| Myths (2162) Welsh Folk Lore (277) Mythical Creatures (85) |
Find Greek Myths and Welsh Folk Lore. |
Myths
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Rip Van Winkle
The story of Rip Van Winkle, told by Irving, dramatized by Boucicault,
acted by Jefferson, pictured by Darley, set to music by Bristow...
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Catskill Gnomes
Behind the New Grand Hotel, in the Catskills, is an amphitheatre of
mountain that is held to be the place of which the Mohicans spoke ...
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The Catskill Witch
When the Dutch gave the name of Katzbergs to the mountains west of the
Hudson, by reason of the wild-cats and panthers that ranged the...
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The Revenge Of Shandaken
On the rock platform where the Catskill Mountain House now stands,
commanding one of the fairest views in the world, old chief Shandak...
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Condemned To The Noose
Ralph Sutherland, who, early in the last century, occupied a stone house
a mile from Leeds, in the Catskills, was a man of morose and ...
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Big Indian
Intermarriages between white people and red ones in this country were not
uncommon in the days when our ancestors led as rude a life a...
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The Baker's Dozen
Baas [Boss] Volckert Jan Pietersen Van Amsterdam kept a bake-shop in
Albany, and lives in history as the man who invented New Year cak...
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The Devil's Dance-chamber
Most storied of our New World rivers is the Hudson. Historic scenes have
been enacted on its shores, and Indian, Dutchman, Briton, and...
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The Culprit Fay
The wood-tick's drum convokes the elves at the noon of night on Cro' Nest
top, and, clambering out of their flower-cup beds and hammoc...
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Pokepsie
The name of this town has forty-two spellings in old records, and with
singular pertinacity in ill-doing, the inhabitants have fastene...
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Dunderberg
Dunderberg, Thunder Mountain, at the southern gate of the Hudson
Highlands, is a wooded eminence, chiefly populated by a crew of imps ...
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Anthony's Nose
The Hudson Highlands are suggestively named Bear Mountain, Sugar Loaf,
Cro' Nest, Storm King, called by the Dutch Boterberg, or Butter...
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Moodua Creek
Moodua is an evolution, through Murdy's and Moodna, from Murderer's
Creek, its present inexpressive name having been given to it by N....
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A Trapper's Ghastly Vengeance
About a mile back from the Hudson, at Coxsackie, stood the cabin of Nick
Wolsey, who, in the last century, was known to the river sett...
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The Vanderdecken Of Tappan Zee
It is Saturday night; the swell of the Hudson lazily heaves against the
shores of Tappan Zee, the cliff above Tarrytown where the whit...
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The Galloping Hessian
In the flower-gemmed cemetery of Tarrytown, where gentle Irving sleeps, a
Hessian soldier was interred after sustaining misfortune in ...
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Storm Ship Of The Hudson
It was noised about New Amsterdam, two hundred years ago, that a round
and bulky ship flying Dutch colors from her lofty quarter was c...
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Why Spuyten Duyvil Is So Named
The tide-water creek that forms the upper boundary of Manhattan Island is
known to dwellers in tenements round about as Spittin' Divvl...
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The Ramapo Salamander
A curious tale of the Rosicrucians runs to the effect that more than two
centuries ago a band of German colonists entered the Ramapo v...
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Chief Croton
Between the island of Manhattoes and the Catskills the Hudson shores were
plagued with spooks, and even as late as the nineteenth cent...
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The Retreat From Mahopac
After the English had secured the city of New Amsterdam and had begun to
extend their settlements along the Hudson, the Indians congre...
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Niagara
The cataract of Niagara (properly pronounced Nee-ah-gah-rah), or
Oniahgarah, is as fatal as it is fascinating, beautiful, sublime, and...
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The Deformed Of Zoar
The valley of Zoar, in western New York, is so surrounded by hills that
its discoverers--a religious people, who gave it a name from S...
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Horseheads
The feeling recently created by an attempt to fasten the stupid names of
Fairport or of North Elmira on the village in central New Yor...
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Kayuta And Waneta
The Indians loved our lakes. They had eyes for their beauty, and to them
they were abodes of gracious spirits. They used to say of One...
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The Drop Star
A little maid of three years was missing from her home on the Genesee.
She had gone to gather water-lilies and did not return. Her mot...
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The Prophet Of Palmyra
It was at Palmyra, New York, that the principles of Mormonism were first
enunciated by Joseph Smith, who claimed to have found the gol...
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A Villain's Cremation
Bramley's Mountain, near the present village of Bloomfield, New York, on
the edge of the Catskill group, was the home of a young coupl...
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The Monster Mosquitoe
They have some pretty big mosquitoes in New Jersey and on Long Island,
but, if report of their ancestry is true, they have degenerated...
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The Green Picture
In a cellar in Green Street, Schenectady, there appeared, some years ago,
the silhouette of a human form, painted on the floor in moul...
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The Nuns Of Carthage
At Carthage, New York, where the Black River bends gracefully about a
point, there was a stanch old house, built in the colonial fashi...
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The Skull In The Wall
A skull is built into the wall above the door of the court-house at
Goshen, New York. It was taken from a coffin unearthed in 1842, wh...
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The Haunted Mill
Among the settlers in the Adirondacks, forty or fifty years ago, was
Henry Clymer, from Brooklyn, who went up to Little Black Creek an...
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Old Indian Face
On Lower Ausable Pond is a large, ruddy rock showing a huge profile, with
another, resembling a pappoose, below it. When the Tahawi ru...
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The Division Of The Saranacs
In the middle of the last century a large body of Saranac Indians
occupied the forests of the Upper Saranac through which ran the Indi...
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An Event In Indian Park
It was during the years when the Saranacs were divided that Howling Wind,
one of the young men of Indian Carry, saw and fell in love w...
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The Indian Plume
Brightest flower that grows beside the brooks is the scarlet blossom of
the Indian plume: the blood of Lenawee. Hundreds of years ago ...
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Birth Of The Water-lily
Back from his war against the Tahawi comes the Sun, chief of the Lower
Saranacs,--back to the Lake of the Clustered Stars, afterward c...
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Rogers's Slide
The shores of Lakes George and Champlain were ravaged by war. Up and down
those lovely waters swept the barges of French and English, ...
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The Falls At Cohoes
When Occuna, a young Seneca, fell in love with a girl whose cabin was
near the present town of Cohoes, he behaved very much as America...
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Francis Woolcott's Night-riders
In Copake, New York, among the Berkshire Hills, less than a century ago,
lived Francis Woolcott, a dark, tall man, with protruding tee...
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Polly's Lover
In about the middle of this century a withered woman of ninety was buried
from a now deserted house in White Plains, New York, Polly C...
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Crosby The Patriot Spy
It was at the Jay house, in Westchester, New York, that Enoch Crosby met
Washington and offered his services to the patriot army. Cros...
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The Lost Grave Of Paine
Failure to mark the resting-places of great men and to indicate the
scenes of their deeds has led to misunderstanding and confusion am...
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The Rising Of Gouverneur Morris
Gouverneur Morris, American minister to the court of Louis XVI, was
considerably enriched, at the close of the reign of terror, by pla...
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Dolph Heyliger
New York was New Amsterdam when Dolph Heyliger got himself born there,--a
graceless scamp, though a brave, good-natured one, and being...
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The Knell At The Wedding
A young New Yorker had laid such siege to the heart of a certain
belle--this was back in the Knickerbocker days when people married fo...
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Roistering Dirck Van Dara
In the days when most of New York stood below Grand Street, a roistering
fellow used to make the rounds of the taverns nightly, accomp...
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The Party From Gibbet Island
Ellis Island, in New York harbor, once bore the name of Gibbet Island,
because pirates and mutineers were hanged there in chains. Duri...
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Miss Britton's Poker
The maids of Staten Island wrought havoc among the royal troops who were
quartered among them during the Revolution. Near quarantine, ...
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The Devil's Stepping-stones
When the devil set a claim to the fair lands at the north of Long Island
Sound, his claim was disputed by the Indians, who prepared to...
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The Springs Of Blood And Water
A great drought had fallen on Long Island, and the red men prayed for
water. It is true that they could get it at Lake Ronkonkoma, but...
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The Crumbling Silver
There is a clay bank on Little Neck, Long Island, where metallic nodules
are now and then exposed by rain. Rustics declare them to be ...
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The Cortelyou Elopement
In the Bath district of Brooklyn stands Cortelyou manor, built one
hundred and fifty years ago, and a place of defence during the Revo...
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Van Wempel's Goose
Allow us to introduce Nicholas Van Wempel, of Flatbush: fat, phlegmatic,
rich, and henpecked. He would like to be drunk because he is ...
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The Weary Watcher
Before the opening of the great bridge sent commerce rattling up
Washington Street in Brooklyn that thoroughfare was a shaded and
bea...
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The Rival Fiddlers
Before Brooklyn had spread itself beyond Greenwood Cemetery a stone could
be seen in Martense's Lane, south of that burial-ground, tha...
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Wyandank
From Brooklyn Heights, or Ihpetonga, highplace of trees, where the
Canarsie Indians made wampum or sewant, and where they contemplated...
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Mark Of The Spirit Hand
Andover, New Jersey, was quaint and quiet in the days before the
Revolution--it is not a roaring metropolis, even yet--and as it offer...
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The First Liberal Church
In 1770 the brig Hand-in-Hand went ashore at Good Luck, New Jersey. Among
the passengers on board the vessel, that it would perhaps be...
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The Phantom Dragoon
The height that rises a mile or so to the south of Newark, Delaware, is
called Iron Hill, because it is rich in hematite ore, but abou...
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Delaware Water Gap
The Indian name of this beautiful region, Minisink, the water is gone,
agrees with the belief of geologists that a lake once existed b...
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The Phantom Drummer
Colonel Howell, of the king's troops, was a gay fellow, framed to make
women false; but when he met the rosy, sweet-natured daughter o...
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The Missing Soldier Of Valley Forge
During the dreadful winter of the American encampment at Valley Forge six
or eight soldiers went out to forage for provisions. Knowing...
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The Last Shot At Germantown
Many are the tales of prophecy that have been preserved to us from war
times. In the beginning of King Philip's war in Connecticut, in...
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A Blow In The Dark
The Tory Manheim sits brooding in his farmhouse near Valley Forge, and
his daughter, with a hectic flush on her cheek, looks out into ...
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The Tory's Conversion
In his firelit parlor, in his little house at Valley Forge, old Michael
Kuch sits talking with his daughter. But though it is Christma...
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Lord Percy's Dream
Leaving the dissipations of the English court, Lord Percy came to America
to share the fortunes of his brethren in the contest then ra...
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Saved By The Bible
It was on the day after the battle of Germantown that Warner, who wore
the blue, met his hated neighbor, the Tory Dabney, near that bl...
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Parricide Of The Wissahickon
Farmer Derwent and his four stout sons set off on an autumn night for the
meeting of patriots at a house on the Wissahickon,--a meetin...
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The Blacksmith At Brandywine
Terrible in the field at Brandywine was the figure of a man armed only
with a hammer, who plunged into the ranks of the enemy, heedles...
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Father And Son
It was three soldiers, escaping from the rout of Braddock's forces, who
caught the alleged betrayer of their general and put him to th...
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The Envy Of Manitou
Behind the mountains that gloom about the romantic village of Mauch
Chunk, Pennsylvania, was once a lake of clear, bright water, its w...
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The Last Revel In Printz Hall
Young man, I'll give thee five dollars a week to be care-taker in Printz
Hall, said Quaker Quidd to fiddler Matthews, on an autumn eve...
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The Two Rings
Gabrielle de St. Pierre, daughter of the commandant of Fort Le Boeuf,
now--Waterford, Pennsylvania, that the French had setup on the O...
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Flame Scalps Of The Chartiers
Before Pittsburg had become worthy to be called a settlement, a white man
rowed his boat to the mouth of Chartiers creek, near that pr...
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The Consecration Of Washington
In 1773 some of the Pietist monks were still living in their rude
monastery whose ruins are visible on the banks of the Wissahickon. C...
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Marion
Blooming and maidenly, though she dressed in leather and used a rifle
like a man, was Marion, grand-daughter of old Abraham, who count...
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Evangaline
The seizure by England of the country that soon afterward was
rechristened Nova Scotia was one of the cruellest events in history. The...
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The Snoring Of Swunksus
The original proprietor of Deer Isle, off the coast of Maine--at least,
the one who was in possession one hundred and thirty years ago...
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The Lewiston Hermit
On an island above the falls of the Androscoggin, at Lewiston, Maine,
lived a white recluse at the beginning of the eighteenth century...
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The Dead Ship Of Harpswell
At times the fisher-folk of Maine are startled to see the form of a ship,
with gaunt timbers showing through the planks, like lean lim...
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The Schoolmaster Had Not Reached Orrington
The quiet town of Orrington, in Maine, was founded by Jesse Atwood, of
Wellfleet, Cape Cod, in 1778, and has become known, since then,...
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Jack Welch's Death Light
Pond Cove, Maine, is haunted by a light that on a certain evening, every
summer, rises a mile out at sea, drifts to a spot on shore, t...
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Mogg Megone
Hapless daughter of a renegade is Ruth Bonython. Her father is as unfair
to his friends as to his enemies, but to neither of them so m...
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The Lady Ursula
In 1690 a stately house stood in Kittery, Maine, a strongly guarded place
with moat and drawbridge (which was raised at night) and a m...
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Father Moody's Black Veil
In 1770 the Reverend Joseph Moody died at York, Maine, where he had long
held the pastorate of a church, and where in his later years ...
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The Home Of Thunder
Some Indians believe that the Thunder Bird is the agent of storm; that
the flashes of his eyes cause lightning and the flapping of his...
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The Partridge Witch
Two brothers, having hunted at the head of the Penobscot until their
snow-shoes and moccasins gave out, looked at each other ruefully ...
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The Marriage Of Mount Katahdin
An Indian girl gathering berries on the side of Mount Katahdin looked up
at its peak, rosy in the afternoon light, and sighed, I wish ...
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The Moose Of Mount Kineo
Eastern traditions concerning Hiawatha differ in many respects from those
of the West. In the East he is known as Glooskap, god of the...
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The Owl Tree
One day in October, 1827, Rev. Charles Sharply rode into Alfred, Maine,
and held service in the meeting-house. After the sermon he ann...
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A Chestnut Log
There is no doubt that farmer Lovel had read ancient history or he would
not have been so ready in the emergency that befell him one t...
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The Watcher On White Island
The isles of Shoals, a little archipelago of wind and wave-swept rocks
that may be seen on clear days from the New Hampshire coast, ha...
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Chocorua
This beautiful alp in the White Mountains commemorates in its name a
prophet of the Pequawket tribe who, prior to undertaking a journe...
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Passaconaway's Ride To Heaven
The personality of Passaconaway, the powerful chief and prophet, is
involved in doubt, but there can be no misprision of his wisdom. B...
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The Ball Game By The Saco
Water-Goblins from the streams about Katahdin had left their birthplace
and journeyed away to the Agiochooks, making their presence kn...
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The White Mountains
From times of old these noble hills have been the scenes of supernatural
visitations and mysterious occurrences. The tallest peak of t...
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The Vision On Mount Adams
There are many traditions connected with Mount Adams that have faded out
of memory. Old people remember that in their childhood there ...
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The Great Carbuncle
High on the eastern face of Mount Monroe shone the Great Carbuncle, its
flash scintillating for miles by day, its dusky crimson glowin...
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Skinner's Cave
The abhorrence to paying taxes and duties--or any other levy from which
an immediate and personal good is not promised--is too deeply ...
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Yet They Call It Lover's Leap
In the lower part of the township of Cavendish, Vermont, the Black River
seeks a lower level through a gorge in the foot-hills of the ...
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Salem And Other Witchcraft
The extraordinary delusion recorded as Salem witchcraft was but a
reflection of a kindred insanity in the Old World that was not extir...
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The Gloucester Leaguers
Strange things had been reported in Gloucester. On the eve of King
Philip's War the march of men was heard in its streets and an India...
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Satan And His Burial-place
Satan appears to have troubled the early settlers in America almost as
grievously as he did the German students. He came in many shape...
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Peter Rugg The Missing Man
The idea of long wandering as a penalty, symbolized in The Wandering
Jew, The Flying Dutchman, and the character of Kundry, in Parsifa...
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The Loss Of Weetamoo
Winnepurkit, sagamore of the coast settlements between Nahant and Cape
Ann, had married Weetamoo, daughter of Passaconaway, king of th...
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The Fatal Forget-me-not
Three miles out from the Nahant shore, Massachusetts, rises Egg Rock, a
dome of granite topped by a light-house. In the last century t...
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The Old Mill At Somerville
The old powder-house, as the round stone tower is called that stands on
a gravel ridge in Somerville, Massachusetts, is so named becau...
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Edward Randolph's Portrait
Nothing is left of Province House, the old home of the royal governors,
in Boston, but the gilded Indian that served as its weathercoc...
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Lady Eleanore's Mantle
Lady Eleanore Rochcliffe, being orphaned, was admitted to the family of
her distant relative, Governor Shute, of Massachusetts Bay, an...
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Howe's Masquerade
During the siege of Boston Sir William Howe undertook to show his
contempt for the raw fellows who were disrespectfully tossing
canno...
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Old Esther Dudley
Boston had surrendered. Washington was advancing from the heights where
he had trained his guns on the British works, and Sir William ...
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The Loss Of Jacob Hurd
Jacob Hurd, stern witch-harrier of Ipswich, can abide nothing out of the
ordinary course of things, whether it be flight on a broomsti...
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The Hobomak
Such was the Indian name of the site of Westboro, Massachusetts, and the
neighboring pond was Hochomocko. The camp of the red men near...
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Berkshire Tories
The tories of Berkshire, Massachusetts, were men who had been endeared to
the king by holding office under warrant from that sacred pe...
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The Revenge Of Josiah Breeze
Two thousand Cape Cod fishermen had gone to join the colonial army, and
in their absence the British ships had run in shore to land cr...
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The May-pole Of Merrymount
The people of Merrymount--unsanctified in the eyes of their Puritan
neighbors, for were they not Episcopals, who had pancakes at Shrov...
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The Devil And Tom Walker
When Charles River was lined with groves and marshes there lived in a
cabin, near Brighton, Massachusetts, an ill-fed rascal named Tom...
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The Gray Champion
It befell Sir Edmund Andros to make himself the most hated of the
governors sent to represent the king in New England. A spirit of
in...
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The Forest Smithy
Early in this century a man named Ainsley appeared at Holyoke,
Massachusetts, and set up a forge in a wood at the edge of the village,...
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Wahconah Falls
The pleasant valley of Dalton, in the Berkshire Hills, had been under the
rule of Miacomo for forty years when a Mohawk dignitary of f...
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Knocking At The Tomb
Knock, knock, knock! The bell has just gone twelve, and there is the
clang again upon the iron door of the tomb. The few people of Lan...
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The White Deer Of Onota
Beside quiet Onota, in the Berkshire Hills, dwelt a band of Indians, and
while they lived here a white deer often came to drink. So ra...
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Wizard's Glen
Four miles from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, among the Berkshire Hills, is
a wild valley, noted for its echoes, that for a century and m...
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Balanced Rock
Balanced Rock, or Rolling Rock, near Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a mass
of limestone that was deposited where it stands by the great...
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Shonkeek-moonkeek
This is the Mohegan name of the pretty lake in the Berkshires now called
Pontoosuc. Shonkeek was a boy, Moonkeek a girl, and they were...
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The Salem Alchemist
In 1720 there lived in a turreted house at North and Essex Streets, in
Salem, a silent, dark-visaged man,--a reputed chemist. He gathe...
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Eliza Wharton
Under the name of Eliza Wharton for a brief time lived a woman whose name
was said to be Elizabeth Whitman. Little is known of her, an...
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Sale Of The Southwicks
Bitter were the persecutions endured by Quakers at the hands of the
Puritans. They were flogged if they were restless in church, and f...
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The Courtship Of Myles Standish
Myles Standish, compact, hard-headed little captain of the Puritan guard
at Plymouth, never knew the meaning of fear until he went a-c...
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Mother Crewe
Mother Crewe was of evil repute in Plymouth in the last century. It was
said that she had taken pay for luring a girl into her old far...
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Aunt Rachel's Curse
On a headland near Plymouth lived Aunt Rachel, a reputed seer, who made
a scant livelihood by forecasting the future for such seagoing...
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Nix's Mate
The black, pyramidal beacon, called Nix's Mate, is well known to
yachtsmen, sailors, and excursionists in Boston harbor. It rises abov...
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The Wild Man Of Cape Cod
For years after Bellamy's pirate ship was wrecked at Wellfleet, by false
pilotage on the part of one of his captives, a strange-lookin...
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Newbury's Old Elm
Among the venerable relics of Newbury few are better known and more
prized than the old elm. It is a stout tree, with a girth of twent...
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Samuel Sewall's Prophecy
The peace of Newbury is deemed to be permanently secured by the prophecy
of Samuel Sewall, the young man who married the buxom daughte...
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The Shrieking Woman
During the latter part of the seventeenth century a Spanish ship, richly
laden, was beset off Marblehead by English pirates, who kille...
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Agnes Surriage
When, in 1742, Sir Henry Frankland, collector of the port of Boston, went
to Marblehead to inquire into the smuggling that was pretty ...
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Skipper Ireson's Ride
Flood, Fluid, or Floyd Ireson (in some chronicles his name is Benjamin)
was making for Marblehead in a furious gale, in the autumn of ...
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Heartbreak Hill
The name of Heartbreak Hill pertains, in the earliest records of Ipswich,
to an eminence in the middle of that town on which there was...
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Harry Main: The Treasure And The Cats
Ipswich had a very Old Harry in the person of Harry Main, a dark-souled
being, who, after a career of piracy, smuggling, blasphemy, an...
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The Wessaguscus Hanging
Among the Puritans who settled in Wessaguscus, now Weymouth,
Massachusetts, was a brash young fellow, of remarkable size and strength,...
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The Unknown Champion
There was that in the very air of the New World that made the Pilgrims
revolt against priests and kings. The Revolution was long a-bre...
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Goody Cole
Goodwife Eunice Cole, of Hampton, Massachusetts, was so vehemently
suspected to be a witch that in 1680 she was thrown into jail with ...
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General Moulton And The Devil
Jonathan Moulton, of Hampton, was a general of consequence in the
colonial wars, but a man not always trusted in other than military
...
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The Skeleton In Armor
The skeleton of a man wearing a breastplate of brass, a belt made of
tubes of the same metal, and lying near some copper arrow-heads, ...
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Martha's Vineyard And Nantucket
There is no such place as Martha's Vineyard, except in geography and
common speech. It is Martin Wyngaard's Island, and so was named b...
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Love And Treason
The tribes that inhabited Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard before the
whites settled the country were constantly at war, and the people...
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The Headless Skeleton Of Swamptown
The boggy portion of North Kingston, Rhode Island, known as Swamptown, is
of queer repute in its neighborhood, for Hell Hollow, Pork H...
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The Crow And Cat Of Hopkinshill
In a wood near Hopkins Hill, Rhode Island, is a bowlder, four feet in
diameter, scored with a peculiar furrow. Witch Rock, as it is ca...
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The Old Stone Mill
If the round tower at Newport was not Benedict Arnold's wind-mill, and
any one or two of several other things, it is probably a relic ...
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Origin Of A Name
The origin of many curious geographical names has become an object of
mere surmise, and this is the more the pity because they suggest...
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Micah Rood Apples
In Western Florida they will show roses to you that drop red dew, like
blood, and have been doing so these many years, for they sprang...
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A Dinner And Its Consequences
The Nipmucks were populous at Thompson, Connecticut, where they skilfully
tilled the fields, and where their earthworks, on Fort Hill,...
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The New Haven Storm Ship
In 1647 the New Haven colonists, who even at that early day exhibited the
enterprise that has been a distinguishing feature of the Yan...
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The Windam Frogs
On a cloudy night in July, 1758, the people of Windham, Connecticut, were
awakened by screams and shrill voices. Some sprang up and lo...
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The Lamb Of Sacrifice
The Revolution was beginning, homes were empty, farms were deserted,
industries were checked, and the levies of a foreign army had con...
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Moodus Noises
The village of Moodus, Connecticut, was troubled with noises. There is no
question as to that. In fact, Machimoodus, the Indian name o...
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Haddam Enchantments
When witchcraft went rampant through New England the Connecticut town of
Haddam owned its share of ugly old women, whom it tried to re...
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Block Island And The Palatine
Block Island, or Manisees, is an uplift of clayey moorland between
Montauk and Gay Head. It was for sailors an evil place and bad medi...
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The Buccaneer
Among the natives of Block Island was a man named Lee. Born in the last
century among fishermen and wreckers, he has naturally taken t...
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Robert Lockwood's Fate
In the winter of 1779, General Putnam was stationed at Reading,
Connecticut, with a band of ill-fed, unpaid troops. He was quartered a...
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Love And Rum
Back in the seventeenth century a number of Yankee traders arrived in
Naugatuck to barter blankets, beads, buttons, Bibles, and brandy...
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The Swim At Indian Head
At Indian Head, Maryland, are the government proving-grounds, where the
racket of great guns and splintering of targets are a deterren...
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The Moaning Sisters
Above Georgetown, on the Potomac River, are three rocks, known as the
Three Sisters, not merely because of their resemblance to each o...
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A Ride For A Bride
When the story of bloodshed at Bunker Hill reached Bohemia Hall, in Cecil
County, Maryland, Albert De Courcy left his brother Ernest t...
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Spooks Of The Hiawassee
The hills about the head of the Hiawassee are filled with harnts, among
them many animal ghosts, that ravage about the country from sh...
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Lake Of The Dismal Swamp
Drummond's Pond, or the Lake of the Dismal Swamp, is a dark and lonely
tarn that lies in the centre of this noted Virginia morass. It ...
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The Barge Of Defeat
Rappannock River, in Virginia, used to be vexed with shadowy craft that
some of the populace affirmed to be no boats, but spirits in d...
|
Natural Bridge
Though several natural bridges are known in this country, there is but
one that is famous the world over, and that is the one which sp...
|
The Silence Broken
It was in 1734 that Joist Hite moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia, with
his wife and boys, and helped to make a settlement on the She...
|
Siren Of The French Broad
Among the rocks east of Asheville, North Carolina, lives the Lorelei of
the French Broad River. This stream--the Tselica of the Indian...
|
The Hunter Of Calawassee
Through brisk November days young Kedar and his trusty slave, Lauto,
hunted along the Calawassee, with hope to get a shot at a buck--a...
|
Revenge Of The Accabee
The settlement made by Lord Cardross, near Beaufort, South Carolina, was
beset by Spaniards and Indians, who laid it in ashes and slew...
|
Toccoa Falls
Early in the days of the white occupation of Georgia a cabin stood not
far from the Falls of Toccoa (the Beautiful). Its only occupant...
|
Two Lives For One
The place of Macon, Georgia, in the early part of this century was marked
only by an inn. One of its guests was a man who had stopped ...
|
A Ghostly Avenger
In Cuthbert, Georgia, is a gravestone thus inscribed: Sacred to the
memory of Jim Brown. No date, no epitaph--for Jim Brown was hanged...
|
The Wraith Ringer Of Atlanta
A man was killed in Elliott Street, Atlanta, Georgia, by a cowardly
stroke from a stiletto. The assassin escaped. Strange what a hummi...
|
The Swallowing Earthquake
The Indian village that in 1765 stood just below the site of Oxford,
Alabama, was upset when the news was given out that two of the sq...
|
Last Stand Of The Biloxi
The southern part of this country was once occupied by a people called
the Biloxi, who had kept pace with the Aztecs in civilization a...
|
The Sacred Fire Of Nachez
The Indians of the South, being in contact with the civilized races of
Central America, were among the most progressive and honorable ...
|
Pass Christian
Senhor Vineiro, a Portuguese, having wedded Julia Regalea, a Spaniard, in
South America, found it needful to his fortunes to leave Mon...
|
The Under Land
When the Chatas looked into the still depths of Bayou Lacombe, Louisiana,
they said that the reflection of the sky was the empyrean of...
|
An Averted Peril
In 1786 a little building stood at North Bend, Ohio, near the junction of
the Miami and Ohio Rivers, from which building the stars and...
|
The Obstinacy Of Saint Clair
When the new First Regiment of United States Infantry paused at Marietta,
Ohio, on its way to garrison Vincennes, its officers made a ...
|
The Hundredth Skull
In the early part of this century Bill Quick, trapper and frontiersman,
lived in a cabin on the upper Scioto, not far from the present...
|
The Crime Of Black Swamp
Two miles south of Munger, Ohio, in the heart of what used to be called
the Black Swamp, stood the Woodbury House, a roomy mansion lon...
|
The House Accursed
Near Gallipolis, Ohio, there stood within a few years an old house of
four rooms that had been occupied by Herman Deluse. He lived the...
|
Marquette's Man-eater
Until it was worn away by the elements a curious relief was visible on
the bluffs of the Mississippi near Alton, Illinois. It was to b...
|
Michel De Coucy's Troubles
Michel De Coucy, of Prairie de Rocher, Illinois, sat before his door
humming thoughtfully, and trying to pull comfort out of a black p...
|
Wallen's Ridge
A century ago this rough eminence, a dozen miles from Chattanooga,
Tennessee, was an abiding place of Cherokee Indians, among whom was...
|
The Sky Walker Of Huron
Here is the myth of Endymion and Diana, as told on the shores of Saginaw
Bay, in Michigan, by Indians who never heard of Greeks. Cloud...
|
The Coffin Of Snakes
No one knew how it was that Lizon gained the love of Julienne, at L'Anse
Creuse (near Detroit), for she was a girl of sweet and pious ...
|
Mackinack
Not only was Mackinack the birthplace of Hiawatha: it was the home of God
himself--Gitchi Manitou, or Mitchi Manitou--who placed there...
|
Lake Superior Water Gods
There were many water gods about Lake Superior to whom the Indians paid
homage, casting implements, ornaments, and tobacco into the wa...
|
The Witch Of Pictured Rocks
On the Pictured Rocks of Lake Superior dwelt an Ojibway woman, a widow,
who was cared for by a relative. This relative was a hunter, t...
|
The Origin Of White-fish
An Indian who lived far in the north was so devoted to the chase that he
was never at home for the whole of a day, to the sorrow of hi...
|
The Spirit Of Cloudy
Among the lumbermen of Alger, Michigan, was William Cloud, an Indian,
usually called Cloudy, who was much employed on a chute a mile a...
|
The Sun Fire At Sault Sainte Marie
Father Marquette reached Sault Sainte Marie, in company with Greysolon Du
Lhut, in August, 1670, and was received in a manner friendly...
|
The Snake God Of Belle Isle
The Indian demi-god, Sleeping Bear, had a daughter so beautiful that he
kept her out of the sight of men in a covered boat that swung ...
|
Were-wolves Of Detroit
Long were the shores of Detroit vexed by the Snake God of Belle Isle and
his children, the witches, for the latter sold enchantments a...
|
The Escape Of Francois Navarre
When the Hurons came to Sandwich, opposite the Michigan shore, in 1806,
and camped near the church for the annual festival of savages,...
|
The Old Lodger
In 1868 there died in Detroit a woman named Marie Louise Thebault, more
usually called Kennette. She was advanced in years, and old re...
|
The Nain Rouge
Among all the impish offspring of the Stone God, wizards and witches,
that made Detroit feared by the early settlers, none were more d...
|
Two Revenges
It is no more possible to predicate the conduct of an Indian than that of
a woman. In Detroit lived Wasson, one of the warriors of the...
|
Hiawatha
The story of Hiawatha--known about the lakes as Manabozho and in the East
as Glooskapis the most widely disseminated of the Indian leg...
|
The Indian Messiah
The promise of the return to earth of various benign spirits has caused
much trouble among the red men, and incidentally to the white ...
|
The Vision Of Rescue
Surmounting Red Banks, twelve miles north of Green Bay, Wisconsin, on the
eastern shore, and one hundred feet above the water, stands ...
|
Devil's Lake
Any of the noble rivers and secluded lakes of Wisconsin were held in
esteem or fear by the northern tribes, and it was the now-forgott...
|
The Keusca Elopement
Keusca was a village of the Dakota Indians on the Wisconsin bluffs of the
Mississippi eighteen hundred miles from its mouth. The name ...
|
Pipestone
Pipestone, a smooth, hard, even-textured clay, of lively color, from
which thousands of red men cut their pipe-bowls, forms a wall on ...
|
The Virgins' Feast
A game of lacrosse was played by Indian girls on the ice near the present
Fort Snelling, one winter day, and the victorious trophies w...
|
Falls Of St Anthony
Several of the Dakotas, who had been in camp near the site of St. Paul,
left their families and friends, when the hunting season opene...
|
Flying Shadow And Track Maker
The Chippewas and Sioux had come together at Fort Snelling to make merry
and cement friendships. Flying Shadow was sad when the time c...
|
Saved By A Lightning-stroke
There was rough justice in the West in the old days. It had to be dealt
severely and quickly, for it was administered to a kind of men...
|
The Killing Of Cloudy Sky
In the Dakota camp on the bank of Spirit Lake, or Lake Calhoun, Iowa,
lived Cloudy Sky, a medicine-man, who had been made repellent by...
|
Providence Hole
The going of white men into the prairies aroused the same sort of
animosity among the Indians that they have shown in other parts of t...
|
The Scare Cure
Early in this century a restless Yankee, who wore the uninspiring name of
Tompkinson, found his way into Carondelet--or Vuide Poche, t...
|
Twelfth Night At Cahokia
It was Twelfth Night, and the French village of Cahokia, near St. Louis,
was pleasantly agitated at the prospect of a dance in the old...
|
The Spell Of Creve Ciur Lake
Not far west of St. Louis the Lake of Creve Coeur dimples in the breezes
that bend into its basin of hills, and there, in summer, swai...
|
How The Crime Was Revealed
In 1853 a Hebrew peddler, whose pack was light and his purse was full,
asked leave to pass the night at the house of Daniel Baker, nea...
|
Banshee Of The Bad Lands
Hell, with the fires out, is what the Bad Lands of Dakota have been
called. The fearless Western nomenclature fits the place. It is an...
|
Standing Rock
The stone that juts from one of the high banks of the Missouri, in South
Dakota, gives its name to the Standing Rock Agency, which, by...
|
The Salt Witch
A pillar of snowy salt once stood on the Nebraska plain, about forty
miles above the point where the Saline flows into the Platte, and...
|
Over The Divide
The hope of finding El Dorado, that animated the adventurous Spaniards
who made the earlier recorded voyages to America, lived in the ...
|
The Phantom Train Of Marshall Pass
Soon after the rails were laid across Marshall Pass, Colorado, where they
go over a height of twelve thousand feet above the sea, an o...
|
The River Of Lost Souls
In the days when Spain ruled the Western country an infantry regiment was
ordered out from Santa Fe to open communication with Florida...
|
Riders Of The Desert
Among the sandstone columns of the Colorado foot-hills stood the lodge of
Ta-in-ga-ro (First Falling Thunder). Though swift in the cha...
|
The Division Of Two Tribes
When white men first penetrated the Western wilderness of America they
found the tribes of Shoshone and Comanche at odds, and it is a ...
|
Besieged By Starvation
A hundred years before the white men set up their trading-posts on the
Arkansas and Platte, a band of mountain hunters made a descent ...
|
A Yellowstone Tragedy
Although the Indians feared the geyser basins of the upper Yellowstone
country, believing the hissing and thundering to be voices of e...
|
The Broad House
Down in the canon of Chaco, New Mexico, stands a building evidently
coeval with those of the cliff dwellers, that is still in good
pr...
|
The Death Waltz
Years ago, when all beyond the Missouri was a waste, the military post at
Fort Union, New Mexico, was the only spot for miles around w...
|
The Flood At Santa Fe
Many are the scenes of religious miracles in this country, although
French Canada and old Mexico boast of more. So late as the prosaic...
|
Goddess Of Salt
Between Zuni and Pescado is a steep mesa, or table-land, with fantastic
rocks weathered into tower and roof-like prominences on its si...
|
The Coming Of The Navajos
Many fantastic accounts of the origin of man are found among the red
tribes. The Onondagas say that the Indians are made from red eart...
|
The Ark On Superstition Mountains
The Pima Indians of Arizona say that the father of all men and animals
was the butterfly, Cherwit Make (earth-maker), who fluttered do...
|
The Pale Faced Lightning
Twenty miles from the capital of Arizona stands Mount Superstition--the
scene of many traditions, the object of many fears. Two centur...
|
The Weird Sentinel At Squaw Peak
There is a cave under the highest butte of the Squaw Peak range, Arizona,
where a party of Tonto Indians was found by white men in 186...
|
Sacrifice Of The Toltecs
Centuries ago, when Toltec civilization had extended over Arizona, and
perhaps over the whole West, the valleys were occupied by large...
|
Ta-vwots Conquers The Sun
The Indian is a great story-teller. Every tribe has its traditions, and
the elderly men and women like to recount them, for they alway...
|
The Comanche Rider
The ways of disposing of the Indian dead are many. In some places ground
sepulture is common; in others, the corpses are placed in tre...
|
Horned Toad And Giants
The Moquis have a legend that, long ago, when the principal mesa that
they occupy was higher than it is now, and when they owned all t...
|
The Spider Tower
In Dead Man's Canon--a deep gorge that is lateral to the once populated
valley of the Rio de Chelly, Arizona--stands a stark spire of ...
|
The Lost Trail
The canon of Oak Creek is choked by a mass of rock, shaped like a
keystone, and wedged into the jaws of the defile. An elderly Ute tel...
|
A Battle In The Air
In the country about Tishomingo, Indian Territory, troubles are foretold
by a battle of unseen men in the air. Whenever the sound of c...
|
The Voyager Of Whulge
Like the ancient Greeks, the Siwash of the Northwest invest the unseen
world with spiritual intelligence. Every tree has a soul; the f...
|
Tamanous Of Tacoma
Mount Tacoma has always been a place of superstitious regard among the
Siwash (Sauvage) of the Northwest. In their myths it was the pl...
|
The Devil And The Dalles
In days when volcanoes were playing in the Northwest and the sternly
beautiful valley of the Columbia was a hell of ash and lava, the ...
|
Cascades Of The Columbia
When the Siwash, as the Northwestern Indians called themselves, were few,
Mount Hood was kept by the Spirit of Storms, who when he sho...
|
The Death Of Umatilla
Umatilla, chief of the Indians at the Cascades of the Columbia, was one
of the few red men of his time who favored peace with the whit...
|
Hunger Valley
East of San Francisco is a narrow valley opening to the bay of San Pablo.
