Once upon a time

This article is about the stock phrase. For other uses, see Once Upon a Time.

Frontispiece to The How and Why Library, 1909

"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) in storytelling in the English language and has opened many oral narratives since 1600. These stories often then end with "and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths".

The phrase is particularly common in fairy tales for younger children, where it is almost always the opening line of a tale. It was commonly used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the French "il était une fois", of Hans Christian Andersen as a translation for the Danish "der var engang", (literally "there was once"), the Brothers Grimm as a translation for the German "es war einmal" (literally "it was once") and Joseph Jacobs in English translations and fairy tales.

The phrase is also frequently used in such oral stories as retellings of myths, fables, folklore and children's literature.

Other languages

The "story-starting phrase" is a common feature of many languages.

Language	Common beginning	Common beginning (English translation)	Common ending	Common ending (English translation)
Albanian	Na ishte një herë...	Once there was...	Dhe ata jetuanumtur pergjithmonë	And they lived happy forever
Afrikaans	Eendag, lank gelede...	One day, a long time ago...	Fluit, fluit, die storie is uit	Whistle, whistle, the story is done
Algerian Arabic	Hajitek ma jitek (حجيتك ما جيتك)	I've told you what's coming	Unknown	Unknown
Amharic	በድሮ ዘመን...	Once a long time ago...	ተረቴን መልሱ አፌን በዳቦ አብሱ::	Return my story and feed me bread.(It is a way of saying tell me a story for the one I have told you.)
Classical Arabic	kân yâ mâ kân fî qadîmi zzamân wsalifî al`aSri wal'awân... (كان يا ما كان،في قديم الزمان، وسالف العصر والأوان)	There was, oh what there was (or there wasn't) in the oldest of days and ages and times...	Unknown	Unknown
Assamese	বহুত দিনৰ আগত... (Bahut dinor aagot...)	Long time ago...	Unknown	Unknown
Armenian	Լինում է, չի լինում... (Linum e, chi linum)	There was, there was not...	Երկնքից երեք խնձոր է ընկնում՝ Մեկը գրողին, մեկը պատմողին, մեկն էլ լսողին: (Yerknkits yereq khndzor e ynknum` Meky groxin, meky patmoxin, mekn el lsoxin)	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)
Asturian	Ello yera una vez...	There was once...	Y con esto acabóse'l cuentu.	And so the tale is finished.
Azeri	Biri var idi, biri yox idi...	There was, (and) there was not...	Unknown	Unknown
Basque	Bazen behin...	Once upon a time...	...eta hala bazan ala ez bazan, sar dadila kalabazan eta atera dadila ...-ko plazan	... and it was or it was not, come in in the pumpkin and come out in the square of... (name of a town).
Bengali	ek je chhilo raja...	Once there lived a king	aamaar kothati furolo; Notey gaachhti murolo	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.)
	Ek deshe chhilo...	In some country, there was...
Breton	Ur wech e oa...	Once upon a time...	...hag e vevjont eürus asambles hag o devoe kalz a vugale.	...and they lived happily and had many children.
Bulgarian	Имало едно време... (Imalo edno vreme...)	There was, once upon a time...	...и заживели щастливо до края на дните си (...i zazhiveli shtastlivo do kraya na dnite si)	...and they lived happily until the end of their days
			...и три дни яли, пили и се веселили (...i tri dni yali, pili i se veselili)	...and for three days they ate, drank and had fun.
Catalan	Hi havia una vegada	There was a time...	Vet aquí un gat, vet aquí un gos, aquest conte ja s'ha fos. I vet aquí un gos, vet aquí un gat, aquest conte s'ha acabat.	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.
	Temps era temps...	Time was time...	I conte contat, conte acabat	Tale told, tale finished
Chinese	T: 很久很久以前 S: 很久很久以前 P: Hěnjiǔ hěnjiǔ yǐqián	A very very long time ago...	T: 從此，他們過著幸福快樂的日子 S: 从此，他们过着幸福快乐的日子 P: Cóngcǐ, tāmenguòzhe xìngfú kuàilè de rìzi	... and they lived a happy life
Croatian	Bio jednom jedan...	There was once a...	...i živjeli su sretno do kraja života.	...and they lived happily until the end of their lives.
