claims about you.” Detective Denny started, trying to keep the conversation from heating up. “What were you doing this morning, when Parker was taking his morning jog.” “Why, I was having my morning coffee at the local Cappuccino store.” Spaghetti Sam said with an easy grace that made Parker snarl. “The store is 30 minutes away, and I had left at 7:30 in the morning, 15 minutes before my dear brother starts his morning jog. In fact, it is somewhat routine, as you know, Parker.” “Parker, what do you have to say?” Detective Denny asked. “Well, come to think of it, that is true.” Parker said, “But his drive to the Cappuccino Coffeeshop closely follows my morning jogging route at some places, so he could have pulled over and ambushed me.” Detective Denny checked the weather report for that morning. It was indeed foggy, perfect weather for such an ambush. “Have you ever tied people up before, Sam?” Denny asked strategically. “Well… yes.” Sam admitted. “But those are past mistakes, and ones that I have been reprimanded for by our eldest brother, Macaroni Mason. He seems to find satisfaction in catching others doing crimes, and being all crime and justice about it. He is a police officer, after all.” Detective Denny was quick on the uptake. “But you have never been sent to jail before, or even incriminated, have you?” Sam’s quick response surprised him. “Of course I have! Macaroni Mason has sent me to jail many times!” “That is true…” Pasta Parker admitted. “You have disappeared for a few days at times, though Mason always said it was unexplained business trips.” Detective Denny frowned. This was a new twist. It seemed like they had a new suspect to deal with. But first, the evidence warranted more investigation. Spaghetti Sam had a solid alibi. The three of them drove to Denny’s lab once again, where he pulled out his finer instruments. “I think that this is the job for a magnifinding glass.”

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