Folktales are stories that were written or told (re-told) and remembered over generations by also being written in different forms in the literature. The current study focuses on folktales from two Asian countries. As these tales were popular, they were also translated in English and available online in different genres. The folktales are chosen for this study on the basis of the theme of these tales (a) victory of good over bad and (b) choice of a romantic/life partner. The tales chosen are:

1. Japanese: (i) Momotaro (The story of the Son of a Peach)
(ii) The princess Kaguya Hime
Both the stories are taken from The Project Gutenberg eBook of Japanese Fairy Tales, by Yei Theodora Ozaki (eBook published 2001, last updated 2011)

2. Indian: (i) The story of the Monkey and the Crocodile
(from Panchatantra; a compilation of fables by Vishnu Sharma in around 200 BCE;
translated by Rohini Chowdhury 2017)

(ii) The Vampire's first story
(from Baital Pachisi; compiled in 11th century in Sanskrit by Somdeva; translated by Richard F.
Burton published in April 2022, last updated November 2022 )

The study describes these tales based on the (a) time and setting of the stories, (b) turn of events, (c) characters, and (d) the manner in which they convey a moral lesson and/or convey a message in each of these stories. The two stories from each different culture are also analyzed for the similarities or differences in categories mentioned in (a) – (d).