"All the old kids' stories are supposed to be Beedle's, aren't they? The Fountain of Fair Fortune... The Wizard and the Hopping Pot... Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump..."
-- Ron Weasley (DH7)
The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a 15th-century collection of bedtime stories written for young wizards and witches. The tales were originally written in ancient runes and included such memorable stories as “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” “Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump,” “The Wizard’s Hairy Heart,” and “The Fountain of Fair Fortune.” Wizarding children are very familiar with these tales.
Albus Dumbledore left his personal copy of the Tales to Hermione, “in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive”. It was a small, ancient-looking book, the binding of which was stained and peeling in places, written entirely in runes. The book leads Harry, Ron and Hermione to Xenophilius Lovegood, where Hermione reads the “Tale of the Three Brothers” and Mr Lovegood tells them about the Hallows (DH21).