In spite of its pleasant situation and fruitful possibilitie...
|
The Wrath Of Manitou
The county called Kern, in California, lies mostly in a circular valley,
and long, long before the evil one had created the pale face ...
|
The Spook Of Misery Hill
Tom Bowers, who mined on Misery Hill, near Pike City, California, never
had a partner, and he never took kindly to the rough crowd abo...
|
The Queen Of Death Valley
In the southern part of California, near the Arizona line, is the famous
Death Valley--a tract of arid, alkaline plain hemmed in by st...
|
Bridal Veil Fall
The vast ravine of Yo Semite (Grizzly Bear), formed by tearing apart the
solid Sierras, is graced by many water-falls raining down the...
|
The Governor's Right Eye
Old Governor Hermenegildo Salvatierra, of Presidio, California, sported
only one eye--the left--because the other had been shot out by...
|
The Prisoner In American Shaft
An Indian seldom forgets an injury or omits to revenge it, be it a real
or a fancied one. A young native of the New Almaden district, ...
|
Kidd's Treasure
Captain Kidd is the most ubiquitous gentleman in history. If his earnings
in the gentle craft of piracy were frugally husbanded, he ha...
|
Other Buried Wealth
The wealth of the Astors hardly exceeds the treasure that is supposed to
be secreted here and there about the country, and thousands o...
|
Monsters And Sea-serpents
It is hardly to be wondered at that two prominent scientists should have
declared on behalf of the sea-serpent, for that remarkable cr...
|
Stone-throwing Devils
There is an odd recurrence among American legends of tales relating to
assaults of people or their houses by imps of darkness. The sha...
|
Storied Springs
Like the Greeks, the red men endowed the woods and waters with tutelary
sprites, and many of the springs that are now resorted to as f...
|
Lovers' Leaps
So few States in this country--and so few countries, if it comes to
that--are without a lover's leap that the very name has come to be...
|
God On The Mountains
From the oldest time men have associated the mountains with visitations
of God. Their height, their vastness, their majesty made them ...
|
The Overlordship Of Eurystheus Will Be Qualified On Condition That
Hercules perform ten labors that Eurystheus shall assign him. When
...
|
This Is Done Hercules Shall Be Numbered Among The Immortal Gods
Hereupon Hercules fell into deep trouble. To serve a man of less
importance than himself hurt his dignity and self-esteem; but Jupit...
|
As I Will Now Set Forth To Thee: 'daughter Of Leda Send Not Thy
child to the land of Euboea, for I will give her in marriage at
...
|
Another Time'
"Aye," said the old man, "but how wilt thou deal with King Achilles?
Will he not be wroth, hearing that he hath been cheated of his wi...
|
Written Therein Is This: 'i That Was Sacrificed In Aulis Even
...
|
Iphigenia Who Am Alive And Yet Dead To My Own People Bid Thee----'
But when Orestes heard this, he brake in, "Where is this Iphigenia?
Hath the dead come back among the living?"
...
|
Thou Seest Her In Me But Interrupt Me Not 'i Bid Thee Fetch Me
before I die to Argos from a strange land, taking me from the altar
...
|
That Is Red With The Blood Of Strangers Whereat I Serve' And If
Orestes ask by what means I am alive, thou shalt say that Artemis put
a hind in my stead, and that the priest, thinking that he smote me...
|
The Great English Poet Alfred Tennyson Told It In His Idylls Of The
...
|
King
The boy Arthur was really the son of King Uther Pendragon, but few
persons knew of his birth. Uther had given him into the care of the...
|
Prometheus The Friend Of Man
Many, many centuries ago there lived two brothers, Prometheus or
Forethought, and Epimetheus or Afterthought. They were the sons of
...
|
The Overlordship Of Eurystheus Will Be Qualified On Condition That
Hercules perform ten labors that Eurystheus shall assign him. When
...
|
This Is Done Hercules Shall Be Numbered Among The Immortal Gods
Hereupon Hercules fell into deep trouble. To serve a man of less
importance than himself hurt his dignity and self-esteem; but Jupit...
|
As I Will Now Set Forth To Thee: 'daughter Of Leda Send Not Thy
child to the land of Euboea, for I will give her in marriage at
...
|
Another Time'
"Aye," said the old man, "but how wilt thou deal with King Achilles?
Will he not be wroth, hearing that he hath been cheated of his wi...
|
Written Therein Is This: 'i That Was Sacrificed In Aulis Even
...
|
Iphigenia Who Am Alive And Yet Dead To My Own People Bid Thee----'
But when Orestes heard this, he brake in, "Where is this Iphigenia?
Hath the dead come back among the living?"
...
|
Thou Seest Her In Me But Interrupt Me Not 'i Bid Thee Fetch Me
before I die to Argos from a strange land, taking me from the altar
...
|
That Is Red With The Blood Of Strangers Whereat I Serve' And If
Orestes ask by what means I am alive, thou shalt say that Artemis put
a hind in my stead, and that the priest, thinking that he smote me...
|
The Great English Poet Alfred Tennyson Told It In His Idylls Of The
...
|
King
The boy Arthur was really the son of King Uther Pendragon, but few
persons knew of his birth. Uther had given him into the care of the...
|
Prometheus The Friend Of Man
Many, many centuries ago there lived two brothers, Prometheus or
Forethought, and Epimetheus or Afterthought. They were the sons of
...
|
The Labors Of Hercules
Before the birth of Hercules Jupiter had explained in the council of
the gods that the first descendant of Perseus should be the rul...
|
The First Labor
The first labor that Eurystheus assigned to Hercules was to bring him
the skin of the Nemean lion. This monster dwelt on the mountain ...
|
The Second Labor
The second labor consisted in destroying a hydra. This monster dwelt
in the swamp of Lerna, but came occasionally over the country,
d...
|
The Third Labor
The third demand of Eurystheus was that Hercules bring to him alive
the hind Cerynitis. This was a noble animal, with horns of gold an...
|
The Fourth Labor
Then Hercules set out on his fourth undertaking. It consisted in
bringing alive to Mycene a boar which, likewise sacred to Diana, was
...
|
The Fifth Labor
Thereupon King Eurystheus sent him upon the fifth labor, which was one
little worthy of a hero. It was to clean the stables of Augeas ...
|
The Sixth Labor
Hercules now returned with new adventures to Eurystheus; but the
latter would not give him credit for the task because Hercules had
d...
|
The Seventh Labor
King Minos of Crete had promised Neptune (Poseidon), god of the sea,
to offer to him whatever animal should first come up out of the w...
|
The Eighth Labor
The eighth labor of Hercules was to bring the mares of the Thracian
Diomede to Mycene. Diomede was a son of Mars and ruler of the
Bis...
|
The Ninth Labor
Returning from a long journey, the hero undertook an expedition
against the Amazons in order to finish the ninth adventure and bring
...
|
The Tenth Labor
When the hero laid the sword belt of Queen Hippolyta at the feet of
Eurystheus, the latter gave him no rest, but sent him out immediat...
|
The Eleventh Labor
At the celebration of the marriage of Jupiter and Juno, when all the
gods were bringing their wedding gifts to the happy pair, Mother ...
|
The Twelfth Labor
Instead of destroying his hated enemy the labors which Eurystheus had
imposed upon Hercules had only strengthened the hero in the fame...
|
Deucalion And Pyrrha
While the men of the Age of Bronze still dwelt upon the earth reports
of their wickedness were carried to Jupiter. The god decided t...
|
Theseus And The Centaur
Theseus, the hero king of Athens, had a reputation for great strength
and bravery; but Pirithous, the son of Ixion, one of the most ...
|
Niobe
Niobe, Queen of Thebes, was proud of many things. Amphion, her
husband, had received from the Muses a wonderful lyre, to the music o...
|
The Gorgon's Head
Perseus was the son of Danae, who was the daughter of a king. And when
Perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mot...
|
The Golden Fleece
When Jason, the son of the dethroned King of Iolchos, was a little
boy, he was sent away from his parents and placed under the queer...
|
The Cyclops
When the great city of Troy was taken, all the chiefs who had fought
against it set sail for their homes. But there was wrath in hea...
|
Oedipus And The Sphinx
It befell in times past that the gods, being angry with the
inhabitants of Thebes, sent into their land a very troublesome beast
wh...
|
Antigone A Faithful Daughter And Sister
Jocasta, when she learned that Oedipus was really her son, was so
filled with horror and distress that she took her own life. But
A...
|
The Story Of Iphigenia
King Agamemnon sat in his tent at Aulis, where the army of the Greeks
was gathered together, being about to sail against the great c...
|
The Sack Of Troy
For ten years King Agamemnon and the men of Greece laid siege to Troy.
But though sentence had gone forth against the city, yet ...
|
Beowulf And Grendel
Long ago there ruled over the Danes a king called Hrothgar. He gained
success and glory in war, so that his loyal kinsmen willingly ...
|
The Good King Arthur
Probably every one knows the story of the great King Arthur who, the
legends say, ruled in Britain so many, many years ago and gathe...
|
The Coming Of Arthur
Leodogran, the King of Cameliard,
Had one fair daughter, and none other child;
And she was fairest of all flesh o...
|
The Passing Of Arthur
That story which the bold Sir Bedivere,
First made and latest left of all the knights,
Told, when the man was no mo...
|
The Great Knight Siegfried
Once upon a time there lived in the Netherlands, in Xante, a wonderful
castle on the river Rhine, a mighty king and queen. Siegmund ...
|
Lohengrin And Elsa The Beautiful
The young Duchess of Brabant, Elsa the Beautiful, had gone into the
woods hunting, and becoming separated from her attendants, sat d...
|
Frithiof The Bold
Frithiof was a Norwegian hero, grandson of Viking, who was the largest
and strongest man of his time. Viking had sailed the sea in a...
|
Wayland The Smith
King Nidung had one daughter and three sons. The oldest son, Otvin,
was away from court, guarding the outposts of the country; the o...
|
Twardowski The Polish Faust
Toward the close of the eighteenth century there was pointed out to
visitors in the old town of Krakau the house of the magician
Tw...
|
Ilia Muromec Of Russia
When we think of Russia we think of a great dark country--a country of
long winters and abundant snow and ice. It was here, long ago...
|
Kralewitz Marko Of Servia
Kralewitz Marko was the son of a Servian king who lived many, many
years ago. He was very fond of hunting, and one day he rode forth...
|
The Decision Of Libuscha
There dwelt once in the neighborhood of Gruenberg Castle in Bohemia two
brothers--Staglow and Chrudis, of the distinguished family o...
|
Count Roland Of France
The trumpets sounded and the army went on its way to France. The next
day King Charles called his lords together. "You see," said he...
|
The Cid
Unlike some of the other heroes told about in this book, the Cid was a
real man, whose name was Rodrigo Diaz, or Ruydiez. He was bor...
|
Hiawatha Or Manabozho
The myth of the Indians of a remarkable personage, who is called
Manabozho by the Algonquins, and Hiawatha by the Iroquois, who was ...
|
Paup-puk-keewiss
The vernal equinox in the north, generally takes place while the ground
is covered with snow, and winter still wears a polar aspect....
|
Osseo Or The Son Of The Evening Star
ALGONQUIN LEGEND.
There once lived an Indian in the north, who had ten daughters, all of
whom grew up to womanhood. They were not...
|
Kwasind Or The Fearfully Strong Man
Pauwating[40] was a village where the young men amused themselves very
much in ancient times, in sports and ball-playing.
One day...
|
The Jeebi Or Two Ghosts From The Odjibwa
There lived a hunter in the north who had a wife and one child. His
lodge stood far off in the forest, several days' journey from an...
|
Iagoo Chippewa
Iagoo is the name of a personage noted in Indian lore for having given
extravagant narrations of whatever he had seen, heard, or acc...
|
Shawondasee From
THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE ODJIBWAS.
Mudjekewis and nine brothers conquered the Mammoth Bear, and obtained
the Sacred Belt of Wampum, t...
|
Puck Wudj Ininees Or The Vanishing Little Men
AN ODJIBWA MYTH OF FAIRIES.
There was a time when all the inhabitants of the earth had died,
excepting two helpless children, a b...
|
Pezhiu And Wabose Or The Lynx And Hare
A CHIPPEWA FABLE
A lynx almost famished, met a hare one day in the woods, in the winter
season, when food was very scarce. The ha...
|
Peboan And Seegwun An Allegory Of Winter And Spring
ODJIBWA.
An old man was sitting in his lodge, by the side of a frozen stream. It
was the close of winter, and his fire was almost...
|
Mon-daw-min Or The Origin Of Indian Corn
ODJIBWA
In times past, a poor Indian was living with his wife and children in a
beautiful part of the country. He was not only po...
|
Nezhik-e-wa-wa-sun Or The Lone Lightning
ODJIBWA.
A little orphan boy who had no one to care for him, was once living
with his uncle, who treated him very badly, making h...
|
The Ak Uk O Jeesh Or The Groundhog Family
ODJIBWA FABLE
A female akukojeesh, or groundhog, with a numerous family of young
ones, was burrowing in her wauzh, or hole in the...
|
Opeechee Or The Origin Of The Robin
ODJIBWA.
An old man had an only son named Opeechee, who had come to that age
which is thought to be most proper to make the long ...
|
Shingebiss An Allegory Of Self-reliance
ODJIBWA.
There was once a Shingebiss, the name of the fall duck living alone, in
a solitary lodge, on the shores of the deep bay ...
|
The Star Family Or Celestial Sisters
SHAWNEE.
Waupee, or the White Hawk, lived in a remote part of the forest, where
animals and birds were abundant. Every day he ret...
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Ojeeg Annung Or The Summer-maker
ODJIBWA.
There lived a celebrated hunter on the southern shores of Lake
Superior, who was considered a Manito by some, for there ...
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Chileeli Or The Red Lover
ODJIBWA.
Many years ago there lived a warrior on the banks of Lake Superior,
whose name was Wawanosh. He was the chief of an anci...
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Sheem The Forsaken Boy Or Wolf Brother
AN ODJIBWA ALLEGORY OF FRATERNAL AFFECTION.
A solitary lodge stood on the banks of a remote lake. It was near the
hour of sunset....
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Mishemokwa The Origin Of The Small Black Bear
AN OTTOWA LEGEND.
In a remote part of the north lived a great magician called Iamo, and
his only sister, who had never seen a hum...
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The Red Swan
Three brothers were left destitute, by the death of their parents, at
an early age. The eldest was not yet able to provide fully for...
|
Tau-wau-chee-hezkaw Or The White Feather
A DACOTAH LEGEND.
There was an old man living in the centre of a forest, with his
grandson, whom he had taken when quite an infan...
|
Pauguk
THE MYTHOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION OF HIAWATHA.
In a class of languages, where the personification of ideas, or
sentiments, frequent...
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Iena The Wanderer Or Magic Bundle
A CHIPPEWA ALLEGORY.
There was once a poor man called Iena,[73] who was in the habit of
wandering about from place to place, forl...
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Mishosha Or The Magician Of Lake Superior
In an early age of the world, when there were fewer inhabitants than
there now are, there lived an Indian, in a remote place, who ha...
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Peeta Kway The Foam-woman
AN OTTOWA LEGEND.
There once lived a woman called Monedo Kway[83] on the sand mountains
called "the Sleeping Bear," of Lake Michi...
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Pah-hah-undootah The Red Head
A DACOTAH LEGEND.
As spring approaches, the Indians return from their wintering grounds
to their villages, engage in feasting, so...
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The White Stone Canoe
There was once a very beautiful young girl, who died suddenly on the
day she was to have been married to a handsome young man. He wa...
|
Onaiazo The Sky-walker A Legend Of A Visit To The Sun
AN OTTOWA MYTH.
A long time ago, there lived an aged Odjibwa and his wife, on the
Shores of Lake Huron. They had an only son, a v...
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Bosh-kwa-dosh Or The Mastodon
There was once a man who found himself alone in the world. He knew not
whence he came, nor who were his parents, and he wandered abo...
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The Sun-catcher Or Boy Who Set A Snare For The Sun
A MYTH OF THE ORIGIN OF THE DORMOUSE.
FROM THE ODJIBWA.
At the time when the animals reigned in the earth, they had killed al...
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Wa-wa-be-zo-win Or The Swing On The Pictured Rocks Of Lake Superior
A TRADITION OF THE ODJIBWAS.
There was an old hag of a woman living with her daughter-in-law, and
son, and a little orphan boy, w...
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Mukakee Mindemoea Or The Toad-woman
AN ODJIBWA LEGEND.
Great good luck once happened to a young woman who was living all alone
in the woods, with nobody near her but...
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Eroneniera Or An Indian Visit To The Great Spirit
AN ALGONQUIN LEGEND.
A Delaware Indian, called Eroneniera, anxious to know the Master of
Life, resolved, without mentioning his d...
|
The Six Hawks Or Broken Wing
AN ALLEGORY OF FRATERNAL AFFECTION.
There were six young falcons living in a nest, all but one of whom were
still unable to fly, ...
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Weeng The Spirit Of Sleep
Sleep is personified by the Odjibwas under the name of Weeng.[88] The
power of the Indian Morpheus is executed by a peculiar class o...
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Addik Kum Maig Or The Origin Of The White Fish
A long time ago, there lived a famous hunter in a remote part of the
north. He had a handsome wife and two sons, who were left in th...
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Bokwewa Or The Humpback Magician
ODJIBWA.
Bokwewa and his brother lived in a secluded part of the country. They
were considered as Manitoes, who had assumed morta...
|
Aggodagauda And His Daughter Or The Man With His Leg Tied Up
The prairie and forest tribes were once at war, and it required the
keenest eyes to keep out of the way of danger. Aggodagauda lived...
|
Iosco Or The Prairie Boys' Visit To The Sun And Moon
AN OTTAWA LEGEND.
One pleasant morning, five young men and a boy about ten years of age,
called Ioscoda, went out a shooting with...
|
The Enchanted Moccasins
ODJIBWA.
There once lived a little boy, all alone with his sister, in a very
wild uninhabitable country. They saw nothing but bea...
|
Leelinau
A CHIPPEWA TALE.
The Pukwudjininees, or fairies of Lake Superior, had one of their most
noted places of residence at the great sa...
|
Moowis
In a large village there lived a noted belle, or Ma-mon-da-go-Kwa,
who was the admiration of all the young hunters and warriors. She...
|
The Girl Who Married The Pine-tree
Upon the side of a certain mountain grew some pines, under the shade
of which the Puckwudjinies, or sprites, were accustomed to spor...
|
A Legend Of Manabozho
Manabozho made the land. The occasion of his doing so was this.
One day he went out hunting with two wolves. After the first day's...
|
Pauppukkeewis
A man of large stature and great activity of mind and body found
himself standing alone on a prairie. He thought to himself--
"Ho...
|
The Discovery Of The Upper World
The Minnatarees, and all the other Indians who are not of the stock of
the grandfather of nations, were once not of this upper air, ...
|
The Boy Who Snared The Sun
At the time when the animals reigned on the earth they had killed all
but a girl and her little brother, and these two were living i...
|
The Maid In The Box
There once lived a woman called Monedo Kway (female spirit or
prophetess) on the sand mountains, called The Sleeping Bear of Lake
M...
|
The Spirits And The Lovers
At the distance of a woman's walk of a day from the mouth of the
river, called by the pale-faces the Whitestone, in the country of t...
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The Wonderful Rod
The Choctaws had for many years found a home in regions beyond the
Mountains of Snow, far away to the west of the Mississippi. They,...
|
The Funeral Fire
For several nights after the interment of a Chippewa a fire is kept
burning upon the grave. This fire is lit in the evening, and car...
|
The Legend Of O-na-wut-a-qut-o
A long time ago there lived an aged Odjibwa and his wife on the shores
of Lake Huron. They had an only son, a very beautiful boy, na...
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Manabozho In The Fish's Stomach
One day Manabozho said to his grandmother--
"Noko, get cedar bark and make me a line whilst I make a canoe."
When all was ready...
|
The Sun And The Moon
There were once ten brothers who hunted together, and at night they
occupied the same lodge. One day, after they had been hunting, c...
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The Snail And The Beaver
The father of the Osage nation was a snail. It was when the earth was
young and little. It was before the rivers had become wide or ...
|
The Strange Guests
Many years ago there lived, near the borders of Lake Superior, a noted
hunter, who had a wife and one child. His lodge stood in a re...
|
Manabozho And His Toe
Manabozho was so powerful that he began to think there was nothing he
could not do. Very wonderful were many of his feats, and he gr...
|
The Girl Who Became A Bird
The father of Ran-che-wai-me, the flying pigeon of the Wisconsin,
would not hear of her wedding Wai-o-naisa, the young chief who had...
|
The Undying Head
In a remote part of the north lived a man and his only sister who had
never seen human being. Seldom, if ever, had the man any cause...
|
The Old Chippeway
The old man Chippeway, the first of men, when he first landed on the
earth, near where the present Dogribs have their hunting-ground...
|
Mukumik! Mukumik! Mukumik!
Pauppukkeewis was a harum-scarum fellow who played many queer tricks,
but he took care, nevertheless, to supply his family and child...
|
The Swing By The Lake
There was an old hag of a woman who lived with her daughter-in-law and
her husband, with their son and a little orphan boy. When her...
|
The Fire Plume
Wassamo was living with his parents on the shores of a large bay on
the east coast of Lake Michigan. It was at a period when nature
...
|
The Journey To The Island Of Souls
Once upon a time there lived in the nation of the Chippeways a most
beautiful maiden, the flower of the wilderness, the delight and ...
|
Machinitou The Evil Spirit
Chemanitou, being the Master of Life, at one time became the origin of
a spirit that has ever since caused him and all others of his...
|
The Woman Of Stone
In one of the niches or recesses formed by a precipice in the cavern
of Kickapoo Creek, which is a tributary of the Wisconsin, there...
|
The Maiden Who Loved A Fish
There was once among the Marshpees, a small tribe who have their
hunting-grounds on the shores of the Great Lake, near the Cape of
...
|
The Lone Lightning
A little orphan boy, who had no one to care for him, once lived with
his uncle, who treated him very badly, making him do hard work,...
|
Aggo-dah-gauda
Aggo-dah-gauda had one leg hooped up to his thigh so that he was
obliged to get along by hopping. He had a beautiful daughter, and h...
|
Piqua
A great while ago the Shawanos nation took up the war-talk against the
Walkullas, who lived on their own lands on the borders of the...
|
The Evil Maker
The Great Spirit made man, and all the good things in the world, while
the Evil Spirit was asleep. When the Evil Spirit awoke he saw...
|
Manabozho The Wolf
Manabozho set out to travel. He wished to outdo all others, and see
new countries, but after walking over America, and encountering ...
|
The Man-fish
A very great while ago the ancestors of the Shawanos nation lived on
the other side of the Great Lake, half-way between the rising s...
|
Canobie Dick And Thomas Of Ercildoun
Now it chanced many years since that there lived on the Borders a jolly
rattling horse-cowper, who was remarkable for a reckless and...
|
Coinnach Oer
Coinnach Oer, which means Dun Kenneth, was a celebrated man in his
generation. He has been called the Isaiah of the North. The pro...
|
Elphin Irving
THE FAIRIES' CUPBEARER.
"The lady kilted her kirtle green
A little aboon her knee,
The lady snooded her yellow ha...
|
The Ghosts Of Craig-aulnaic
Two celebrated ghosts existed, once on a time, in the wilds of
Craig-Aulnaic, a romantic place in the district of Strathdown,
Banff...
|
The Doomed Rider
"The Conan is as bonny a river as we hae in a' the north country. There's
mony a sweet sunny spot on its banks, an' mony a time an'...
|
Whippety Stourie
There was once a gentleman that lived in a very grand house, and he
married a young lady that had been delicately brought up. In he...
|
The Weird Of The Three Arrows
Sir James Douglas, the companion of Bruce, and well known by his
appellation of the "Black Douglas," was once, during the hottest pe...
|
The Laird Of Balmachie's Wife
In the olden times, when it was the fashion for gentlemen to wear swords,
the Laird of Balmachie went one day to Dundee, leaving his...
|
Michael Scott
In the early part of Michael Scott's life he was in the habit of
emigrating annually to the Scottish metropolis, for the purpose of ...
|
The Minister And The Fairy
Not long since, a pious clergyman was returning home, after administering
spiritual consolation to a dying member of his flock. It ...
|
The Fisherman And The Merman
Of mermen and merwomen many strange stories are told in the Shetland
Isles. Beneath the depths of the ocean, according to these sto...
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The Laird O' Co'
In the days of yore, the proprietors of Colzean, in Ayrshire (ancestors
of the Marquis of Ailsa), were known in that country by the ...
|
Ewen Of The Little Head
About three hundred years ago, Ewen Maclaine of Lochbuy, in the island of
Mull, having been engaged in a quarrel with a neighbouring...
|
Jock And His Mother
Ye see, there was a wife had a son, and they called him Jock; and she
said to him, "You are a lazy fellow; ye maun gang awa' and do ...
|
Saint Columba
Soon after Saint Columba established his residence in Iona, tradition
says that he paid a visit to a great seminary of Druids, then ...
|
The Mermaid Wife
A story is told of an inhabitant of Unst, who, in walking on the sandy
margin of a voe, saw a number of mermen and mermaids dancing ...
|
The Fiddler And The Bogle Of Bogandoran
"Late one night, as my grand-uncle, Lachlan Dhu Macpherson, who was well
known as the best fiddler of his day, was returning home fr...
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Thomas The Rhymer
Thomas, of Ercildoun, in Lauderdale, called the Rhymer, on account of his
producing a poetical romance on the subject of Tristrem an...
|
Fairy Friends
It is a good thing to befriend the fairies, as the following stories
show:--
There have been from time immemorial at Hawick, duri...
|
The Seal-catcher's Adventure
There was once upon a time a man who lived upon the northern coasts, not
far from "Taigh Jan Crot Callow" (John-o'-Groat's House), a...
|
The Fairies Of Merlin's Craig
Early in the seventeenth century, John Smith, a barn-man at a farm, was
sent by his master to cast divots (turf) on the green immedi...
|
Rory Macgillivray
Once upon a time a tenant in the neighbourhood of Cairngorm, in
Strathspey, emigrated with his family and cattle to the forest of
G...
|
The Haunted Ships
"Though my mind's not
Hoodwinked with rustic marvels, I do think
There are more things in the grove, the air, the fl...
|
The Brownie
The Scottish Brownie formed a class of being distinct in habit and
disposition from the freakish and mischievous elves. He was meag...
|
Mauns' Stane
In the latter end of the autumn of 18--, I set out by myself on an
excursion over the northern part of Scotland, and during that tim...
|
Horse And Hattock
The power of the fairies was not confined to unchristened children alone;
it was supposed frequently to be extended to full-grown pe...
|
Secret Commonwealth
By MR. ROBERT KIRK, Minister of Aberfoyle, 1691.
The Siths, or Fairies, they call Sluagh Maith, or the Goodpeople, it
would seem,...
|
The Fairy Boy Of Leith
"About fifteen years since, having business that detained me for some
time at Leith, which is near Edinburgh, in the kingdom of Scot...
|
The Dracae
These are a sort of water-spirits who inveigle women and children into
the recesses which they inhabit, beneath lakes and rivers, by...
|
A Succinct Account
Sir,--I heard very much, but believed very little of the second sight;
yet its being assumed by several of great veracity, I was i...
|
The Bogle
This is a freakish spirit who delights rather to perplex and frighten
mankind than either to serve or seriously hurt them. The Espr...
|
Daoine Shie Or The Men Of Peace
They are, though not absolutely malevolent, believed to be a peevish,
repining, and envious race, who enjoy, in the subterranean rec...
|
The Death Bree
There was once a woman, who lived in the Camp-del-more of Strathavon,
whose cattle were seized with a murrain, or some such fell dis...
|
Bajun And Jhore
Once upon a time there were two brothers named Bajun and Jhore. Bajun
was married and one day his wife fell ill of fever. So, as he wa...
|
Anuwa And His Mother
Once there was a young fellow named Anuwa who lived with his old
mother, and when he was out ploughing his mother used to take him
hi...
|
Ledha And The Leopard
Once upon a time a boy named Ledha was tending cattle with other
boys at the foot of a hill, and these boys in fun used to call out
"...
|
The Cruel Stepmother
There was once a Raja whose wife died leaving him with one young
child. He reared it with great care and when it could toddle about
i...
|
Karmu And Dharmu
There were once two brothers Karmu and Dharmu. Karmu was a farmer and
Dharmu was a trader; once when Dharmu was away from home Karmu g...
|
The Jealous Stepmother
There was once a man whose wife died leaving him with one son and
after a year he married again. The second wife was very jealous of t...
|
The Pious Woman
There was once a very pious woman and her special virtue was that she
would not eat or drink on any day until she had first given alms...
|
The Wise Daughter-in-law
There was once a rich man who had seven sons, but one day his wife
died and after this the family fell into poverty. All their propert...
|
The Oilman And His Sons
There was once an oilman with five sons and they were all married
and lived jointly with their father. But the daughters-in-law were
...
|
The Girl Who Found Helpers
Once upon a time there were seven brothers, and they were all married,
and they had one sister who was not married. The brothers went ...
|
How To Grow Rich
Once upon a time there was a woman whose husband died while she was
pregnant, and she was very unhappy and used to pray daily to Singh...
|
The Changed Calf
There was once a cowherd named Sona who saved a few rupees and he
decided to buy a calf so as to have something to show for his labour...
|
The Koeri And The Barber
There was a well-to-do man of the Koeri (cultivating) caste and
opposite his house lived a barber who was very poor; and the barber
t...
|
The Prince Who Acquired Wisdom
There was once a Raja who had an only son and the Raja was always
urging his son to learn to read and write in order that when he came...
|
The Monkey Boy
There was once a man who had six sons and two daughters and he died
leaving his wife pregnant of a ninth child.
And when the child ...
|
The Miser's Servant
Once there was a rich man who was a miser. Although he kept farm
servants they would never stay out the year with him; but ran away in...
|
Kuwar And The Rajah's Daughter
There was once a rich merchant who lived in a Raja's city; and the
Raja founded a school in order that his own children might have som...
|
The Laughing Fish
There was once a merchant who prospered in his business and in the
course of time became very rich. He had five sons but none of them
...
|
How The Cowherd Found A Bride
There was once a Goala who was in charge of a herd of cattle and
every day he used to bring the herd for their midday rest to the
foo...
|
Kara And Guja
Once upon a time there were two brothers named Kara and Guja who
were first class shots with the bow and arrow. In the country
where ...
|
The Magic Cow
There was once a Raja who had an only son named Kara and in the
course of time the Raja fell into poverty and was little better than
...
|
Lita And His Animals
Once upon a time there was a man who had four sons: two of them were
married and two were unmarried and the youngest was named Lita. O...
|
The Boy Who Found His Father
There was once a boy who used always to cheat when playing Kati
(pitch and toss) and for this the village boys with whom he played use...
|
The Oilman's Bullock
There was once a poor but industrious oilman; he got a log of wood
and carved out an oil mill and, borrowing some money as capital,
h...
|
How Sabai Grass Grew
Once upon a time there were seven brothers who had an only
sister. These brothers undertook the excavation of a large tank;
but altho...
|
The Merchant's Son And The Raja's Daughter
Once a merchant's wife and a Raja's wife were both with child and one
day as they bathed together they fell into conversation, and the...
|
The Flycatcher's Egg
One day a herd boy found a flycatcher's egg and he brought it home
and asked his mother to cook it for him, but she put it on a shelf
...
|
The Wife Who Would Not Be Beaten
There was once a Raja's son who announced that he would marry no woman
who would not allow him to beat her every morning and evening. ...
|
Sahde Goala
Once a marriage was arranged between Sahde Goala and Princess Chandaini
and on the wedding day when it began to get dusk Sahde Goala o...
|
The Raja's Son And The Merchants Son
Once upon a time the son of a Raja and the son of a merchant were great
friends; they neither of them had any taste for lessons but wo...
|
The Poor Widow
Once there was a poor widow who had two children; she lived by daily
labour and if she got no work any day, then that day they had to ...
|
The Monkey And The Girl
Once upon a time the boys and girls of a village used to watch the
crops of but growing by a river, and there was a Hanuman monkey who...
|
Ramai And The Animals
Once there was a blacksmith who had five sons and the sons were always
quarrelling. Their father used to scold them, but they paid no ...
|
The Magic Bedstead
Once upon a time a carpenter made a bedstead, and when it was ready he
put it in his verandah. At night he heard the four legs of the ...
|
The Ghormuhas
Ghormuhas have heads like horses and bodies and arms like men and
their legs are shaped like men's but they have only one leg each,
a...
|
The Boy Who Learnt Magic
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had seven wives and they were
all childless, and he was very unhappy at having no heir. One day ...
|
The Charitable Jogi
Once there was a very poor man with a large family; and when his eldest
son grew up he tried to arrange a marriage for him. He selecte...
|
Chote And Mote
Once upon a time there were two brothers Chote and Mote; they were
poor but very industrious and they got tired of working as hired
l...
|
The Daydreamer
Once an oil man was going to market with his pots of oil arranged on a
flat basket and he engaged a Santal for two annas to carry the ...
|
The Extortionate Sentry
There was once a sentry outside a Raja's palace who would let no one go
in to sell anything to the Raja until they first promised to g...
|
The Broken Friendship
Once upon a time there was a Raja and his Dewan and they each had
one son, and the two boys were great friends, and, when they grew ol...
|
A Story Told By A Hindu
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had two sons and after their
father's death they divided the kingdom between them. The two broth...
|
The Raibar And The Leopard
Once upon a time a Raibar was going backwards and forwards between
two families arranging a marriage and part of the road which he use...
|
The Ungrateful Snake
There was once a Raja and his dewan and they each had one son;
these sons were married in infancy but as they grew up they never
hear...
|
The Tiger's Bride
One day a woman went to cut thatching grass and she cut such a quantity
that when she tied it up, the bundle was too big for her to li...
|
The Killing Of The Tiger
They say that there was a time when all living things had a common
speech and animals and men could understand each other, and in thos...
|
The Dream
One night as a man and his wife lay talking in bed, the woman told
her husband that she had dreamt that in a certain place she had dug...
|
The King Of The Bhuyans
There was once a king of the Bhuyans and near his palace was a village
of Santals; he was a kind ruler and both Santals and Bhuyans we...
|
The Foolish Sons
There was once a man of the blacksmith caste who had six sons; the
sons were all married and the whole family lived together. But the
...
|
Kora And His Sister
There were once seven brothers and they had one sister who was the
youngest of the family. The six eldest brothers were married but no...
|
A Story On Caste
There was once a village inhabited only by Musahars. Among them was
one girl who was so beautiful that she seemed more than human. Her...
|
Tipi And Tepa
Tipi and Tepa dwelt together and lived on baked cakes. One day they
met a bear in the jungle. "Now I will eat you" growled the bear. "...
|
The Child With The Ears Of An Ox
Once upon a time a son was born to a certain Raja and the child had
the ears of an ox. The Raja was very much ashamed and let no one
...
|
The Child Who Knew His Father
Once upon a time there was a girl whose parents took the greatest
care that she should not be familiar with any of the young men of
t...
|
Jogeshwar's Marriage
Once upon a time there was a young man of the weaver caste, named
Jogeshwar. He was an orphan and lived all alone. One summer he plant...
|
The Strong Man
There was once a Strong man but no one knew of his strength. He was in
the service of a farmer who made him headman over all his labou...
|
The Raja's Advice
Once upon a time an aged Raja lay dying. Before he breathed his
last he sent for his only son and gave him the following advice. "My
...
|
The Four Jogis
Once four Jogis were out on a begging expedition and came to a city
were a Raja lived. As they went along they discussed how they shou...
|
The Charitable Raja
There was once a Raja who was very charitable; he used to give a new
cloth and a good meal to every one who came and begged of him. Bu...
|
A Variant The Wandering Raja
Once there was a Raja who was very prosperous; but his wife found
their life of wealth and ease monotonous, and she continually urged
...
|
The Two Wives
There were once a Raja and his Dewan who had each one son, and the
two boys were great friends. Both had been married in their infancy...
|
Spanling And His Uncles
There was once a little man named Spanling (Bita) because he was
only a span (Bita) high; and he had a beard one span and four
finger...
|
The Silent Wife
There was once a madcap of a fellow, whose wife got on very well with
him and did all the house work very nicely, but she would never ...
|
The Dumb Shepherd
There was once a very rich and powerful Raja and in his heart he
thought that there was no one so powerful in the world as himself;
t...
|
The Good Daughter-in-law
There was once a very rich man who had seven sons and the sons were
all married and lived with their father. The father was a miser: h...
|
The Raja's Dream
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had no children. So he and his
wife agreed that he should marry again. His second wife bore him ...
|
The Mongoose Boy
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had two wives. By his first
wife he had six sons, but the second wife bore only one son and he
...
|
The Stolen Treasure
Once upon a time three jars full of money were stolen from a Raja's
palace. As all search was fruitless the Raja at last gave notice t...
|
Dukhu And His Bonga Wife
Once upon a time there was a man named Bhagrit who had two sons named
Lukhu and Dukhu; and Lukhu used to work in the fields, while Duk...
|
The Monkey Husband
One very hot day some children were bathing in a pool, when a Hanuman
monkey snatched up the cloth which one of the girls had left on ...
|
Lakhan And The Wild Buffaloes
Once upon a time there was the only son of a widow, who used to tend
the sheep and goats of a Raja and his name was Lakhan. One day he...
|
The Boy With The Stag
Once all the men of a village went out to hunt in the hills and a
certain orphan boy wanted to go with them, and although they told hi...
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The Seven Brothers And The Bonga Girl
Once upon a time there were seven brothers who lived all alone in
the jungle, far from human habitations. None of them was married
an...
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The Tiger's Foster Child
Once upon a time a Potter woman went to dig earth for making pots,
and while she was working she was prematurely delivered of a boy. A...
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The Caterpillar Boy
Once there was an old woman who lived on the grain she could collect
from other people's threshing floors. One day as she swept up a
...
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The Monkey Nursemaid
Once upon a time there were seven brothers who were all married and
each had one child and the brothers arranged to engage a boy to ca...
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The Wife Who Could Not Keep A Secret
Once there was a man of the Goala caste, who looked after the cattle
of a rich farmer. One day a cow dropped a calf in the jungle with...
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Sit And Lakhan
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had two wives and a concubine,
but after giving birth to her second son, the first Rani died, an...
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The Raja Who Went To Heaven
Once upon a time there was a Raja, who had many water reservoirs
and tanks, and round the edges he planted trees, mangoes, pipals,
pa...
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Seven-tricks And Single-trick
Seven-Tricks and Single-Trick were great friends, but some one
told Seven-Tricks that Single-Trick was the cleverer man of the
two. S...
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Fuljhari Raja
There was once a Raja named Fuljhari and he was childless; he and his
wife made pilgrimages to many shrines but all in vain, the wishe...
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The Corpse Of The Raja's Son
There was once a blacksmith named Chitru who had a very pretty
wife; and the woman attracted the attention of the son of the
Raja. Ch...
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The Sham Child
There was once a Raja who had two wives and each Rani had a maidservant
who was the Raja's concubine; but none of them had any childre...
