"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a com ...

'') in storytelling in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to t ...

and has started many narratives since 1600. These stories sometimes end with "and they all lived

happily ever after Happily Ever After may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Happily Ever After'' (1985 film), a Brazilian romantic drama film directed by Bruno Barreto * ''Happily Ever After'' (1989 film), an animated movie continuing the adventures of Snow ...

", or, originally, "happily until their deaths". The phrase is common in fairy tales for younger children. It was used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

"", of

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fairy tales, consist ...

as a translation for the Danish "", (literally "there was once"), the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among th ...

as a translation for the German "" (literally "it was once") and Joseph Jacobs in English translations and fairy tales. The phrase is also used in retellings of

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...

fable Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular mor ...

s and

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, r ...

Other languages

The "story-starting phrase" is a common feature of many languages. , , 3 apples fall from the sky/heaven - one for the writer/author, one for the storyteller, one for the listener Note: ''(the three apples can "be given" to different people, when people tell stories they change the three to whatever they like. The version noted here is the most common/known)'' , - ! scope="row" , Asturian , , , There was once... , , , And so the tale is finished. , - ! scope="row" ,

Azeri Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most numer ...

, , , There was, (and) there was not... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Basque , , , Once upon a time... , , ... and it was or it was not, come in in the pumpkin and come out in the square of... (name of a town). , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2", Bengali , , , Once there lived a king , rowspan="2" , , , rowspan="2" , My story ends and the spinach is eaten by the goat. (cf A Goat eats the root of a herb unlike cows, so being consumed by goats figuratively means something being irreversibly ended.) , - , , , In some country, there was... , - ! scope="row" , Breton , , , Once upon a time... , , ...and they lived happily and had many children. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2", Bulgarian , rowspan="2",
() , rowspan="2", There was, once upon a time... , () , , ...and they lived happily until the end of their days , - , () , ...and for three days they ate, drank and had fun. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="5" ,

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid ...

, , , There was a time... , , Here's a cat, here's a dog, this tale is already melted. And here's a dog, here's a cat, this tale is finished. , - , , , Time was time... , , And they were happy and they ate candies. , - , , , This was and was not... , , Tale told, tale finished , - , , , This went and was... , , And they lived many years of happiness. , - , , , This occurred in those ancient times , , They were very happy, had many children, and still would live if they had not died , - ! scope="row" , Chinese (Mandarin) , T:
S:
P: ''Hěnjiǔ hěnjiǔ yǐqián'', , A very very long time ago... , T:
S:
P: ''Cóngcǐ, tāmenguòzhe xìngfú kuàilè de rìzi'', , ... and they lived a happy life , - ! scope="row" , Chinese (Classical) ,
''Xīzhě'' , , Anciently... , - , , - , - ! scope="row" ,

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

, , , There was once a... , , , ...and they lived happily until the end of their lives. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3" , Czech , , , There was, there was not... , , , ...and they lived happily until they died. , - , , , There was once a ... , , , ...and if they have not died yet, they still live there today. , - , , , Beyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven rivers . . . , , , A bell rang and the tale comes to its end. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Danish , , , There was, once... , , , And they lived happily until the end of their days. , - , , , Once a long time ago... , , , And if they're not dead, they are still alive. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Dutch , , , Once there was... , , , ...and they lived long and happily. , - , , , , And then came an elephant with a very long snout, and it blew the story out (over). , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

, , , Once there was... , , Their misery was ended and they lived together joyfully. , - , , , In a time already long past,
when it was still of use to cast a spell… , , Nothing was lacking to their happiness until their death. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Estonian , , , There once lived a... , , , ...and they lived happily until the end of their lives. , - , , , Behind seven lands and seas there lived a... , , , ...and if they're not dead, they still live happily. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Faroese , , , Once there was... , , , and they lived happily all their days. , - , , , , , snip, snap, stout, then the story was out. , - ! rowspan="2" scope="row" , Filipino , , , At the beginning of time.../ At the first time... , ''At sila'y namuhay nang mapayapa at masagana'' , And they lived peacefully and prosperous. , - , , , Wakas. , heend. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Finnish , , , Once there was... , , And they lived happily until the ends of their lives. , - , , , , , That's the length of it. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