Czech	Bylo nebylo, ...	There was, there was not...	... a žili šťastně až do smrti.	...and they lived happily until they died.
	Byl jednou jeden...	There was once a ...	...a jestli neumřeli, žijí tam dodnes.	...and if they have not died yet, they still live there today.
	Za sedmero horami a sedmero řekami...	Beyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven rivers . . .	Zazvonil zvonec a pohádky je konec.	A bell rang and the tale comes to its end.
Danish	Der var engang...	There was, once...	Og de levede lykkeligt til deres dages ende.	And they lived happily until the end of their days.
	Engang for længe siden...	Once a long time ago...	Og hvis de ikke er døde, lever de endnu.	And if they're not dead, they are still alive.
Dutch	Er was eens...	Once there was...	... en ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig.	...and they lived long and happily.
			En toen kwam er een varken met een lange snuit en die blies het verhaaltje uit.	And then came a pig with a long snout, and the story is out (over).
Esperanto	Iam estis...	Once there was...	La mizero finiĝis kaj ili ĝoje vivis kune.	Their misery was ended and they lived together joyfully.
	En tempo jam de longa pasinta, kiam efikas ankoraŭ sorĉado….	In a time already long past, when it was still of use to cast a spell…	Nenio mankis en ilia feliĉo ĝis la morto.	Nothing was lacking to their happiness until their death.
Estonian	Elasid kord...	There once lived a...	... ja nad elasid õnnelikult elu lõpuni.	...and they lived happily until the end of their lives.
	Seitsme maa ja mere taga elas kord...	Behind seven lands and seas there lived a...	...ja kui nad surnud ei ole, siis elavad nad õnnelikult edasi	...and if they're not dead, they still live happily.
Faroese	Einaferð var tað...	Once there was...	Og tey livdu lukkuliga allar teirra dagar.	and they lived happily all their days.
			snip, snap, snúti, so var søgan úti.	snip, snap, stout, then the story was out.
Filipino	Noong unang panahon...	At the beginning of time...	At sila'y namuhay ng mapayapa at masagana	And they lived peacefully and propesrous
Finnish	Olipa kerran...	Once there was...	Ja he elivät onnellisina elämänsä loppuun saakka.	And they lived happily until the ends of their lives.
			Sen pituinen se.	That's the length of it.
French	Il était une fois	There was one time / There was once...	...et ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants	...and they lived happily and had many children.
			...et ils vécurent heureux jusqu'à la fin des temps	...and they lived happily until the end of time.
German	Es war einmal...	Once there was...	...und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie noch heute.	...and if they haven't died, they are still alive today.
	In den alten Zeiten, als das Wünschen noch geholfen hat	Back in the days when it was still of help to wish for a thing,...	...und sie lebten glücklich und zufrieden bis ans Ende ihrer Tage.	...and they lived happily and contentedly until the end of their days.
Georgian	იყო და არა იყო რა, იყო... (iko da ara iko ra, iko...)	There was, and there was not, there was...	ჭირი – იქა, ლხინი – აქა, ქატო – იქა, ფქვილი – აქა (Čiri – ik′a, lxini – ak′a, k′at′o – ik′a, p′k′vili – ak′a)	Disaster there, feast here... bran there, flour here...
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	Tamtis noe lat / dok ba muaan yi wa	My tale has finished, (it) has returned to go (and) come home.
Greek (Modern)	Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό... (Mia fora ki enan kairo...)	Once and a time... (time = epoch/era/age)	...και ζήσανε αυτοί καλά και εμείς καλύτερα. (...kai zīsane autoi kala kai emeis kalytera)	And they lived well, and we lived better
Gujarati	ઘણાં વર્ષો પહેલાંની વાત છે (Ghaṇã vaṣô pahelãnī vāta che)	This is an old story.	Unknown	Unknown
	એક જમાનામાં... (Eka jamānāmã...)	In one era, ...	Unknown	Unknown
	વર્ષો પહેલાં... (Vaṣô pahelã...)	A long back	Unknown	Unknown