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The Sons Of The Kherohuri Raja
The Kherohuri Raja had five sons, and he made up his mind that he would
only marry them to five sisters. So he sent out Brahmans and J...
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The Dog Bride
Once upon a time there was a youth who used to herd buffaloes; and as
he watched his animals graze he noticed that exactly at noon eve...
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Wealth Or Wisdom
Once upon a time there were a Raja and a rich merchant, and they
each had one son. The two boys went to the same school and in the
co...
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The Goala And The Cow
Once upon a time a young man of the Goala caste was going to his
wedding; he was riding along in a palki, with all his friends, to
th...
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The Telltale Wife
Once upon a time a man was setting out in his best clothes to attend
a village meeting. As he was passing at the back of the house his...
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The Bridegroom Who Spoke In Riddles
Once upon a time there were two brothers; the elder was named
Bhagrai and was married, but the younger, named Kora, was still a
bache...
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The Lazy Man
Once upon a time three brothers lived together: the youngest of
them was named Kora and he was the laziest man alive: he was never
wi...
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Another Lazy Man
Once upon a time there was a man named Kora who was so lazy that his
brothers turned him out of the house and he had to go out into th...
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The Widow's Son
Once upon a time there was a poor woman whose husband died suddenly
from snake bite, leaving her with one little girl. At the time she...
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The Boy Who Was Changed Into A Dog
Once upon a time there were seven brothers: the six eldest were
married, but the youngest was only a youth and looked after the
cattl...
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Birluri And Birbanta
Birluri was of the Goala caste and Birbanta of the oilman's caste. And
this is the story of their fight.
Birluri was very rich, wit...
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The Killing Of The Rakhas
Once upon a time a certain country was ravaged by a Rakhas to such
an extent that there were only the Raja and a few ryots left. When
...
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The Children And The Vultures
Once upon a time all the women of a village went to the jungle to
gather karla fruit; and one of them was pregnant. In the jungle she
...
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The Ferryman
There was once a ferryman who plied a ferry across a big river, and he
had two wives. By the elder wife he had five sons and by the yo...
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Catching A Thief
There was once a rich Raja; and in order to frighten away thieves
whenever he woke up at night he used to call out--
"What ar...
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The Grasping Raja
There was once a Raja who was very rich. He was a stern man and
overbearing and would brook no contradiction. Not one of his servants
...
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The Prince Who Would Not Marry
There was once a Raja who in spite of having many wives was childless;
and his great desire was to have a son. He made many vows and p...
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The Prince Who Found Two Wives
There was once a Raja who had an only son. When the Prince grew up the
courtiers proposed to the Raja that he should arrange for his s...
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The Unfaithful Wife
Once upon a time there were two brothers and as their wives did not
get on well together, they lived separately. After a time it came
...
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The Industrious Bride
Once upon a time a party of three or four men went to a village to
see if a certain girl would make a suitable bride for the son of on...
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The Boy And His Fate
There was once a Raja and Rani who had had three sons, but they had
all died when only three or four months old. Then a fourth son was...
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The Messengers Of Death
There was once a Brahman who had four sons born to him, but they
all died young; a fifth son however was born to him, who grew up
to ...
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The Speaking Crab
There was once a farmer who kept a labourer and a field woman to do
the work of the farm; and they were both very industrious and work...
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The Leopard Outwitted
There was once a man-eating leopard, whose depredations became so
serious, that the whole neighbouring population decided to have a
g...
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The Wind And The Sun
Once the Wind and the Sun disputed as to which was the more
powerful. And while they were quarreling a man came by wrapped
in a shawl...
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The Coldest Season
One winter day a bear and a tiger began to dispute as to which is
the coldest season of the year; the bear said July and August, which...
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The Jackal And The Crow
Once upon a time a crow and a jackal became bosom friends and they
agreed that the crow should support the jackal in the hot weather
...
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The Tiger Cub And The Calf
A Tigress and a Cow used to graze in a dense jungle, and they were
both with young. They became great friends and agreed that they
wo...
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The Jackal And The Chickens
Once upon a time a jackal and a hen were great friends and regarded
each other as brother and sister; and they agreed to have a feast ...
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The Jackal Punished
Once a hen and a jackal were great friends, and they decided to
have a feast and each brewed beer for the occasion; the hen brewed
wi...
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The Tigers And The Cat
In former days tigers and cats were friends and used to hunt together
and share the game they caught; and they did not eat the game ra...
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The Elephant And The Ants
In the days of old there was a great deal more jungle than there is
now, and wild elephants were very numerous; once upon a time a red...
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A Fox And His Wife
Once upon a time there were a fox and his wife who lived in a hole with
their five little ones. Every evening the two foxes used to ma...
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The Jackal And The Crocodiles
Once upon a time there was a Raja who had an only son. As the boy grew
up his father sent him to a school to learn to read and write. ...
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The Bullfrog And The Crab
There was a Raja who had no head and there was a Tiger who had no
tail. One day they met in a nullah. "Here's a fine dinner for me"
s...
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The Hyaena Outwitted
Once upon a time there was a great tiger who lived in a forest;
and all the other animals that lived in the forest treated him as
the...
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The Crow And The Egret
A crow and a white egret once made their nests in the same tree,
and when the nestlings began to grow up the crow saw how pretty and...
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The Jackal And The Hare
A jackal and a hare were sworn friends. One day they planned to have
a dinner of rice cooked with milk. So the hare crouched down unde...
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The Brave Jackal
Once upon a time a he-goat ran away for fear of being slaughtered and
took refuge in a leopard's cave. When the leopard came back to t...
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The Jackal And The Leopards
Once upon a time a leopard and a leopardess were living with their
cubs; and when the parents were away a jackal used to go to the cub...
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The Stingy Daughter
Once a man went to visit his married daughter: he intended to arrive
in time for dinner; so though he passed some edible herbs on the ...
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The Backwards And Forwards Dance
There was once a Santal who owed money to a money-lender: the lender
went to dun him every day but as he had nothing to pay with he us...
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The Deaf Family
Formerly Santals were very stupid and much afraid of Hindus; and once
a Santal was ploughing at a place where two roads met and a Hind...
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The Father-in-law's Visit
A man once went to visit his married daughter in the month of October
and he went round the fields with his son-in-law to see how his ...
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Ramai And Somai
Once two poor men named Ramai and Somai came to a village and took
some waste land from the headman, and ploughed it and sowed millet;...
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The Two Brothers
There were once two brothers who were constantly quarrelling and
one afternoon after a heated quarrel the younger brother asked the
v...
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The Three Fools
Once upon a time three men were sitting at the foot of a tamarind
tree and a stranger came up to them with a bunch of plantains on his...
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The Cure For Laziness
There was once a man who lived happily with his wife, but she was very
lazy; when work in the fields was at its height she would prete...
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The Brahman's Powers
A long time ago a Brahman came from the west and did many wonders to
the astonishment of those who saw him. He came to a certain villa...
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Ram's Wife
It is a custom among us Santals that husband and wife do not mention
each other's names; and even if a husband sometimes mentions his
...
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Palo
There was once a man named Dhuju, and he had sons named Ret Mongla,
Saru Sama and Chapat champa; and their wives were named Chibo, Por...
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The Women's Sacrifice
This is a story of the old days when the Santals both men and women
were very stupid. Once upon a time the men of a certain village ha...
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The Thief's Son
Once upon a time a goat strayed into the house of a certain man who
promptly killed it and hid the body. At evening the owner of the
...
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C The Divorce
There was once a man who had reason to suspect his wife's
faithfulness. He first tried threatening and scolding her; but this
had no ...
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The Father And The Father-in-law
There was once a Raja who had five sons and his only daughter was
married to a neighbouring Raja.
In the course of time this Raja f...
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The Reproof
A poor man once went to visit his daughter's father-in-law who was very
rich. The rich man was proud of his wealth and looked down on ...
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Enigmas
Once upon a time a man and his son went on a visit to the
son's father-in-law. They were welcomed in a friendly way;
but the father-i...
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The Too Particular Wife
There was once a man with a large tumour on his forehead and his wife
was so ashamed of it that she would never go about with him anyw...
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The Paharia Socialists
Formerly before the Santals came into the country the four taluqs
of Sankara, Chiptiam, Sulunga and Dhaka formed the Paharia Raj and
...
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How A Tiger Was Killed
In the days when the Santals lived in the jungle country there was
once a man who had a patch of maize by the bank of a stream; and to...
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The Goala's Daughter
There was once a man of the Goala caste who had an only daughter and
she grew up and was married, but had no child; and after twenty y...
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The Brahman's Clothes
There was once a Brahman who had two wives; like many Brahmans he lived
by begging and was very clever at wheedling money out of peopl...
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The Winning Of A Bride
Formerly this country was all jungle; and when the jungle was first
cleared the crops were very luxuriant; and the Santals had large
...
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Marriage With Bongas
There have been many cases of Santals marrying bonga girls. Not of
course with formal marriage ceremonies but the marriage which resul...
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The Bonga Headman
Sarjomghutu is a village about four miles from Barhait Bazar on
the banks of the Badi river. On the river bank grows a large banyan
t...
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Lakhan And The Bongas
Once a young man named Lakhan was on a hunting party and he pursued
a deer by himself and it led him a long chase until he was far fro...
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The House Bonga
Once upon a time there was a house bonga who lived in the house
of the headman of a certain village; and it was a shocking thief;
it ...
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The Sarsagun Maiden
There was once a Sarsagun girl who was going to be married; and a
large party of her girl friends went to the jungle to pick leaves
f...
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The Schoolboy And The Bonga
There was once a boy who went every day to school and on his way
home he used always to bathe in a certain tank. Every day he left his...
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The Bonga's Cave
There was once a young bonga who dwelt in a cave in the side of a
hill in the jungle; and every day he placed on a flat stone outside,...
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The Bonga's Victim
Once upon a time there were seven brothers and they had one
sister. Every day they used to go out hunting leaving their wives
and sis...
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Baijal And The Bonga
Once upon a time there was a young man named Baijal and he was
very skilful at playing on the bamboo flute. He played so sweetly
that...
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Ramai And The Bonga
Once a bonga [3] haunted the house of a certain man and became such
a nuisance that the man had him exorcised and safely pegged down t...
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The Boundary Bonga
There was once a man who owned a rich swampy rice field. Every year
he used to sacrifice a pig to the boundary bonga before harvest;
...
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The Bonga Exorcised
A very poor man was once ploughing his field and as he ploughed the
share caught fast in something. At first he thought that it was
a...
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The Beginning Of Things
In the days of old, Thakur Baba had made everything very convenient for
mankind and it was by our own fault that we made Thakur Baba a...
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Chando And His Wife
Once upon a time Chando went to the hills to fashion a plough out of
a log of wood; and his wife was left at home alone, Chando was so...
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The Sikhar Raja
Santals say that the Sikhar Raja was a bonga and this is the story
they tell about him. A certain woman was with child but could not
...
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The Origin Of Tobacco
This is the way that the chewing tobacco began. There was once a
Brahmin girl whose relations did not give her in marriage and she
di...
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The Transmigration Of Souls
All the cats of Hindus have believed and believe, and the Santals also
have said and say, that Thakur made the land and sky and sea an...
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The Next World
This is what the Santals say about the next world. After death men
have a very hard time of it in the next world. Chando bonga makes
...
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After Death
When grown-up people die they become ancestral bongas and sacrifices
are offered to them at the Flower and Sohrai festivals; and when
...
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Hares And Men
In former days hares used to eat men and a man presented himself before
Thakur and said "O Father, these hares do us much damage; they...
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A Legend
Once upon a time a woman was found to be with child by her own brother,
so the two had to fly the country. In their flight they came t...
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Pregnant Women
Pregnant women are not allowed to go about alone outside the village;
for there are bongas everywhere and some of them dislike the sig...
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The Influence Of The Moon
If a child is born on the day before the new moon the following
ceremony is observed. After bathing the child they place an old broom
...
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Illegitimate Children
If a woman has an illegitimate child and from fear or shame will not
name its father the bastard is called a child of Chando. At its b...
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The Dead
Santals are very much afraid of burial grounds; for dead men become
bongas and bongas eat men. If a man meet such a bonga in a
burial...
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Hunting Custom
Formerly when the men went to a hunt the mistress of the house would
not bathe all the time they were away and when the hunters return...
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Witchcraft
The higher castes do not believe in witchcraft. If a man is ill they
give him medicines and if he dies in spite of the medicine they d...
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Of Dains And Ojhas
Once upon a time Marang Buru decided that he would teach men
witchcraft. In those days there was a place at which men used to
assembl...
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Initiation Into Witchcraft
When girls are initiated into witchcraft they are taken away by
force and made to lead tigers about. This makes them fearless. They
a...
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Witchcraft
Girls are taught witchcraft when they are young and are married to a
bonga husband. Afterwards when they marry a man they still go awa...
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Witch Stories
I will now tell you something I have seen with my own eyes. In the
village of Dhubia next to mine the only son of the Paranik lay ill
...
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Witch Stories
Young girls are taught witchcraft against their wills and if they
refuse to "eat" their father or brother they die or go mad. There
w...
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Witch Stories
In the village of Mohulpahari there was a youth named Jerba. He was
servant to Bepin Teli of Tempa and often had to come home in the d...
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The Two Witches
There were once a woman and her daughter-in-law who were both
witches. One night during the annual Sohrai festival the men of the
vil...
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The Sister-in-law Who Was A Witch
There were once two brothers who lived together; the elder was married
but the younger had no wife. The elder brother used to cultivat...
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Ramjit Bonga
Once upon a time a man went out to snare quail: he set his snares
by the side of a mountain stream and then sat down under a bush to
...
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The Herd Boy And The Witches
Once upon a time a cowherd lost a calf and while looking for it he
was benighted in the jungle; for he was afraid to go home lest he
...
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The Man-tiger
There was once a young man who when a boy had learnt witchcraft from
some girl friends; he was married but his wife knew nothing about...
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The Mysterious Islands
Somewhere--anywhere--in the Atlantic, islands drifted like those
tissues of root and sedge that break from the edges of northern
la...
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The Wonderful Plough
There was once a farmer who was master of one of the little black dwarfs
that are the blacksmiths and armourers, and he got him in a v...
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How A Lad Stole The Giant's Treasure
Once upon a time there lived a peasant who had three sons. The two elder
ones used to go with him to the field and to the forest, and ...
|
Tales Of Cats
The house of Katholm (Cat-isle) near Grenaac, in Jutland, got its name
from the following circumstance.
There was a man in Jutlan...
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The Magician's Daughter
Just on the Finland frontiers there is situated a high mountain, which,
on the Swedish side, is covered with beautiful copsewood, an...
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The Hill-man Invited To The Christening
The hill-people are excessively frightened during thunder. When,
therefore, they see bad weather coming on, they lose no time in get...
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The Meal Of Frothi
Gold is called by the poets the meal of Frothi, and the origin of the
term is found in this story.
Odin had a son named Skioldr w...
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The Lost Bell
A shepherd's boy, belonging to Patzig, about half a mile from Bergen,
where there are great numbers of underground people in the hil...
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Maiden Swanwhite And Maiden Foxtail
There was once upon a time a wicked woman who had a daughter and a
step-daughter. The daughter was ugly and of an evil disposition, ...
|
Tales Of Treasure
There are still to be seen near Flensborg the ruins of a very ancient
building. Two soldiers once stood on guard there together, but...
|
Holger Danske
The Danish peasantry of the present day relate many wonderful things of
an ancient hero whom they name Holger Danske, i.e. Danish Ho...
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Tales The Gods And The Wolf
Among the AEsir, or gods, is reckoned one named Loki or Loptur. By many
he is called the reviler of the gods, the author of all frau...
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The Strange Builder
Once upon a time, when the gods were building their abodes, a certain
builder came and offered to erect them, in the space of three
...
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Thor's Journey To The Land Of Giants
One day the god Thor set out with Loki in his chariot drawn by two
he-goats. Night coming on they were obliged to put up at a peasan...
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How Thor Went A-fishing
Thor had not been long at home before he left it so hastily that he did
not take his car, his goats, or any follower with him. He left...
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The Death Of Baldur
Baldur the Good had dreams which forewarned him that his life was in
danger, and he told the gods of them. The gods took counsel tog...
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The Punishment Of Loki
The gods were so angry with Loki that he had to run away and hide
himself in the mountains, and there he built a house which had fou...
|
Origin Of Tiis Lake
A troll had once taken up his abode near the village of Kund, in the
high bank on which the church now stands, but when the people a...
|
There Are Such Women
There was once upon a time a man and his wife, and they wanted to sow
their fields, but they had neither seed nor money to buy it wi...
|
Tales Of The Nisses
The Nis is the same being that is called Kobold in Germany, and Brownie
in Scotland. He is in Denmark and Norway also called Nisse g...
|
The Dwarfs' Banquet
There lived in Norway, not far from the city of Drontheim, a powerful
man who was blessed with all the goods of fortune. A part of t...
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The Icelandic Sorceresses
"Tell me," said Katla, a handsome and lively widow, to Gunlaugar, an
accomplished and gallant young warrior, "tell me why thou goest...
|
The Three Dogs
Once upon a time there was a king who travelled to a strange country,
where he married a queen. When they had been married some time...
|
The Legend Of Thorgunna
A ship from Iceland chanced to winter in a haven near Helgafels. Among
the passengers was a woman named Thorgunna, a native of the H...
|
The Little Glass Shoe
A peasant, named John Wilde, who lived in Rodenkirchen, found, one time,
a little glass shoe on one of the hills, where the little p...
|
How Loki Wagered His Head
Loki, the son of Laufey, out of mischief cut off all the hair of Sif.
When Thor discovered this he seized Loki, and would have broke...
|
The Adventures Of John Dietrich
There once lived in Rambin an honest, industrious man, named James
Dietrich. He had several children, all of a good disposition, esp...
|
How Thorston Became Rich
When spring came Thorston made ready his ship and put twenty-four men on
board of her. When they came to Finland they ran her into a...
|
Gudbrand
There was once upon a time a man who was called Gudbrand. He had a farm
which lay far away on a hill, and he was therefore known as ...
|
The Dwarf-sword Tirfing
Suaforlami, the second in descent from Odin, was king over Gardarike
(Russia). One day he rode a-hunting, and sought long after a ha...
|
Dinewan The Emu And Goomblegubbon The Bustard
Dinewan the emu, being the largest bird, was acknowledged as king bythe
other birds. The Goomblegubbons, the bustards, were jealou...
|
The Galah And Oolah The Lizard
Oolah the lizard was tired of lying in the sun, doing nothing. So he
said, "I will go and play." He took his boomerangs out, and b...
|
Bahloo The Moon And The Daens
Bahloo the moon looked down at the earth one night, when his light was
shining quite brightly, to see if any one was moving. When ...
|
The Origin Of The Narran Lake
Old Byamee said to his two young wives, Birrahgnooloo and
Cunnunbeillee, "I have stuck a white feather between the hind legs of a
...
|
Gooloo The Magpie And The Wahroogah
Gooloo was a very old woman, and a very wicked old woman too, as this
story will tell. During all the past season, when the grass ...
|
The Weeoonibeens And The Piggiebillah
Two Weeoombeen brothers went out hunting. One brother was much younger
than the other and smaller, so when they sighted an emu, th...
|
Bootoolgah The Crane And Goonur The Kangaroo Rat The Fire Makers
In the days when Bootoolgah, the crane, married Goonur, the kangaroo
rat, there was no fire in their country. They had to eat thei...
|
Weedah The Mocking Bird
Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near
him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more th...
|
The Gwineeboos The Redbreasts
Gwineeboo and Goomai, the water rat, were down at the creek one day,
getting mussels for food, when, to their astonishment, a kang...
|
Meamei The Seven Sisters
Wurrunnah had had a long day's hunting, and he came back to the camp
tired and hungry. He asked his old mother for durrie, but she...
|
The Cookooburrahs And The Goolahgool
Googarh, the iguana, was married to Moodai, the opossum and
Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass. Cookooburrah was the mother of
th...
|
The Mayamah
The blacks had all left their camp and gone away to attend a borah.
Nothing was left in the camp but one very old dog, too old to ...
|
The Bunbundoolooeys
The mother Bunbundoolooey put her child, a little boy Bunbundoolooey,
who could only just crawl, into her goolay. Goolay is a sort...
|
Oongnairwah And Guinarey
Oongnairwah, the diver, and Guinarey, the eagle hawk, told all the
pelicans, black swans, cranes, and many others, that they would...
|
Narahdarn The Bat
Narahdarn, the bat, wanted honey. He watched until he saw a
Wurranunnah, or bee, alight. He caught it, stuck a white feather
betw...
|
Mullyangah The Morning Star
Mullyan, the eagle hawk, built himself a home high in a yaraan tree.
There he lived apart from his tribe, with Moodai the opossum,...
|
Goomblegubbon Beeargah And Ouyan
Goomblegubbon the bustard, his two wives, Beeargah the hawk, and Ouyan
the curlew, with the two children of Beeargah, had their ca...
|
Mooregoo The Mopoke And Bahloo The Moon
Mooregoo the Mopoke had been camped away by himself for a long time.
While alone he had made a great number of boomerangs, nullah-...
|
Ouyan The Curlew
Bleargah the hawk, mother of Ouyan the curlew, said one day to her son:
"Go, Ouyan, out, take your spears and kill an emu. The wom...
|
Dinewan The Emu And Wahn The Crows
Dinewan and his two wives, the Wahn, were camping out. Seeing some
clouds gathering, they made a bark humpy. It came on to rain, a...
|
Goolahwilleel The Topknot Pigeons
Young Goolahwilleeel used to go out hunting every day. His mother and
sisters always expected that he would bring home kangaroo an...
|
Goonur The Woman-doctor
Goonur was a clever old woman-doctor, who lived with her son, Goonur,
and his two wives. The wives were Guddah the red lizard, and...
|
Deereeree The Wagtail And The Rainbow
Deereeree was a widow and lived in a camp alone with her four little
girls. One day Bibbee came and made a camp not far from hers....
|
Mooregoo The Mopoke And Mooninguggahgul The Mosquito Bird
An old man lived with his two wives, the Mooninguggahgul sisters, and
his two sons. The old man spent all his time making boomeran...
|
Bougoodoogahdah The Rain Bird
Bougoodoogahdah was all old woman who lived alone with her four hundred
dingoes. From living so long with these dogs she had grown...
|
The Borah Of Byamee
Word had been passed from tribe to tribe, telling, how that the season
was good, there must be a great gathering of the tribes. An...
|
Bunnyyarl The Flies And Wurrunnunnah The Bees
The Bunnyyarl and Wurrunnunnah were relations, and lived in one camp.
The Wurrunnunnah were very hardworking, always trying to gat...
|
Deegeenboyah The Soldier-bird
Deegeenboyah was an old man, and getting past hunting much for himself;
and he found it hard to keep his two wives and his two dau...
|
Mayrah The Wind That Blows The Winter Away
At the beginning of winter, the iguanas hide themselves in their homes
in the sand; the black eagle hawks go into their nests; the...
|
Wayarnbeh The Turtle
Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had
three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard ...
|
Wirreenun The Rainmaker
The country was stricken with a drought. The rivers were all dry except
the deepest holes in them. The grass was dead, and even th...
|
The Tobacco Of Harisaboqued
A legend of the volcano of Canlaon on the island of Negros. It is
told generally in Western Negros and Eastern Cebu. The volcano is
s...
|
The Pericos
Throughout the Visayan islands almost every family owns a pericos,
kept as American children keep canary birds. The pericos is about
...
|
Quicoy And The Ongloc
This story is known generally in the southern Islands. The Ongloc
is feared by the children just as some little boys and girls fear
t...
|
The Passing Of Loku
The tale of Loku is applied to a large, ugly lizard which climbs
to the rafters of houses and gives the peculiar cry that suggests
it...
|
The Light Of The Fly
The firefly abounds everywhere in the Islands.
I
The King of the Air was in terrible rage,
For some one had stolen his ring;...
|
Mangita And Larina
This is a tale told in the lake district of Luzon. At times of rain
or in winter the waters of the Laguna de Bai rise and detach from ...
|
How The World Was Made
This is the ancient Filipino account of the creation.
Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars,
and the ...
|
The Silver Shower
Every night in Manila, when the bells of the city boom out the Angelus
and lights begin to appear in the windows, the walks are filled...
|
The Faithlessness Of Sinogo
Somewhere off the northern coast of Mindanao a strong current begins
to travel northward. It runs to the island of Siquijor and then,
...
|
Catalina Of Dumaguete
This is a legend of Dumaguete, the capital of the province of Negros
Occidental. From this town can be seen five islands, viz., Negros...
|
The Fall Of Polobulac
This is a tale from Panay. It probably originated with the Spanish
fathers, who wished to impress the doctrine of the Seven Deadly Sin...
|
The Escape Of Juanita
Have you heard of the terrible Tic-balan,
A tall and thin and very black man,
With terrible teeth and a horse's head,
And covere...
|
The Anting-anting Of Manuelito
The Anting-Anting is a stone or other small object covered with
cabalistic inscriptions. It is worn around the neck, and is supposed
...
|
When The Lilies Return
A legend of the Chinese Invasion. Quiapo, even at the time of the
early Spaniards, and for years after, was a deserted field. The stor...
|
Origin Of The Fairies
The Fairy tales that abound in the Principality have much in common with
like legends in other countries. This points to a common ori...
|
Names Given To The Fairies
The Fairies have, in Wales, at least three common and distinctive names,
as well as others that are not nowadays used.
The first an...
|
Annwn_ Or Annwfn
is defined in Canon Silvan Evans's Dictionary as an
abyss, Hades, etc. Plant Annwn, therefore, means children of the lower
regions....
|
Gwyll
According to Richards, and Dr. Owen Pughe, is a Fairy, a goblin,
etc. The plural of Gwyll would be Gwylliaid, or Gwyllion, but this
...
|
Coblynau Or Knockers
have been described as a species of Fairies,
whose abode was within the rocks, and whose province it was to indicate
to the miners by...
|
Fairy Ladies Marrying Mortals
In the mythology of the Greeks, and other nations, gods and goddesses are
spoken of as falling in love with human beings, and many a...
|
The Pentrevoelas Legend
I am indebted to the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of Pentrevoelas, a mountain
parish in West Denbighshire, for the following tale, which w...
|
The Ystrad Legend
In a meadow belonging to Ystrad, bounded by the river which falls from
Cwellyn Lake, they say the Fairies used to assemble, and danc...
|
The Llanfrothen Legend
I am indebted to the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of Llanycil, Bala, for the
following legend. I may state that Mr. Jones is a native of L...
|
The Myddvai Legend
A widow, who had an only son, was obliged, in consequence of the large
flocks she possessed, to send, under the care of her son, a p...
|
The Cambro-briton Version Of The Myddvai Legend
A man, who lived in the farm-house called Esgair-llaethdy, in the parish
of Myddvai, in Carmarthenshire, having bought some lambs in...
|
Men Captured By Fairies
In the preceding legends, we have accounts of men capturing female
Fairies, and marrying them. It would be strange if the kidnappin...
|
Elidorus And The Fairies
A short time before our days, a circumstance worthy of note occurred in
these parts, which Elidorus, a priest, most strenuously affi...
|
A Bryneglwys Man Inveigled By The Fairies
Two waggoners were sent from Bryneglwys for coals to the works over the
hill beyond Minera. On their way they came upon a company o...
|
Story Of A Man Who Spent Twelve Months In Fairyland
In Mathavarn, in the parish of Llanwrin, and the Cantrev of Cyveilioc,
there is a wood which is called Ffridd yr Ywen (the Forest of...
|
A Man Who Spent Twelve Months And A Day With The Fairies
A young man, a farm labourer, and his sweetheart were sauntering along
one evening in an unfrequented part of the mountain, when the...
|
The Son Of Llech Y Derwydd And The Fairies
The son of Llech y Derwydd was the only son of his parents and heir to
the farm. He was very dear to his father and mother, yea, he...
|
A Young Man Marries A Fairy Lady In Fairy Land And Brings Her To Live With Him Among His Own People
Once on a time a shepherd boy had gone up the mountain. That day, like
many a day before and after, was exceedingly misty. Now, th...
|
A Boy Taken To Fairy Land
Mrs. Morris, of Cwm Vicarage, near Rhyl, told the writer the following
story. She stated that she had heard it related in her famil...
|
Fairy Changelings
It was firmly believed, at one time, in Wales, that the Fairies exchanged
their own weakly or deformed offspring for the strong chil...
|
The Egg Shell Pottage
In the parish of Treveglwys, near Llanidloes, in the county of
Montgomery, there is a little shepherd's cot, that is commonly called...
|
Corwrion Changeling Legend
Once on a time, in the fourteenth century, the wife of a man at Corwrion
had twins, and she complained one day to the witch who live...
|
Llanfwrog Changeling Legend
A mother took her child to the gleaning field, and left it sleeping under
the sheaves of wheat whilst she was busily engaged gleanin...
|
The Gore Goch Changeling Legend
The tale rendered into English is as follows:--There was once a happy
family living in a place called Gors Goch. One night, as usua...
|
Another Version Of The Gors Goch Legend
When the people of the Gors Goch one evening had gone to bed, lo! they
heard a great row and disturbance around the house. One coul...
|
Garth Uchaf Llanuwchllyn Changeling Legend
Yr oedd gwraig Garth Uchaf, yn Llanuwchllyn, un tro wedi myned allan i
gweirio gwair, a gadael ei baban yn y cryd; ond fel bu'r anff...
|
Fairy Mothers And Human Midwives
Fairies are represented in Wales as possessing all the passions,
appetites, and wants of human beings. There are many tales current...
|
Denbighshire Version Of A Fairy Mother And Human Midwife
The following story I received from the lips of David Roberts, whom I
have previously mentioned, a native of Denbighshire, and he re...
|
Merionethshire Version Of The Fairy Mother And Human Midwife
A more complete version of this legend is given in the Gordofigion, pp.
97, 98. The writer says:--
Yr oedd bydwraig yn Llanuwchl...
|
The Corwrion Version
One of the Fairies came to a midwife who lived at Corwrion and asked her
to come with him and attend on his wife. Off she went with...
|
The Nanhwynan Version
Once on a time, when a midwife from Nanhwynan had newly got to the
Hafodydd Brithion to pursue her calling, a gentleman came to the do...
|
Fairy Visits To Human Abodes
Old people often told their children and servant girls, that one
condition of the Fairy visits to their houses was cleanliness. The...
|
A Fairy Borrowing A Gridiron
The following Fairy legend was told to Mr. W. W. Cobb, of Hilton House,
Atherstone, by Mrs. Williams, wife of Thomas Williams, pilot...
|
Fairy Riches And Gifts
The riches of the Fairies are often mentioned by the old people, and the
source of their wealth is variously given. An old man, who...
|
The Fairies Placing Money On The Ground For A Poor Man
The following tale was told me by Thomas Jones, a small mountain farmer,
who occupies land near Pont Petrual, a place between Ruthin...
|
The Fairies And Their Chest Of Gold
The following tale I obtained from the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of
Pentrevoelas. The scene lies amongst the wildest mountains of
Mer...
|
The Fairy Shilling
The Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, whom I have already mentioned as
having supplied me with the Folk-lore of his parish, kindly gave...
|
The Hidden Golden Chair
It is a good many years since Mrs. Mary Jones, Corlanau, Llandinorwig,
Carnarvonshire, told me the following tale. The scene of the...
|
Fairy Treasures Seen By A Man Near Ogwen Lake
Another tale, similar to the preceding one, is told by my friend, Mr.
Hugh Derfel Hughes, in his Hynafiaethau Llandegai a Llanllechi...
|
The Fairies Giving Money To A Man For Joining Them In Their Dance
The following story came to me through the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of
Pentrevoelas. The occurrence is said to have taken place near
...
|
The Fairies Rewarding A Woman For Taking Care Of Their Dog
Mention has already been made of Fairy Dogs. It would appear that now
and again these dogs, just like any other dogs, strayed from ...
|
Fairy Money Turned To Dross
Fairies' treasure was of uncertain value, and depended for its very
existence on Fairy intentions. Often and again, when they had l...
|
A Cruel Man And A Fairy Dog
The person from whom the following tale was derived was David Roberts,
Tycerrig, Clocaenog, near Ruthin.
A Fairy dog lost its mas...
|
Dick The Fiddler And The Fairy Crown-piece
For the following story I am indebted to my friend, Mr Hamer, who records
it in his Parochial account of Llanidloes, published in th...
|
Fairies Working For Men
It was once thought that kind Fairies took compassion on good folk, who
were unable to accomplish in due time their undertakings, an...
|
Fairy Dances
The one occupation of the Fairy folk celebrated in song and prose was
dancing. Their green rings, circular or ovoidal in form, abou...
|
A Man Who Found Himself On A Heap Of Ferns After Joining In A Fairy Dance
A man who went to witness a Fairy dance was invited to join them. He did
so, and all night long he greatly enjoyed himself. At the...
|
The Fairies Threw Dust Into A Man's Eyes Who Saw Them Dance
This tale is taken from Cymru Fu, p. 176, and is from the pen of
Glasynys. I give it in English.
William Ellis, of Cilwern, was ...
|
A Man Dancing With The Fairies For Three Days
Y mae chwedl go debyg am le o'r enw Llyn-y-Ffynonau. Yr oedd yno rasio
a dawnsio, a thelynio a ffidlo enbydus, a gwas o Gelli Ffryd...
|
A Harper And The Fairies
There once lived in a remote part of Denbighshire, called Hafod Elwy, an
old harper, named Shon Robert, who used to be invited to pa...
|
A Three Hours Fairy Dance Seeming As A Few Minutes
The Rev. R. Jones's mother, when a young unmarried woman, started one
evening from a house called Tyddyn Heilyn, Penrhyndeudraeth, t...
|
The Elf Dancers Of Cae Caled
Dr. Edward Williams, under the year 1757, writes as follows:--
I am now going to relate a circumstance in this young period of my ...
|
Fairy Tricks With Mortals
It was formerly believed in Wales that the Fairies, for a little fun,
sportively carried men in mid air from place to place, and, ha...
|
A Man Carried Through The Air By The Fairies
One Edward Jones, or 'Ned the Jockey,' as he was familiarly called,
resided, within the memory of the writer, in one of the roadside c...
|
Fairy Illusions
Ryw dro yr oedd brodor o Nefyn yn dyfod adref o ffair Pwllheli, ac wrth
yr Efail Newydd gwelai Inn fawreddog, a chan ei fod yn gwybo...
|
Fairy Men Captured
There are many tales current of wee Fairy men having been captured.
These tales are, however, evidently variants of the same story. ...
|
Gwyddelwern Version
The following tale was told by Mr. Evan Roberts, Ffridd Agored, a farmer
in the parish of Llanfwrog. Roberts heard the story when h...
|
The Llandrillo Version
I am indebted for the following tale to Mr. E. S. Roberts, schoolmaster,
Llantysilio, near Llangollen:--
Two men whilst otter-hun...
|
The Snowdon Version
The following tale is taken from Y Gordofigion, p. 98:--
Aeth trigolion ardaloedd cylchynol y Wyddfa un tro i hela pryf llwyd.
Me...
|
The Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd Version
Mr. Evan Davies, carpenter, Bryn Llan, Efenechtyd, told the writer that
Robert Jones, innkeeper, in the same parish, told him the fo...
|
Fairies In Markets And Fairs
It was once firmly believed by the Welsh that the Fairy Tribe visited
markets and fairs, and that their presence made business brisk...
|
Names Of Things Attributed To The Fairies
Many small stone utensils found in the ground, the use, or the origin, of
which was unknown to the finders, were formerly attributed...
|
Fairy Pipes
Cetyn y Tylwyth Teg, or Fairy Pipes, are small clay pipes, with bowls
that will barely admit the tip of the little finger. They are...
|
Fairy Whetstone
The small spindle whorls which belong to the stone age, and which have
been discovered in the circular huts, called Cyttiau'r Gwydde...
|
Fairy Hammer And Fairy Or Elf Stones
Stone hammers of small size have been ascribed to the Fairies, and an
intelligent Welsh miner once told the writer that he had himse...
|
Ymenyn Y Tylwyth Teg Or Fairy Butter
I cannot do better than quote Pennant on this matter. His words are:--
Petroleum, rock oil, or what the Welsh call it, Ymenin...
|
Bwyd Ellyllon Or Goblins' Food
This was a kind of fungus or mushroom. The word is given in Dr. Owen
Pughe's dictionary under the head Ellyll.
...
|
Menyg Y Tylwyth Teg Or Fairy Gloves
The Fox Glove is so called, but in Dr. Owen Pughe's dictionary, under the
head Ellyll, the Fox Glove is called Menyg Ellyllon.
...
|
Yr Ellyll Dan Or Goblin Fire
The Rev. T. H. Evans, in his History of the Parish of Llanwddyn, states
that in that parish Will of the Wisp is called Yr Ellyll Dan...
|
Rhaffau'r Tylwyth Teg Or The Ropes Of The Fairies
Professor Rhys, in his Welsh Fairy Tales--Y Cymmrodor vol. v., p.
75--says, that gossamer, which is generally called in North Wales
...
|
Fairy Knockers Or Coblynau
The Coblynau or Knockers were supposed to be a species of Fairies who
had their abode in the rocks, and whose province it was to ind...
|
The Pwka Or Pwca
Another imaginary being, closely allied to the Fairy family, was the
Pwka. He seems to have possessed many of the mischievous quali...
|
Fairy Or Mythic Animals
From the Myddvai Legend it would appear that the Fairies possessed sheep,
cattle, goats, and horses, and from other tales we see tha...
|
Cwn Annwn Or Dogs Of The Abyss
The words Cwn Annwn are variously translated as Dogs of Hell, Dogs of
Elfinland. In some parts of Wales they are called Cwn Wybir, ...
|
The Fairy Cow
There are many traditions afloat about a wonderful cow, that supplied
whole neighbourhoods with milk, which ceased when wantonly was...
|
Y Fuwch Frech The Freckled Cow
In ages long gone by, my informant knew not how long ago, a wonderful cow
had her pasture land on the hill close to the farm, called...
|
The Legend Of Llyn Y Ddau Ychain
The speckled cow had two calves, which, when they grew up, became strong
oxen. In those days there was a wicked spirit that trouble...
|
Y Fuwch Gyfeiliorn The Stray Cow
The history of the Fairy Stray Cow appears in Y Brython, vol. iii., pp.