, , , There was one time / There was once... , , , ...and they lived happily and had many children. , - , , , , , ...and they lived happily until the end of time. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , German , , , Once there was... , , ...and if they haven't died, they are still alive today. , - , , , Back in the days when it was still of help to wish for a thing,... , , ...and they lived happily and contentedly until the end of their days. , - ! scope="row" , Georgian ,
() , There was, and there was not, there was... ,
() , Disaster there, feast here... bran there, flour here... , - ! scope="row" , Goemai (Nigeria, West Chadic) , Unknown , , (Story teller begins in a sing song voice) "Story, Story". The children reply "Story" A long time ago... / In the days of our ancestors / When men were men and women tended the kitchen , , , My tale has finished, (it) has returned to go (and) come home. , - ! scope="row" , Greek (Modern) ,
() , Once and a time... (time = epoch/era/age) , () , And they lived well, and we lived better , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3" , Gujarati ,
() , This is an old story. , Unknown , , Unknown , - , () , , In one era, ... , Unknown , , Unknown , - , () , , A long back , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

,
() , , Once there was... , () , And they lived in happiness and wealth to this very day. , - ,
() , , Once there were... , , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of North India, northern, Central India, centr ...

, () , , In one era, ... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ,
() , It's an old story, ... , , , , - ! rowspan="4" scope="row" , Hungarian , , , Once there was, where there wasn't, there was a... , , , This is the end; run away with it. , - , ... Hetedhétországon is túl, az Óperenciás tengeren is túl, az üveghegyeken is túl, hol a kurtafarkú malac túr, , ptional, signifying distance ... cross seven countries, through the sea of Operencia, through the glass mountains, where the curly-tailed pig delves , , , , - , , , , They lived happily until they died. , - , , , ''Aki nem hiszi, járjon utána!'' , Whoever doesn't believe it shall investigate. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3" , Icelandic , ' , , Once a long time ago... , , , And they lived happy for the rest of their lives. , - , , , Once there was... , , , A cat in the bog put up his tail and there ends the fairytale. , - , , , , , Cat out in the swamp, lifted its tail, the adventure is finished. , - ! scope="row" ,

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesia ...

, , , A long time ago... , Dan mereka hidup bahagia selama-lamanya. , , And they lived happily ever after. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Iraqw (Tanzania, Kenya, Cushitic) , , , Once upon a time , Unknown , , Unknown , - , In oral literature: , I remember something that our father told me and that is this: , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Irish , , A long, long, long time ago it was (and there was a

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

) , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Italian , , , There was once... , , , And they lived happy and content. , - ! scope="row" , Japanese , (, , ) , Long ago, long ago... ,
() , So blissful , - ! scope="row" ,

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

, , , Once, in a long past age,... , Unknown , , Unknown , - !

Kazakh Kazakh, Qazaq or Kazakhstani may refer to: * Someone or something related to Kazakhstan *Kazakhs, an ethnic group *Kazakh language *The Kazakh Khanate * Kazakh cuisine * Qazakh Rayon, Azerbaijan *Qazax, Azerbaijan *Kazakh Uyezd, administrative dis ...

, Ерте ерте ертеде, ешкі жүні бөртеде (erte erte ertede, eshki zhuni bortede) , Direct translation: "A long, long time ago, when goat's wool was grey". Meaning: "A long long time ago, when goats had feathers") , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Khroskyabs (Sichuan, Qiangic) , , , Long, long ago , , , My story has finished , - , , , , , , Was that fun? , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Korean ,
() , , On an old day, in the old times, ,
() , , And they lived happily after then. , - ,
() , , Back when tigers used to smoke tobacco. , , , , - ! scope="row" , Koti (Mozambique,

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language *Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for Nationali ...

) , , , Once upon the time, there was a truly great friendship... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Kurdish , ھەبوو نەبوو (ڕۆژێ لە ڕۆژان) , Once there was and there was not, there was... , , My story went to other homes, God bless the mothers and fathers of its listeners , - ! scope="row" , Kyrgyz ,
() , , A long, long time ago... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

, , , At that time, Once , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Latvian , , , Once long ago in times long gone , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" rowspan="4" ,

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

, , , Once upon the time , - , , , Beyond nine seas, beyond nine lagoons , , And I was there, drank some mead ale, dribbled through my beard, had not in my mouth , - , , , Once long, long ago , - , , , There was, and there was not , - ! scope="row" ,

Luxembourgish Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of t ...

