Stone Soup | Folklore of the Ridgeway

Cooperation made humanity successful. Competition may just kill us all. This story is more important than ever. Mutual aid and solidarity with all people!

Listening to this story not only makes me want soup, but compels me to plop a smooth stone in the stove pot as I’m making it 🍲🪨 makes me wonder how many mothers through the tales history tricked they’re children with her rare “kitchen soup stone” just because of this bedtime story. Or if the family really doesn’t have much and it’s a loving way for a mom to make light of her lack of ingredients, they’re having stone soup tonight, many harsh times like those in Europe back then. Thank you for the story ❤

I've heard this story, and love it. I'm an old woman, but thankfully not as old as this tale. I do believe it takes a village. On the West Coast of America, I've brought travelling folk home with me in my teen years, and offered a safe harbor to a couple of homeless acquaintances in my senior years. The last time someone journeyed down my long drive, it wasn't travelers, but tweakers looking to steal metal well after midnight. I loosed the hounds on them. In these modern times: an old woman should keep, a large rescued doggo, or two.

Such a great story. I’m gonna have to use that with my little one. Thank you

Wonderful story. I know the Axe soup version. it's usually part of a longer story and the wize man pulls this trick to impart a moral.

I think you're on to something with your axe head theory. During the neolithic, all over Europe, people were making stone axe hammers out of river stones by grinding and polishing them in to shape. Later when the copper and bronze technology arrived they switched to these new materials but keept the form and design. When Bronze Age farmers were plowing their fields, they keep finding the neolithic stone axe heads that came to the surface. They could recognize their shape but couldn't explain how they got buried in the soil. So they start calling them thunderstones because they thought wherever Thor's lightnight struck, one thunderstone would appear. They also believed these thunderstones were magical and had protective abilities, that's why they also got used as charms and amulets. So maybe the tinker didn't used a simple pebble or metal axe head but rather one of these polished neolithic thunderstones.

My mother used to tell me this story! We're from the Netherlands and its a famous story here, never knew it was folklore from the ridgeway! Amazing!

Wonderful story, many thanks!

Storytime ✨ Yay 💃🏼

I remember well this beautiful story from my childhood, and I'm 69 now!

a good story..one i used to tell my daughter when she was young..i was told it by my infant school at a story time lesson and have remembered it ever since..xxx .

Thank you so much. I love this story, bringing all the community together with a beautiful bowl of soup. We do so need this today with all that is going on in the world. I so enjoy listening to your voice and seeing your smile .enjoy your time along the ridgeway x

Thanks for the tales, it's good to hear them. I been pitched up on the Ridgeway for 7 years now and should probably know these stories

That is a great old story.

I’ve read many versions of this story to my students over the years. As villagers each contribute one small ingredient to the soup they realize the value of sharing and cooperation. It’s a beautiful way to teach these values. We always made a stone soup as a class for lunch as a culminating activity. The Jewish version is called Bone Button Broth. Thank you for your wonderful version.

🙏🙏🙏love this story ❤

This brings back childhood memories.

Thank you for another great story. I love it. Such a great message ❤

My Gran used to tell that tale from the NE of England. I used to listen rapt to the tale.

That was an awesome story thank you. ❤