183-4. The writer of the story states that he obtained his ...
|
Ceffyl Y Dwf The Water Horse
The superstition respecting the water-horse, in one form or other, is
common to the Celtic race. He was supposed to intimate by pre...
|
The Torrent Spectre
This spectre was supposed to be an old man, or malignant spirit, who
directed, and ruled over, the mountain torrents. He delighted ...
|
Gwrach Y Rhibyn Or Hag Of The Mist
Another supernatural being associated with water was the Gwrach y
Rhibyn. She was supposed to reside in the dripping fog, but was s...
|
Mermaids And Mermen
It is said that these fabulous beings frequented the sea-coasts of Wales
to the great danger of the inhabitants. The description of...
|
Stories Of Satan Ghosts Etc
Although Max Muller, in Chips from a German Workshop, vol. ii., p. 238,
states that The Aryan nations had no Devil, this certainly c...
|
Satan Playing Cards
A good many years ago I travelled from Pentrevoelas to Yspytty in company
with Mr. Lloyd, the then vicar of the latter parish, who, ...
|
Satan Playing Cards At A Merry Meeting
It was formerly a general custom in Wales for young lads and lasses to
meet and spend a pleasant evening together in various farmhou...
|
Satan Playing Cards On Rhyd-y-cae Bridge_ _pentrevoelas
Gwas yn y Gilar a phen campwr ei oes am chwareu cardiau oedd Robert
Llwyd Hari. Ond wrth fyn'd adre' o Rhydlydan, wedi bod yn chwar...
|
Satan Snatching A Man Up Into The Air
It would appear that poor Bob was doomed to a sad end. His last exploit
is thus given:--
Wrth fyned adre o chware cardia, ar Bon...
|
Satan Frightening A Man For Gathering Nuts On Sunday
The following tale was related to me by the Rev. W. E. Jones, rector of
Bylchau, near Denbigh:--
Richard Roberts, Coederaill, Byl...
|
Satan Taking Possession Of A Man Who Fished On Sunday
The following tale is in its main features still current in Cynwyd, a
village about two miles from Corwen. The first reference to t...
|
Satan Appearing In Many Forms To A Man Who Travelled On Sunday
I received the following tale from my deceased friend, the Rev. J. L.
Davies, late Rector of Llangynog, near Llanfyllin, Montgomerys...
|
The Evil Spirit Appearing To A Man Who Frequented Alehouses On Sunday
Jones writes as follows:--W. J. was once a Sabbath-breaker at Risca
village, where he frequently used to play and visit the alehouse...
|
Satan Outwitted
In the preceding tales the Evil One is depicted as an agent in the
destruction of his own kingdom. He thus shows his obtuseness, or...
|
Satan And Churches
The traditional stories that are still extant respecting the determined
opposition to the erection of certain churches in particular...
|
The Ejectment Of The Evil Spirit From Llanfor Church
Mr. Roberts states that his grandmother, born in 1744, had only
traditions of this spirit. He was said to have worn a three-cocked ...
|
An Evil Spirit In Llandysilio Church Montgomeryshire
The history of this Spirit's proceedings is given in Bye-Gones, Vol.
ii, p. 179, and the writer's fictitious name is Gypt.
This c...
|
A Spirit In Llangerniew Church_ _denbighshire
There was a tradition in this parish that on All-Hallows' Eve a Spirit
announced from the altar the names of those who were doomed t...
|
Satan And Bell Ringing
Durand, according to Bourne, in his Antiquities of the Common People,
ed. 1725, p. 17, was of opinion that Devils were much afraid o...
|
Mysterious Removal Of Churches
I. LLANLLECHID CHURCH.
There was a tradition extant in the parish of Llanllechid, near Bangor,
Carnarvonshire, that it was int...
|
Apparitions Of The Devil
To accomplish his nefarious designs the Evil Spirit assumed forms
calculated to attain his object. The following lines from Allan
...
|
The Devil Appearing To A Dissenting Minister At Denbigh
The Rev. Mr. Thomas Baddy, who lived in Denbigh Town, and was a
Dissenting Minister in that place, went into his study one night, an...
|
The Devil's Tree By Eglwys Rhos
At the corner of the first turning after passing the village of Llanrhos,
on the left hand side, is a withered oak tree, called by t...
|
Satan Appearing As A Lovely Maiden
The following story I received from the Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas.
As regards details it is a fragment.
A young man who was w...
|
A Man Carried Away By The Evil One
W. E., of Ll--- M---, was a very bad man; he was a brawler, a fighter, a
drunkard. He is said to have spat in the parson's face, an...
|
Satan Appearing To A Young Man
A young man, who had left Pentrevoelas to live in a farm house called
Hafod Elwy, had to go over the hills to Denbigh on business. ...
|
Satan Appearing To A Collier
John Roberts of Colliers' Row, Cyfartha, Merthyr, was once going to
Aberdare over the mountain. On the top of the hill he was met b...
|
Ghosts Or Spirits
Ghosts, or Spirits, were supposed to be the shades of departed human
beings who, for certain reasons, were permitted to visit either...
|
The Gloddaeth Ghost
The following tale was told the Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, by Thomas
Davies, Tycoch, Rhyl, the hero in the story.
I may say t...
|
Tymawr Ghost Bryneglwys
This Ghost plagued the servants, pinched and tormented them, and they
could not get rest day nor night; such was the character of th...
|
Ffrith Farm Ghost
I am indebted to Mr. Williams, schoolmaster, Bryneglwys, for the history
of this Ghost.
It was not known why Ffrith farm was trou...
|
Pont-y-glyn Ghost
There is a picturesque glen between Corwen and Cerrig-y-Drudion, down
which rushes a mountain stream, and over this stream is a brid...
|
Ysbryd Ystrad Fawr
Yr oedd Ysbryd yn Ystrad Fawr, ger Llangwm, yn arfer ymddangos ar
brydiau ar lun twrci, a'i gynffon o'i amgylch fel olwyn troell. B...
|
Ty Felin Ghost Llanynys
An exciseman, overtaken by night, went to a house called Ty Felin, in the
parish of Llanynys, and asked for lodgings. Unfortunately...
|
Llandegla Spirit
The tale of this Spirit was given me by Mr. Roberts, late Schoolmaster of
Llandegla. A small river runs close to the secluded villa...
|
Lady Jeffrey's Spirit
This lady could not rest in her grave because of her misdeeds, and she
troubled people dreadfully; at last she was persuaded or enti...
|
Pentrevoelas Squire Griffith's Ghost
A couple of workmen engaged at Foelas, the seat of the late Squire
Griffiths, thought they would steal a few apples from the orchard...
|
David Salisbury's Ghost
I will quote from Bye-Gones, vol. iii., p. 211, an account of this
Spirit.
There was an old Welsh tradition in vogue some fif...
|
A Ghost Appearing To Point Out Hidden Treasures
There is a farm house called Clwchdyrnog in the parish of Llanddeusant,
Anglesey, which was said to have been haunted by a Spirit. ...
|
The Powis Castle Ghost Revealing A Hidden Box To A Woman
The following is the narrative:--It had been for some time reported in
the neighbourhood that a poor unmarried woman, who was a memb...
|
The Spirit Of Llyn-nad-y-forwyn
It is said that a young man was about to marry a young girl, and on the
evening before the wedding they were rambling along the wate...
|
Spirit Laying
It must have been a consolation to those who believed in the power of
wicked Spirits to trouble people, that it was possible to lay ...
|
Cynon's Ghost
One of the wicked Spirits which plagued the secluded Valley of Llanwddyn
long before it was converted into a vast reservoir to suppl...
|
Caellwyngrydd Spirit
This was a dangerous Spirit. People passing along the road were stoned
by it; its work was always mischievous and hurtful. At last...
|
Ghost Raising
If the possibility of Ghost Laying was believed in, so also was the
possibility of raising Evil Spirits. This faith dates from olde...
|
Witches And Conjurors
From and before the days of King Saul, to the present moment, witches
have held dreaded sway over the affairs of man. Cruel laws ha...
|
Llanddona Witches
There is a tradition in the parish of Llanddona, Anglesey, that these
witches, with their husbands, had been expelled from their nativ...
|
Witches Transforming Themselves Into Cats
One of the forms that witches were supposed to change themselves into was
that of a cat. In this metamorphosed state they were the ...
|
The Witches' Revenge On Huw Llwyd
Several months after the occurrence recorded above of Huw Llwyd, when he
had just started from his home one Sunday morning to go to ...
|
A Witch Transformed Into A Hare Injured By One Whom She Tormented
An old woman, thought to be a witch, was said by a neighbour to be in
the habit of visiting her nightly in the shape of a hare, and ...
|
A Witch Shot When In The Form Of A Hare
The following tale was told me by the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of
Llanycil:--
An old woman was evicted from a small farm, which she ...
|
A Witch In The Form Of A Hare In A Churn
In the Spectator, No. 117, are these words:--
If the dairy-maid does not make her butter come so soon as she would
have i...
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A Hare Crossing The Road
Mr. Jones said that when he was a lad, he and his mother went to Caerwys
fair from the Vale of Clwyd, intending to sell a cow at the...
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A Witch In The Form Of A Hare Hunted By A Black Greyhound
The writer has heard variants of the following tale in several parts of
Wales:--
An old woman, credited to be a witch, lived on t...
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Early Reference To Witches Turning Themselves Into Hares
The prevalence of the belief that witches could transform themselves into
hares is seen from a remark made by Giraldus Cambrensis in...
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Ceridwen And Gwion_ (_gwiawn_) _bach's Transformation
But a striking instance of rapid transition from one form to another is
given in the Mabinogion. The fable of Ceridwen's cauldron i...
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A Man Turned Into A Hare
One of the servant men at Dolfawr, some years before Mr. Williams lodged
there, laughed at Betty'r Bont's supposed power. However, ...
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A Man Changed Into A Horse
Mr. Williams writes of the same servant man who figures in the preceding
tale:--However, after that, she (Betty'r Bont) turned him i...
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A Witch Who Turned A Blue Dye Into A Red Dye
An old hag went to a small farmhouse in Clocaenog parish, and found the
farmer's wife occupied in dyeing wool blue. She begged for ...
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A Pig Witched
A woman sold a pig at Beaumaris to a man called Dick y Green; she could
not that day sell any more, but the following market day she...
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A Witch Who Was Refused A Goose And Her Revenge
A witch called at a farm when they were feathering geese for sale, and
she begged much for one. She was refused, but it would have ...
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A Horse Witched
Pedws Ffoulk, a supposed witch, was going through a field where people
were employed at work, and just as she came opposite the hors...
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Cows And Horses Witched
The writer was told the name of the farm where the following events were
said to have taken place, but he is not quite sure that his...
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Witches Punished
A neighbour, who does not wish to have his name recorded, states that he
can vouch for the incidents in the following tale. A farme...
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Conjurors
1. It was formerly believed that men could sell themselves to the devil,
and thus become the possessors of supernatural power. The...
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Huw Llwyd And His Magical Books
The story, as it has reached our days, is as follows:--It is said that
Huw Llwyd had two daughters; one of an inquisitive turn of mi...
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The Magician's Glass
This glass, into which a person looked when he wished to solve the
future, or to ascertain whom he or she was to marry, was used by ...
|
A Conjuror And Robbers
A conjuror, or Gwr Cyfarwydd, was travelling over the Denbighshire
hills to Carnarvonshire; being weary, he entered a house that he ...
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The Conjuror And The Cattle
R. H., a farmer in Llansilin parish, who lost several head of cattle,
sent or went to Shon Gyfarwydd, who lived in Llanbrynmair, a w...
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A Conjuror's Collusion Exposed
This man's house consisted of but few rooms. Between the kitchen and his
study, or consulting room, was a slight partition. He had a...
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The Conjuror's Dress
Conjurors, when engaged in their uncanny work, usually wore a grotesque
dress and stood within a circle of protection. I find so gr...
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Charms
The cure of diseases by charms is generally supposed to be a kind of
superstition antagonistic to common sense, and yet there are un...
|
Swyno'r 'ryri (charming The Shingles)
The shingles is a skin disease, which encircles the body like a girdle,
and the belief was that if it did so the patient died. Howe...
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A Charm For The Shingles
This custom (charming for the shingles) was more prevalent in this
parish than in any other in Montgomeryshire. A certain amount of...
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Toothache Charms
By repeating the following doggerel lines the worst case of toothache
could be cured--
Peter sat on a marble stone,
Jesu...
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Rosemary Charm For Toothache
Llosg ei bren (Rhosmari) hyd oni bo yn lo du, ac yna dyro ef mewn cadach
lliain cry, ac ira dy ddanedd ag ef; ac fo ladd y pryfed, a...
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Whooping Cough Charm
Children suffering from whooping cough were taken to a seventh son, or
lacking a seventh son of sons only, to a fifth son of sons on...
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Charm For Fits
A ring made out of the offertory money was a cure for fits. About the
year 1882 the wife of a respectable farmer in the parish of E...
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Charm For Cocks About To Fight
The charm consisted of a verse taken from the Bible, written on a slip of
paper, wrapped round the bird's leg, as the steel spurs we...
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Charm For Asthma
Place the Bible for three successive nights under the bolster of the
sufferer, and it will cure him.
...
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Charms For Warts
1. Drop a pin into a holy well and your warts will disappear, but should
anyone take the pin out of the well, the warts you have lo...
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Charm For Removing A Stye From The Eye
Take an ordinary knitting needle, and pass it back and fore over the
stye, but without touching it, and at the same time counting it...
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Charms For Quinsy
Apply to the throat hair cut at midnight from the black shoulder stripe
of the colt of an ass.
...
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Charming The Wild Wart
Take a branch of elder tree, strip off the bark, split off a piece, hold
this skewer near the wart, and rub the wart three or nine t...
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Charm For Rheumatism
Carry a potato in your pocket, and when one is finished, supply its place
with another.
...
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Charm For Removing The Ringworm
1. Spit on the ground the first thing in the morning, mix the spittle
with the mould, and then anoint the ringworm with this mixtur...
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Cattle Charms
Mr. Hamer in his Parochial Account of Llanidloes published in The
Montgomeryshire Collections, vol x., p. 249, states that he has in...
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Charm Against Foot And Mouth Disease
The cattle on a certain farm in Llansilin parish suffered from the above
complaint, and old Mr. H--- consulted a conjuror, who gave ...
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Another Cattle Charm Spell
Mr. Hughes, Plasnewydd, Llansilin, lost several head of cattle. He was
told to bleed one of the herd, boil the blood, and take it t...
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A Charm For Stopping Bleeding
Mrs. Reynolds, whom I have already mentioned in connection with a charm
for toothache, gave me the following charm. It bears date A...
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Charm To Make A Servant Reliable
Y neb a fyno gael ei weinidog yn gywir, doded beth o'r lludw hwn yn
nillad ei weinidog ac efe a fydd cywir tra parhao'r lludw.--Y Br...
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Charms Performed With Snake's Skin
1. Burn the skin and preserve the ashes. A little salve made out of the
ashes will heal a wound.
2. A little of the ashes plac...
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The Charms Performed With Rosemary
Rosemary dried in the sun and made into powder, tied in a cloth around
the right arm, will make the sick well.
The smoke of rosem...
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Charm For Clefyd Y Galon_ _or Heart Disease
The Rev. J. Felix, vicar of Cilcen, near Mold, when a young man lodged in
Eglwysfach, near Glandovey. His landlady, noticing that h...
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Clefyd Yr Ede Wlan Or Yarn Sickness
About twenty years ago, when the writer was curate of Llanwnog,
Montgomeryshire, a young Welsh married woman came to reside in the p...
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Rhamanta Or Omen Seeking
Rhamanta was a kind of divination that could be resorted to without the
intervention of any outside party, by anyone wishful to ascert...
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Coel Ede Wlan Or The Yarn Test
Two young women took a ball of yarn and doubled the threads, and then
tied tiny pieces of wood along these threads so as to form a m...
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Divination With The Twca Or Knife
The proceeding was as follows:--The party who wished to know whom he, or
she, was to marry, went to the church secretly and walked a...
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The Washing Test
Another well-known and often practised form of divination was for a young
woman to take an article to wash, such as a stocking, to t...
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Troi Crysau Or Clothes Drying Test
Young maidens washed linen after the household had retired, and placed
the articles by the fire to dry, and then watched to see who ...
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Hemp Seed Sowing
A young married woman, a native of Denbighshire, told me that if a young
woman sowed hemp seed, the figure of her lover would appear...
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Pullet's Egg Divination
Mr. J. Roberts, Plas Einion, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, told me the
following:--When he was a young man, he, his sister, and the servan...
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The Candle And Pin Divination
The process is as follows:--A couple of young women meet, and stick pins
in a candle, and if the divination acts properly the last p...
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Water In Basin Divination
Should young persons wish to know whether their husbands were to be
bachelors, or their wives spinsters, the following test was to b...
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Hairs Of A Lover Found Under A Holly Tree
This test is to be carried out on All Hallow Eve. The young person walks
backwards to a holly tree, takes a handful of grass from u...
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The Bible And Key Divination
A key is taken, and placed on the 16th verse of the 1st chapter of
Ruth:--And Ruth said, intreat me not to leave thee, or to return ...
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Testing A Lover's Love By Cracking Of Nuts
This divination is common to many countries, but the writer knows that it
is resorted to on All Hallows Eve in Denbighshire by young...
|
Gay Describes The Ceremony:--
Two hazel nuts I throw into the flame
And to each nut I give a sweetheart's name;
This with the loudest bounce me sore am...
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The Apple Pip Trial Of Lovers
The fair lady takes as many pips as she has lovers, and these she places
on the point of a knife, which she inserts between the bars...
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Spiritualism
The next subject I shall treat of is curious, and partakes of the nature
of spiritualism. I hardly know by what other word to descr...
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A Spirit Leaving And Re-entering The Body
A man was in love with two young girls, and they were both in love with
him, and they knew that he flirted with them both. It is bu...
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A Spiritualistic Story From Wales
In an article relating to spiritualism in the February number of the
Fortnightly Review, a story was told which is here shortened. ...
|
A Doctor Called From His Bed By A Voice
Mr. Hugh Lloyd, Llanfihangel-Glyn-Myfyr, who received the story from Dr.
Davies, the gentleman who figures in the tale, informed me ...
|
Another Tale Of A Doctor
I received the following tale from the Rev. Philip Edwards, formerly
curate at Selattyn, near Oswestry:--
There was, or perhaps i...
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The Corpse Bird Or Deryn Corph
This was a bird that came flapping its wings against the window of the
room in which lay a sick person, and this visit was considere...
|
A Crowing Hen
This bird, too, is supposed to indicate the death of an inmate of the
house which is its home; or, if not the death, some sore disas...
|
A Cock Crowing In The Night
This, too, was thought to foretell a death, but whose death, depended on
the direction of the bird's head whilst crowing. As soon a...
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The Corpse Candle--canwyll Corph
The corpse candle, or canwyll corph, was a light like that of a candle,
which was said to issue from the house where a death was abo...
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Tale Of A Corpse Candle
My informant told me that one John Roberts, Felin-y-Wig, was in the habit
of sitting up a short time after his family had retired to...
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Spectral Funerals Or Drychiolaeth
This was a kind of shadowy funeral which foretold the real one. In South
Wales it goes by the name toilu, toili, or y teulu (the fa...
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Cyhyraeth Death Sound
This was thought to be a sound made by a crying spirit. It was
plaintive, yet loud and terrible. It made the hair stand on end and...
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Lledrith Spectre Of A Person
This apparition of a friend has in the Scotch wraith, or Irish fetch its
counterpart. It has been said that people have seen friend...
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Tolaethdeath Rapping Or Knocking
The death rappings are said to be heard in carpenters' workshops, and
that they resembled the noise made by a carpenter when engaged...
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A Raven's Croaking
A raven croaking hoarsely as it flew through the air became the angel of
death to some person over whose house it flew. It was a bi...
|
The Owl
This bird's dismal and persistent screeching near an abode also foretold
the death of an inmate of that house.
...
|
A Solitary Crow
The cawing of a solitary crow on a tree near a house indicates a death in
that house.
...
|
The Dog's Howl
A dog howling on the doorsteps or at the entrance of a house also
foretold death. The noise was that peculiar howling noise which d...
|
Missing A Butt
Should a farmer in sowing wheat, or other kind of corn, or potatoes, or
turnips, miss a row or butt, it was a token of death.
...
|
Stopping Of A Clock
The unaccountable stopping of the kitchen clock generally created a
consternation in a family, for it was supposed to foretell the d...
|
_ Goose Flying Over A House
This unusual occurrence prognosticated a death in that house.
...
|
Goose Or Hen Laying A Small Egg
This event also was thought to be a very bad omen, if not a sign of
death.
...
|
Hen Laying Two Eggs In The Same Day
Should a hen lay two eggs in the same day, it was considered a sign of
death. I have been told that a hen belonging to a person who...
|
Thirteen At A Table
Should thirteen sit at a table it was believed that the first to leave
would be buried within the year.
...
|
Heather
Should any person bring heather into a house, he brought death to one or
other of the family by so doing.
...
|
Death Watch
This is a sound, like the ticking of a watch, made by a small insect. It
is considered a sign of death, and hence its name, Death W...
|
Music And Bird Singing Heard Before Death
The writer, both in Denbighshire and Carnarvonshire, was told that the
dying have stated that they heard sweet voices singing in the...
|
Birds And Beasts
Folk-lore respecting animals is common in Wales. It has been supposed
that mountainous countries are the cradles of superstitions. B...
|
Birds Singing Before February
Should the feathered songsters sing before February it is a sign of hard,
ungenial weather. This applies particularly to the blackb...
|
Birds Flocking In Early Autumn
When birds gather themselves together and form flocks in the early days
of autumn, it is thought to foretell an early and severe win...
|
Birds' Feathers
Feather beds should be made of domestic birds' feathers, such as geese,
ducks, and fowls. Wild fowl feathers should not be mixed wi...
|
The Cock
Caesar, Bk. v., c.12, tells us that the Celtic nation did not regard it
lawful to eat the cock.
It was thought that the devil ass...
|
Cock-fighting
Cock-fighting was once common in Wales, and it was said that the most
successful cock-fighters fought the bird that resembled the co...
|
The Goose
Should a goose lay a soft egg, a small egg, or two eggs in a day, it is a
sign of misfortune to the owner of that goose.
An old w...
|
The Crow
The crow figures much in Welsh folk-lore. In many ways he is made to
resemble the magpie; thus, when one crow or one magpie was see...
|
Crows' Feathers
In Montgomeryshire it was, at one time, supposed that if a person picked
up a crow's feather he was sure to meet a mad dog before th...
|
The Cuckoo Y Gog
The cuckoo is a sacred bird. It is safe from the gamekeeper's gun. Its
advent is welcomed with pleasure. Have you heard the cucko...
|
A White Cock
A white cock was looked upon as an unlucky bird, thus:--
Na chadw byth yn nghylch dy dy,
Na cheiliog gwyn, na chath ddu.
...
|
Crane
The crane is often mistaken for the heron. When the crane flies against
the stream, she asks for rain, when with the stream she ask...
|
Ducks
When ducks sportively chase each other through the water, and flap their
wings and dive about, in evident enjoyment of their pastime...
|
Eagle
Persons who had eaten eagle's flesh had power to cure erysipelas, and
this virtue was said by some to be transmitted to their descenda...
|
The Goat Sucker
A curious notion prevailed respecting this bird, arrived at, presumably,
in consequence of its peculiar name--the goat sucker--viz.,...
|
Putting Hens To Sit
Placing the eggs in the nest for hens, geese, and ducks to sit on was
considered an important undertaking. This was always done by ...
|
The Heron
The heron as it flies slowly towards the source of a river is said to be
going up the river to bring the water down, in other words,...
|
The Jackdaw
This bird is considered sacred, because it frequents church steeples and
builds its nest there, and it is said to be an innocent bir...
|
The Magpie
The magpie was considered a bird of ill-omen. No one liked to see a
magpie when starting on a journey, but in certain parts of
Montg...
|
The Owl
The hooting of an owl about a house was considered a sign of ill luck, if
not of death. This superstition has found a place in rhym...
|
Peacock
The peacock's shrill note is a sign of rain. Its call is supposed to
resemble the word gwlaw, the Welsh for rain.
...
|
Pigeon
If the sick asks for a pigeon pie, or the flesh of a pigeon, it is a sign
that his death is near.
If the feathers of a pigeon be ...
|
The Raven
The raven has ever enjoyed a notoriously bad name as a bird of ill-omen.
He was one of those birds which the Jews were to have in ...
|
Robin Redbreast
Ill luck is thought to follow the killer of dear Robin Redbreast, the
children's winter friend. No one ever shoots Robin, nor do ch...
|
The Sea Gull
It is believed that when sea gulls leave the sea for the mountains it is
a sign of stormy weather.
A few years ago I was walking ...
|
The Swallow
The joy with which the first swallow is welcomed is almost if not quite
equal to the welcome given to the cuckoo. One swallow does ...
|
The Swan
The eggs of the swan are hatched by thunder and lightning. This bird
sings its own death song.
...
|
The Swift
This bird's motions are looked upon as weather signs. Its feeding
regions are high up in the air when the weather is settled for fa...
|
Tit Major Or Sawyer
The Rev. E. V. Owen, Vicar of Llwydiarth, Montgomeryshire, told me that
the Tit's notes are a sign of rain, at least, that it is so ...
|
The Wren
The Wren's life is sacred, excepting at one time of the year, for should
anyone take this wee birdie's life away, upon him some mish...
|
The Wood Pigeon
The thrice repeated notes of five sounds, with an abrupt note at the end,
of which the cooing of the wood pigeon consists, have been...
|
The Magpie Teaching A Wood Pigeon How To Make A Nest
The wood pigeon makes an untidy nest, consisting of a few bits of twigs
placed one on the other without much care. There is a fable...
|
Woodpecker
The woodpecker's screech was a sign of rain. This bird is called by two
names in Welsh which imply that it foretold storms; as, Ysg...
|
Ass
The stripe over the shoulders of the ass is said to have been made by our
Lord when He rode into Jerusalem on an ass, and ever since...
|
The Bee
The little busy bee has been from times of old an object of admiration
and superstition. It is thought that they are sufficiently s...
|
Buying A Hive Of Bees
In the central parts of Denbighshire people suppose that a hive of bees,
if bought, will not thrive, but that a present of a hive le...
|
Time Of Bee Swarming
The month in which bees swarm is considered of the greatest importance,
and undoubtedly it is so, for the sooner they swarm, the lon...
|
The Day Of Swarming
Sunday is the favourite day for bee swarming. Country people say, when
looking at their bees clustering outside the hive, and dangl...
|
Luck Comes With A Strange Swarm
It is considered very lucky indeed to find that a strange swarm of bees
has arrived in the garden, or tree, belonging to a cottager....
|
It Is Considered Unlucky For Bees To Fly Away From Their Owner
As the coming of a strange swarm of bees is indicative of good luck to
the person to whom they come, so the decamping of a swarm sho...
|
Bees In A Roof
It was thought lucky when bees made their home in the roof, or indeed in
any part of a house, and this they could easily do when hou...
|
Informing Bees Of A Death In A Family
Formerly it was the custom to tell the bees of a death in the family.
The head of the house whispered the news to the bees in the hi...
|
Putting Bees In Mourning
This is done after a death in a family, and the bees are put into
mourning by tying a piece of black ribbon on a bit of wood, and in...
|
Stolen Bees
It was believed that stolen bees would not make honey, and that the hive
which had been stolen would die.
...
|
A Swarm Entering A House
Should a swarm enter a house, it was considered unlucky, and usually it
was a sign of death to someone living in that house.
The ...
|
Cat
The cat was thought to be a capital weather glass. If she stood or lay
with her face towards the fire, it was a sign of frost or sn...
|
Cows
Cows Kneeling on Christmas Morn.
In the upland parishes of Wales, particularly those in Montgomeryshire,
it was said, and that ...
|
Crickets
It is lucky to have crickets in a house, and to kill one is sure to bring
bad luck after it. If they are very numerous in a house, ...
|
Hare
Caesar, bk. v., ch. xii., states that the Celts do not regard it
lawful to eat the hare, the cock, and the goose; they, however, bre...
|
Haddock
The haddock has a dark spot on each side its gills, and superstition
ascribes these marks to the impression of S. Peter's thumb and ...
|
Hedgehog
It was believed that hedgehogs sucked cows, and so firmly were the people
convinced of this fact, that this useful little animal was...
|
Horse
A white horse figures in the superstition of school children. When the
writer was a lad in school at Llanidloes, it was believed th...
|
Lady-bird
This pretty spotted little beetle was used formerly in the neighbourhood
of Llanidloes as a prognosticator of the weather. First of...
|
Mice
A mouse nibbling clothes was a sign of disaster, if not death, to the
owner. It was thought that the evil one occasionally took the...
|
Moles
Moles are said to have no eyes. If mole hills move there will be a thaw.
By the moving of mole hills is meant bits of earth tumblin...
|
Pigs
Pigs used to be credited with the power of seeing the wind. Devils were
fond of assuming the form of, or entering into, pigs. Pigs...
|
The Snake Serpent
The snake was supposed to be able to understand what men said. A tale
was told me by an aged man at Penrhos, Montgomeryshire, of an...
|
Flying Serpents
The traditional origin of these imaginary creatures was that they were
snakes, which by having drunk the milk of a woman, and by hav...
|
Snake Rings Or Glain Nadroedd
Mention is made in Camden of snake rings. Omitting certain remarks not
connected with the matter directly, he writes:--In some part...
|
Sheep
It was thought that the devil could assume any animal's form excepting
that of the sheep. This saying, however, is somewhat differe...
|
Spider
The long-legged spider, or, as it is generally called in Wales, the
Tailor, is an object of cruel sport to children. They catch it,...
|
The Squirrel
Hunting this sprightly little animal became at Christmas the sport of our
rustic population. A number of lads gathered together, an...
|
The Blind Worm Or Slow Worm
This reptile is a snake, varying from twelve to eighteen inches long.
Its head is small, and its movements very rapid. At the sligh...
|
The Great Fire-mountain
Long, long ago, when the earth was very young, two hunters were
traveling through the forest. They had been on the track of a deer for...
|
The Frolic Of The Flames
For many and many a moon the people of the village lived at the foot of
the great fire-mountain. On summer evenings, the children watc...
|
The Bird Of Flame
When the Great Spirit saw the work of the flames, he was very angry.
"The fires of this mountain must perish," he said. "No longer sha...
|
The Story Of The First Butterflies
The Great Spirit thought, "By and by I will make men, but first I will
make a home for them. It shall be very bright and beautiful. ...
|
The Story Of The First Woodpecker
In the days of long ago the Great Spirit came down from the sky and
talked with men. Once as he went up and down the earth, he came ...
|
Why The Woodpecker's Head Is Red
One day the woodpecker said to the Great Spirit, "Men do not like me. I
wish they did."
The Great Spirit said, "If you wish men t...
|
Why The Cat Always Falls Upon Her Feet
Some magicians are cruel, but others are gentle and good to all the
creatures of the earth. One of these good magicians was one day
...
|
Why The Swallow's Tail Is Forked
This is the story of how the swallow's tail came to be forked.
One day the Great Spirit asked all the animals that he had made to ...
|
Why The White Hares Have Black Ears
In the forest there is a beautiful spirit. All the beasts and all the
birds are dear to him, and he likes to have them gentle and go...
|
Why The Magpie's Nest Is Not Well Built
A long time ago all the birds met together to talk about building nests.
"Every Indian has a wigwam," said the robin, "and every b...
|
Why The Raven's Feathers Are Black
Long, long ago the raven's feathers were white as snow. He was a
beautiful bird, but the other birds did not like him because he was...
|
How Fire Was Brought To The Indians
SEIZING THE FIREBRAND.
Oh, it was so cold! The wind blew the leaves about on the ground. The
frost spirit hid on the north side o...
|
How The Quail Became A Snipe
"It is lonely living in this great tree far away from the other birds,"
said the owl to herself. "I will get some one to come and li...
|
Why The Serpent Sheds His Skin
The serpent is the grandfather of the owl, and once upon a time if the
owl needed help, she would say, "My grandfather will come and...
|
Why The Dove Is Timid
A spirit called the manito always watches over the Indians. He is glad
when they are brave, but if they are cowardly, he is angry.
...
|
Why The Parrot Repeats The Words Of Men
In the olden times when the earth was young, all the birds knew the
language of men and could talk with them. Everybody liked the pa...
|
The Story Of The First Mocking-bird
Far away in the forest there once lived the most cruel man on all the
earth. He did not like the Indians, and he said to himself, "S...
|
Why The Tail Of The Fox Has A White Tip
"I must have a boy to watch my sheep and my cows," thought an old woman,
and so she went out to look for a boy. She looked first in ...
|
The Story Of The First Frog
Once upon a time there was a man who had two children, a boy and a girl,
whom he treated cruelly. The boy and the girl talked togeth...
|
Why The Rabbit Is Timid
One night the moon looked down from the sky upon the people on the earth
and said to herself, "How sorrowful they look! I wish I kne...
|
Why The Peetweet Cries For Rain
"Come to me, every bird that flies," said the Great Father. "There is
work to be done that only my birds can do."
The birds were ...
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Why The Bear Has A Short Tail
One cold morning when the fox was coming up the road with some fish, he
met the bear.
"Good-morning, Mr. Fox," said the bear.
...
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Why The Wren Flies Close To The Earth
One day when the birds were all together, one of them said, "I have been
watching men, and I saw that they had a king. Let us too ha...
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Why The Hoofs Of The Deer Are Split
The manito of the Indians taught them how to do many things. He told
them how to build wigwams, and how to hunt and to fish. He show...
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The Story Of The First Grasshopper
In a country that is far away there once lived a young man called
Tithonus. He was strong and beautiful. Light of heart and light of...
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The Story Of The Oriole
The king of the north once said to himself, "I am master of the country
of ice and snow, but what is that if I cannot be ruler of th...
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Why The Peacock's Tail Has A Hundred Eyes
Juno, queen of the gods, had the fairest cow that any one ever saw. She
was creamy white, and her eyes were of as soft and bright a ...
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The Story Of The Bees And The Flies
There were once two tribes of little people who lived near together.
They were not at all alike, for one of the tribes looked for fo...
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The Story Of The First Moles
A rich man and a poor man once owned a field together. The rich man
owned the northern half, and the poor man owned the southern hal...
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The Story Of The First Ants
"This jar is full of smoked flesh," said one voice.
"This has fish, this is full of honey, and that one is almost running
over wi...
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The Face Of The Manito
Many years ago the manito of the Indians lived in the sun. Every morning
the wise men of the tribe went to the top of a mountain, an...
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The Story Of The First Diamonds
The chief of an Indian tribe had two sons whom he loved very dearly.
This chief was at war with another tribe, and one dark night tw...
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The Story Of The First Pearls
There was once a man named Runoia, and when he walked along the pathways
of the forest, the children would say shyly to one another,...
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The Story Of The First Emeralds
In the days of long ago there was a time when there were no emeralds on
the earth. Men knew where to find other precious stones. The...
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Why The Evergreen Trees Never Lose Their Leaves
Winter was coming, and the birds had flown far to the south, where the
air was warm and they could find berries to eat. One little b...
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Why The Aspen Leaves Tremble
"It is very strange," whispered one reed to another, "that the queen bee
never guides her swarm to the aspen-tree."
"Indeed, it i...
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How The Blossoms Came To The Heather
Only a little while after the earth was made, the trees and plants came
to live on it. They were happy and contented. The lily was g...
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How Flax Was Given To Men
"You have been on the mountain a long time," said the wife of the
hunter.
"Yes, wife, and I have seen the most marvelous sight in...
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Why The Juniper Has Berries
Three cranberries once lived together in a meadow. They were sisters,
but they did not look alike, for one was white, and one was re...
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Why The Sea Is Salt
Frothi, king of the Northland, owned some magic millstones. Other
millstones grind corn, but these would grind out whatever the owne...
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The Story Of The First Whitefish
One day a crane was sitting on a rock far out in the water, when he
heard a voice say, "Grandfather Crane, Grandfather Crane, please...
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Was It The First Turtle?
Once upon a time there was a great fight between two tribes of Indians.
It was so fierce that the river ran red with blood, and the ...
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Why The Crocodile Has A Wide Mouth
"Come to my kingdom whenever you will," said the goddess of the water to
the king of the land. "My waves will be calm, and my animal...
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The Story Of The Picture On The Vase
On some of the beautiful vases that are made in Japan there is a picture
of a goddess changing a dragon into an island. When the chi...
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Why The Water In Rivers Is Never Still
All kinds of strange things came to pass in the days of long ago, but
perhaps the strangest of all was that the nurses who cared for...
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How The Raven Helped Men
The raven and the eagle were cousins, and they were almost always
friendly, but whenever they talked together about men, they quarre...
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The Story Of The Earth And The Sky
The sky used to be very close to the earth, and of course the earth had
no sunshine. Trees did not grow, flowers did not blossom, an...
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How Summer Came To The Earth
PART I.
There was once a boy on the earth who was old enough to have a bow and
arrows, but who had never seen a summer. He had no...
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The Story Of The First Snowdrops
An old man sat alone in his house. It Was full of shadows; it was dark
and gloomy. The old man cared nothing for the shadows or the ...
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Why The Face Of The Moon Is White
An Indian chief had a fair young daughter. One day the wind came to him
and said, "Great chief, I love your daughter, and she loves ...
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Why All Men Love The Moon
Thunder and Lightning were going to give a feast. It was to be a most
delightful banquet, for all the good things that could be imag...
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Why There Is A Hare In The Moon
Many strange things happened long ago, and one of them was that a hare,
a monkey, and a fox agreed to live together. They talked abo...
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The Children In The Moon
They had no idea where they came from. All they knew was that they lived
on the hill, and that the old man of the hill called them J...
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Why There Is A Man In The Moon
"Goodman," said the goodwife, "you must go out into the forest and
gather sticks for the fire. To-morrow will be Sunday, and we have...
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The Twin Stars
In front of the little house was a pine-tree, and every night at the
time when the children went to bed, a bright star appeared over...
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The Lantern And The Fan
In a Japanese village there once lived a man who had two sons. When the
sons were grown up, each brought home a wife from another vi...
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Prometheus And Pandora
Those who are interested in watching the mental development of a child must have noted that when the baby has learned to speak even a l...
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Pygmalion
In days when the world was young and when the gods walked on the earth, there reigned over the island of Cyprus a sculptor-king, and ki...
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Phaeton
“The road, to drive on which unskilled were Phaeton’s hands.”
Dante—Purgatorio.
To Apollo, the sun-god, and Clymene, a beautiful oc...
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Endymion
To the modern popular mind perhaps none of the goddesses of Greece—not even Venus herself—has more appeal than has the huntress goddess...
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Orpheus
“Orpheus with his lute made trees,
And the mountain tops that freeze,
Bow themselves when he did sing;
To his music plants and flowers...
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Swiftly He Turned And Found His Wife Behind Him
For Orpheus it was a good day when Jason, chief of the Argonauts, sought him out to bid him come with the other heroes and aid in the ...
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Apollo And Daphne
Conqueror of all conquerable earth, yet not always victorious over the heart of a maid was the golden-locked Apollo.
As mischievous ...
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Psyche
Those who read for the first time the story of Psyche must at once be struck by its kinship to the fairy tales of childhood. Here we ha...
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The Calydonian Hunt
Œneus and Althæa were king and queen of Calydon, and to them was born a son who was his mother’s joy and yet her bitterest sorrow. Mele...