,
(old orthography: ) , Once there was... , , , ...and if they haven't died yet, they are still living today. , - ! scope="row" ,

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

,
() , Once upon the time there was... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

, , , Long ago, at a place... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Malay , , , Once upon a time , , , They lived happily ever after. , - ! scope="row" ,

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

, ''
()'' , in a very old time... , ''
()'' , , and they lived happily ever after , - ! scope="row" , Maragoli , , , In olden days , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

, , , Once upon a time... , , , And they lived happily and contentedly ever after. , - ! scope="row" ,

Nepali Nepali or Nepalese may refer to : Concerning Nepal * Anything of, from, or related to Nepal * Nepali people, citizens of Nepal * Nepali language, an Indo-Aryan language found in Nepal, the current official national language and a language spoken ...

, () , , Once in a country... , () , , A golden–garland to the listener, A flower–garland to the narrator; This story shall go to Vishnu's abode (Heaven), And come back hot (fresh) on someone else's (the next narrator) lips. (Said in a rhyme.) , - !Nigeria (South) , Varied , (Story teller begins in a sing song voice) "Story, Story". The children reply "Story" or, A long time ago... or, In the days of our ancestors... (or this, usually among adults and jovially) Long ago, when men were men and women tended the kitchen... , Varied , And so my story has finished. It has returned to where it came from. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3" , Norwegian , , , There was, once... , , , And then they lived happily for the remainder of their days. , - , , , , , , And if they're not dead, they still live. , - , , , , , , Snip, snap, snute (snout), then this adventure is finished. (sometimes the English is translated to rhyme "Snip, snap, snout, this adventure is told out.") , - ! scope="row" , Occitan , , , There was one time / There was once... , , , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languag ...

,
() , , There was this work that... , Bas , , The End , - ,
() , , There was this work that... , Bas , , The End , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Persian ,
, , Someday, sometime, ... , , , This book has come to end,
(but) the story yet remains. , - ,
, Someone was, someone wasn't, ... , , , Our tale has come to end,
(but) the crow hasn't arrived at his house. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Polish , , , (A long, long time ago,) beyond seven mountains, beyond seven forests... , , , ...and they lived long and happily. , - , , , Beyond seven mountains, beyond seven rivers... , , ...and I was there sually at a weddingtoo, and drank mead and wine. , - ! scope="row" , Portuguese , , , There was, once... , , , ...and they lived happily forever. , - ! scope="row" , Qiang , , , A long long time ago... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Romanian , , , There once was, (as never before)... because if there wasn't, it wouldn't have been to told , , , ...and they lived happily until old age. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Russian ,
() , , Long, long time ago... ,
() , ...and they lived long and happily nd died on the same day, - ,
() , (In the three-ninth kingdom, in the three-tenth realm) There lived, there was... , ... и стали они жить поживать, да добра наживать. (''i stali oni zhit' pozhivat', da dobra nazhivat) , ... and they lived and prospered. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

, () , , In the ancient time... , Unknown , , Unknown , - , () , , Once upon the time, At any time , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Scots Scots usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: * Scots language, a language of the West Germanic language family native to Scotland * Scots people, a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland * Scoti, a Latin na ...

, In the days o lang syne , , Long ago , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

, , , A day that was here , , , (and that's still how it is) until the present day. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

,
();

() , Once, a long time ago... , () , ...and they lived happily for the rest of their lives. , - ,
( fem., )

( masc., )

(

neuter Neuter is a Latin adjective meaning "neither", and can refer to: * Neuter gender, a grammatical gender, a linguistic class of nouns triggering specific types of inflections in associated words *Neuter pronoun *Neutering, the sterilization of an ...

, ) , There once was one... , () , ...and they lived long and happily. , - ! scope="row" , Shona , , , A long time ago, there existed , Ndopanoperera sarungano , , End of the story. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="5" , Slovak , , , Where it was, there it was... , , , ...and they lived together happily, until they died. , - , , , Beyond the hills, beyond the valleys... , , , ...and they lived together happily until their deaths. , - , , , Beyond seven mountains and seven valleys... , , , ...and if they haven't died already, they are living happily to this day. , - , , , Where the water was being strewn and the sand poured... , , , The bell chimed and the tale came to its end. , - , , , Once, there was a... , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Slovene , , , A long time ago... , , ...and they ( both) lived happy until the end of their days. , - , , , Once upon a time there was/lived... , , ... and they ( all) lived happily until the end of their days. , - ! scope="row" ,

Somali Somali may refer to: Horn of Africa * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Proto-Somali, the ancestors of modern Somalis ** Somali culture ** Somali cuisine ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Soma ...

