We all know that stories don’t like to sit on the page of a book and be quiet. Stories like to be told and, more importantly, stories like to travel. This is why you will find similar legends in different parts of the country (or sometimes in different countries too) that seem all too familiar, just set in a different place.

Oak Royal is a lovely, short legend about how an oak tree came to grow on a rocky outcrop, set in the woods around Aberfoyle, but can be adapted to any other place.

Below you can download the original tale. Can you adapt this legend to the place where you live?

You can also download an explanation of the structure of the story and a few notes on how to re-write it entirely to fit with the place where you live. This can be great fun for older children and adults alike.

Contributed by storyteller John Barrington