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Atalanta
Atalanta, daughter of the king of Arcadia, returned sad at heart to her own land. Only as comrades, as those against whose skill in the...
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Arachne
The hay that so short a time ago was long, lush grass, with fragrant meadow-sweet and gold-eyed marguerites growing amongst it in the g...
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Idas And Marpessa
By day, while the sun-god drove his chariot in the high heavens and turned the blue-green Ægean Sea into the semblance of a blazing shi...
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Arethusa
“We have victualled and watered,” wrote Nelson from Syracuse in 1798, “and surely, watering at the fountain of Arethusa, we must have v...
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Perseus The Hero
“We call such a man a hero in English to this day, and call it a ‘heroic’ thing to suffer pain and grief, that we may do good to our fe...
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Niobe
“... Like Niobe, all tears.”
Shakespeare.
The quotation is an overworked quotation, like many another of those from Hamlet; yet, ha...
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Hyacinthus
... “The sad death
Of Hyacinthus, when the cruel breath
Of Zephyr slew him—Zephyr penitent
Who now, ere Phœbus mounts the firmament,
...
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King Midas Of The Golden Touch
In the plays of Shakespeare we have three distinct divisions—three separate volumes. One deals with Tragedy, another with Comedy, a thi...
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Ceyx And Halcyone
“St. Martin’s summer, halcyon days.”
King Henry VI, i. 2, 131.
“Halcyon days”—how often is the expression made use of, how seldom d...
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AristÆus The Bee-keeper
“... Every sound is sweet;
Myriads of rivers hurrying thro’ the lawn,
The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innu...
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Proserpine
“Sacred Goddess, Mother Earth,
Thou from whose immortal bosom,
Gods, and men, and beasts have birth,
Leaf and blade, and bud and bloss...
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Latona And The Rustics
Through the tropic nights their sonorous, bell-like booming can be heard coming up from the marshes, and when they are unseen, the song...
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Echo And Narcissus
In the solitudes of the hills we find her, and yet we may come on her unawares in the din of a noisy city. She will answer us where the...
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Icarus
Fourteen years only have passed since our twentieth century began. In those fourteen years how many a father’s and mother’s heart has b...
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Clytie
The sunbeams are basking on the high walls of the old garden—smiling on the fruit that grows red and golden in their warmth. The bees a...
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The Cranes Of Ibycus
“For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak
With most miraculous organ.”
Shakespeare.
Ibycus, the poet friend of Apollo, was...
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Syrinx
“Is it because the wild-wood passion still lingers in our hearts, because still in our minds the voice of Syrinx lingers in melancholy ...
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The Death Of Adonis
“The fairest youth that ever maiden’s dream conceived.”
Lewis Morris.
The ideally beautiful woman, a subject throughout the centuri...
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Pan
“What was he doing, the great god Pan,
Down in the reeds by the river?
Spreading ruin and scattering ban,
Splashing and paddling with ...
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Lorelei
“Ich weiss nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Dass ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.
Die ...
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Freya Queen Of The Northern Gods
“Friday’s bairn is loving and giving,” says the old rhyme that sets forth the special qualities of the children born on each day of the...
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Freya Sat Spinning The Clouds
Thus she came to be pictured crowned with heron plumes, the symbol of silence—the silence of the lonely marshes where the heron stands ...
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The Death Of Baldur
“I heard a voice, that cried,
‘Baldur the Beautiful
Is dead, is dead!’
And through the misty air
Passed like the mournful cry
Of sun...
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Beowulf
“He was of mankind
In might the strongest.”
Longfellow’s Translation.
Whether those who read it be scholars who would argue about ...
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Roland The Paladin
“Roland, the flower of chivalry,
Expired at Roncevall.”
Thomas Campbell.
“Hero-worship endures for ever while man endures.”
Carly...
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The Children Of LÎr
“Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water;
Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose;
While murmuring mournfully, Lîr’s lonely da...
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DeirdrÊ
“Her beauty filled the old world of the Gael with a sweet, wonderful, and abiding rumour. The name of Deirdrê has been as a harp to a ...
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Savitri
PART I.
Savitri was the only child
Of Madra's wise and mighty king;
Stern warriors, when they saw her, smiled,
...
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Lakshman
"Hark! Lakshman! Hark, again that cry!
It is,--it is my husband's voice!
Oh hasten, to his succour fly,
No mor...
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Jogadhya Uma
"Shell-bracelets ho! Shell-bracelets ho!
Fair maids and matrons come and buy!"
Along the road, in morning's glow,
...
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The Royal Ascetic And The Hind
MAITREYA. Of old thou gav'st a promise to relate
The deeds of Bharat, that great hermit-king:
Beloved Master, now the...
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The Legend Of Dhruva
Sprung from great Brahma, Manu had two sons,
Heroic and devout, as I have said,
Pryavrata and Uttanapado,--names
...
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Buttoo
"Ho! Master of the wondrous art!
Instruct me in fair archery,
And buy for aye,--a grateful heart
That will not gru...
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Sindhu
PART I.
Deep in the forest shades there dwelt
A Muni and his wife,
Blind, gray-haired, weak, they hourly felt
...
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Prehlad
A terror both of gods and men
Was Heerun Kasyapu, the king;
No bear more sullen in its den,
No tiger quicker at th...
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The Buccaneers
How the free traders in the West Indies became smugglers, how by easy
stages they passed from the profession of illicit dealing to p...
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The Boat Of Phantom Children
Sir Francis Drake, destroyer of many of the "invincible" ships of
Spain, came to America with Sir John Hawkins, to subdue the Spanis...
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Early Porto Rico
Though Columbus made his first landing in Porto Rico at Naguabo,
where the Caribs afterward destroyed a Spanish settlement, he gave ...
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The Deluge
Like many unschooled peoples, the Antillean tribes had their legend of
a time when the earth was covered by a flood. The island of S...
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How Spaniards Were Found To Be Mortal
The first Spaniards to reach the American islands were everywhere
greeted as heavenly visitors, and the natives would not have been
...
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Ponce
When Ponce de Leon visited and conquered Porto Rico he heard of the
elixir of life. It may not have been among the springs of that i...
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Water Caves
As in most of the Spanish American countries, so in Porto Rico, ghosts
are common,--so common that in some towns the people hardly t...
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How A Dutchman Helped The Spaniards
Had any Dutchman been charged with intending a kindness to the dons
when his country was smarting under the Spanish scourge he would...
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The Ghost Of San Geronimo
The castle of San Geronimo, San Juan de Porto Rico, was founded
a century ago. It occupies a rocky point at the east end of San
Jua...
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Police Activity In Humacao
For three centuries a Spanish convict station was kept in Porto
Rico. The unpleasant and undesirable found, not a welcome here,
but...
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The Church In Porto Rico
If the Spanish colonies have been immoral, it must be granted that they
have been religious. This fact has made them easier to gover...
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The Mermaids
In dime museums and county fairs one may still find among the
"attractions" a mermaid, dried and stuffed, consisting of the upper
h...
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The Aborigines
In following the southern coast of Cuba, Columbus supposed he
was working toward India. He died ignorant of the fact that he had
di...
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The Caribs
Had it not been for the Caribs the Antilleans would have led a placid
existence. Those warlike and predacious Indians would not keep...
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Secret Enemies In The Hills
The brutalities of the Spaniards who first occupied the West Indies
would seem incredible if so many of them had not continued to ou...
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Sacred Shrines
Cuba has many shrines containing evidences of divine blessing,
and some of these are of wide renown. When the image of our Lady
of ...
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Tobacco
Tobacco suggests Cuba, or Cuba more than suggests tobacco. Havana
cigars are the synonym for excellence, and it was on this island t...
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The Two Skeletons Of Columbus
Following the return of the vanquished army of Spain to its home
country was another solemn voyage, undertaken for the transfer of t...
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Obeah Witches
From the earliest days of Spanish occupancy the Antilles have been the
haunt of strange creatures. Mermen have sung in their waters,...
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The Matanzas Obeah Woman
On a hillock near Matanzas, with a ragged wood behind it, stood for
many years an unkempt cottage. In our land we should hardly dign...
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How Havana Got Its Market
Among the Spanish governors of Cuba, some of whom managed by strict
economy to save a million dollars out of a salary of forty thous...
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The Justice Of Tacon
When the parades were over, or church was out, or it was near time for
the play, one always found a dozen officers and gallants saun...
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The Cited
Did Alonzo Morelos begrudge liberty or happiness to Felipe
Guayos? Surely the life of a Havanese artisan could have mattered
little...
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The Virgin's Diamond
Miguel Jose was a loving and dutiful son, but he could help the old
folks only a little. He had a heartache every time a letter came...
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A Spanish Holofernes
While it has been the fate of women in the Spanish islands to suffer
even more than their husbands and brothers from severity and in...
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The Courteous Battle
In the bay where more than three and a half centuries later the Spanish
fleet was to be destroyed the don once fought the enemy with...
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Why King Congo Was Late
As in all the Spanish Americas, there were churchly feasts and
celebrations in Cuba whose origin has been forgot. Why did the
slave...
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The Chase Of Taito Perico
In 1779 the Bishop of Havana took into his household as servants,
and into the cathedral as altar-boys, three harum-scarum Indians, ...
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The Voice In The Inn
"No trifling, senor. Speak up plainly and say what you heard." The
prosecuting attorney gave a nervous twitch at his pointed beard,
...
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Finding Of The Islands
One of the oldest legends of the Hawaiians relates to the finding
of their islands by Hawaiiloa, a great chief and great-grandson
o...
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Ancient Faiths Of Hawaii
Hawaiians claim descent from the Cushites of Arabia, and in their
folk-lore they have the same agreement with the Jewish myths which...
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The Giant Gods
Gods and demi-gods as vast as their mountains are celebrated in the
traditionary chants of the Hawaiians. While the largest island i...
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The First Fire
The demi-god Maui lived near Mauna Kea, and in roaming over that
mountain he often felt the chill that is in high places. It set him...
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The Little People
Hawaiians believe in "little people" that live in deep woods and peep
and snicker at travellers who pass. This belief is thought to ...
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The Hawaiian Iliad
Kaupepee, who might have governed Molokai in the twelfth century, had
he not chosen war as his vocation, was a believer in home rule...
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The Hawaiian Orpheus And Eurydice
Upon the slopes of Hualalai, just under the clouds and among the
fragrant sandal-woods, lived Hana and her son, Hiku. They made thei...
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The Rebellion Of Kamiole
In the year 1170, or thereabout, Kanipahu was king of Hawaii. He
was of Samoan origin, grandson of the builder of that temple whose
...
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The Japanese Sword
More than two centuries before Columbus reached America on its Atlantic
side a Japanese junk visited the western shore. The traditio...
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Lo-lale's Lament
Lo-Lale, a prince of Oahu in the fifteenth century, took no joy in
the sea after the girl had been drowned in it who was betrothed t...
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The Resurrections Of Kaha
Kaha was granddaughter of the Wind and the Rain, whose home is still
among the vapory darks that settle in the valley of Manoa, back...
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Hawaiian Ghosts
Hawaii has its "haunts" and "spooks," just as do some countries that
do not believe in such things. One of the spectres troubles a s...
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The Three Wives Of Laa
Laa, a young man of distinguished family, who had gone to Raiatea
in his boyhood, returned a number of years after to visit his
fos...
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The Misdoing Of Kamapua
When a child was born to Olopana, a lord of Oahu, in the twelfth
century, he conceived a dislike to it, and freely alleged that his
...
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Pele's Hair
Fiercest, though loveliest, of all the gods is Pele, she whose home
is in Kilauea, greatest of the world's volcanoes. When this moun...
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Lohiau And The Volcano Princess
With gods, as with men, who would speed his affairs must keep them in
his own hands. Pele, the volcano goddess, fell in love with Lo...
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A Visit Of Pele
While a great storm was raging over Hawaii a boy was born to a woman
chief in the camp of King Alapai. At once the soothsayers procl...
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The Great Famine
Hua, the licentious king of Maui,--who kept a hundred hula dancers,
was drunk for days together on awa, and spared no wife or daught...
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Kiha's Trumpet
Waipio, in Hawaii, is claimed by people who live thereabout to be
the loveliest valley on the island. It was a low and marshy stretc...
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The Sailing Of Paao
Paao, who afterward became a high priest in Hawaii, migrated thither
in the eleventh century from Samoa, after a quarrel with his br...
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The Wronged Wife
In 1530, or thereabout, a Spanish ship from Molucca was driven
across the Pacific and flung, in a dismantled condition, on the Keei
...
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The Magic Spear
Kaululaau, prince of Maui, had misbehaved so grossly, painting the
sacred pigs, imitating the death-bird's call before the doors of
...
|
Hawaiian Witches
To the native Hawaiian, who shuns work, dresses only for decorative
purposes, and is willing to subsist on fruits that grow without
...
|
The Cannibals
Despite the denials of Hawaiians that their ancestors ever ate the
flesh of men, it is admitted that a large company of cannibals, s...
|
The Various Graves Of Kaulii
When the Hawaiians were discovered by Captain Cook, in 1779, they had
not been visited by white men, so far as any native then livin...
|
The Kingship Of Umi
When King Liloa died he left his younger son, Hakau, to rule Hawaii
in his place, but an older and natural son, Umi, whose mother ha...
|
Keaulumoku's Prophecy
Keaulumoku died in 1784. He was a poet, dreamer, prophet, and preserver
of the legends of his people. For more than three-score year...
|
The Tragedy Of Spouting Cave
Many caves pierce the igneous rock of the Hawaiian group, some
with entrances below the ocean level, and discovered only by
acciden...
|
The Grave Of Pupehe
Just off the southwest shore of Lanai is a block of lava eighty or
ninety feet high, vertical or overhanging on every side, absolute...
|
The Lady Of The Twilight
In Koolauloa, Oahu, is a natural well, of unknown depth and thirty
yards in diameter, that is believed to be connected with the
oce...
|
The Ladrones
The taking of Guam during the war with Spain was one of the comedies
of that disagreement. When its rickety fort was fired upon by o...
|
Old Beliefs Of The Filipinos
Respecting their myths the Filipinos differ in little from other human
families whose civilization is incomplete. They had in former...
|
Filipinos Animal Myths
In the fables of the Filipinos the animals often speak together
in a common language. The dove, however, is the only one that
compr...
|
Later Religious Myths And Miracles
Among stories that date no farther back than the Spanish conquest we
find the usual tales of sacred springs, of visions, and of bles...
|
Bankiva The Philippine Pied Piper
Of nearly six hundred species of birds in the Philippines the
jungle fowl, or bankiva, is best known, and is both killed and
domest...
|
The Crab Tried To Eat The Moon
Among the fantastic stories told of snakes, water-buffalo, birds,
and sharks are several that have obvious meaning. The crab figures...
|
The Conversion Of Amambar
While roving over the waters that covered the earth the sun god
saw the nymph Ursula sporting in the waves, and was smitten with a
...
|
The Bedevilled Galleon
"Sing hey, sing ho! The wind doth blow,
And I'll meet my love in the morning,"
Sang the lookout, as he paced the forecast...
|
Two Runaways From Manila
The name Corregidor, which stands for mayor, albeit the translation
is corrector, is applied to the gateway to Manila. Thus named it...
|
The Christianizing Of Wong
In the city of Cebu the Chinese, who made an early settlement,
accepted the prevalent religion in order to keep peace with the
auth...
|
The Devil's Bridge
You may say what you please, but it is certain that the Evil One
never appeared in the Philippines until after the Spanish had taken...
|
The Great Earthquake
After months of fighting, Li Ma Hong, the Chinese pirate, and his six
thousand followers had been beaten out of Philippine waters. M...
|
Suppressing Magic In Manila
Crowds of all kinds are easily swayed, but it is said that nowhere
is it so easy to rouse a panic or a revolution as in Manila. Seve...
|
Faith That Killed
Back in the 30's an emigrant of some account arrived in Manila. He was
a young doctor of medicine who had just won his sheepskin in ...
|
The Widow Velarde's Husband
Enchanted Lake, near Los Banos, on the Pasig, fills an ancient crater
and is an object of natural interest. Its enchantment, so far ...
|
The Grateful Bandits
Monsieur de la Gironiere, a French planter and trader, who visited the
Philippines a lifetime ago, or more, told stories of the isla...
|
The Anting-anting Of Captain Von Tollig
There had been a battle between the American forces and the Tagalogs,
and the natives had been driven back. The stone church of Sant...
|
The Cave In The Side Of Coron
A "barong" is a Moro native's favourite weapon. With one deft whirl,
and then a downward slash of the keen steel blade he can cleave...
|
The Conjure Man Of Siargao
When I woke that morning, the monkey was sitting on the footboard
of my bed, looking at me. Not one of those impudent beasts that do...
|
Mrs Hannah Smith Nurse
The red eye of the lighthouse on Corregidor Island blazed out
through the darkness as a Pacific steamer felt her way cautiously
int...
|
The Fifteenth Wife
Mateo, my Filipino servant, was helping me sort over specimens one day
under the thatched roof of a shed which I had hired to use fo...
|
Our Lady Of Pilar
"How very singular! What do you suppose they are doing?"
"I'm sure I don't know. The American mind is unequal to grappling
with t...
|
A Question Of Time
"The native pilot who is to take the gunboat Utica around from Ilo Ilo
to Capiz is a traitor. I have just discovered indisputable pr...
|
The Spirit Of Mt Apo
From the deck of any vessel passing up the southeast coast of Mindanao,
the voyager can see the gold-crowned summit of Apo, rising l...
|
With What Measure Ye Mete
"The story of the tax collector of Siargao reminds me of an official
of that rank whom I once knew," said a fellow naturalist whom I...
|
Told At The Club
"Speaking of 'anting-anting,'" said a man at the club House on the
bank of the Pasig river, in Manila, one evening, "I have had an
...
|
Pearls Of Sulu
Now and then people comment upon the odd style of a charm which I
wear upon my watch chain. The charm is a plain, gold sphere, and i...
|
The Giant Bear
In the far north there was a village where many warlike Indians lived.
In one family there were ten brothers, all brave and fearless. ...
|
The Summer-maker
Once in the far north there lived a Manitou whose name was Ojeeg, or
the fisher. He and his wife and one son lived on the shore of a ...
|
The Sleep Fairies
A hunter was once going through a forest with his dogs. After he had
gone some distance he missed them. He called and whistled, but ...
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Shingebiss
Once there was a little duck, whose name was Shingebiss. He lived by
himself in a small lodge, and was very contented and happy. Thi...
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The Queer Little Animal
An Indian was once wandering across the prairie. He was tired and
hungry and very lonely, too, for he had not seen a human being for ...
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The Dormouse
Many years ago the animals ruled the earth. They had killed every one
but a brother and a sister. These two lived in a lodge far awa...
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The Windmaker
Once there was a tribe of Indians who had always lived in the
mountains. Their village was built at the foot of a very large
mountai...
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Moowis
In a certain tribe in the far West there was a maiden who was very
beautiful. Many warriors loved her, but she would listen to none o...
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The Daughters Of The Star
There once lived, in a deep forest, a hunter named Waupee, or the White
Hawk. Every day he returned from the chase with birds and ani...
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Koto And The Bird
Once there was a little Cree boy named Koto. His father was a chief
and a great hunter, and Koto always longed for the time when he w...
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The Humpbacked Manitou
Bokwewa and his brother lived in a lodge in the forest, far away from
the rest of the world. They were both Manitous and could do man...
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The Tribe That Grew Out Of A Shell
Once, when the land along the Missouri River was uninhabited, save by
the beaver and other animals, a snail lay asleep on the bank of ...
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The Story Of The Indian Corn
Some years ago the Ottawa Indians inhabited the Manatoline Islands.
Their enemies were the Iroquois Indians, who lived on the lake sho...
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The Magician Of Lake Huron
The Manatoline, or Spirit, Islands were supposed to be a favorite abode
of the Manitous, or spirits. Perhaps that is why many strange...
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The Fairies Cliff
An Indian chief once had ten daughters. They were all very beautiful,
especially the youngest. When they grew to be women, nine of t...
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The Stone Canoe
Once a beautiful Chippewa maiden died on the day she was to have
married a brave, young warrior. He was very brave, but this sorrow w...
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The White Feather
An old man and his grandson once lived together on an island. The
little boy had no father, nor mother, nor brothers, nor sisters. T...
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The Lone Lightning
There once lived a lonely little boy whose father and mother were dead.
His uncle took care of him, but did not treat him kindly. He ...
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The Enchanted Moccasins
Once on Mackinac Island there lived a little Indian boy and his sister.
They saw only the birds and animals, for no human beings were ...
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The Five Water-spirits
Once upon a time a gray, old man lived on the top of a mountain, where
he could see glimpses of the sea. He had a lodge made of birch...
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The Canoe Breaker
Once in a certain tribe there was a young man who had no name. For it
was the law in that tribe that every youth had to do some deed ...
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The Old Stump
Long ago there was an old woman called Grizzly Bear. She had neither
husband nor children, and lived all alone in a lodge on the hill...
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The Cliff Of Sinikielt
Once long ago there was a chief of the Okanagan Indians called Tserman.
He was very brave and very daring, and he stopped at nothing w...
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The Strange Dream
A warrior and his wife once had a beautiful boy, for whom they made
many plans. But when he grew up, and reached the right age, he wo...
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Big Chief's Conquest
Once in the long ago there lived a great warrior named Milkanops. He
lived in a land of high, rocky mountains, and to the far north t...
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The Red Swan
Three brothers, who were hunters, once lived together in a forest.
They were very skilful and always returned well laden from the chas...
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The Whispering Grass
Once, many long years ago, there was a green hill covered with long
grass, which whispered and talked as the wind blew through it. It...
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The Legend Of Mackinac Island
Many years ago, a party of wild Ojibwa Indians were resting on the
shore of Lake Huron. The story-tellers of the tribe were telling m...
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The Wonderful Ball
Wesakchak was once the only person living. He found himself floating
all alone on the water. Above him was the sky, and all around a...
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A Wonderful Journey
One day Wesakchak decided to go on a long journey. He knew that
somewhere, many miles away, there was a village where people lived, a...
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The Gray Goose
Many years ago, when Wesakchak was the only man upon the earth, there
was a being, the Evil Spirit, who did not love him. This spirit...
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Little Brother Rabbit
One autumn Wesakchak felt very sad. All through the summer there had
been no rain. The prairie grass was burnt brown and dry. The l...
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The Bald-headed Eagles
One day Wesakchak was seated at the door of his lodge, when he noticed
two eagles circling high in the air above him.
"Come down, m...
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A Battle With The Sioux
Less than sixty years ago, the vast tracts of land which are now large
cities and cultivated farms were prairie and forest. Numerous ...
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Flower Fables
THE summer moon shone brightly down upon the sleeping earth, while
far away from mortal eyes danced the Fairy folk. Fire-flies hung...
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The Frost-king Or The Power Of Love
THREE little Fairies sat in the fields eating their breakfast;
each among the leaves of her favorite flower, Daisy, Primrose,
and V...
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Eva's Visit To Fairy-land
DOWN among the grass and fragrant clover lay little Eva by the
brook-side, watching the bright waves, as they went singing by under
...
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The Flower's Lesson
THERE grew a fragrant rose-tree where the brook flows,
With two little tender buds, and one full rose;
When the sun went down...
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Lily-bell And Thistledown
ONCE upon a time, two little Fairies went out into the world, to
seek their fortune. Thistledown was as gay and gallant a little El...
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Little Bud
IN a great forest, high up among the green boughs, lived Bird
Brown-Breast, and his bright-eyed little mate. They were now very
ha...
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Clover-blossom
IN a quiet, pleasant meadow,
Beneath a summer sky,
Where green old trees their branches waved,
And winds went sing...
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Little Annie's Dream Or The Fairy Flower
IN a large and pleasant garden sat little Annie all alone, and
she seemed very sad, for drops that were not dew fell fast upon the
...
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Ripple The Water-spirit
DOWN in the deep blue sea lived Ripple, a happy little Water-Spirit;
all day long she danced beneath the coral arches, made garlands...
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Fairy Song
The moonlight fades from flower and tree,
And the stars dim one by one;
The tale is told, the song is sung,
And th...
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Iktomi And The Ducks
IKTOMI is a spider fairy. He wears brown deerskin leggins with long soft
fringes on either side, and tiny beaded moccasins on his fe...
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Iktomi's Blanket
ALONE within his teepee sat Iktomi. The sun was but a handsbreadth from
the western edge of land.
"Those, bad, bad gray wolves! T...
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Iktomi And The Muskrat
BESIDE a white lake, beneath a large grown willow tree, sat Iktomi on
the bare ground. The heap of smouldering ashes told of a recen...
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Iktomi And The Coyote
AFAR off upon a large level land, a summer sun was shining bright. Here
and there over the rolling green were tall bunches of coarse...
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Iktomi And The Fawn
IN one of his wanderings through the wooded lands, Iktomi saw a rare
bird sitting high in a tree-top. Its long fan-like tail feather...
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The Badger And The Bear
ON the edge of a forest there lived a large family of badgers. In the
ground their dwelling was made. Its walls and roof were covered ...
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The Tree-bound
IT was a clear summer day. The blue, blue sky dropped low over the edge
of the green level land. A large yellow sun hung directly ov...
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Shooting Of The Red Eagle
A MAN in buckskins sat upon the top of a little hillock. The setting sun
shone bright upon a strong bow in his hand. His face was tu...
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Iktomi And The Turtle
THE huntsman Patkasa (turtle) stood bent over a newly slain deer.
The red-tipped arrow he drew from the wounded deer was unlike th...
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Dance In A Buffalo Skull
IT was night upon the prairie. Overhead the stars were twinkling bright
their red and yellow lights. The moon was young. A silvery t...
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The Toad And The Boy
THE water-fowls were flying over the marshy lakes. It was now the
hunting season. Indian men, with bows and arrows, were wading wais...
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Iya The Camp-eater
FROM the tall grass came the voice of a crying babe. The huntsmen who
were passing nigh heard and halted.
The tallest one among t...
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Manstin The Rabbit
MANSTIN was an adventurous brave, but very kind-hearted. Stamping
a moccasined foot as he drew on his buckskin leggins, he said:
"G...
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The Warlike Seven
ONCE seven people went out to make war,--the Ashes, the Fire, the
Bladder, the Grasshopper, the Dragon Fly, the Fish, and the Turtle...
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The Meester Stoorworm - A Story From Scotland
There was once a lad, and what his real name was nobody remembered,
unless it was the mother who bore him; but what every one called...
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Jean Malin And The Bull-man - A Louisiana Tale
There was once a little boy who was all alone in the world; he had no
father or mother, and no home; and no one to care for him. Tha...
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The Widow's Son - A Scandinavian Tale
Once upon a time there was a poor widow who had only one son, and he
was so dear to her that no one could have been dearer. All the ...
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The Wise Girl - A Serbian Story
There was once a girl who was wiser than the King and all his
councilors; there never was anything like it. Her father was so proud
...
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The History Of Ali Cogia - From The Arabian Nights
In the city of Bagdad there once lived a merchant named Ali Cogia.
This merchant was faithful and honest in all his dealings, but he...
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Oh! - A Cossack Story
There was once a man who had one son, and he was so lazy that he would
not work at all. The father apprenticed him to a tailor, but ...
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The Talking Eggs - A Story From Louisiana
There was once a widow who had two daughters, one named Rose and the
other Blanche.
Blanche was good and beautiful and gentle, bu...
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The Frog Princess - A Russian Story
There was once a Tsar who had three sons, and they were all dear to
him, but the youngest, Ivan, was the dearest of them all.
Whe...
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The Magic Turban The Magic Sword And The Magic Carpet - A Persian Story
There were once two brothers, the sons of a rich merchant, and when he
died he left all his estate to be divided between them equall...
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The Three Silver Citrons - A Persian Story
There was once a King who had three sons, and he loved them all
equally, one no more than the other.
When he had grown old and fe...
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The Magic Pipe - A Norse Tale
There was once three brothers, all the sons of the same father and
mother.
The two elder were hard-working, thrifty lads, who had...
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The Triumph Of Truth - A Hindu Story
There was once a Rajah who was both young and handsome, and yet he had
never married. One time this Rajah, whose name was Chundun, f...
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Life's Secret - A Story Of Bengal
In a far-off country there once lived a great Rajah who had two wives,
one named Duo and the other Suo. Both these Ranees were beaut...
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Dame Pridgett And The Fairies
Dame Pridgett was a fat, comfortable, good-natured old body, and her
business in life was to go about nursing sick folk and making t...
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The Grasshopper And The Ant
A grasshopper gay
Sang the summer away,
And found herself poor
By the winter's first roar.
Of meat or of br...
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The Thieves And The Ass
Two thieves, pursuing their profession,
Had of a donkey got possession,
Whereon a strife arose,
Whic...
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The Wolf Accusing The Fox
A wolf, affirming his belief
That he had suffer'd by a thief,
Brought up his neighbour fox--
...
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The Lion And The Ass Hunting
The king of animals, with royal grace,
Would celebrate his birthday in the chase.
'Twas not with bow and arro...
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The Wolf Turned Shepherd
A wolf, whose gettings from the flocks
Began to be but few,
Bethought himself to play the fox
In character...
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The Swan And The Cook
The pleasures of a poultry yard
Were by a swan and gosling shared.
The swan was kept there for his looks,
Th...
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The Weasel In The Granary
A weasel through a hole contrived to squeeze,
(She was recovering from disease,)
Which led her to a farmer'...
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The Shepherd And The Sea
A shepherd, neighbour to the sea,
Lived with his flock contentedly.
His fortune, though but small,
...
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The Ass And The Little Dog
One's native talent from its course
Cannot be turned aside by force;
But poorly apes the country clown
The p...
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The Man And The Wooden God
A pagan kept a god of wood,--
A sort that never hears,
Though furnish'd well with ears,--
From which h...
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The Ears Of The Hare
Some beast with horns did gore
The lion; and that sovereign dread,
Resolved to suffer so no more,
St...
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The Old Woman And Her Servants
A beldam kept two spinning maids,
Who plied so handily their trades,
Those spinning sisters down below
Wer...
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The Ass Carrying Relics
An ass, with relics for his load,
Supposed the worship on the road
Meant for himself alone,
And took on lofty ...
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The Hare And The Partridge
A field in common share
A partridge and a hare,
And live in peaceful state,
Till, woeful to relate!
...
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The Lion Going To War
The lion had an enterprise in hand;
Held a war-council, sent his provost-marshal,
And gave the animals a call i...
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The Old Man And The Ass
An old man, riding on his ass,
Had found a spot of thrifty grass,
And there turn'd loose his weary beast.
Old ...
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The Ass And His Masters
A gardener's ass complain'd to Destiny
Of being made to rise before the dawn.
"The cocks their matins have not sung...
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The Wax-candle
From bowers of gods the bees came down to man.
On Mount Hymettus, first, they say,
They made their home, and st...
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The Shepherd And His Flock
"What! shall I lose them one by one,
This stupid coward throng?
And never shall the wolf have done?
...
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The Tortoise And The Two Ducks
A light-brain'd tortoise, anciently,
Tired of her hole, the world would see.
Prone are all such, self-banish'd, t...
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The Two Asses
Two asses tracking, t'other day,
Of which each in his turn,
Did incense to the other burn,
Quite...
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The Shepherd And His Dog
A shepherd, with a single dog,
Was ask'd the reason why
He kept a dog, whose least supply
Amounted to a loaf of br...
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The Two Mules
Two mules were bearing on their backs,
One, oats; the other, silver of the tax.
The latter glorying in his ...
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The Heifer The Goat And The Sheep
The heifer, the goat, and their sister the sheep,
Compacted their earnings in common to keep,
'Tis said, in time p...
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The Two Rats The Fox And The Egg
Two rats in foraging fell on an egg,--
For gentry such as they
A genteel dinner every way;
They ne...
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The Man And His Image
A man, who had no rivals in the love
Which to himself he bore,
Esteem'd his own dear beauty far above
What...
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The Dragon With Many Heads
An envoy of the Porte Sublime,
As history says, once on a time,
Before th' imperial German court
...
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Death And The Woodman
A poor wood-chopper, with his fagot load,
Whom weight of years, as well as load, oppress'd,
Sore groaning in his smoky ...
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The Hornets And The Bees
"The artist by his work is known."
A piece of honey-comb, one day,
Discover'd as a waif and stray,
The h...
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The Oak And The Reed
The oak one day address'd the reed:--
"To you ungenerous indeed
Has nature been, my humble friend,
Wit...
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The Council Held By The Rats
Old Rodilard, a certain cat,
Such havoc of the rats had made,
'Twas difficult to find a rat
With natur...
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The Two Bulls And The Frog
Two bulls engaged in shocking battle,
Both for a certain heifer's sake,
And lordship over certain cattle,
A fr...
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The Bat And The Two Weasels
A blundering bat once stuck her head
Into a wakeful weasel's bed;
Whereat the mistress of the house,
...
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The Bird Wounded By An Arrow
A bird, with plumed arrow shot,
In dying case deplored her lot:
"Alas!" she cried, "the anguish of the thought!...
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The Lion And The Gnat
"Go, paltry insect, nature's meanest brat!"
Thus said the royal lion to the gnat.
The gnat declared immedia...
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The Ass Loaded With Sponges
A man, whom I shall call an ass-eteer,
His sceptre like some Roman emperor bearing,
Drove on two coursers of prot...
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The Dove And The Ant
A dove came to a brook to drink,
When, leaning o'er its crumbling brink,
An ant fell in, and vainly tried,
In this...
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The Cock And The Fox
Upon a tree there mounted guard
A veteran cock, adroit and cunning;
When to the roots a fox up running,
...
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The Lion Beaten By The Man
A picture once was shown,
In which one man, alone,
Upon the ground had thrown
A lion fully gro...
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Philomel And Progne
From home and city spires, one day,
The swallow Progne flew away,
And sought the bosky dell
Where sa...
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The Camel And The Floating Sticks
The first who saw the humpback'd camel
Fled off for life; the next approach'd with care;
The third with tyrant ro...
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The Wolf The Goat And The Kid
As went a goat of grass to take her fill,
And browse the herbage of a distant hill,
She latch'd her door, and...
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The Rat Retired From The World
The sage Levantines have a tale
About a rat that weary grew
Of all the cares which life assail,
And to a Hol...
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The Cunning Fox
A fox once practised, 'tis believed,
A stratagem right well conceived.
The wretch, when in the utmost strait
B...
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The Ape
There is an ape in Paris,
To which was given a wife:
Like many a one that marries,
This ape, in brut...
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The Fox The Flies And The Hedgehog
A fox, old, subtle, vigilant, and sly,--
By hunters wounded, fallen in the mud,--
Attracted by the traces of hi...
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The Eagle And The Magpie
The eagle, through the air a queen,
And one far different, I ween,
In temper, language, thought, and mien,--
T...
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The Lion And The Hunter
A braggart, lover of the chase,
Had lost a dog of valued race,
And thought him in a lion's maw.
He ask...
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The Fox The Monkey And The Animals
Left kingless by the lion's death,
The beasts once met, our story saith,
Some fit successor to install.
...
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The Sun And The Frogs
Rejoicing on their tyrant's wedding-day,
The people drown'd their care in drink;
While from the general joy did AEs...
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The Countryman And The Serpent
A countryman, as AEsop certifies,
A charitable man, but not so wise,
One day in winter found,
Stretch'd ...
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The Carter In The Mire
The Phaeton who drove a load of hay
Once found his cart bemired.
Poor man! the spot was far away
...
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The Heron
One day,--no matter when or where,--
A long-legg'd heron chanced to fare
By a certain river's brin...
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The Head And The Tail Of The Serpent
Two parts the serpent has--
Of men the enemies--
The head and tail: the same
Have won a mighty f...
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The Dog And His Master's Dinner
Our eyes are not made proof against the fair,
Nor hands against the touch of gold.
Fidelity is sadly rar...
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The Joker And The Fishes
A joker at a banker's table,
Most amply spread to satisfy
The height of epicurean wishes,
...
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The Rat And The Oyster
A country rat, of little brains,
Grown weary of inglorious rest,
Left home with all its straws and grains,
...
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The Hog The Goat And The Sheep
A goat, a sheep, and porker fat,
All to the market rode together.
Their own amusement was not that
...
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The Rat And The Elephant
A rat, of quite the smallest size,
Fix'd on an elephant his eyes,
And jeer'd the beast of high descent
...
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The Ass And The Dog
Along the road an ass and dog
One master following, did jog.
Their master slept: meanwhile, the ass
Applied ...
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Education
Lapluck and Caesar brothers were, descended
From dogs by Fame the most commended,
Who falling, in their puppy...
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The Two Dogs And The Dead Ass
Two lean and hungry mastiffs once espied
A dead ass floating on a water wide.
The distance growing more and mor...
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The Monkey And The Leopard
A monkey and a leopard were
The rivals at a country fair.
Each advertised his own attractions.
Said ...
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The Acorn And The Pumpkin
God's works are good. This truth to prove
Around the world I need not move;
I do it by the nearest pumpkin....
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The Fool Who Sold Wisdom
A fool, in town, did wisdom cry;
The people, eager, flock'd to buy.
Each for his money got,
Paid promptl...
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The Oyster And The Litigants
Two pilgrims on the sand espied
An oyster thrown up by the tide.
In hope, both swallow'd ocean's fruit;...
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The Wolf And The Lean Dog
A Troutling, some time since,
Endeavour'd vainly to convince
A hungry fisherman
Of his unfitne...
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Nothing Too Much
Look where we will throughout creation,
We look in vain for moderation.
The grain, best gift of Ceres fair,
...
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The Cat And The Fox
The cat and fox, when saints were all the rage
Together went upon pilgrimage.
Our pilgrims, as a thing of course,
...
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The Monkey And The Cat
Sly Bertrand and Ratto in company sat,
(The one was a monkey, the other a cat,)
Co-servants and lodgers:
...
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The Spider And The Swallow
"O Jupiter, whose fruitful brain,
By odd obstetrics freed from pain,
Bore Pallas, erst my mortal foe,...
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The Dog Whose Ears Were Cropped
"What have I done, I'd like to know,
To make my master maim me so?
A pretty figure I shall cut!
From o...
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The Lioness And The Bear
The lioness had lost her young;
A hunter stole it from the vale;
The forests and the mountains rung
...
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The Mice And The Owl
A pine was by a woodman fell'd,
Which ancient, huge, and hollow tree
An owl had for his palace held--
...
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The Cat And The Two Sparrows
Contemporary with a sparrow tame
There lived a cat; from tenderest age,
Of both, the basket and the cag...
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The Two Goats
Two goats, who self-emancipated,--
The white that on their feet they wore
Look'd back to noble blood of yore,--...
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The Old Cat And The Young Mouse
A young and inexperienced mouse
Had faith to try a veteran cat,--
Raminagrobis, death to rat,
And scourge of...