Hebrew	הָיֹה הָיָה פעם (Hayoh hayah pa'am...)	Once there was...	והם חיו באושר ועושר עד עצם היום הזה (Ve'hem ẖayu be'osher va'osher ad etzem hayom hazeh)	And they lived in happiness and luxury to this very day.
	הָיֹה הָיוּ פעם (Hayo hayu pa'am...)	Once there were...
Hindi	किसी ज़माने में (Kisī zamāne meṃ)	In one era, ...	Unknown	Unknown
	बहुत पुरानी बात है (Bahuta purānī bāta hai)	It's an old story, ...
Hungarian	Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy...	Once there was, where there wasn't, there was a...	Itt a vége, fuss el véle!	This is the end; run away with it.
			Boldogan éltek, amíg meg nem haltak.	They lived happily until they died.
Icelandic	Einu sinni fyrir langa löngu...	Once a long time ago.	Og þau lifðu hamingjusöm til æviloka	And the lived happy for the rest of their lives.
	Einu sinni var...	Once there was...	Köttur úti í mýri, setti upp á sér stýrið og úti er ævintýrið	A cat in the bog put up his tail and there ends the fairytale.
			Köttur úti í mýri, setti upp á sér stýri, úti er ævintýri	Cat out in the swamp, lifted its tail, the adventure is finished.
Indonesian	Pada zaman dahulu kala...	A long time ago...	Dan mereka hidup bahagia selama-lamanya.	And they lived happily ever after.
Iraqw (Tanzania, Kenya, Cushitic)	tokaro-yâ	Once upon a time	Unknown	Unknown
	In oral literature: Kar aníng te-'ée' to-ká a inhláw ar aakó doo-rén ni alki'-a i tí	I remember something that our father told me and that is this:	Unknown	Unknown
Irish	Fadó, fadó, fadó a bhí ann (agus bhí rí i nGaillimh)	A long, long, long time ago it was (and there was a king in Galway)	Unknown	Unknown
Italian	C'era una volta...	There was once...	E vissero felici e contenti.	And they lived happy and content.
Japanese	昔昔 (昔々, むかしむかし, Mukashi mukashi)	Long ago, long ago...	めでたしめでたし (Medetashi medetashi)	So blissful
Korean	옛날 옛적에... (Yet-nal Yet-jeok-e...)	On an old day, in the old times,	그리고 행복하게 살았답니다 (Geurigo haeng-bok ha-gae sal-at damnida)	And they lived happily after then.
Kannada	Ondanondu kaaladalli...	Once, in a long past age,...	Unknown	Unknown
Koti (Mozambique, Bantu)	Rakú z'éepo waarí-vó oswááipu nwúlw'eéne saána	Once upon the time, there was a truly great friendship...	Unknown	Unknown
Kyrgyz	илгери-илгери... (ilgeri-ilgeri...)	A long, long time ago...	Unknown	Unknown
Latin	Olim...	At that time, Once	Unknown	Unknown
Latvian	Reiz sen senos laikos...	Once long ago in times long gone	Unknown	Unknown
Lithuanian	Vieną kartą...	Once upon the time	Ir aš ten buvau, alų midų gėriau, per barzdą varvėjo, burnoj neturėjau	And I was there, drank some mead ale, dribbled through my beard, had not in my mouth
Luxembourgish	Et war eemol... (old orthography: Et wor eemol...)	Once there was...	An wann se net gestuerwen sin, dann liewen se nach haut	...and if they haven't died yet, they are still living today.
Macedonia	Си беше еднаш... (Si beshe ednash...)	Once upon the time there was...	Unknown	Unknown
Malayalam	Pandu oridathu...	Long ago, at a place...	Unknown	Unknown
Malay	Pada zaman dahulu...	Once upon a time	Mereka hidup bahagia selama-lamanya.	They lived happily ever after.
Marathi	कोणे एके काळी... (kone eke kaali...)	in a very old time...	आणि ते सुखाने राहू लागले (aani te sukhane raahu laagle)	and they lived happily ever after
Maragoli	Mmadikhu ga khaare	In olden days	Unknown	Unknown
Maltese	Darba, fost l-oħrajn...	Once upon a time...	U għexu henjin u kuntenti għal dejjem	And they lived happily and contentedly ever after.
Moroccan Arabic	حجيتك ما جيتك (Hajitek ma jitek)	I've told you what's coming	Unknown	Unknown
Nepali language	एका देशमा (eka desh ma)	Once in a country...	सुन्नेलार्इ सुनको माला, भन्नेलार्इ फूलको माला; यो कथा बैकुन्ठ जाला, फेरी भन्ने बत्तिकै तात्तातै अाइजाला।	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.
Norwegian	Det var en gang...	There was, once...	Og så levde de lykkelige alle sine dager	And then they lived happily for the remainder of their days.
			Og er de ikke døde, så lever de ennå.	And if they're not dead, they still live.
			Snipp, snapp, snute, så er eventyret ute.	Snip, snap, snute (snout), then this adventure is finished.
