After one hundred years of swimming upstream, one koi fish eventually reached the top of the waterfall. Local deities witnessed their efforts and heightened the waterfall out of spite-more fish turned around. Some fish could not bear the challenge, and so they turned around and let the river take them back downstream. They swam against the powerful currents of the river and attempted to climb a waterfall. Shining brightly like polished jewels in the Yellow River of China, a school of koi fish swam together upstream with every bit of their strength. IThis Chinese legend features the trek of a large school of koi fish, and one fish in particular that never gave up. Here are seven, short fish folklore stories, or fish-lore tails from around the globe: China: The Koi Fish That Persisted

These tales can illustrate a culture’s values, teach life lessons of generations past and simply bring amusement and humor in which everyone can take part.Īs a Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Marine Conservation Diversity Fellow in the Fish Conservation Program at Ocean Conservancy (working on fisheries policy and storytelling), coupled with my constant search for stories to keep humbly learning about the world, I sought to gather fun fish stories from all over the world to share with you. Stories also have the special power of preserving memory across generations, particularly in folklore tales. I love it when two people come together to exchange a past experience or a seed from their own imagination, and the storytelling cycle repeats. As a storyteller, my favorite part about telling stories is that they transverse time. I have always held deep respect and appreciation for folklore.

Folktale stories