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The Sick Stag
A stag, where stags abounded,
Fell sick and was surrounded
Forthwith by comrades kind,
All pressing ...
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The Quarrel Of The Dogs And Cats
In mansion deck'd with frieze and column,
Dwelt dogs and cats in multitudes;
Decrees, promulged in mann...
|
The Wolf And The Fox
"Dear wolf," complain'd a hungry fox,
"A lean chick's meat, or veteran cock's,
Is all I get by toil or tric...
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The Lobster And Her Daughter
The wise, sometimes, as lobsters do,
To gain their ends back foremost go.
It is the rower's art; and those
...
|
The Ploughman And His Sons
_The farmer's patient care and toil
Are oftener wanting than the soil._
A wealthy ploughman drawing near his end,
...
|
The Ass Dressed In The Lion's Skin
Clad in a lion's shaggy hide,
An ass spread terror far and wide,
And, though himself a coward brute,
P...
|
The Woods And The Woodman
A certain wood-chopper lost or broke
From his axe's eye a bit of oak.
The forest must needs be somewhat spared
...
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The Fox The Wolf And The Horse
A fox, though young, by no means raw,
Had seen a horse, the first he ever saw:
"Ho! neighbour wolf," said he to o...
|
The Fox And The Turkeys
Against a robber fox, a tree
Some turkeys served as citadel.
That villain, much provoked to see
...
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The Wallet
From heaven, one day, did Jupiter proclaim,
"Let all that live before my throne appear,
And there if any one hath a...
|
The Woodman And Mercury
A man that labour'd in the wood
Had lost his honest livelihood;
That is to say,
His axe was gone...
|
The Lion And The Monkey
The lion, for his kingdom's sake,
In morals would some lessons take,
And therefore call'd, one summer's day,
...
|
The Shepherd And The Lion
The Fable AEsop tells is nearly this:--
A shepherd from his flock began to miss,
And long'd to catch the stealer of...
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The Horse And The Wolf
A wolf who, fall'n on needy days,
In sharp look-out for means and ways,
Espied a horse turn'd out to ...
|
The Eagle And The Owl
The eagle and the owl, resolved to cease
Their war, embraced in pledge of peace.
On faith of king, on faith of owl,...
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The Miser And The Monkey
A Man amass'd. The thing, we know,
Doth often to a frenzy grow.
No thought had he but of his minted gold--
...
|
The Vultures And The Pigeons
Mars once made havoc in the air:
Some cause aroused a quarrel there
Among the birds;--not those that sing,
The...
|
The Stag And The Vine
A stag, by favour of a vine,
Which grew where suns most genial shine,
And form'd a thick and matted bower
Whic...
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The Earthen Pot And The Iron Pot
An iron pot proposed
To an earthen pot a journey.
The latter was opposed,
Expressing the concern he
Had...
|
The Bear And The Two Companions
Two fellows, needing funds, and bold,
A bearskin to a furrier sold,
Of which the bear was living still,
...
|
The Lion The Wolf And The Fox
A Lion, old, and impotent with gout,
Would have some cure for age found out.
This king, from every species,--...
|
The Battle Of The Rats And Weasels
The weasels live, no more than cats,
On terms of friendship with the rats;
And, were it not that these
Through...
|
The Animals Sick Of The Plague
The sorest ill that Heaven hath
Sent on this lower world in wrath,--
The plague (to call it by its name,)
...
|
Faithful To The Death
The sun was setting gloriously over the hills which encompass
Jerusalem, pouring its streams of golden light on the valleys clothed
w...
|
The Midnight Burial
The scene which he had witnessed had left the mind of Lycidas in an
excited and feverish state. The cooling breeze which whispered am...
|
Life Or Death
"A spy! a traitor! cut him down--hew him to pieces!" such were the
cries, not loud but terrible, that, as thunder on flash, followed t...
|
Following Behind
As he quitted that place of burial, which he had little expected to
leave alive, Lycidas felt like one under an enchanter's spell. Jo...
|
The Dream
At sunrise on the following morning two women were seated on the
ground, in the back part of a small flat-roofed house, situated in a
...
|
The Journey Home
Before the sun had risen above the horizon on that day, Judas, son of
Mattathias, of the noble family of the Asmoneans, started on his...
|
The First Struggle
The arrival of Apelles, the emissary of Antiochus Epiphanes, had thrown
the town of Modin into a state of great excitement. A proclam...
|
Hadassah's Guest
In no place were the tidings of the rising at Modin received with
greater exultation than in the lonely dwelling of Hadassah. The Heb...
|
Death Of Mattathias
Wild was the life led by Mattathias and his followers in the
mountains--a life of danger and hardship; danger met manfully, hardship
...
|
Concealment
We will now return to the quiet dwelling-place of Hadassah, where
Lycidas day by day was becoming more hopelessly entangled in the sil...
|
Deep Things
When Abishai re-entered the dwelling of Hadassah, he found her drawing
forth, from a secret receptacle in the wall, a long roll of par...
|
Trials Of The Heart
For the first time in the course of her life, Zarah dreaded a meeting
with Hadassah. Though the season was now so far advanced that t...
|
Silent Conflict
The maiden kept her silent promise; faithfully she obeyed the hest of
Hadassah. Seldom as possible did she enter the room which commu...
|
A Crisis
Lycidas, in the meantime, was chafing in wild impatience under the
trial of Zarah's almost perpetual absence. He could no longer watc...
|
The Two Camps
While the scenes lately described had been occurring in the
neighbourhood of Jerusalem, Maccabeus, in the mountains, had been
prepari...
|
Battle Of Emmaus
But the struggle was not to be deferred the morning.
Night had just spread her veil of darkness over earth, and Simon,
prudently re...
|
Departed
When Zarah, trembling and pale, after her interview with Lycidas, fled
to the apartment of Hadassah, she left her water-jar behind her...
|
The Passover Feast
Very different was the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in
the days of Antiochus Epiphanes from what it had been in the pa...
|
A Prison
From her long swoon Zarah awoke with a sensation of indescribable
horror. The cold drops stood on her brow, and there was a painful
...
|
The Court Of Antiochus
Fierce had been the rage and disappointment of Antiochus Epiphanes on
hearing of the result of the night attack on his forces at Emmau...
|
The Maiden's Trial
Before this gorgeous assembly--before this terrible king--stood,
surrounded by guards, a trembling, shrinking girl, wrapping closer an...
|
A Breathing Space
The captive was not taken back to prison-chamber which she had occupied
during the preceding night, but to an apartment in the palace-...
|
Found At Last
So profound was the slumber of the weary girl that she heard not the
sound of opening the door, nor a step on the marble floor, and la...
|
Decision
Tossed backwards and forwards on a wild sea of doubt--a vessel without
ballast, compass, or rudder--was the mind of the miserable Poll...
|
A Retrospect
Hadassah had, in the meantime, been enduring the martyrdom of the heart.
When Zarah, under the escort of Abishai, left her home to a...
|
Weary Wanderings
Hadassah had believed years previously that she had suffered to the
extreme limits of human endurance--that there were no deeper depth...
|
Flight
It was with a strange sense of happiness mingling with fear that Zarah
followed her father out of the apartment which had been her pla...
|
United In The Grave
Lycidas dared not at first break to Zarah the mournful truth that one
blow had bereft her of both her protectors, that she was now ind...
|
The Mourner's Home
I shall pass lightly over the events of several succeeding months. The
summer passed away, with its intense heat and its fierce simoo...
|
Changes
One evening, towards the hour of sunset, Zarah sat alone at her wheel
awaiting the return of Anna from the city, she was startled by t...
|
Night Travelling
The enforced hastiness of Zarah's departure rendered it perhaps less
painful than it would otherwise have been. Zarah had little time...
|
Friends Or Foes?
"Hold! stand! who are ye, and whither go ye?" was the stern challenge,
the sound of which startled Zarah out of a pleasant dream. The...
|
The Leader And The Man
In the unsettled state of the Holy Land, where its brave sons had to
maintain a kind of guerrilla warfare against the powerful enemy w...
|
Fanaticism
We will now glance at the encampment of the Hebrew warriors, upon a
wild expanse of undulating ground, in view of the towers of Bethsu...
|
The Battle-prayer
Lycidas was a native of the very land of eloquence; he had been, as it
were, cradled amidst "thoughts that breathe, and words that bur...
|
Bethsura
Her brief but momentous interview with Maccabeus had left a very
painful impression upon the mind of Zarah. It had disclosed, to her
...
|
After The Battle
There are joys as well as sorrows into which the stranger cannot enter,
and which baffle the attempt of the pen to describe; such was ...
|
The Victor's Return
Is there a more glorious, a more soul-stirring sight than that of a
brave nation bursting from foreign bondage, casting from her the c...
|
The Feast Of Dedication
Loud was the burst of joyous music from citherns, harps, and
cymbals--Mount Zion rang with songs of gladness--when in the early
morni...
|
Gaffer Death
There was once a poor man who had twelve children, and he was obliged
to labour day and night that he might earn food for them. When...
|
The Legend Of Paracelsus
It once happened that Paracelsus was walking through a forest, when he
heard a voice calling to him by name. He looked around, and a...
|
Hans In Luck
Hans had served his master seven years, and at last said to him--
"Master, my time is up; I should like to go home and see my moth...
|
The Grey Mare In The Garret
In the portal of the Church of the Apostles, near the new market in
Cologne, hung a picture, the portraits of a certain Frau Richmod...
|
The Water Spirit
About the middle of the sixteenth century, when Zuendorf was no larger
than it is at present, there lived at the end of the village,...
|
Peter Klaus
Peter Klaus, a goatherd of Sittendorf, who tended herds on the
Kyffhauser mountain, used to let them rest of an evening in a spot
s...
|
The Legend Of Rheineck
Graf Ulric Von Rheineck was a very wild youth. Recklessly and without
consideration did he plunge into every excess. Dissipation gre...
|
The Cellar Of The Old Knights In The Kyffhauser
There was a poor, but worthy, and withal very merry, fellow at
Tilleda, who was once put to the expense of a christening, and, as
l...
|
The Fisherman And His Wife
There was once a fisherman who lived with his wife in a ditch close by
the seaside. The fisherman used to go out all day long a-fish...
|
The Mouse Tower
To the traveller who has traversed the delightful environs of the
Rhine, from the city of Mentz as far as Coblentz, or from the clea...
|
The Dancers
The Sabbath-day drew to a close in the summer-tide of the year of
grace one thousand and one, and the rustics of Ramersdorf amused
...
|
The Little Shroud
There was once a woman who had a little son of about seven years old,
who was so lovely and beautiful that no one could look upon hi...
|
The Arch Rogue
There once lived, years ago, a man known only by the name of the Arch
Rogue. By dint of skill in the black art, and all arts of impo...
|
Brother Merry
In days of yore there was a war, and when it was at an end a great
number of the soldiers that had been engaged in it were disbanded...
|
Fastrada
By the side of the "Beautiful Doorway," leading into the cloisters of
the cathedral at Mainz, stands, worked into the wall, a fragme...
|
The Jew In The Bush
A faithful servant had worked hard for his master, a thrifty farmer,
for three long years, and had been paid no wages. At last it ca...
|
The Elves
The happy day at length arrived on which Count Hermann von Rosenberg
was married to his beloved Catherine, a princess of the house o...
|
The Conclave Of Corpses
Some three hundred years since, when the convent of Kreutzberg was in
its glory, one of the monks who dwelt therein, wishing to asce...
|
Legends Of Rubezahl Or Number-nip
Once upon a time a glazier who was travelling across the mountains,
feeling very tired from the heavy load of glass which he was car...
|
The Hunter Hackelnberg And The Tut-osel
The Wild Huntsman, Hackelnberg, traverses the Hartz mountains and the
Thuringian forest, but he seems mostly to prefer the Hakel, fr...
|
The Alraun
It is a well-known tradition near Magdeburg, that when a man who is a
thief by inheritance,--that is to say, whose father and grandf...
|
The Goose-girl
The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of
their only child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautifu...
|
Hans Jagenteufel
It is commonly believed that if any person is guilty of a crime for
which he deserves to lose his head, he will, if he escape punish...
|
The Waits Of Bremen
An honest farmer had once an ass that had been a faithful hard-working
slave to him for a great many years, but was now growing old,...
|
The Flaming Castle
Upon a high mountain in the Tyrol there stands an old castle, in which
there burns a fire every night, and the flashes of that fire ...
|
The Monks At The Ferry
From time immemorial a ferry has existed from Andernach to the
opposite side of the Rhine. Formerly it was more in use than at
pres...
|
Doctor All-wise
There was a poor peasant, named Crab, who once drove two oxen, with a
load of wood, into the city, and there sold it for two dollars...
|
The White Maiden
It is now centuries since a young noble of the neighbourhood was
hunting in the valleys which lie behind the hills that skirt the Rh...
|
The Sturgeon
The Convent of Schwartz-Rheindorf was founded in the year of our Lord
1152 by the Bishop of Cologne, Arnold Graf von Wied, for the r...
|
Saint Andrew's Night
It is commonly believed in Germany that on St. Andrew's night, St.
Thomas' night, and Christmas and New Year's nights, a girl has th...
|
The Beginning Of Newness
Zuni (New Mexico)
Before the beginning of the New-making, the All-father Father alone had
being. Through ages there was nothing else ...
|
The Men Of The Early Times
Zuni (New Mexico)
Eight years was but four days and four nights when the world was new. It
was while such days and nights continued t...
|
Creation And Longevity
Achomawi (Pit River, Cal.)
Coyote began the creation of the earth, but Eagle completed it. Coyote
scratched it up with his paws out o...
|
Old Mole's Creation
Shastika (Cal.)
Long, long ago, before there was any earth, Old Mole burrowed underneath
Somewhere, and threw up the earth which form...
|
The Creation Of The World
Pima (Arizona)
In the beginning there was nothing at all except darkness. All was
darkness and emptiness. For a long, long while, the...
|
Spider's Creation
Sia (New Mexico)
In the beginning, long, long ago, there was but one being in the lower
world. This was the spider, Sussistinnako. At...
|
The Gods And The Six Regions
In ancient times, Po-shai-an-ki-a, the father of the sacred bands, or
tribes, lived with his followers in the City of Mists, the Middl...
|
The Search For The Middle And The Hardening Of The World
Zuni (New Mexico)
As it was with the first men and creatures, so it was with the world. It
was young and unripe. Earthquakes shook th...
|
Origin Of Light
Gallinomero (Russian River, Cal.)
In the earliest beginning, the darkness was thick and deep. There was no
light. The animals ran her...
|
Pokoh The Old Man
Pai Ute (near Kern River, Cal.)
Pokoh, Old Man, they say, created the world. Pokoh had many thoughts. He
had many blankets in which h...
|
Thunder And Lightning
Maidu (near Sacramento Valley, Cal.)
Great-Man created the world and all the people. At first the earth was
very hot, so hot it was m...
|
Creation Of Man
Miwok (San Joaquin Valley, Cal.)
After Coyote had completed making the world, he began to think about
creating man. He called a counc...
|
The First Man And Woman
Nishinam (near Bear River, Cal.)
The first man created by Coyote was called Aikut. His wife was Yototowi.
But the woman grew sick and...
|
Old Man Above And The Grizzlies
Shastika (Cal.)
Along time ago, while smoke still curled from the smoke hole of the
tepee, a great storm arose. The storm shook the t...
|
The Creation Of Man-kind And The Flood
Pima (Arizona)
After the world was ready, Earth Doctor made all kinds of animals and
creeping things. Then he made images of clay, an...
|
The Birds And The Flood
Pima (Arizona)
Once upon a time, when all the earth was flooded, two birds were hanging
above the water. They were clinging to the sk...
|
Legend Of The Flood
Ashochimi (Coast Indians, Cal.)
Long ago there was a great flood which destroyed all the people in the
world. Only Coyote was saved. ...
|
The Great Flood
Sia (New Mexico)
For a long time after the fight, the people were very happy, but the
ninth year was very bad. The whole earth was fi...
|
The Flood And The Theft Of Fire
Tolowa (Del Norte Co., Cal.)
Along time ago there came a great rain. It lasted a long time and the
water kept rising till all the val...
|
Legend Of The Flood In Sacramento Valley
Maidu (near Sacramento Valley, Cal.)
Long, long ago the Indians living in Sacramento Valley were happy.
Suddenly there came the swift...
|
The Fable Of The Animals
Karok (near Klamath River,. Cal.)
A great many hundred snows ago, Kareya, sitting on the Sacred Stool,
created the world. First, he m...
|
Coyote And Sun
Pai Ute (near Kern River, Cal.)
Along time ago, Coyote wanted to go to the sun. He asked Pokoh, Old Man,
to show him the trail. Coyot...
|
The Course Of The Sun
Sia (New Mexico)
Sussistinnako, the spider, said to the sun, "My son, you will ascend and
pass over the world above. You will go from...
|
The Foxes And The Sun
Yurok (near Klamath River, Cal.)
Once upon a time, the Foxes were angry with Sun. They held a council
about the matter. Then twelve F...
|
The Theft Of Fire
Karok (near Klamath River, Cal.)
There was no fire on earth and the Karoks were cold and miserable. Far
away to the east, hidden in a...
|
The Theft Of Fire
Sia (New Mexico)
Along, long time ago, the people became tired of feeding on grass, like
deer and wild animals, and they talked toget...
|
The Earth-hardening After The Flood
Sia (New Mexico)
After the flood, the Sia returned to Ha-arts, the earth. They came
through an opening in the far north. After they h...
|
The Origins Of The Totems And Of Names
Zuni (New Mexico)
Now the Twain Beloved and the priest-fathers gathered in council for the
naming and selection of man-groups and cre...
|
Traditions Of Wanderings
Hopi (Arizona)
After the Hopi had been taught to build stone houses, they took
separate ways. My people were the Snake people. They l...
|
The Migration Of The Water People
Walpi (Arizona)
In the long ago, the Snake, Horn, and Eagle people lived here (in
Tusayan) but their corn grew only a span high and w...
|
Coyote And The Mesquite Beans
Pima (Arizona)
After the waters of the flood had gone down, Elder Brother said to
Coyote, "Do not touch that black bug; and do not ea...
|
Yosemite Valley
(Explanatory) (3)
Mr. Stephen Powers claims that there is no such word in the Miwok
language as Yosemite. The valley has always been ...
|
Legend Of Tu-tok-a-nu'-la El Capitan
Yosemite Valley
Here were once two little boys living in the valley who went down to the
river to swim. After paddling and splashing ...
|
Legend Of Tis-se'-yak South Dome And North Dome
Yosemite Valley
Tisseyak and her husband journeyed from a country very far off, and
entered the valley of the Yosemite foot-sore from...
|
Historic Tradition Of The Upper Tuolumne
Yosemite Valley
(As given by Mr. Stephen Powers, 1877.)(4)
There is a lake-like expansion of the Upper Tuolumne some four miles
l...
|
California Big Trees
Pai Utes (near Kern River, Cal.)
The California big trees are sacred to the Monos, who call them
"woh-woh-nau," a word formed in imit...
|
The Children Of Cloud
Pima (Arizona)
When the Hohokam dwelt on the Gila River and tilled their farms around
the great temple which we call Casa Grande, the...
|
The Cloud People
Sia (New Mexico)
Now all the Cloud People, the Lightning People, the Thunder and Rainbow
Peoples followed the Sia into the upper worl...
|
Rain Song
Sia (New Mexico)
We, the ancient ones, ascended from the middle of the world below,
through the door of the entrance to the lower wor...
|
Rain Song
Sia (New Mexico)
Let the white floating clouds - the clouds like the plains - the
lightning, thunder, rainbow, and cloud peoples, wat...
|
The Corn Maidens
Zuni (New Mexico)
After long ages of wandering, the precious Seed-things rested over the
Middle at Zuni, and men turned their hearts ...
|
The Search For The Corn Maidens
Zuni (New Mexico)
Then the people in their trouble called the two Master-Priests and said:
"Who, now, think ye, should journey to see...
|
Hasjelti And Hostjoghon
Navajo (New Mexico)
Hasjelti was the son of the white corn, and Hostjoghon the son of the
yellow corn. They were born on the mountain...
|
The Song-hunter
Navajo (New Mexico)
A man sat thinking. "Let me see. My songs are too short. I want more
songs. Where shall I go to find them?"
Ha...
|
Sand Painting Of The Song-hunter
Navajo
(Explanatory of frontispiece)
The black cross bars denote pine logs; the white lines the froth of the
water; the yellow, vege...
|
The Guiding Duck And The Lake Of Death
Zuni (New Mexico)
Now K-yak-lu, the all-hearing and wise of speech, all alone had been
journeying afar in the North Land of cold and ...
|
The Boy Who Became A God
Navajo (New Mexico)
The Tolchini, a clan of the Navajos, lived at Wind Mountains. One of
them used to take long visits into the count...
|
Origin Of Clear Lake
Patwin (Sacramento Valley, Cal.)
Before anything was created at all, Old Frog and Old Badger lived alone
together. Old Badger wanted ...
|
The Great Fire
Patwin (Sacramento Valley, Cal.)
Long ago a man loved two women and wished to marry both of them. But the
women were magpies and they...
|
Origin Of The Raven And The Macaw
(Totems of summer and winter)
Zuni (New Mexico)
The priest who was named Yanauluha carried ever in his hand a staff
which now in the...
|
Coyote And The Hare
Sia (New Mexico)
One day Coyote was passing about when he saw Hare sitting before his
house. Coyote thought, "In a minute I will catc...
|
Coyote And The Quails
Pima (Arizona)
Once upon a time, long ago, Coyote was sleeping so soundly that a covey
of quails came along and cut pieces of fat mea...
|
Coyote And The Fawns
Sia (New Mexico)
Another day when he was travelling around, Coyote met a deer with two
fawns. The fawns were beautifully spotted, and...
|
How The Bluebird Got Its Color
Pima (Arizona)
A long time ago, the bluebird was a very ugly color. But Bluebird knew
of a lake where no river flowed in or out, and ...
|
Coyote's Eyes
Pima (Arizona)
When Coyote was travelling about one day, he saw a small bird. The bird
was hopping about contentedly and Coyote thoug...
|
Coyote And The Tortillas
Pima (Arizona)
Once upon a time, a river rose very high and spread all over the land.
An Indian woman was going along the trail by th...
|
Coyote As A Hunter
Sia (New Mexico)
Coyote travelled a long distance and in the middle of the day it was
very hot. He sat down and rested, and thought, ...
|
How The Rattlesnake Learned To Bite
Pima (Arizona)
After people and the animals were created, they all lived together.
Rattlesnake was there, and was called Soft Child b...
|
Coyote And The Rattlesnake
Sia (New Mexico)
Coyote's house was not far from Rattlesnake's home. One morning when
they were out walking together, Coyote said to ...
|
Origin Of The Saguaro And Palo Verde Cacti
Pima (Arizona)
Once upon a time an old Indian woman had two grandchildren. Every day
she ground wheat and corn between the grinding s...
|
The Thirsty Quails
Pima (Arizona)
A Quail once had more than twenty children, and with them she wandered
over the whole country in search of water and c...
|
The Boy And The Beast
Pima (Arizona)
Once an old woman lived with her daughter and son-in-law and their
little boy. They were following the trail of the Ap...
|
Why The Apaches Are Fierce
Pima (Arizona)
Elder Brother, Coyote, and Earth Doctor, after the flood vanished, began
to create people and animals. Coyote made all...
|
Speech On The Warpath
Pima (Arizona)
We have come thus far, my brothers. In the east there is White Gopher,
who gnaws with his strong teeth. He was friendl...
|
The Spirit Land
Gallinomero (Russian River, Cal.)
When the flames burn low on the funeral pyres of the Gallinomero, Indian
mourners gather up handful...
|
Song Of The Ghost Dance
Pai Ute (Kern River, Cal.)
The snow lies there - ro-rani!
The snow lies there - ro-rani!
...
|
The Two Friends Who Set Off To Travel Round The World
Once there were two men who desired to travel round the world, that
they might tell others what was the manner of it.
This was in...
|
The Coming Of Men A Long Long While Ago
Our forefathers have told us much of the coming of earth, and of
men, and it was a long, long while ago. Those who lived long before...
|
Nukunguasik Who Escaped From The Tupilak
Nukunguasik, it is said, had land in a place with many brothers. When
the brothers made a catch, they gave him meat for the pot; he ...
|
Qujavarssuk
A strong man had land at Ikerssuaq. The only other one there was an
old man, one who lived on nothing but devil-fish; when the stron...
|
Kunigseq
There was once a wizard whose name was Kunigseq.
One day, when he was about to call on his helping spirits and make a
flight down...
|
The Woman Who Had A Bear As A Foster-son
There was once an old woman living in a place where others lived. She
lived nearest the shore, and when those who lived in houses up...
|
Imarasugssuaq Who Ate His Wives
It is said that the great Imarasugssuaq was wont to eat his wives. He
fattened them up, giving them nothing but salmon to eat, and n...
|
Qalaganguase Who Passed To The Land Of Ghosts
There was once a boy whose name was Qalaganguase; his parents lived at
a place where the tides were strong. And one day they ate sea...
|
Isigaligarssik
Isigaligarssik was a wifeless man, and he was very strong. One of
the other men in his village was a wizard.
Isigaligarssik was t...
|
The Insects That Wooed A Wifeless Man
There was once a wifeless man.
Yes, that is the way a story always begins.
And it was his custom to run down to the girls whene...
|
The Very Obstinate Man
There was once an Obstinate Man--no one in the world could be as
obstinate as he. And no one dared come near him, so obstinate was ...
|
The Dwarfs
A man who was out in his kayak saw another kayak far off, and rowed
up to it. When he came up with it, he saw that the man in it was...
|
The Boy From The Bottom Of The Sea Who Frightened The People Of The House To Death
Well, you see, it was the usual thing: "The Obstinate One" had taken
a wife, and of course he beat her, and when he wanted to make i...
|
The Raven And The Goose
Do you know why the raven is so black, so dull and black in colour? It
is all because of its own obstinacy. Now listen.
It happen...
|
When The Ravens Could Speak
Once, long ago, there was a time when the ravens could talk.
But the strange thing about the ravens' speech was that their words
...
|
Makite
Makite, men say, took to wife the sister of many brothers, but he
himself could never manage to catch a seal when he was out in his
...
|
Asaloq
Asaloq, men say, had a foster-brother. Once when he had come home after
having been out in his kayak, his foster-brother had disappe...
|
Ukaleq
Ukaleq, men say, was a strong man. Whenever he heard news of game,
even if it were a great bear, he had only to go out after it, and...
|
Ikardlituarssuk
Ikardlituarssuk, men say, had a little brother; they lived at a place
where there were many other houses. One autumn the sea was fro...
|
The Raven Who Wanted A Wife
A little sparrow was mourning for her husband who was lost. She was
very fond of him, for he caught worms for her.
As she sat the...
|
The Man Who Took A Vixen To Wife
There was once a man who wished to have a wife unlike all other wives,
and so he caught a little fox, a vixen, and took it home to h...
|
The Great Bear
A woman ran away from her home because her child had died. On her
way she came to a house. In the passage way there lay skins of bea...
|
The Man Who Became A Star
There was once an old man who stood out on the ice waiting for the
seal to come up to their breathing holes to breathe. But on the s...
|
The Woman With The Iron Tail
There was once a woman who had an iron tail. And more than this,
she was also an eater of men. When a stranger came to visit her,
s...
|
How The Fog Came
There was a Mountain Spirit, which stole corpses from their graves
and ate them when it came home. And a man, wishing to see who did...
|
The Man Who Avenged The Widows
This was in the old days, in those times when men were yet skilful
rowers in kayaks. You know that there once came a great sickness
...
|
The Man Who Went Out To Search For His Son
Once in the days of our forefathers, a man went out along the coasts,
making search for his son. For that son had gone out in his ka...
|
Atungait Who Went A-wandering
Atungait, that great man, had once, it is said, a fancy to go out on
a sledge trip with a strong woman.
He took a ribbon seal and...
|
Kumagdlak And The Living Arrows
Kumagdlak, men say, lived apart from his fellows. He had a wife,
and she was the only living being in the place beside himself.
O...
|
The Giant Dog
There was once a man who had a giant dog. It could swim in the sea, and
was so big that it could haul whale and narwhal to shore. Th...
|
The Inland-dwellers Of Etah
There came a sledge driving round to the east of Etah, up into the
land, near the great lake. Suddenly the dogs scented something, a...
|
The Man Who Stabbed His Wife In The Leg
There was once a man whose name was Neruvkaq, and his wife was named
Navarana, and she was of the tunerssuit, the inland-dwellers. S...
|
The Soul That Lived In The Bodies Of All Beasts
There was a man whose name was Avovang. And of him it is said that
nothing could wound him. And he lived at Kangerdlugssuaq.
At t...
|
Papik Who Killed His Wife's Brother
There was once a man whose name was Papik, and it was his custom to
go out hunting with his wife's brother, whose name was Ailaq. Bu...
|
Patussorssuaq Who Killed His Uncle
There lived a woman at Kugkat, and she was very beautiful, and Alataq
was he who had her to wife. And at the same place lived Patus...
|
The Men Who Changed Wives
There were once two men, Talilarssuaq and Navssarssuaq, and they
changed wives. Talilarssuaq was a mischievous fellow, who was given...
|
Artuk Who Did All Forbidden Things
A man whose name was Artuk had buried his wife, but refused to remain
aloof from doings which those who have been busied with the de...
|
The Thunder Spirits
Two sisters, men say, were playing together, and their father could
not bear to hear the noise they made, for he had but few childre...
|
Nerrivik
A bird once wished to marry a woman. He got himself a fine sealskin
coat, and having weak eyes, made spectacles out of a walrus tus...
|
The Wife Who Lied
Navaranapaluk, men say, came of a tribe of man-eaters, but when she
grew up, she was taken to wife by one of a tribe that did not ea...
|
Kagssagssuk The Homeless Boy Who Became A Strong Man
One day, it is said, when the men and women in the place had gone to
a spirit calling, the children were left behind, all in one big...
|
Qasiagssaq The Great Liar
Qasiagssaq, men say, was a great liar. His wife was called
Qigdlugsuk. He could never sleep well at night, and being sleepless,
he ...
|
The Eagle And The Whale
In a certain village there lived many brothers. And they had two
sisters, both of an age to marry, and often urged them to take
hus...
|
The Two Little Outcasts
There were two little boys and they had no father and no mother,
and they went out every day hunting ptarmigan, and they had never
...
|
Atdlarneq The Great Glutton
This is told of Atdlarneq: that he was a strong man, and if he rowed
but a little way out in his kayak, he caught a seal. On no day ...
|
Angangujuk
It is said that Angangujuk's father was very strong. They had no other
neighbours, but lived there three of them all alone. One day ...
|
Atarssuaq
Atarssuaq had many enemies. But his many enemies tried in vain to
hurt him, and they could not kill him.
Then it happened that hi...
|
Puagssuaq
There was once a wifeless man who always went out hunting ptarmigan. It
became his custom always to go out hunting ptarmigan every d...
|
Tungujuluk And Saunikoq
Tungujuluk and Saunikoq were men from one village. And both were
wizards. When they heard a spirit calling, one would change into a
...
|
Anarteq
There was once an old man, and he had only one son, and that son
was called Anarteq. But he had many daughters. They were very fond
...
|
The Guillemot That Could Talk
A man from the south heard one day of a guillemot that could talk. It
was said that this bird was to be found somewhere in the north...
|
Kanagssuaq
Kanagssuaq, men say, went out from his own place to live on a little
island, and there took to wife the only sister of many brothers...
|
The Meeting Of The Star-lovers
One of the greatest days in the calendar of old Japan was the seventh of
July; or, as the Japanese people put it, "the seventh day o...
|
The Travels Of Two Frogs
Forty miles apart, as the cranes fly, stand the great cities of Ozaka and
Kioto. The one is the city of canals and bridges. Its stre...
|
The Child Of The Thunder
In among the hills of Echizen, within sight of the snowy mountain called
Hakuzan, lived a farmer named Bimbo. He was very poor, but ...
|
The Tongue-cut Sparrow
There was once an old man who had a wife with a very bad temper. She had
never borne him any children, and would not take the troubl...
|
The Fire-fly's Lovers
In Japan the night-flies emit so brilliant a light and are so beautiful
that ladies go out in the evenings and catch the insects for...
|
The Battle Of The Ape And The Crab
In the land where neither the monkeys or the cats have tails, and the
persimmons grow to be as large as apples and with seeds bigger...
|
The Wonderful Tea-kettle
A long time ago there was an old priest who lived in the temple of
Morinji in the province of Hitachi. He cooked his own rice, boile...
|
Peach-prince And The Treasure Island
Very long, long ago, there lived an old man and woman in a village near a
mountain, from which flowed a stream of purest water. This...
|
The Fox And The Badger
There is a certain mountainous district in Shikoku in which a skillful
hunter had trapped or shot so many foxes and badgers that onl...
|
The Seven Patrons Of Happiness
Every child knows who the Shichi fuku Fin or seven Patrons of Happiness
are. They have charge of Long Life, Riches, Daily Food, Cont...
|
Daikoku And The Oni
A long while ago, when the idols of Buddha and his host of disciples came
to Japan, after traveling through China from India, they w...
|
Benkei And The Bell
On one of the hills overlooking the blue sky's mirror of Lake Biwa,
stands the ancient monastery of Miidera which was founded over 1...
|
Little Silver's Dream Of The Shoji
Ko Gin San (Miss Little Silver) was a young maid who did not care for
strange stories of animals, so much as for those of wonder-cre...
|
The Tengus Or The Elves With Long Noses
(After Hokusai.)