Occitan	Un còp èra...	There was one time / There was once...
Pashto	داسي کار وو چي (Daasi kaar wo che)	There was this work that...	Bas	The End
	داسي چل وو چي (Daasi chal wo che)	There was this work that...	Bas	The End
Persian	... ،روزی، روزگاری Ruzi, ruzgāri, ...	Someday, sometime, ...	،به پایان آمد این دفتر .حکایت همچنان باقیست Be pāyān āmad in daftar, hekāyat hamčenān bāqist.	This book has come to end, (but) the story yet remains.
	... ،یکی بود، یکی نبود Yeki bud, yeki nabud, ...	Someone was, someone wasn't, ...	،قصه‌ی ما به سر رسید .کلاغه به خونش نرسید Qesse ye mā be sar resid, kalāqe be xunaš naresid.	Our tale has come to end, (but) the crow hasn't arrived at his house.
Polish	(Dawno, dawno temu,) za siedmioma górami, za siedmioma lasami...	(A long, long time ago,) beyond seven mountains, beyond seven forests...	...i żyli długo i szczęśliwie.	...and they lived long and happily.
	Za siedmioma górami, za siedmioma rzekami...	Beyond seven mountains, beyond seven rivers...	...a ja tam byłem, miód i wino piłem.	...and I was there [usually at a wedding] too, and drank mead and wine.
Portuguese	Era uma vez...	There was, once...	...e viveram felizes para sempre	...and they lived happily forever.
Qiang	Gver gver ngue du...	A long long time ago...	Unknown	Unknown
Romanian	A fost odată, ca niciodată...	There once was, (as never before)...	...şi au trăit fericiţi până la adânci bătrâneţi.	...and they lived happily until old age.
Russian	Давным-давно (Davnym-davno)	Long, long time ago...	И жили они долго и счастливо. (I zhili oni dolgo i s-chastlivo.)	...and they lived long and happily.
	(В некотором царстве, в некотором государстве) Жил, был... ((V nekotorom tsarstve, v nekotorom goosudarstve) Zhil byl...)	(In some kingdom, in some land) There lived, there was...
Sanskrit	पुराकाले (Pūrākāle)	In the ancient time...	Unknown	Unknown
	कदाचित् (Kadājit)	Once upon the time, At any time	Unknown	Unknown
Scots	In the days o lang syne	Long ago	Unknown	Unknown
Serbian	Једном давно... (Jednom davno...); Некада давно... (Nekada davno...)	Once, a long time ago...	...и живеше сретно/срећно до краја живота. (...i živeše sretno/srećno do kraja života.)	...and they lived happily for the rest of their lives.
	Била једном једна... (fem., Bila jednom jedna) Био једном један... (masc., Bio jednom jedan) Било једном једно... (neuter, Bilo jednom jedno)	There once was one...	...и живеше дуго и сретно/срећно. (...i živeše dugo i sretno/srećno.)	...and they lived long and happily.
Shona	Paivapo...	A long time ago, there existed	Ndopanoperera sarungano	End of the story.
Slovak	Kde bolo, tam bolo...	Where it was, there it was...	...a žili spolu šťastne, až kým nepomreli.	...and they lived together happily, until they died.
	Za horami, za dolami...	Beyond the hills, beyond the valleys...	...a žili spolu šťastne až do smrti.	...and they lived together happily until their deaths.
	Za siedmimi horami a za siedmimi dolinami...	Beyond seven mountains and seven valleys...	...a pokiaľ nepomreli, žijú šťastne dodnes.	...and if they haven't died already, they are living happily to this day.
	Tam, kde sa voda sypala a piesok sa lial...	Where the water was being strewn and the sand poured...	Zazvonil zvonec a rozprávke je koniec.	The bell chimed and the tale came to its end.
	Bol raz jeden...	Once, there was a...
Slovene	Pred davnimi časi...	A long time ago...	...in živela sta srečno do konca svojih dni.	...and they (both) lived happy until the end of their days.
	Nekoč je bil(a)/živel(a)...	Once upon a time there was/lived...	...in živeli so srečno do konca svojih dni.	... and they (all) lived happily until the end of their days.
Somali	Sheeko sheeko, sheeko xariir...	Once upon a time..
Spanish	Érase una vez...	There was, once...	...y vivieron felices y comieron perdices.	...and they lived happy and ate partridges.
	Había una vez...	There was, once...	...y colorín, colorado, este cuento se ha acabado.	...and red, redder, this tale has ended.
Swahili (east African)	Hapo zamani za kale...	A long time ago	Unknown	Unknown
