"Once upon a time" is a

stock phrase In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

s 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 Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

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 the is ...

and has started many narratives since 1600. These stories sometimes end with "and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths". The phrase is common in

s for younger children. It was used in the original translations of the stories of

Charles Perrault Charles Perrault ( , also , ; 12 January 1628 – 16 May 1703) was an iconic French author and member of the Académie Française. He laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from earlier folk tales ...

as a translation for the French "", 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, consisti ...

as a translation for the

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

"", (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 the ...

as a translation for the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

"" (literally "it was once") and

Joseph Jacobs Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore. Jacobs ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

translations and fairy tales. The phrase is also used in retellings of

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

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 mo ...

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 tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

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 Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

, , , 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 Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, , , 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 Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

, , , Once upon a time... , , ...and they lived happily and had many children. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

, 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 #1 ...

, , , 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 , , , There was once a... , , , ...and they lived happily until the end of their lives. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="3" ,

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * 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" ,

, , , 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 Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, , , 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 Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

, , , 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 Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

, , , Once there was... , , And they lived happily until the ends of their lives. , - , , , , , That's the length of it. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , French , , , 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" ,

, , , 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 Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

,
() , There was, and there was not, there was... ,
() , Disaster there, feast here... bran there, flour here... , - ! scope="row" ,

Goemai PUR:purpose SG:singular DEF:definite ADVZ:adverbializer S:subject (intransitive and transitive) pronoun IDEOPH:ideophone O:object pronoun CONS:consequence clause PAST.REM:remote past DIM:diminutive GEN:genitive INSIDE:inside Goemai (also Ankw ...

(Nigeria,

West Chadic The West Chadic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken principally in Niger and Nigeria. They include Hausa, the most populous Chadic language and a major language of West Africa. Languages The branches of West Chadic go either by n ...

) , 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 Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

,
() , 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 language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, () , , 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 ** Indonesian ...

, , , A long time ago... , Dan mereka hidup bahagia selama-lamanya. , , And they lived happily ever after. , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" , Iraqw (Tanzania, Kenya,

Cushitic The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken primarily in the Horn of Africa, with minorities speaking Cushitic languages to the north in Egypt and the Sudan, and to the south in Kenya and Tanzania. As o ...

) , , , Once upon a time , Unknown , , Unknown , - , In

oral literature Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...

: , I remember something that our father told me and that is this: , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, , 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 tit ...

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

) , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, , , There was once... , , , And they lived happy and content. , - ! scope="row" ,

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

, (, , ) , 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 , 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 Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

,
() , , 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 National ...

) , , , Once upon the time, there was a truly great friendship... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish languages *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern Kurdistan **Eastern Kurdistan **Northern Kurdistan **Western Kurdistan See also * Kurd (dis ...

, 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 of the ...

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

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

, , , Long ago, at a place... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

, , , 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 The Maragoli, or Logoli (''Ava-Logooli''), are now the second-largest ethnic group of the 6 million-strong Luhya nation in Kenya, numbering around 2.1 million, or 15% of the Luhya people according to the last Kenyan census. Their language i ...

, , , In olden days , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" , Maltese , , , Once upon a time... , , , And they lived happily and contentedly ever after. , - ! scope="row" , Nepali , () , , 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 Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

, , , 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 Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

, , , 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 languages ...

,
() , , There was this work that... , Bas , , The End , - ,
() , , There was this work that... , Bas , , The End , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

,
, , 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 Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, , , (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 Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, , , There was, once... , , , ...and they lived happily forever. , - ! scope="row" , Qiang , , , A long long time ago... , Unknown , , Unknown , - ! scope="row" ,

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

, , , 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 Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

,
() , , 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 , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

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

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

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

( masc., )

( neuter, ) , There once was one... , () , ...and they lived long and happily. , - ! scope="row" ,

Shona Shona often refers to: * Shona people, a Southern African people * Shona language, a Bantu language spoken by Shona people today Shona may also refer to: * ''Shona'' (album), 1994 album by New Zealand singer Shona Laing * Shona (given name) * S ...

, , , 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 Both may refer to: Common English word * ''both'', a determiner or indefinite pronoun denoting two of something * ''both... and'', a correlative conjunction People * Both (surname) Music * The Both, an American musical duo consisting of ...

) lived happy until the end of their days. , - , , , Once upon a time there was/lived... , , ... and they (

all All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All al ...

) lived happily until the end of their days. , - ! scope="row" , Somali , ''Sheeko sheeko, sheeko xariir...'' , , Once upon a time.. , , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2" ,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, , , There was, once... , , , ...and they lived happy and ate partridges. , - , , , There was, once... , , , ...and redhead, red, this tale has ended. , - ! scope="row" , Swahili (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 , , , 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 Pudu ...

, () , , 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 fami ...

,
() , , Once upon a day... , Subham/ Kadha Kanchi ki , , The End. , - ! scope="row" ,

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

,
() , Once upon the time (long ago)... ,
() , And they lived happily forever. , - ! scope="row" , Turkish , , Once there was, and once there wasn't. In the long-distant days of yore, when

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...

stacks winnowed

sieve A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet material. T ...

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 myt ...

s played

jereed Jereed (also jerreed, jerid, or jerrid; tr, Cirit) is a traditional Turkish equestrian team sport played outdoors on horseback in which the objective is to score points by throwing a blunt wooden javelin at opposing team's horsemen. Played by Tur ...

in the old

bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...

fleas were barbers,

camels 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 dress ...

s, nd whenI softly rocked my baby grandmother to sleep in her creaking cradle, 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 Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

,
() , , 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"
''

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

, , , 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 peop ...

, , , 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 film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' 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 System. ...

far, far away....". * The musical ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' 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 a ...

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 Bionicle was a line of Lego construction toys, marketed primarily towards 8-to-16-year-olds. The line originally launched in 2001 as a subsidiary of Lego's Technic series. Over the following decade, it became one of Lego's biggest-selling pro ...

'' features the line "In the time before time...". * The opening line of the TV series '' Merlin'' features the line "In a land of myth, and a time of magic..." * The first episode of ''

Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" ...

'' 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