Curious creatures are the tengus, with the head of a hawk and the body of
a man. They have very hairy hands or p...
|
Kintaro Or The Wild Baby
Long, long ago, when the tallest fir trees on the Hakone mountains were
no higher than a rice-stalk, there lived in that part of the...
|
Jiraiya Or The Magic Frog
Ogata was the name of a castle-lord who lived in the Island of the Nine
Provinces, (Kiushiu). He had but one son, an infant, whom th...
|
How The Jelly-fish Lost Its Shell
Parts of the seas of the Japanese Archipelago are speckled with thousands
of round white jelly-fish, that swim a few feet below the ...
|
Lord Cuttle-fish Gives A Concert
Despite the loss of the monkey's liver, the queen of the World under the
Sea, after careful attention and long rest, got well again,...
|
Yorimasa The Brave Archer
Genzan Yorimasa was a brave warrior and a very useful man who lived more
than eight thousand moons ago. On account of his valor and ...
|
Watanabe Cuts Off The Oni's Arm
When the capital of Japan was the city of Kioto, and the mikado dwelt in
it with all his court, there lived a brave captain of the g...
|
Watanabe Kills The Great Spider
During the time in which Watanabe was forming his plan to destroy the
onis that lurked in the Oye mountains, the brave Raiko fell si...
|
Raiko And The Shi-ten Doji
Quite pathless were the desolate mountains of Tango, for no one ever went
into them except once in a while a poor woodcutter or char...
|
The Sazaye And The Tai
Sazaye is a shell-fish, which is very proud of its shell. This is high,
full of points like towers, and thick like a castle wall. Wh...
|
Smells And Jingles
Yedo people are very fond of broiled eels. A rich merchant, named
Kisaburo, who was very miserly with his money, once moved his quar...
|
The Lake Of The Lute And The Matchless Mountain
Of all the beautiful objects in "the land of the holy gods," as the
Japanese call their country, none are more beautiful than Fuji M...
|
The Waterfall Of Yoro Or The Fountain Of Youth
Long, long, ago, when the oldest stork was young, there lived an aged
woodcutter and his son on the slopes of the mountain Tagi, in ...
|
The Earthquake Fish
Mukashi, mukashi, (as most Japanese stories begin), long, long ago, when
the gods came down from heaven to subdue the earth for the ...
|
The Dream Story Of Gojiro
Only a few years ago there was a gentleman in Fukui, Japan, who had a
son, a bright lad of twelve, who was very diligent at school a...
|
The Procession Of Lord Long-legs
Lovely and bright in the month of May, at the time of rice-planting, was
the day on which the daimio, Lord Long-legs, was informed b...
|
Kiyohime Or The Power Of Love
Quiet and shady was the spot in the midst of one of the loveliest valley
landscapes in the empire, near the banks of the Hidaka rive...
|
The Fisherman And The Moon-maiden
Pearly and lustrous white, like a cloud in the far-off blue sky, seemed
the floating figure of the moon-maiden, as she flew to earth...
|
The Jewels Of The Ebbing And The Flowing Tide
Chiuai was the fourteenth mikado of the Land of the Gods (Japan). His
wife, the empress, was named Jingu, or Godlike Exploit. She wa...
|
Kai Riu O The Dragon King Of The World Under The Sea
Soon after her arrival at home, the empress Jingu gave birth to a son,
whom she named Ojin. He was one of the fairest children ever ...
|
The Creation Of Heaven And Earth
Of old the Heavens and the Earth were not separated. Land and water,
solids and gases, fire and stone, light and darkness were mixed...
|
How The Sun Goddess Was Enticed Out Of Her Cave
When the far-shining goddess, on account of the evil pranks of her
brother, Susa no O, the Ruler of the Moon, hid herself in a cave,...
|
The Gwineeboos The Redbreasts
Gwineeboo and Goomai, the water rat, were down at the creek one day,
getting mussels for food, when, to their astonishment, a kangar...
|
Meamei The Seven Sisters
Wurrunnah had had a long day's hunting, and he came back to the camp
tired and hungry. He asked his old mother for durrie, but she s...
|
Weedah The Mocking Bird
Weedah was playing a great trick on the black fellows who lived near
him. He had built himself a number of grass nyunnoos, more than...
|
Bootoolgah The Crane And Goonur The Kangaroo Rat The Fire Makers
In the days when Bootoolgah, the crane, married Goonur, the kangaroo
rat, there was no fire in their country. They had to eat their ...
|
The Weeoonibeens And The Piggiebillah
Two Weeoombeen brothers went out hunting. One brother was much younger
than the other and smaller, so when they sighted an emu, the ...
|
Gooloo The Magpie And The Wahroogah
Gooloo was a very old woman, and a very wicked old woman too, as this
story will tell. During all the past season, when the grass wa...
|
The Galah And Oolah The Lizard
Oolah the lizard was tired of lying in the sun, doing nothing. So he
said, "I will go and play." He took his boomerangs out, and beg...
|
Bahloo The Moon And The Daens
Bahloo the moon looked down at the earth one night, when his light was
shining quite brightly, to see if any one was moving. When th...
|
The Origin Of The Narran Lake
Old Byamee said to his two young wives, Birrahgnooloo and
Cunnunbeillee, "I have stuck a white feather between the hind legs of a
b...
|
The Good Old Times
In ancient days, rivers were very conveniently arranged. The water
flowed down one bank, and up the other, so that you could go either...
|
The Old Man Of The Sea
The Old Man of the Sea (Atui koro ekashi) is a monster able to swallow
ships and whales. In shape it resembles a bag, and the suction ...
|
The Cuckoo
The male cuckoo is called kakkok, the female tutut. Both are
beautiful birds, and live in the sky. But in spring they come down to
ea...
|
The [horned] Owl
There are six owls,--brethren. The eldest of them is only a little
bigger than a sparrow. When perching on a tree, it balances itself
...
|
The Peacock In The Sky
A cloudless sky has a peacock in it, whose servants are the eagles. The
peacock lives in the sky, and only descends to earth to give b...
|
Coition
The Ainos think it very unlucky for the woman to move ever so slightly
during the act of coition. If she does so, she brings disasters...
|
The Pre-eminence Of The Oak Pine-tree And Mugwort
At the beginning of the world the ground was very hot. The ground was so
hot that the creatures called men even got their feet burnt. ...
|
The Deer With The Golden Horn A Specimen Of Aino History
My very earliest ancestor kept a deer. He used to tie the divine symbols
to its horns. Then the deer would go to the mountains, and br...
|
Dreams
To dream of rice-beer, a river, swimming, or anything connected with
liquids, causes rainy weather. For instance, I dreamt last night ...
|
Dinewan The Emu And Goomblegubbon The Bustard
Dinewan the emu, being the largest bird, was acknowledged as king by the
other birds. The Goomblegubbons, the bustards, were jealous...
|
Yoshitsune
[It has been generally believed, both by Japanese and Europeans who
have written about the Ainos, that the latter worship Yosh...
|
The Clever Deceiver
A long, long time ago there was a rascal, who went to the mountains to
fetch wood. As he did not know how to amuse himself, he climbed...
|
The Baby In The Box
There was once a woman who was tenderly loved by her husband. At last,
after some years, she bore him a son. Then the father loved thi...
|
The Bride Bewitched
There was once a very beautiful girl who had many suitors. But, as soon
as she was married to one, and he lay down beside her and then...
|
The Wicked Stepmother
In ancient days, when men were allowed to have several wives, a certain
man had two--one about his own age, the other quite young,--an...
|
Buying A Dream
A certain thickly populated village was governed by six chiefs, the
oldest of whom lorded it over the other five. One day he made a fe...
|
An Inquisitive Man's Experience Of Hades
Three generations before my time there lived an Aino who wished to find
out whether the stories told about the existence of an under-w...
|
The Child Of A God
There was a very beautiful woman, who was still without a husband. A man
had already been fixed upon to become her husband, but he had...
|
The Hunter In Hades
A handsome and brave young man, who was skilful in the chase, one day
pursued a large bear into the recesses of the mountains. On and ...
|
The Worship Of The Salmon The Divine Fish
A certain Aino went out in a boat to catch fish in the sea. While he was
there, a great wind arose, so that he drifted about for six n...
|
Panaumbe Penaumbe And The Sea-lion
There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the sea-shore,
and walked up and down upon the sand. Then he saw a sea-lion in...
|
Panaumbe Penaumbe And The Lord Of Matomai[e]
Panaumbe wanted very much to become rich. For this reason, he stretched
his penis across to the town of Matomai. Then the lord of Mato...
|
Drinking The Sea Dry
There was the Chief of the Mouth of the River and the Chief of the Upper
Current of the River. The former was very vainglorious, and t...
|
The Island Of Women
In ancient days, an Aino chieftain of Iwanai went to sea in order to
catch sea-lions, taking with him his two sons. They speared a sea...
|
Panaumbe Penaumbe The Fishes And The Insects
There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the sea-shore,
squatted on the sand, pulled up his clothes, and, turning his b...
|
The Angry Crow
A man came to a certain village--whence was not known,--dressed only in
fine black robes. While he was there, some rice-beer was brewe...
|
Okikurumi Samayunguru And The Shark
Okikurumi and his henchman Samayunguru went out one day to sea, and
speared a large shark, which ran away, up and down the sea, with t...
|
Panaumbe Penaumbe And The Weeping Foxes
There were Panaumbe and Penaumbe. Panaumbe went down to the bank of a
river, and called out: "Oh! you fellows on the cliff behind yond...
|
Don't Throw Useful Things Away
A certain man had a little boy. A divine little boy and a divine little
girl used to come and play with him every day. But the little ...
|
The Wicked Wizard Punished
One day a wizard told a man whom he knew that, if any one were to climb
a certain mountain-peak and jump off on to the belt of clouds ...
|
The Fox And The Tiger No I
Said the tiger to the fox: "Let us run a race from the top of the world
to the bottom of the world, and he who wins it shall be lord o...
|
How It Was Settled Who Should Rule The World
When the Creator had finished creating this world of men, the good and
the bad gods were all mixed together promiscuously, and began d...
|
The Man Who Lost His Wife
A man had lost his wife, and was searching for her everywhere, over hill
and dale, forest and sea-shore. At last he came to a wide pla...
|
The First Appearance Of The Horse In Aino-land
A very beautiful woman had a husband. He was a very skilful fellow. Once
he went to the mountains, and disappeared. But at night he re...
|
Sunrise
When the sun rises at the head of the world [i.e in the east], a
devil tries to swallow it. But some one thrusts two or three crows or...
|
The Sex Of The Two Luminaries
Formerly it was the female luminary that came out at night. But she was
so greatly shocked at the immoralities which she saw going on ...
|
The Kind Giver And The Grudging Giver
A certain man had laid his net across the river; having laid his net, he
killed a quantity of fish. Meanwhile there came a raven, and ...
|
The Man Who Was Changed Into A Fox
A certain man's conduct was as follows: he went to every place, making
it his business to do nothing but tell lies and extort things f...
|
The Rat Boy
In a certain village there lived a very rich couple; but they were
childless. They were very anxious for a child. But one day, as the ...
|
The Two Foxes The Mole And The Crows
Two brother foxes consulted together thus: "It would be fun for us to go
down among men, and assume human shape." So they made treasur...
|
The Stolen Charm
A very rich man kept a puppy and a fox-cub. Besides these he possessed a
tiny silver model of a ship,--a charm given to him by some go...
|
The Fox The Otter And The Monkey
In very ancient days, at the beginning of the world, there were a fox,
an otter, and a monkey, all three of whom lived on the most int...
|
The Man Who Married The Bear-goddess
There was a very populous village. It was a village having both plenty
of fish and plenty of venison. It was a place lacking no kind o...
|
The Loves Of The Thunder-gods
Two young thunder-gods, sons of the chief thunder-god, fell violently in
love with the same Aino woman. Said one of them to the other,...
|
Why Dogs Cannot Speak
Formerly dogs could speak. Now they cannot. The reason is that a dog,
belonging to a certain man a long time ago, inveigled his master...
|
Why The Cock Cannot Fly
When the Creator had finished creating the world, and had returned to
the sky, he sent down the cock to see whether the world was good...
|
The Origin Of The Hare
Suddenly there was a large house on the top of a mountain, wherein were
six people beautifully arrayed, but constantly quarrelling. Wh...
|
The Position Of The Private Parts
At the beginning of the world it had been the Creator's intention to
place both men's and women's genitals on their foreheads so that ...
|
The Reason For There Being No Fixed Time For Human Beings To Copulate
Anciently the Creator summoned all the birds and beasts, the gods and
devils together, in order to instruct them on the subject of cop...
|
The Owl And The Tortoise
The tortoise[-god] in the sea and the owl[-god] on land were very
intimate. The tortoise spoke thus: "Your child is a boy. My child is...
|
How A Man Got The Better Of Two Foxes
A man went into the mountains to get bark to make rope with, and found a
hole. To this hole there came a fox, who spoke as follows, th...
|
The Rat And The Owl
An owl had put by for next day the remains of something dainty which he
had to eat. But a rat stole it, whereupon the owl was very ang...
|
The Cookooburrahs And The Goolahgool
Googarh, the iguana, was married to Moodai, the opossum and
Cookooburrah, the laughing jackass. Cookooburrah was the mother of
thre...
|
The Mayamah
The blacks had all left their camp and gone away to attend a borah.
Nothing was left in the camp but one very old dog, too old to tr...
|
The Bunbundoolooeys
The mother Bunbundoolooey put her child, a little boy Bunbundoolooey,
who could only just crawl, into her goolay. Goolay is a sort o...
|
Oongnairwah And Guinarey
Oongnairwah, the diver, and Guinarey, the eagle hawk, told all the
pelicans, black swans, cranes, and many others, that they would t...
|
Narahdarn The Bat
Narahdarn, the bat, wanted honey. He watched until he saw a
Wurranunnah, or bee, alight. He caught it, stuck a white feather
betwee...
|
Mullyangah The Morning Star
Mullyan, the eagle hawk, built himself a home high in a yaraan tree.
There he lived apart from his tribe, with Moodai the opossum, h...
|
Goomblegubbon Beeargah And Ouyan
Goomblegubbon the bustard, his two wives, Beeargah the hawk, and Ouyan
the curlew, with the two children of Beeargah, had their camp...
|
Mooregoo The Mopoke And Bahloo The Moon
Mooregoo the Mopoke had been camped away by himself for a long time.
While alone he had made a great number of boomerangs, nullah-nu...
|
Ouyan The Curlew
Bleargah the hawk, mother of Ouyan the curlew, said one day to her son:
"Go, Ouyan, out, take your spears and kill an emu. The women...
|
Dinewan The Emu And Wahn The Crows
Dinewan and his two wives, the Wahn, were camping out. Seeing some
clouds gathering, they made a bark humpy. It came on to rain, and...
|
Goolahwilleel The Topknot Pigeons
Young Goolahwilleeel used to go out hunting every day. His mother and
sisters always expected that he would bring home kangaroo and ...
|
Goonur The Woman-doctor
Goonur was a clever old woman-doctor, who lived with her son, Goonur,
and his two wives. The wives were Guddah the red lizard, and B...
|
Deereeree The Wagtail And The Rainbow
Deereeree was a widow and lived in a camp alone with her four little
girls. One day Bibbee came and made a camp not far from hers. D...
|
Mooregoo The Mopoke And Mooninguggahgul The Mosquito Bird
An old man lived with his two wives, the Mooninguggahgul sisters, and
his two sons. The old man spent all his time making boomerangs...
|
Bougoodoogahdah The Rain Bird
Bougoodoogahdah was all old woman who lived alone with her four hundred
dingoes. From living so long with these dogs she had grown n...
|
The Borah Of Byamee
Word had been passed from tribe to tribe, telling, how that the season
was good, there must be a great gathering of the tribes. And ...
|
Bunnyyarl The Flies And Wurrunnunnah The Bees
The Bunnyyarl and Wurrunnunnah were relations, and lived in one camp.
The Wurrunnunnah were very hardworking, always trying to gathe...
|
Deegeenboyah The Soldier-bird
Deegeenboyah was an old man, and getting past hunting much for himself;
and he found it hard to keep his two wives and his two daugh...
|
Mayrah The Wind That Blows The Winter Away
At the beginning of winter, the iguanas hide themselves in their homes
in the sand; the black eagle hawks go into their nests; the g...
|
Wayarnbeh The Turtle
Oolah, the lizard, was out getting yams on a Mirrieh flat. She had
three of her children with her. Suddenly she thought she heard so...
|
Wirreenun The Rainmaker
The country was stricken with a drought. The rivers were all dry except
the deepest holes in them. The grass was dead, and even the ...
|
Oh: The Tsar Of The Forest
The olden times were not like the times we live in. In the olden
times all manner of Evil Powers[1] walked abroad. The world itself ...
|
The Story Of The Wind
Once upon a time there dwelt two brethren in one village, and one
brother was very, very rich, and the other brother was very, very
...
|
The Voices At The Window
A nobleman went hunting one autumn, and with him went a goodly train
of huntsmen. All day long they hunted and hunted, and at the en...
|
The Story Of Little Tsar Novishny The False Sister And The Faithful Beasts
Once upon a time, in a certain kingdom, in a certain empire, there
dwelt a certain Tsar who had never had a child. One day this Tsar...
|
The Vampire And St Michael
Once upon a time in a certain village there lived two neighbours; one
was rich, very rich, and the other so poor that he had nothing...
|
The Story Of Tremsin The Bird Zhar And Nastasia The Lovely Maid Of The Sea
There was once upon a time a man and a woman, and they had one little
boy. In the summertime they used to go out and mow corn in the...
|
The Serpent-wife
There was once a gentleman who had a labourer who never went about in
company. His fellow-servants did all they could to make him co...
|
The Story Of Unlucky Daniel
There was once upon a time a youth called Unlucky Dan. Wherever he
went, and whatever he did, and with whomsoever he served, nothing...
|
The Sparrow And The Bush
A sparrow once flew down upon a bush and said, "Little bush, give good
little sparrow a swing."--"I won't!" said the little bush. Th...
|
The Old Dog
There was once a man who had a dog. While the dog was young he was
made much of, but when he grew old he was driven out of doors. So...
|
The Fox And The Cat
In a certain forest there once lived a fox, and near to the fox lived
a man who had a cat that had been a good mouser in its youth, ...
|
The Straw Ox
There was once upon a time an old man and an old woman. The old man
worked in the fields as a pitch-burner, while the old woman sat ...
|
The Golden Slipper
There was once upon a time an old man and an old woman, and the old
man had a daughter, and the old woman had a daughter. And the ol...
|
The Iron Wolf
There was once upon a time a parson who had a servant, and when this
servant had served him faithfully for twelve years and upward, ...
|
The Three Brothers
There were, once upon a time, three brothers, and the third was a
fool. And in their little garden grew golden apple-trees with gold...
|
The Tsar And The Angel
Somewhere, nowhere, in a certain kingdom, in a certain empire, time
out of mind, and in no land of ours, dwelt a Tsar who was so pro...
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The Story Of Ivan And The Daughter Of The Sun
There were once upon a time four brethren, and three of them remained
at home, while the fourth went out to seek for work. This youn...
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The Cat The Cock And The Fox
There was once upon a time a cat and a cock, who agreed to live
together, so they built them a hut on an ash-heap, and the cock kept...
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The Serpent-tsarevich And His Two Wives
There was once a Tsaritsa who had no child, and greatly desired one,
so the soothsayers said to her, "Bid them catch thee a pike, bi...
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The Origin Of The Mole
Once upon a time a rich man and a poor man had a field in common, and
they sowed it with the same seed at the same time. But God pro...
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The Two Princes
There was once upon a time a King who had two sons, and these sons
went a-hunting in the forest and there lost themselves. They wand...
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The Ungrateful Children And The Old Father Who Went To School Again
Once upon a time there was an old man. He lived to a great age, and
God gave him children whom he brought up to man's estate, and he...
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Ivan The Fool And St Peter's Fife
There was once upon a time a man who had three sons, and two were
clever, but the third, called Ivan, was a fool. Their father divid...
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The Magic Egg
There was once upon a time a lark who was the Tsar among the birds,
and he took unto himself as his Tsaritsa a little shrew-mouse. T...
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The Story Of The Forty-first Brother
There was once upon a time an old man who had forty-one sons. Now
when this old man was at the point of death, he divided all he had...
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The Story Of The Unlucky Days
At the end of a village on the verge of the steppe dwelt two brothers,
one rich and the other poor. One day the poor brother came to...
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The Wondrous Story Of Ivan Golik And The Serpents
Somewhere, nowhere, in another kingdom, in the Empire of Thrice-ten,
lived--whether 'twas a Tsar and a Tsaritsa, or only a Prince an...
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The Rival Kempers
BY WILLIAM CARLETON
In the north of Ireland there are spinning meetings of unmarried
females frequently held at the houses of far...
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The Young Piper
BY CROFTON CROKER
There lived not long since, on the borders of the county Tipperary, a
decent honest couple, whose names were Mi...
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A Fairy Enchantment
Story-teller--MICHAEL HART
Recorder--W. B. YEATS
In the times when we used to travel by canal I was coming down from
Dublin. W...
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Teigue Of The Lee
BY CROFTON CROKER
I can't stop in the house--I won't stop in it for all the money that
is buried in the old castle of Carrigrohan...
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The Fairy Greyhound
Paddy M'Dermid was one of the most rollicking boys in the whole county
of Kildare. Fair or pattern[3] wouldn't be held barring he wa...
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The Lady Of Gollerus
BY CROFTON CROKER
On the shore of Smerwick harbour, one fine summer's morning, just at
daybreak, stood Dick Fitzgerald 'shoghing ...
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The Devil's Mill
BY SAMUEL LOVER
You see, sir, there was a colonel wanst, in times back, that owned a
power of land about here--but God keep uz, t...
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Fergus O'mara And The Air-demons
BY DR. P. W. JOYCE
Of all the different kinds of goblins that haunted the lonely places
of Ireland in days of old, air-demons wer...
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The Man Who Never Knew Fear
TRANSLATED FROM THE GAELIC BY DOUGLAS HYDE
There was once a lady, and she had two sons whose names were Louras
(Lawrence) and Car...
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Seanchan The Bard And The King Of The Cats
BY LADY WILDE
When Seanchan, the renowned Bard, was made Ard-File or Chief Poet of
Ireland, Guaire, the king of Connaught, to do ...
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Owney And Owney-na-peak
BY GERALD GRIFFEN
When Ireland had kings of her own--when there was no such thing as a
coat made of red cloth in the country--whe...
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The Knighting Of Cuculain
BY STANDISH O'GRADY
One night in the month of the fires of Bel, Cathvah, the Druid and
star-gazer, was observing the heavens thro...
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The Little Weaver Of Duleek Gate
BY SAMUEL LOVER
You see, there was a waiver lived, wanst upon a time, in Duleek here,
hard by the gate, and a very honest, indust...
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The Sociable Fairies
These creatures, who go about in troops, and quarrel, and make love,
much as men and women do, are divided into land fairies or Sheoqu...
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The Solitary Fairies
These are nearly all gloomy and terrible in some way. There are,
however, some among them who have light hearts and brave attire.
1...
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A Laung Khit
Once upon a time there was a woman who lived in the State of Lai Hka.
She was a very pious woman and always gave the best rice and p...
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How Boh Han Me Got His Title
Boh Han Me was one of the greatest generals who ever lived in the hill
and water country. Just what his original name was nobody kno...
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The Two Chinamen
Ages ago, when this world was new, having been created but a short
while, two Chinese boys left their native country and started out...
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Story Of The Princess Nang Kam Ung
There was once a king who reigned over one of the largest States in the
hill and water country. For a long time there had been war b...
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How The Hare Deceived The Tiger
At the beginning of the world a hare, tiger, ox, buffalo, and horse
became friends and lived together. One day the tiger was out hun...
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The Story Of The Tortoise
There was once a man who had two wives. Now as everybody knows it is
always the chief wife that the husband loves best, while the ot...
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The Sparrow's Wonderful Brood
Many, many years ago, at the beginning of the world, a little sparrow
built her nest on the top of a tall tree that grew near the ed...
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How The World Was Created
In the beginning of the world, many, many cycles ago, so long ago, in
fact, that no man knows how long it was, there were no trees, ...
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How The King Of Pagan Caught The Thief
Many, many years ago there lived near the old city of Pagan a famous
robber chief who was so fierce and cruel that he made all men f...
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The Magic Lamp
In the capital of a certain raja, there lived a poor widow. She had
an only son who was of comely form and handsome countenance. One...
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The Two Brothers Jhorea And Jhore
There were two brothers, whose parents died, leaving them orphans
when very young. The name of the elder was Jhorea, and of the youn...
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The Boy And His Stepmother
A certain boy had charge of a cow which he used to tend while
grazing. One day the cow said to him, "How is it that you are becoming...
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The Story Of Kara And Guja
There were two brothers named Kara and Guja. Guja, who was the elder
did the work at home, and Kara was ploughman.
One day the tw...
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The King And His Inquisitive Queen
There was a certain king known by the name of Huntsman, on account of
his expertness in the chase. One day when returning from the f...
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The Story Of Bitaram
In a certain village there lived seven brothers. The youngest of
them planted a certain vegetable, and went every day to examine
it...
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The Story Of Sit And Bosont
There was a certain raja who had two sons named Sit and Bosont. Their
mother the rani had been long ill, and the raja was greatly de...
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The Story Of A Tiger
A certain man had charge of a number of cattle. One day he took them
to graze near a quagmire, and leaving them there went in search...
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Story Of A Lizard A Tiger And A Lame Man
Once upon a time in a certain jungle, a lizard and a tiger were
fighting, and a lame man, who was tending goats near by, saw them. T...
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The Story Of A Simpleton
There was once a certain simpleton who had never seen a horse, but
had heard that there was such an animal, and that men rode on his...
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A Thief And A Tiger
In a certain country there lived a very wealthy man whose cattle
grazed on a wide plain. One day a tiger noticed them, and so did th...
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The Magic Fiddle
Once upon a time there lived seven brothers and a sister. The
brothers were married, but their wives did not do the cooking for
the...
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Gumda The Hero
There was once a certain fatherless lad named Gumda. His occupation
was to tend the raja's goats. He, and his mother lived in a smal...
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Lipi And Lapra
Once upon a time there were seven brothers. At first they were
very poor, but afterwards they became comparatively rich, and were
i...
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The Story Of Lelha
I.
There once lived a certain raja, who had three wives. The two elder had
two sons each, and the younger only one, whose name wa...
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Princess Finola And The Dwarf
A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut in the midst of a
bare, brown, lonely moor an old woman and a young girl. The old ...
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The House In The Lake
A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut, in the midst of one
of the inland lakes of Erin, an old fisherman and his son. The ...
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The Little White Cat
A long, long time ago, in a valley far away, the giant Trencoss lived
in a great castle, surrounded by trees that were always green....
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The Golden Spears
Once upon a time there lived in a little house under a hill a little
old woman and her two children, whose names were Connla and Nor...
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The Fairy Tree Of Dooros
Once upon a time the fairies of the west, going home from a
hurling-match with the fairies of the lakes, rested in Dooros Wood for
...
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The Enchanted Cave
A long, long time ago, Prince Cuglas,[7] master of the hounds to the
high King of Erin, set out from Tara to the chase. As he was le...
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The Huntsman's Son
A long, long time ago there lived in a little hut on the borders of a
great forest a huntsman and his wife and son. From his earlies...
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The Fairies' Dancing-place
BY WILLIAM CARLETON
Lanty M'Clusky had married a wife, and, of course, it was necessary to
have a house in which to keep her. Now...
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The Story Of Sindura Gand Garur
In a certain village there lived a mother and her son. The boy tended
goats in the forest. One day he found a spot of ground, where ...
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The Tiger And Ulta's Mother
A tiger cub was in the habit of playing under the shade of a certain
tree, in which was a crane's nest with a young one in it. The p...
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The Greatest Cheat Of Seven
A great cheat married the cheating sister of seven cheats. One day
his father-in-law and seven brothers-in-law came on a visit to hi...
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The Story Of Two Princesses
A certain raja had two daughters, who were in the habit of amusing
themselves out side of the palace walls. One day they saw a crow
...
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Seven Brothers And Their Sister
In a certain village there lived seven brothers and a sister. Their
family was wealthy. Their father was dead. The brothers agreed t...
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The Story Of Jhore
There was a lad named Jhore, who herded goats, and every day while
with his flock he saw a tiger and a lizard fight. The lizard alwa...
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The Girl Who Always Found Helpers
There were once upon a time, six brothers and a sister. The brothers
were married. They were merchants, and their business often too...
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A Simple Thief
Once upon a time a man had some money given to him, and was told to
go and buy a foal with it. So he set out to search for one. Afte...
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The Birth Of The Fairy Tale
When nursery tales and entertaining stories did not yet exist--and
those were dull times for children, for then their youthful pa...
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Snow-white And Rosy-red
In a far-distant land, there reigned a queen, who was one day driving
in a sledge over the new fallen snow, when, as it chanced, s...
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The Story Of Argilius And The Flame-king
In a certain distant land once reigned a king and queen, who had three
daughters and one son. As the king and queen were talking...
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Persevere And Prosper
"He that seeketh shall find, and to him that knocketh shall be
opened," says an old Arab proverb. "I will try that," said a yout...
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The Prince Of The Glow-worms
"No! I'll bear it no longer, you good-for-nothing vagabond!" screamed
the old woman to little Julius. "When you should be sitting ...
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The Two Misers
A miser living in Kufa had heard that in Bassora also there dwelt a
Miser--more miserly than himself, to whom he might go to sch...
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Prince Chaffinch
There was once a king and queen who ruled with the greatest kindness
and simplicity imaginable; and their subjects were just suc...
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The Wolf And The Nightingale
In ancient times, when matters went on in the world very differently
from what they now do, there reigned a king in Scotland who...
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The Enchanted Crow
In a royal palace dwelt, once upon a time, three fair sisters, all
equally young and pretty; the youngest, however, although not...
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The Dragon-giant And His Stone-steed
Not one amongst the numerous wives of Vladimir the Great was
comparable in beauty to the Bulgarian Princess Milolika. Her eyes
...
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The Goblin Bird
Two brothers one day set out from their father's hut, to seek their
fortune. The name of the elder one was Maszilo, the younger on...
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The Shepherd And The Serpent
In a peaceful, pleasantly situated little village, there once lived a
poor shepherd youth. Near the village was a valley, a lonely...
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The Expeditious Frog
A fox came one day at full speed to a pond to drink. A frog who was
sitting there, began to croak at him. Then, said the fox, "Be ...
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Eastward Of The Sun And Westward Of The Moon
In days of yore there lived a poor charcoal-burner who had many
children. His poverty was so great, that he knew not how to feed t...
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The Little Man In Grey
A miner, a blacksmith, and a nun were travelling together through the
wide world. One day they were bewildered in a dark forest,...
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Red White And Black
The eldest son of a mighty monarch was once walking alone in a field,
which, as it was the depth of winter, happened to be covered...
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The Twelve Lost Princesses And The Wizard King
Once upon a time there lived a king who had twelve daughters, whom he
loved so tenderly that he could not bear that they should ...
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The Study Of Magic Under Difficulties
In the island of Sicily, and in the fair and famous city of Messina,
dwelt a man, Lactantius by name, who was a great proficient...
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The Very Wonderful Adventures Of Pista The Swineherd
Near the centre of a thick forest once dwelt a forester with his
beloved wife. The chase was his occupation, and he lived contente...
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The Lucky Days
At Casena, in Romagna, lived a poor widow, a very worthy, industrious
woman, by name Lucietta. She unfortunately had an only son, ...
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The Feast Of The Dwarfs
Not very far from Drontheim, in Norway, dwelt a powerful man, blessed
with all the gifts of fortune. A considerable portion of the...
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The Three Dogs
A shepherd who had two children, a son and a daughter, had, at his
death, nothing to leave them but three sheep, and the little co...
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The Courageous Flute-player
There lived once a gay-hearted musician, who played the flute in a
masterly style, and earned his living by wandering about, and pla...
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The Glass Hatchet
In a remote land there dwelt, in former days, a wealthy count. He and
his consort most ardently wished for a child, to whom they...
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The Golden Duck
Deep in the bosom of a wood once stood a little cottage, inhabited by
a poor widow. Her name was Jutta, and she had formerly lived...
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Goldy
Many a long year ago there lived in a great forest a poor herdsman,
who had built himself a log cabin in the midst of it, where he...
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The Serpent Prince
There lived once a peasant's wife who would have given all she
possessed to have a child, but yet she never had one.
One day he...
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The Prophetic Dream
In a little obscure village, there once dwelt a poor shepherd, who,
for many years, supported himself and his family upon the very...
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Children Of The Cloud
There was sorrow on the Casa Grande (the Great Pueblo), for the
prettiest woman in the village would accept no man for her husband.
H...
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The Captive
There was once a little boy who was brought up by his grandmother.
While he was yet very young, his mother had been taken captive by t...
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The Naughty Grandchildren
An old woman had set her pot on the fire with the soup for dinner, and
as her two grandchildren were playing near, she cautioned them ...
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Bluebird And Coyote
In the old days the animals wore no such fine clothing as now, and the
bluebird was of an ugly dun color, which made him very unhappy....
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The First Fire
In the old days there was no fire on earth, and the world was a cold
and a dreary place, especially at night and in the winter. Think ...
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Ice Man Puts Out The Fire
Once upon a time there was a forest fire, and the fire went deep down
to the roots of a poplar tree, and there it smoldered for a long...
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The Origin Of Sickness And Medicine
There was a time when man and the animal people were friends, and
talked the same language, and even intermarried with one another.
L...
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The First Strawberry
It is told that the first man and woman quarreled, and the woman left
her husband. He followed her sorrowfully, but she never once loo...
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How The Terrapin Beat The Rabbit
The Terrapin once challenged the Rabbit to a race, which the latter
regarded as a joke.
"The Terrapin is doubtless a wit," said he,...
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How The Turkey Got His Beard
Now the animals all suspected some trick in this case, and the Turkey
in particular was heard to say that he would contrive to get eve...
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How The Deer Got His Horns
Perhaps you never heard that there was once a time when the Deer's
head was as smooth as that of the doe, and as he and the Rabbit wer...
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Why The Deer's Teeth Are Blunt
Although it was not the Deer's fault that the Rabbit lost the prize,
the Rabbit was greatly provoked and laid his plans to get even.
...
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Why The Possum's Tail Is Bare
A long time ago, the Possum had a fine bushy tail of which he was very
proud, so much so that he would even sing of it at the dance. A...
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The Owl Gets Married
There was once a woman who had a marriageable daughter. Many men came
wooing, but the mother told the girl never to accept any but a s...
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The Stars And The Pine
Once there were seven little boys who spent most of their time down at
the town house, playing a game with wheel-shaped stones and a c...
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The Man Who Married The Thunder's Sister
A certain young man went to a dance one evening and met there two
strange young women, both of whom had the longest and handsomest hai...
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The Enchanted Lake
In the depths of the Great Smoky Mountains there lies a hidden lake
which no human eye has ever seen. The hunters know where it must b...
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The Bear Man
A hunter once trailed a bear and shot many arrows into its body, but
to his surprise they seemed to make no impression. Finally the be...
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Why Possum Has A Large Mouth
There had been a long dry season, and the Deer had grown very thin.
Meeting Possum one day, he could not help noticing how well-fed an...
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The Good Little Spirit
Perhaps you have wondered why some men are wise and do good, while
others in their ignorance do nothing but harm. If so, I will tell y...
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Followers Of The Sun
There were once four brothers, who as soon as they noticed that the
sun rose in one quarter and set in another, made up their minds to...
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The Hunter Who Became A Deer
A hunter who had traveled all day without finding any game shot a doe
near sunset, and as he was very tired, he lay down near the body...
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Pretty Woman
Once in time of famine there were two children deserted by their
parents, because they could not find food enough for all. The boy and...
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The Crane And The Hummingbird
Once there was a beautiful girl who had many suitors, and among the
most persistent were the Crane and the Hummingbird. She rather fan...
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The Thunderers
There were once three comrades who went upon the warpath, and when
they were a long way from home, one had the misfortune to fall and
...
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The Winged Hunter
A lone hunter had spent all of his arrows, and was at a loss. He was a
long way from home. Upon the lake were many wild geese, but how...
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Great Head
High up on an inaccessible cliff, there dwells an immense Head, very
fierce, with long, bushy hair and huge staring eyes. The people c...
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How The Daylight Came
A long, long time ago the son of the first chief of the animal people
set out upon a journey. Dressed in the skin of a raven, and carr...
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The Old Woman And The Tides
Again Raven flew over the waters till he reached the mainland and the
wigwam of the old, old woman who holds the tide lines in her han...
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How The Fire Was Brought
After a time, Raven saw that the people were discontented without
fire, for they could neither cook their food nor warm themselves whe...
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Raven And The Crab
Raven had been flying all night over the ocean, and he had grown very
hungry indeed, but what was there to eat? At sunrise he reached ...
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The Beautiful Blanket
Not long after this, Raven grew tired of the jet-black robe that his
father had given him, and one day he exchanged it for a beautiful...
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Raven And The Hunters
One day Raven happened to see a boat load of hunters coming home with
plenty of game. As usual, he was hungry, and it occurred to him ...
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Raven And The Children
Raven was out for a walk and came upon a crowd of children playing
with whale's blubber. Huge piles of it lay at their feet, and they
...
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Raven And His Mother-in-law
Once upon a time Raven came to a small house away from everybody,
where lived two women, a widow and her young daughter. The elder wom...
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Raven And The Salmon Woman
Now Raven had been unfortunate for a long time and was poorer than
ever, but he had at last contrived to build a small hut and make a
...
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The Animals In Council
It is now many years since the ancient friendship between man and the
animal tribes was broken, and since that time the animals have b...
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The Four Winds
Once there were four great chiefs who lived in the four corners of the
earth, and their names were North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, ...
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The Feast Of The Mountain Goats
In the old days the hunters were many and skillful. They killed
hundreds of mountain goats for their flesh and skins and left their
b...
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The Woman Who Became A Beaver
There was once a man who took his wife with him to hunt raccoons at a
distance from the village. They were very successful. Every nigh...
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The Ten Princes
The ten sons of a chief went hunting, and all took their wives with
them except the youngest brother, who was unmarried. They all camp...
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The Girl Who Rejected Her Cousin
In the old days, a chief's daughter was expected to marry the son of
her uncle, and so keep the chieftainship in the family. But there...
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Grizzly Bear And The Four Chiefs
There were once four chiefs who were brothers and lived in one
village. In the dead of winter, when food was scarce, a lean stranger
...
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The Wooden Wife
Once there was a young man newly married who was very fond of his
wife. She was not only a pretty woman, but she wove the most beautif...
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Ildini
Ildini lived at End-of-trail, with his wife and two boys. One day he
went fishing when the wind blew strong from the shore. It blew hi...
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The Man Who Entertained Bears
There was once a man who had lost all of his family in a terrible
sickness that came upon the people of his village. He was all alone ...
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Beaver And Porcupine
Once in the old days Beaver and Porcupine were comrades and went
everywhere together. Now Beavers are much afraid of Bears, who break
...
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Mountain Dweller
Two sisters belonging to a well-known family one day became very
hungry and helped themselves to some of their mother's fat meat,
not...
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The Eagle Crest
It is well known that there is a certain clan which claims the Eagle
for its crest or totem, and this is how it happened.
There was...
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The Girl Who Married The Fire Spirit
Many men wished to marry the chief's pretty daughter, but she laughed
at them all. One day as she sat quite close to the fire, a spark...
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The Shadow Wife
A certain young man lost his wife when they had been married only a
few days, and he was very sorrowful. All night he lay awake thinki...
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The Self-burning Fire
One winter there was a great famine on the Copper River. The people
began to die of hunger, first the children, then the old people, a...
|
The Long Winter
It was almost summer time when some boys who were playing in a boat
pulled out of the water a long piece of drifting seaweed and put i...
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The Place And The People
It was winter in the Great Karroo. The evening air was so crisp
and cutting that one seemed to hear the crick-crack of the frost,
a...
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How Jakhals Fed Oom Leeuw
"One day in the early morning, before any people were awake, Jakhals
was prowling round and prowling round, looking for something to...
|
Who Was King?
"Once upon a time," began Outa Karel, and his audience of three looked
up expectantly.
"Once upon a time, Oom Leeuw roared and th...
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Why The Hyena Is Lame
"It was Tante Hyena that Jakhals cheated more than anyone," said
Outa. "She always forgot about the last time he had played a trick
...
|
Who Was The Thief?
"Yes, my baasjes, so was Oom Jakhals: he always made as if he forgot
all about what he had done, and he made as if he thought all th...
|
The Sun A Bushman Legend
Outa, having disposed of his nightly tot, held his crooked hands
towards the cheerful blaze and turned his engaging smile alternatel...
|
The Stars And The Stars' Road
Darkly-blue and illimitable, the arc of the sky hung over the great
Karroo like a canopy of softest velvet, making a deep, mysteriou...
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Why The Hare's Nose Is Slit
The curtains had not yet been drawn nor the shutters closed, and little
Jan looked with wide serious eyes at the full moon sailing s...
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How The Jackal Got His Stripe
"The Sun was a strange little child," said Outa. "He never had any
Pap-pa or Mam-ma. No one knew where he came from. He was just fou...
|
The Animals' Dam
"Ach! it was dry," said Outa, "as dry as last year's springbok
biltong. For a long time the Old Man in the sky shot down strong ligh...
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Saved By His Tail
"The end, Outa, please," said little Jan, "the end of The Animals'
Dam. You said it was too long to finish last night."
"Aja, my ...
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The Flying Lion
"Once upon a time," remarked Outa, thoughtfully, "Oom Leeuw used
to fly."
"O-o-o-oh!" said the children all together, and their e...
|
Why The Heron Has A Crooked Neck
The flames leapt gaily upward in the wide fireplace, throwing strange
shadows on the painted walls and gleaming on the polished wood...
|
The Little Red Tortoise
"No Jakhals story to-night, please, Outa," said little Jan, as they
gathered round the fire. "We all think Jakhals was a cruel horri...
|
The Ostrich Hunt
The next day all the time that was not given to lessons and
meals was spent by the little boys in scouring the veld for a red
torto...
|
A Child Of The Woods
Deep in the forest of the North there is a large village of jungle
people, and, among them is one old woman, who is held in reverence ...
|
The Enchanted Mountain
The hunters who are continually going about from place to place,
climbing up high hills, descending into deep ravines and making ways
...
|
The Spirit-guarded Cave
When the people of the far north[3] were molested by their foes and were
in continual fear, they consulted together, saying, "Our live...
|
The Mountain Spirits And The Stone Mortars
The spirits, who lived in the mountains near a large city, upon a time
wanted money for some purpose, and they brought down to the peo...
|
Right And Might
While a deer was eating wild fruit, he heard an owl call, "Haak,
haak,"[6] and a cricket cry, "Wat,"[7] and, frightened, he fled.
I...
|
Why The Lip Of The Elephant Droops
In the days when the earth was young lived a poor man and his wife who
had twelve daughters, whom they no longer loved and no longer d...
|
How A Dead Tiger Killed The Princess
There was once a king who had a daughter at whose birth a wise man
foretold that she would be killed by a tiger when she was a maiden
...
|
The Monkeys And The Crabs
All the monkeys which live in the forests near the great sea in the
south, watch the tide running out, hoping to catch the sea-crabs w...
|
The Man In The Moon
There was a blacksmith once, who complained: "I am not well, and my work
is too warm. I want to be a stone on the mountain. There it m...
|
The Origin Of Lightning
There was once a great chief who desired above all things to be happy in
the future life, therefore he continually made feasts for the...
|
Why The Parrot And The Minor Bird But Echo The Words Of Man
Long ago people caught and nourished the sao bird, because it learned
the language of man more readily than either the parrot or minor...
|
The Fatherless Birds
A mother bird sat brooding on her nest. Her heart was sad, for her mate
had flown away in the morning and had not returned. When the l...
|
The Lovers' Leap
Many, many years ago there lived, on the mountains among the rapids of
the Maa Ping, a young man who loved a maiden and the maiden lov...
|
The Faithful Husband
Upon a day in years long since gone by, Chow[10] Soo Tome, wearied of
the talking of his slaves, wandered into the forest. As he walke...
|
The Faithful Wife
The young and beautiful son of a head chow sought of a wise man what
manner of wife should be his.