Swedish	Det var en gång...	Once, there was...	...och så levde de lyckliga i alla sina dagar.	...and then they lived happily for all of their days.
	En gång för länge sedan...	Once, long ago...	Snipp snapp snut, så var sagan slut	Snip, snap, snute (snout), thus the story ends.
Tagalog	Noóng unang panahón...	Back in the old time...	At sila'y nabuhay nang masaya	And they lived happily.
Tamil language	முன்னொரு காலத்திலே... (Muḷḷoru kālattilē...)	At a time long ago	Subham	The End.
Telugu language	అనగనగా ఒక రోజు... (anaganagā oka rōju)	Once upon a day...	Unknown	Unknown
Thai	กาลครั้งหนึ่งนานมาแล้ว (gaan kráng nèung naan maa láew)	Once upon the time (long ago)...	แล้วทุกคนก็อยู่ด้วยกันอย่างมีความสุขตลอดไป (láew túk kon gôr yòo dûay gan yàang mee kwaam sùk dtà-lòt bpai)	And they lived happily forever.
Turkish	Bir varmış, bir yokmuş. Evvel zaman içinde, kalbur saman içinde, cinler cirit oynar iken eski hamam içinde, pireler berber [iken], develer tellal [iken], ben ninemin beşiğini tıngır mıngır sallar iken, uzak diyarların birinde...	Once there was, and once there wasn't. In the long-distant days of yore, when haystacks winnowed sieves, when genies played jereed in the old bathhouse, [when] fleas were barbers, [when] camels were town criers, [and when] I 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.	Gökten üç elma düşmüş; biri onların, biri anlatanın, diğeri de dinleyenlerin başına. Onlar ermiş muradına, biz çıkalım kerevetine. Alternatively: Gökten üç elma düşmüş; birincisi, içindeki çocuğu yaşatmayı bilenlere, ikincisi, davranmadan önce dinleyip düşünenlere, üçüncüsü ise özündeki sevgiyi ve umudu hiç kaybetmeyenlere. Onlar ermiş muradına, biz çıkalım kerevetine.	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"
Ukrainian	Давним-давно (Davnym-davno)	Long, long time ago...	І жили вони довго і щасливо. (I zhyly vony dovho i shchaslyvo.)	...and they lived long and happily.
	(В деякому царстві, у деякій державі) жив-був... ((V deyakomu tsarstvi, u deyakiy derzhavi) zhyv-buv...)	(In some kingdom, in some land) There lived, there was...
Urdu	ایک دفعہ کا ذکر ہے۔۔۔ (Ek dafa ka zikar hai...)	Once upon a time...	Unknown	Unknown
Vietnamese	Ngày xửa ngày xưa...	A long, long time ago...	...và họ sống hạnh phúc mãi mãi về sau	...and they live happily ever after
Valenciano	Això va anar i era...	This was and was...	I visqueren molts anys de molta felicitat.	And they lived many years of happiness.
	Això va passar en aquells temps antics	This occurred in those ancient times	Van ser molt feliços, tingueren molts fills i encara viurien si no s'haguessen mort	They were very happy, had many children, and still would live if they had not died
Welsh	Amser maith yn ôl...	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 films, as well as several of the expanded universe novels, begin with the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy 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 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 a time, before time...".
• The opening line of the TV series Merlin features the line “In a land of myth, and a time of magic..."

See also

• All's Well That Ends Well
• Happy ending
• In the Beginning (disambiguation)
• It was a dark and stormy night

Further reading

• Герасимова Н.М. Пространственно-временные формулы русской волшебной сказки // Русский фольклор. Т. 18. Славянскне литературы и фольклор: Л.: Наука, 1978. С. 173–180.
• Герасимова Н.М. Формулы русской волшебной сказки // Советская этнография. 1978. № 5. С. 18–28.
• Madden, David. 2006. A Pocketful of Prose. Vintage Short Fiction. Volume Two. Boston: Thomson, p. 117
• Pop M. Die Funktion der Anfangs- und Schlufiformeln im rumaenischen Maerchen // Volksueberlieferung. Hrsg. F. Harkort, K.C. Peeters, R. Wildhaber. Goettingen: Otto Schwartz & Co, 1968. pages 321–326.
• Рошияну Н. Традиционные формулы сказки. М.: ГРВЛ–Наука, 1974.
• Разумова И.А. Стилистическая обрядность русской волшебной сказки. Петрозаводск: Карелия, 1991.

External links

• Folktale Openings