, ''Sheeko sheeko, sheeko xariir...'' , , Once upon a time.. , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Spanish , , , There was, once... , , , ...and they lived happy and ate partridges. , - , , , There was, once... , , , ...and redhead, red, this tale has ended. , - ! scope="row" ,

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...

(east African) , , , A long time ago , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, , , Once, there was... , , , ...and then they lived happily for all of their days. , - , , , Once, long ago... , Snipp snapp snut, så var sagan slut , , Snip, snap, snute (snout), thus the story ends. , - ! scope="row" ,

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

, , , Back in the old time... , , , And they lived happily. , - ! scope="row" ,

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pud ...

, () , , At a time long ago , Subham , , The End. , - ! scope="row" ,

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language f ...

,
() , , Once upon a day... , Subham/ Kadha Kanchi ki , , The End. , - ! scope="row" , Thai ,
() , Once upon the time (long ago)... ,
() , And they lived happily forever. , - ! scope="row" ,

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

, , Once there was, and once there wasn't. In the long-distant days of yore, when haystacks

winnow Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain. It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain. Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation. In its simplest form, it involves throwing the mixture into the ...

sieve A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separation process, separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a warp and weft, woven mesh or n ...

s, when

genie Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic m ...

s played jereed in the old bathhouse, henfleas were barbers, hencamels were

town crier A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority who makes public pronouncements as required. Duties and functions The town crier was used to make public announcements in the streets. Criers often dre ...

s, nd whenI softly rocked my baby grandmother to sleep in her creaking

cradle Cradle may refer to: * Cradle (bed) * Bassinet, a small bed, often on rockers, in which babies and small children sleep Mechanical devices * Cradle (circus act), or aerial cradle or casting cradle used in an aerial circus act * Cradling (paintin ...

, there was/lived, in an exotic land, far, far away, a/an...*

∗ : This traditional opening phrase by the storyteller is rich with rhyming wordplays, tongue-twisters, as well as comedic and bizarre situational juxtapositions that are meant to draw listeners in, and set the stage for a whimsical, fantastical storyline. ,
Alternatively:
, Lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for our story's heroes, one for the person who told their tale, and one for those who listened and promise to share. And with that, they* all achieved their hearts' desires. Let us** now step up and settle into their thrones.***
Alternatively:
Lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for those who know to keep their inner child alive, one for those who know to listen and think before they act, and one for those who never lose the love and hope within their soul. And with that, they* all achieved their hearts' desires. Let us** now step up and settle into their thrones.***

∗ : the protagonists of the story
∗∗: the listeners
∗∗∗: a common conclusory storytelling expression meaning "may we all share in their good fortune" , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Ukrainian ,
() , , Long, long time ago... ,
() , ...and they lived long and happily. , - ,
() , (In some kingdom, in some land) There lived, there was... , , , , - ! scope="row" ,

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

,
() بہت بہت سال پہلے۔۔۔ (Bohut bohut sal pehle...) , Once upon a time... Many many years ago... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Vietnamese , , , A long, long time ago... , ...và họ sống hạnh phúc mãi mãi về sau , , ...and they live happily ever after , - ! scope="row" ,

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

, , , A long time ago... , Unknown , , Unknown

Modern variants

* Don McLean's " American Pie" begins with the phrase "A long, long time ago...". * All nine of the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'' films, as well as several of the expanded universe novels, begin with the phrase "A long time ago in a

galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar Sys ...

far, far away....". * The musical '' Into the Woods'' begins with the Narrator's line, "Once upon a time." The second act commences with his line, "Once upon a time... later..." The musical is a retelling of many famous fairy tales. * In the Singaporean comedy series '' Under One Roof'', Moses Lim's character Tan Ah Teck begins his stories with "Long before your time, in the southern province of China ...". * In the 2010

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and ...

film '' Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'', the opening scene narrates the words "Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada." * The opening line of the theme song to '' MST3k'' is: "In the not-too-distant future ... next Sunday, A.D." * '' Bionicle'' features the line "In the time before time...". * The opening line of the TV series ''

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

'' features the line "In a land of myth, and a time of magic..." * The first episode of '' Ivor the Engine'' opens with the line "Not so very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales..."

References

External links

Folktale Openings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Once Upon A Time English phrases Recurrent elements in fairy tales Traditional stories Redirects from opening lines