"As you walked by the way, whom ...
|
An Unexpected Issue
Far away from other men, on the side of a lonely mountain, a man and his
wife were preparing their ground that they might plant the hi...
|
The Giants' Mountain And The Temple
In the time long since gone by, when the world was young, the men of a
large province desired to build a temple, a temple which might ...
|
Cheating The Priest
Upon a time a man and his wife went a day's journey from their village
to the bazaar to sell their wares, and it fell upon the day of ...
|
The Disappointed Priest
In a temple of the north lived a priest who had great greed for the
betel nut.[14] One day, compelled by his appetite, he inquired of ...
|
The Greedy Priest
In the compound of a temple in the south there was a large fruit tree,
the fruit of which was coveted by all, as they passed, but the ...
|
The Ambitious Priest
There is a tale of an old priest who prayed each day that the gods would
give him a jewel of great price--one that had the power to ma...
|
The Wizard And The Beggar
Once upon a time there was a poor man who ever begged for food, and, as
he walked along the road he thought, "If any one will give me ...
|
A Covetous Neighbor
There was a poor and lonely man who had but a few melon seeds and grains
of corn which he planted; tenderly did he care for them, as t...
|
A Lazy Man's Plot
Upon a day a beggar, who was too lazy to work, but ever lived on the
bounty of the people, received a great quantity of rice. He put i...
|
The Ungrateful Fisherman
It happened on a time that a poor fisherman had caught nothing for many
days, and while he was sitting thinking sadly of his miserable...
|
The Legend Of The Rice
In the days when the earth was young and all things were better than
they now are, when men and women were stronger and of greater bea...
|
One Woman In Deceit And Craft Is More Than A Match For Eight Men
Chum Paw was a maiden of the south country. Many suitors had she, but,
by her craft and devices, each suitor thought himself the only ...
|
To Aid Beast Is Merit To Aid Man Is But Vanity
A hunter, walking through a jungle, saw a man in a pit unable to escape.
The man called to him, "If thou wilt aid me to escape from th...
|
Love's Secrets
There was once a poor woodsman, who went to the jungle to cut wood, so
he might sell it and buy food for his wife and child. And upon ...
|
Poison-mouth
There was once a poor father and mother who had a little daughter,
called "Poison-Mouth."
And it happened on a day that a great num...
|
Strife And Peace
There was once a husband and wife who ever quarrelled. Never were they
pleasant with each other.
A wealthy man sought to see if the...
|
The Widow's Punishment
Once there lived a woman who had a son and a nephew living with her. And
upon a day they came to her desiring money that they might go...
|
Honesty Rewarded
In the far north country there lived a father, mother, and son. So poor
and desolate were they that their only possession was an old a...
|
The Justice Of In Ta Pome
Men of three countries wanted a chemical to change stones and metals
into gold, and they all came together to worship In Ta Pome, one ...
|
The Words Of Untold Value
In the days long since gone by, a young man, a son of a poor widow,
desired to go with two of his friends to Tuck Kasula,[20] the coun...
|
A Wise Philosopher
As a rich trader journeyed to another province, he rested by the road
under a tree, and, as he sat there, a poor young man approached ...
|
The Boys Who Were Not Appreciated
Once there were two brothers. The elder watched and tended the younger
during the day, while their mother went to labor for food. It h...
|
The Magic Well
The chow of a large province lay ill. All the doctors of many provinces
were summoned, but none could aid him, nor could any understan...
|
The Fortunes Of Ai Powlo
Once upon a time a father and mother had a wicked son whose name was Ai
Powlo. One day, while in the rice fields together, the father ...
|
The Misfortunes Of Paw Yan
Upon a day, Paw Yan[22] said to his wife, "Today I shall build a
watch-tower in the rice fields."
"You will need four posts about t...
|
An Unfortunate Shot
There was once a poor man too ill to work, and he had no one to give him
food. The chow of the province heard of him and sent for him ...
|
The Blind Man
A man and a woman had a daughter to whom they ever taught, in selecting
a husband, to take none but a man with rough hands, as then sh...
|
Heads I Win Tails You Lose
A man once asked his newly-married son-in-law, "You will help me in the
work that the chow gives me to do, now that you are one of us,...
|
The Great Boaster
There lived in the south a man who so continually boasted of his
strength and endurance that all the people called him, "Kee-oo-yai"--...
|
A Clever Thief
Once a man went into the field of a gardener and stole a melon. Before
he had had time to eat it the gardener discovered him, took the...
|
The Wandering Jew
Who, that has looked on Gustave DorA(C)'s marvellous illustrations to
this wild legend, can forget the impression they made upon his...
|
Prester John
About the middle of the twelfth century, a rumor circulated through
Europe that there reigned in Asia a powerful Christian Empero...
|
The Divining Rod
From the remotest period a rod has been regarded as the symbol of
power and authority, and Holy Scripture employs it in the popular
...
|
The Seven Sleepers Of Ephesus
One of the most picturesque myths of ancient days is that which forms
the subject of this article. It is thus told by Jacques de Vor...
|
William Tell
I suppose that most people regard William Tell, the hero of
Switzerland, as an historical character, and visit the scenes made
memo...
|
The Dog Gellert
Having demolished William Tell, I proceed to the destruction of
another article of popular belief.
Who that has visited Snowdon h...
|
Tailed Men
I well remember having it impressed upon me by a Devonshire nurse, as
a little child, that all Cornishmen were born with tails; and ...
|
Antichrist And Pope Joan
From the earliest ages of the Church, the advent of the Man of Sin has
been looked forward to with terror, and the passages of Scrip...
|
The Man In The Moon
Every one knows that the moon is inhabited by a man with a bundle of
sticks on his back, who has been exiled thither for many cen...
|
The Mountain Of Venus
Ragged, bald, and desolate, as though a curse rested upon it, rises
the HA¶rselberg out of the rich and populous land between Eisen...
|
Fatality Of Numbers
The laws governing numbers are so perplexing to the uncultivated mind,
and the results arrived at by calculation are so astonishing,...
|
The Terrestrial Paradise
The exact position of Eden, and its present condition, do not seem to
have occupied the minds of our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, nor to h...
|
Indian Mythology
The history of Kansas has been of peculiar interest to the world at
large, by reason of the struggles of ante-bellum days. The adven...
|
The Pawnees
When the Territory of Louisiana was still the property of France; when
the United States was endeavoring to subdue the savages withi...
|
The Sioux
Although Minnesota has been called the "Land of the Dakotas," the Sioux,
as well as the Pawnees, roamed over the entire Mississippi ...
|
The Kaws And Osages
The Dakotas were strongly represented in the Kaw Valley and vicinity by
the Kansas or Kaw Indians and the Osages. In some respects t...
|
The Delawares
The Delaware Indians, or Lenape, as they called themselves, are of
Algonquin lineage. Their language, which is soft and musical, bea...
|
The Wyandots
The Wyandots, or Hurons, are of Northern origin, and descended from a
branch of the Iroquois. At the time of the discovery of Americ...
|
The Pottawatomies
The Pottawatomies were of Algonquin descent and were termed
"Firemakers," in reference to their secession from the Odjibwas and
bec...
|
The Shawnees
The capital of Kansas now occupies a portion of the former
hunting-grounds of the Kaw and Shawnee Indians. The Shawnees were the
fi...
|
The Story Of The Beginning
The people who lived long ago, in the far-off lands of the north,
watched the wonderful things that happened out of doors every day,...
|
Odin's Reward
One night when all was quiet in Asgard and the Aesir had gone to rest,
Odin, the Allfather, sat awake on his high throne, troubled w...
|
Tyr And The Wolf
I.
Odin, the Allfather, sat one day on his high air-throne, and looking
around him, far and wide, saw three fierce monsters. They...
|
Freyja's Necklace
"Yes, I really must have some flowers to wear to the feast to-night,"
said Freyja to her husband, Odur.
Freyja was the goddess of...
|
The Hammer Of Thor
Sif was the wife of mighty Thor, the thunder-god, and she was very proud
of her beautiful golden hair, which she combed and braided ...
|
Thor's Wonderful Journey
I.
One morning Thor asked Loki, the fire-god, if he would like to go forth
with him to Utgard, the stronghold of the giants, wher...
|
How Thor Lost His Hammer
"Come, Loki, are you ready? My goats are eager to be off!" cried Thor,
as he sprang into his chariot, and away they went, thundering...
|
A Gift From Frigga
Long years ago there lived a peasant and his wife, who led a quiet, busy
life on their little farm at the foot of a mountain. While ...
|
The Stealing Of Iduna
I.
Odin, the wise father of the gods, started off one day on a journey
through Midgard, the world of men, to see how his people w...
|
Skadi
While Iduna's friends were still crowding about her, all joyful and glad
at getting her home again, they spied some one afar off, co...
|
Baldur
I.
Baldur was the best beloved of all the gods. Odin was their father and
king; to him they turned for help and wise advice, but ...
|
Aegir's Feast
I.
Aegir was the ruler of the ocean, and his home was deep down below the
tossing waves, where the water is calm and still. There...
|
The Punishment Of Loki
When Loki was driven out by the mighty Thor from Aegir's palace-hall he
knew that he could never again be allowed to come among the ...
|
The Twilight Of The Gods
Loki and Fenrir, the wolf, were safely bound, each to his separate
cliff, but still happiness and peace did not return to Asgard, fo...
|
What Makes The Eclipse
Very early in the history of the world a beautiful female child, whom
the parents called Ka Nam, was born to a humble family who liv...
|
The Legend Of Mount Sophet Bneng
Sophet Bneng is a bare dome-like hill, about thirteen miles to the
north of Shillong, and not far from the Shillong-Gauhati highroad...
|
How The Peacock Got His Beautiful Feathers
When the world was young and when all the animals spoke the language
of mankind, the peacock, U Klew, was but an ordinary grey-feath...
|
The Goddess Who Came To Live With Mankind
(A LEGEND OF THE SHILLONG PEAK)
Shillong Peak is the highest mountain in the Khasi Hills, and although
it bears such a prosaic na...
|
The Formation Of The Earth
When the earth was created, it was one great plain, full of vast
forests and smooth rivers. Then it happened that the mother of the
...
|
The Legend Of U Raitong The Khasi Orpheus
A few miles to the north of Shillong, the chief town of the Province
of Assam, there is a fertile and pleasant hill known as the Hil...
|
The Tiger And The Monkeys
At the beginning of time the animals were free and living wild and
unruly lives, but there were so many disputes and quarrels that
...
|
The Legend Of The Iei Tree
Some eight or ten miles to the west of the town of Shillong is seen a
prominent hill range, a place much renowned in Khasi folk-lore...
|
Hunting The Stag Lapalang
Once upon a time there lived with its dam on the Plains of Sylhet
a young deer whose fame has come down through the ages in Khasi
f...
|
The Goddesses Ka Ngot And Ka Iam
(A LEGEND OF SHILLONG PEAK)
Ka Iam and Ka Ngot, the twin daughters of the god of Shillong, were
two very beautiful beings; they w...
|
U Biskurom
In the beginning of time mankind were very ignorant and did their
work with great trouble and labour, for they had no tools and did ...
|
U Thlen The Snake-vampire
U Thlen is one of the legendary Khasi gods, whose worship is limited to
a few clans and families. From participation in it all right...
|
How The Dog Came To Live With Man
In the happy olden days, when the animals lived together at peace in
the forest, they used to hold fairs and markets after the manne...
|
The Origin Of Betel And Tobacco
Long, long ago two boys lived in a village on the slopes of the hills,
who were very fond of one another and were inseparable compan...
|
The Stag And The Snail
On the day of the animals' fair at Luri Lura, the stag and the snail
met. It was a very hot day, and the animals as they travelled t...
|
The Leap Of Ka Likai
"The Leap of Ka Likai" is the name given to a beautiful waterfall on
the Khasi Hills, a few miles to the west of Cherrapoonjee, whic...
|
What Caused The Shadows On The Moon
In the early ages there lived a family of deities, consisting of a
mother and four children--three daughters and one son. They lived...
|
U Ksuid Tynjang
The Ancient Khasis were wont to people all their beautiful hills and
forests with innumerable supernatural beings, who were supposed...
|
What Makes The Lightning
In the early days of the world, when the animals fraternised with
mankind, they tried to emulate the manners and customs of men, and...
|
The Prohibited Food
When mankind first came to live upon the earth, the Great God saw
fit to walk abroad in their midst frequently, and permitted them
...
|
The Cooing Of The Doves
Of all the birds there are none that keep themselves more separate
than the doves. They do not peck at other birds as the crows and ...
|
How The Monkey's Colour Became Grey
In olden times the monkeys had long hair of different colours covering
their bodies, and they were much more handsome than they are ...
|
The Legend Of Ka Panshandi The Lazy Tortoise
Once upon a time there lived a young tortoise near a large pool. She
was very ill-favoured and ugly in appearance and very foolish,
...
|
The Idiot And The Hyndet Bread
Long, long ago there lived on the Khasi Hills a certain widow with her
only son, a lad possessed of great personal beauty, who was m...
|
U Ramhah
Where is the country without its giant-story?
All through the ages the world has revelled in tales of the
incomparable prowess an...
|
How The Cat Came To Live With Man
In olden times Ka Miaw, the cat, lived in the jungle with her brother
the tiger, who was king of the jungle. She was very proud of h...
|
How The Fox Got His White Breast
Once a fox, whose name was U Myrsiang, lived in a cave near the
residence of a Siem (Chief). This fox was a very shameless marauder,...
|
How The Tiger Got His Strength
After the animals were created they were sent to live in the jungle,
but they were so foolish that they got into one another's way a...
|
Why The Goat Lives With Mankind
In early times the goat lived in the jungle, leading a free and
independent life, like all the other animals. The following story
g...
|
How The Ox Came To Be The Servant Of Man
When mankind first came to live upon the earth, they committed many
blunders, for they were ignorant and wasteful, not knowing how t...
|
The Lost Book
After mankind began to multiply on the earth and had become numerous,
and scattered into many regions, they lost much of their knowl...
|
The Blessing Of The Mendicant
PART I
Once there lived a very poor family, consisting of a father, mother,
an only son, and his wife. They were poorer than any ...
|
The Story Of The Creation
In the beginning there was no earth, no water--nothing. There was
only a Person, uh-wert-a-Mah-kai (The Doctor of the Earth).
He ...
|
The Story Of The Flood
Now Seeurhuh was very powerful, like Juhwerta Mahkai, and as he took
up his residence with them, as one of them, he did many wonderf...
|
The Story Of Ah-ahn-he-eat-toe-pahk Mahkai
And there was an orphan named Ah-ahn-he-eat-toe-pahk Mahkai
(which means Braided-Feather Doctor) who lived at a place called
Two Re...
|
The Story Of Vandaih The Man-eagle
And thus Ahahnheeattoepahk Mahkai became famous for the killing of
game; and there was another young man, named Van-daih, who wanted...
|
The Story Of The Turquoises And The Red Bird
And at the vahahkkee which the white men now call the Casa Grande ruins
was the home of Seeollstchewadack Seeven, or the Morning gre...
|
The Story Of Wayhohm Toehahvs And Tottai
And Seeollstchewadack Seeven wondered what this action of the bird
meant, and he studied about it till he found out who it was that ...
|
The Story Of Hawawk
And when Dthas Seeven had gotten better he meditated on what had
happened to him, and studied out that Seeollstchewadack-Seeven was
...
|
The Story Of Tawquahdahmawks And Her Canal
And after this the people had long peace, increased in numbers,
and were scattered all around. Some lived where the old vahahkkees
...
|
How Nooee Killed Ee-ee-toy
Ee-ee-toy lived in the Salt River Mountain, which is called by the
Awawtam Moehahdheck, or the Brown Mountain, and whenever the girl...
|
Ee-ee-toy's Resurrection And Speech To Juhwerta Mahkai
And after Ee-ee-toy was dead he lay there, as some say for four months,
and some say for four years. He was killed, but his winds we...
|
The Story Of Ee-ee-toy's Army
And after Ee-ee-toy was thru speaking Juhwerta Mahkai addressed him,
and promised him his help, and that he would lead out to earth ...
|
The Destruction Of The Vahahkkees
(The Pima plural of vah-ahk-kee is vahp-ahk-kee, but I have made all
plurals English, as more understandable.)
And after this t...
|
The Story Of Sohahnee Mahkai And Kawkoinpuh
Now when the bands were going thru this country they had selected
the places for their homes, expecting to return, and each band, as...
|
The Story Of Pahtahnkum
And when they came to their journey's end the wife of Kaw-koin-puh
had a baby, which grew up to be a fine boy, but the mother cried ...
|
The Story Of The Gambler's War
And after this, for a long time, there was peace toward the Apaches,
but it happened, once, that two brothers of the country went to...
|
The Story Of Nahvahchoo
Ee-ee-toy was once wandering along when he found some moss that had
been left there ever since the flood, and he stood and looked at...
|
The Story Of Corn And Tobacco
There was a powerful mahkai who had a daughter, who, tho old enuf, was
unmarried, and who grew tired of her single life and asked he...
|
The Story Of The Children Of Cloud
There was a woman who lived in the mountains, who was very beautiful,
and had many suitors, but she never married anyone.
And one...
|
The Story Of Tcheunassat Seeven
Stcheuadack Seeven wanted to gamble with Tcheunassat Seeven, who lived
at Kawtkee Oyyeeduck, and sent a man with an invitation to co...
|
The Legend Of Blackwater
A little off from the road between Sacaton, and Casa Grande Ruins
there is, or was in the old days, a mysterious pool of dark water,...
|
Errata
In this book of Pima legends, various errors with regard to Indian
words have occurred which will be corrected in a second edition. ...
|
The Words German And Germanic
Already at the beginning of the Christian era the name Germans was
applied by the Romans and Gauls to the many clans of people whose m...
|
The Aryan Family Of Languages
It is universally known that the Teutonic dialects are related to the
Latin, the Greek, the Slavic, and Celtic languages, and that the...
|
The Hypothesis Concerning The Asiatic Origin Of The Aryans
When the question of the original home of the Aryan language and race
was first presented, there were no conflicting opinions on the m...
|
The Hypothesis Concerning The European Origin Of The Aryans
In the year 1854 was heard for the first time a voice of doubt. The
sceptic was an English ethnologist, by name Latham, who had spen...
|
The Aryan Land Of Europe
On one point--and that is for our purpose the most important one--the
advocates of both hypotheses have approached each other. The l...
|
The Geographical Position Of Ancient Teutondom The Stone Age Of Prehistoric Teutondom
The northern position of the ancient Teutons necessarily had the effect
that they, better than all other Aryan people, preserved the...
|
The Saga In Heimskringla And The Prose Edda
In the preceding pages we have given the reasons which make it appear
proper to assume that ancient Teutondom, within certain indefi...
|
The Troy Saga In Heimskringla And The Prose Edda
The sources of the traditions concerning the Asiatic immigration to the
North belong to the Icelandic literatu...
|
Saxo's Relation Of The Story Of Troy
Such is, in the main, the story which was current in Iceland in the
thirteenth century, and which found its way to Scandinavia throu...
|
The Older Periods Of The Troy Saga
How did the belief that Troy was the original home of the Teutons arise?
Does it rest on native traditions? Has it been inspired by ...
|
The Origin Of The Story In Regard To The Trojan Descent Of The Franks
We must now return to the Frankish chronicles, to Fredegar's and Gesta
regum Francorum, where the theory of the descent from Troy of a...
|
Why Odin Was Given Antenor's Place As Leader Of The Trojan Emigration
So long as the Franks were the only ones of the Teutons who claimed
Trojan descent, it was sufficient that the Teutonic-Trojan immigra...
|
The Materials Of The Icelandic Troy Saga
We trust the facts presented above have convinced the reader that the
saga concerning the immigration of Odin and the Asas to Europe...
|
The Result Of The Foregoing Investigations
Herewith I close the examination of the sagas in regard to the Trojan
descent of the Teutons, and in regard to the immigration of Odin...
|
The Longobardian Migration Saga
What there still remains of migration sagas from the middle ages, taken
from the saga-treasure of the Teutons themselves, is, alas! bu...
|
The Saxon And Swabian Migration Saga
From the Longobardians I now pass to the great Teutonic group of peoples
comprised in the term the Saxons. Their historian, Widukind...
|
The Frankish Migration Saga
We have already stated that the Frankish chronicles, unlike those of the
other Teutonic tribes, wholly ignore the traditions of the Fr...
|
Jordanes On The Emigration Of The Goths Gepidae And Herulians The Migration Saga Of The Burgundians Traces Of An Alamannic Migration Saga
The most populous and mighty of all the Teutonic tribes was during a
long period the Gothic, which carried victorious weapons over a...
|
The Teutonic Emigration Saga Found In Tacitus
The migration sagas which I have now examined are the only ones
preserved to our time on Teutonic ground. They have come down to us ...
|
The Creation Of Man The Primeval Country Scef The Bringer Of Culture
The human race, or at least the Teutonic race, springs, according to the
myth, from a single pair, and has accordingly had a centre ...
|
Scef The Author Of Culture Identical With Heimdal-rig The Original Patriarch
But in one respect Are Frode or his authority has paid attention to the
genuine mythic tradition, and that is by making the Vana-god...
|
Borgar-skjold's Son Halfdan The Third Patriarch
In the time of Borgar and his son, the third patriarch, many of the
most important events of the myth take place. Before I present...
|
Halfdan's Enmity With Orvandel And Svipdag
Saxo relates in regard to Gram that he carried away the royal daughter
Groa, though she was already bound to another man, and that h...
|
Halfdan's Identity With Mannus In Germania
With Gram-Halfdan the Teutonic patriarch period ends. The human race had
its golden age under Heimdal, its copper age under Skjold-B...
|
The Sacred Runes Learned From Heimdal
The mythic ancient history of the human race and of the Teutons may, in
accordance with the analysis above given, be divided into th...
|
Sorcery The Reverse Of The Sacred Runes Gullveig-heidr The Source Of Sorcery The Moral Deterioration Of The Original Man
But already in the beginning of time evil powers appear for the purpose
of opposing and ruining the good influences from the world o...
|
Heimdal And The Sun-dis Dis-goddess
In Saxo's time there was still extant a myth telling how Heimdal, as the
ruler of the earliest generation, got himself a wife. The m...
|
Loke Causes Enmity Between The Gods And The Original Artists
The danger averted by Heimdal when he secured the sun-dis with bonds of
love begins in the time of Borgar. The corruption of nature ...
|
Evidence That Halfdan Is Identical With Helge Hundingsbane
The main outlines of Halfdan's saga reappears related as history, and
more or less blended with foreign elements, in Saxo's accounts...
|
Halfdan's Birth And The End Of The Age Of Peace The Family Names Ylfing Hilding Budlung
The first strophes of the first song of Helge Hundingsbane distinguish
themselves in tone and character and broad treatment from the...
|
Halfdan's Character The Weapon-myth
The myths and heroic poems are not wanting in ideal heroes, who are
models of goodness of heart, justice, and the most sensitive nob...
|
Halfdan's Conflicts Interpreted As Myths Of Nature
In regard to the significance of the conflicts awaiting Halfdan, and
occupying his whole life, when interpreted as myths of nature, ...
|
Review Of The Svipdag Myth And Its Points Of Connection With The Myth About Halfdan
When Halfdan secured Groa, she was already the bride of Orvandel the
brave, and the first son she bore in Halfdan's house was not hi...
|
The World War Its Cause The Murder Of Gullveig-heidr
Thus the peace of the world and the order of nature might seem secured.
But it is not long before a new war breaks o...
|
Gulveig-heidr Her Identity With Aurboda Angrboda Hyrrokin The Myth Concerning The Sword Guardian And Fjalar
The duty of the Vana-deities becomes even more plain, if it can be shown
that Gulveig-Heid is Gerd's mother; for Frey, supported by ...
|
The Breach Of Peace Between Asas And Vans Frigg Skade And Ull In The Conflict
When the Asas had refused to give satisfaction for the murder of
Gulveig, and when Odin, by hurling his spear, had indicated that th...
|
The Significance Of The Conflict From A Religious-ritual Standpoint
In regard to the significance of the change of administration in the
world of gods, Saxo has preserved a tradition which is of no sm...
|
The War In Midgard Between Halfdan's Sons
The conflict between the gods has its counterpart in, and is connected
with, a war between all the Teutonic races, and the latter is...
|
The Position Of The Divine Clans To The Warriors
The circumstance that the different divine clans had their favourites in
the different camps gives the war a peculiar character. The...
|
Hadding's Defeat Loke In The Council And On The Battle-field
The first great conflict in which the warriors of North and West
Teutondom fight with the East Teutons ends with the compl...
|
Hadding's Journey To The East Reconciliation Between The Asas And Vans
Some time later there has been a change in Hadding's affairs. He is no
longer the exile wandering about in the forests, but appears on...
|
Halfdan And Hamal Foster-brothers The Amalians Fight In Behalf Of Halfdan's Son Hadding
The mythic progenitor of the Amalians, Hamall, has already been
mentioned above as the foster-brother of the Teutonic patri...
|
Evidence That Dieterich Of Bern Is Hadding
The appearance of Hamal and the Amalians on Hadding's side in the great
world war becomes a certainty from the fact that we discover...
|
Middle Age Sagas With Roots In The Myth Concerning The Lower World Erik Vidforle's Saga
Far down in Christian times there prevailed among the Scandinavians the
idea that their heathen ancestors had believed in the existe...
|
Icelandic Sources In Regard To Gudmund King On The Glittering Plains
In the saga of Hervor, Odainsaker is mentioned, and there without any
visible addition of Christian elements. Gudmund (Godmundr) was...
|
Saxo Concerning This Same Gudmund Ruler Of The Lower World
Saxo, the Danish historian, also knows Gudmund. He relates (Hist.
Dan., viii.) that King Gorm had resolved to find a mysterious coun...
|
Fjallerus And Hadingushadding In The Lower World
Two other Danish princes have, according to Saxo, been permitted to see
a subterranean world, or Odainsaker. Saxo calls the one Fjal...
|
A Frisian Saga In Adam Of Bremen
The series of traditions above narrated in regard to Odainsaker, the
Glittering Plains, and their ruler Gudmund, and also in regard ...
|
Analysis Of The Sagas Mentioned In Nos 44-48
If we consider the position of the authors or recorders of these sagas
in relation to the views they present in regard to Odainsaker...
|
Analysis Of The Sagas Mentioned In Nos 44-48 The Question In Regard To The Identification Of Odainsaker
Is Gudmund an invention of Christian times, although he is placed in an
environment which in general and in detail reflects the heat...
|
Gudmund's Identity With Mimer
I dare say the most characteristic figure of Teutonic mythology is
Mimer, the lord of the fountain which bears his name. The liquid
...
|
Mimer's Grove Lif And Leifthraser
The grove is called after its ruler and guardian, Mimer's or
Treasure-Mimer's grove (Mimis holt--Younger Edda, Upsala Codex;
Gylfag...
|
The Ram With The Golden Fleece
Once upon a time when a certain hunter went to the mountains to hunt,
there came toward him a ram with golden fleece. The hunter took ...
|
A Pavilion Neither In The Sky Nor On The Earth
Once upon a time there lived a tsar, who had three sons and one
daughter. The latter was kept in a cage by her father, for he loved
h...
|
Pepelyouga
On a high pasture land, near by an immense precipice, some maidens
were occupied in spinning and attending to their grazing cattle, wh...
|
Animals Language
The universality of folk-lore is curiously illustrated in the
following tale which is strikingly like a story native to the negroes
o...
|
The Stepmother And Her Stepdaughter
Once upon a time there was a girl who lived with her stepmother. The
woman hated her stepdaughter exceedingly, because she was more
b...
|
Justice And Injustice
There was a king who had two sons, one of whom was cunning and
unjust, and the other good and just. In due time the king died,
and th...
|
He Who Asks Little Receives Much
Once upon a time there lived three brothers, who instead of much
property had only a pear-tree. Each would watch that tree in turn,
w...
|
Bash Tchelik Or Real Steel
There lived once a tsar who had three sons and three daughters. When
old age overtook him and the hour came for him to die he called h...
|
The Golden Apple-tree And The Nine Peahens
Once there was a king who had three sons. In the garden of the palace
grew a golden apple-tree, which, in one and the same night would...
|
The Bird Maiden
There was once a king who had an only son, whom, when he had grown
up, he sent abroad to seek a suitable wife. The prince set out on
...
|
Lying For A Wager
One day a father sent his boy to the mill with corn to be ground,
and, at the moment of his departure, he warned him not to grind it
...
|
The Maiden Wiser Than The Tsar
Long ago there lived an old man, who dwelt in a poor cottage. He
possessed one thing only in the world, and that was a daughter who
w...
|
Good Deeds Never Perish
Once upon a time there lived a man and woman who had one son. When the
boy grew up his parents endeavoured to give him a suitable educ...
|
He Whom God Helps No One Can Harm
Once upon a time there lived a man and his wife, and they were
blessed with three sons. The youngest son was the most handsome,
and h...
|
Animals As Friends And As Enemies
Once upon a time, a long while ago, there lived in a very far-off
country, a young nobleman who was so exceedingly poor that all his
...
|
The Three Suitors
In a very remote country there formerly lived a king who had only one
child--an exceedingly beautiful daughter. The princess had a gre...
|
The Dream Of The King's Son
There was once a king who had three sons. One evening, when the young
princes were going to sleep, the king ordered them to take good ...
|
The Biter Bit
Once upon a time there was an old man who, whenever he heard anyone
complain how many sons he had to care for, always laughed and said...
|
The Trade That No One Knows
A long while ago there lived a poor old couple, who had an only
son. The old man and his wife worked very hard to nourish their child
...
|
The Golden-haired Twins
Once upon a time, a long, long while ago, there lived a young king
who wished very much to marry, but could not decide where he had
b...
|
Some Serbian Popular Anecdotes
St. Peter and the Sand
A townsman went one day to the country to hunt and came at noon to
the house of a peasant whom he knew. Th...
|
Origin Of The Difference In Modes Of Life Between Hottentots And Bushmen
In the beginning there were two. One was blind, the other was always
hunting. This hunter found at last a hole in the earth from whi...
|
The Lost Message
The ant has had from time immemorial many enemies, and because he is
small and destructive, there have been a great many slaughters ...
|
The Monkey's Fiddle
Hunger and want forced Monkey one day to forsake his land and to seek
elsewhere among strangers for much-needed work. Bulbs, earth b...
|
The Tiger The Ram And The Jackal
Tiger (leopard) was returning home from hunting on one occasion, when he
lighted on the kraal of Ram. Now, Tiger had never seen Ram ...
|
The Jackal And The Wolf
Once on a time Jackal, who lived on the borders of the colony, saw a
wagon returning from the seaside laden with fish; he tried to g...
|
A Jackal And A Wolf
Jackal and Wolf went and hired themselves to a man to be his servants.
In the middle of the night Jackal rose and smeared Wolf's tai...
|
The Lion The Jackal And The Man
It so happened one day that Lion and Jackal came together to converse on
affairs of land and state. Jackal, let me say, was the most...
|
The World's Reward
Once there was a man that had an old dog, so old that the man desired to
put him aside. The dog had served him very faithfully when ...
|
The Lion And Jackal
Not because he was exactly the most capable or progressive fellow in the
neighborhood, but because he always gave that idea--that is...
|
Tink-tinkje
The birds wanted a king. Men have a king, so have animals, and why
shouldn't they? All had assembled.
"The Ostrich, because he is...
|
The Lion And Jackal 2
Lion had now caught a large eland which lay dead on the top of a high
bank. Lion was thirsty and wanted to go and drink water. "Jack...
|
Lion And Jackal A
The Lion and the Jackal agreed to hunt on shares, for the purpose of
laying in a stock of meat for the winter months for their famil...
|
The Hunt Of Lion And Jackal
Lion and Jackal, it is said, were one day lying in wait for Eland. Lion
shot (with a bow) and missed, but Jackal hit and sang out, "...
|
Story Of Lion And Little Jackal
Little Jackal one day went out hunting, when he met Lion. Lion proposed
that they should hunt together, on condition that if a small...
|
The Lioness And The Ostrich
It is said, once a lioness roared, and the ostrich also roared. The
lioness went toward the place where the ostrich was. They met. T...
|
Crocodile's Treason
Crocodile was, in the days when animals still could talk, the
acknowledged foreman of all water creatures and if one should judge fr...
|
The Story Of A Dam
There was a great drought in the land; and Lion called together a number
of animals so that they might devise a plan for retaining w...
|
The Dance For Water Or Rabbit's Triumph
There was a frightful drought. The rivers after a while dried up and
even the springs gave no water.
The animals wandered around ...
|
Jackal And Monkey
Every evening Jackal went to the Boer's kraal. He crept through the
sliding door and stole a fat young lamb. This, clever Jackal did...
|
Lion's Share
Lion and Jackal went together a-hunting. They shot with arrows. Lion
shot first, but his arrow fell short of its aim; but Jackal hit...
|
Jackal's Bride
Jackal, it is said, married Hyena, and carried off a cow belonging to
the ants, to slaughter her for the wedding; and when he had sl...
|
The Story Of Hare
Once upon a time the animals made a kraal and put some fat in it. They
agreed that one of their number should remain to be the keepe...
|
The White Man And Snake
A white man, it is said, met Snake upon whom a large stone had fallen
and covered her so that she could not rise. The White Man lift...
|
Another Version Of The Same Fable
A Dutchman was walking by himself and saw Snake lying under a large
stone. Snake implored his help; but when she had become free she...
|
Cloud-eating
Jackal and Hyena were together, it is said, when a white cloud rose.
Jackal descended upon it, and ate of the cloud as if it were fa...
|
Lion's Illness
Lion, it is said, was ill, and they all went to see him in his
suffering. But Jackal did not go, because the traces of the people wh...
|
Jackal Dove And Heron
Jackal, it is said, came once to Dove, who lived on the top of a rock,
and said, "Give me one of your little ones."
Dove answered...
|
Cock And Jackal
Cock, it is said, was once overtaken by Jackal, and caught. Cock said to
Jackal, "Please, pray first (before you kill me), as the wh...
|
Elephant And Tortoise
Two powers, Elephant and Rain, had a dispute. Elephant said, "If you say
that you nourish me, in what way is it that you say so?" Ra...
|
Another Version Of The Same Fable
Giraffe and Tortoise, they say, met one day. Giraffe said to Tortoise,
"At once I could trample you to death." Tortoise, being afrai...
|
Tortoises Hunting Ostriches
One day, it is said, the Tortoises held a council how they might hunt
Ostriches, and they said, "Let us, on both sides, stand in row...
|
The Judgment Of Baboon
One day, it is said, the following story happened:
Mouse had torn the clothes of Itkler (the tailor), who then went to
Baboon, an...
|
Lion And Baboon
Baboon, it is said, once worked bamboos, sitting on the edge of a
precipice, and Lion stole upon him. Baboon, however, had fixed som...
|
The Zebra Stallion
The Baboons, it is said, used to disturb the Zebra Mares in drinking.
But one of the Mares became the mother of a foal. The others t...
|
When Lion Could Fly
Lion, it is said, used once to fly, and at that time nothing could live
before him. As he was unwilling that the bones of what he ca...
|
Lion Who Thought Himself Wiser Than His Mother
It is said that when Lion and Gurikhoisip (the Only man), together with
Baboon, Buffalo, and other friends, were playing one day at ...
|
Lion Who Took A Woman's Shape
Some Women, it is said, went out to seek roots and herbs and other wild
food. On their way home they sat down and said, "Let us tast...
|
Why Has Jackal A Long Black Stripe On His Back?
The Sun, it is said, was one day on earth, and the men who were
travelling saw him sitting by the wayside, but passed him without
n...
|
Horse Cursed By Sun
It is said that once Sun was on earth, and caught Horse to ride it. But
it was unable to bear his weight, and therefore Ox took the ...
|
Lion's Defeat
The wild animals, it is said, were once assembled at Lion's. When Lion
was asleep, Jackal persuaded Little Fox to twist a rope of os...
|
The Origin Of Death
The Moon, it is said, sent once an Insect to Men, saying, "Go thou to
Men, and tell them, 'As I die, and dying live, so ye shall als...
|
Another Version Of The Same Fable
The Moon dies, and rises to life again. The Moon said to the Hare, "Go
thou to Men, and tell them, 'Like as I die and rise to life a...
|
A Third Version Of The Same Fable
The Moon, on one occasion, sent the Hare to the earth to inform Men that
as she (the Moon) died away and rose again, so mankind shou...
|
A Fourth Version Of The Same Fable
The Moon, they say, wished to send a message to Men, and the Hare said
that he would take it. "Run, then," said the Moon, "and tell ...
|
A Zulu Version Of The Legend Of The Origin Of Death
God (Unknlunkuln) arose from beneath (the seat of the spiritual world,
according to the Zulu idea), and created in the beginning men...
|
The Stories Of White Yellow And Black Leopard
Through the listless leaves of the oaks and elms the moon was spraying
silver over the hot earth when Sa'-zada, throwing down bars a...
|
The Story Of Hathi Ganesh The White-eared Elephant
It was very hot. The Summer moon, pushing lazily through the whispering
tracery of tall elm trees that cut the night sky, fell upo...
|
The Stories Of Gidar The Jackal And Coyote The Prairie Wolf
"To-night," commenced Sa'-zada, "we are to have the interesting life
story of the two half-brothers, Gidar and Coyote."
"A thief'...
|
The Story Of Raj Bagh The King Tiger
While the Keeper Sa'-zada was still loitering over his tea, there came
to his ears an imperious roaring call "Wah-h-h! Wah-h-h! Wa...
|
The Story Of The Tribe Of King Cobra
It was the fifth night of the Sa'-zada tales. As usual, Hathi, Grey
Wolf, and all the other animals, jostling each other merrily l...
|
The Story Of The Monkeys
Such a row there had been all day in Animal Town.
Sa'-zada, the Keeper, had told Magh, the Orang-outang, that the Monkeys
were to...
|
The Story Of Birds Of A Feather
When Sa'-zada the Keeper had gathered all his comrades in front of
Chita's cage for the evening of the Bird talk, Magh clambered up ...
|
The Stories Of Buffalo And Bison
This evening the whole Buffalo herd had come out of the park to the
meeting-place in front of Chita's cage; even their brother, the ...
|
The Story Of Unt The Camel
The clink of a loose chain; the complaining wail of a swinging iron
door; the squeak of a key turning an unwilling lock--a heavy-bol...
|
The Story Of Big Tusk The Wild Boar
'Twas the tenth night of what might be called the Sa'-zada convention,
and Black Panther was making the iron bars of his cage jingle...
|
The Stories Of Oohoo The Wolf And Sher Abi The Crocodile
"To-night," said Sa'-zada, the Keeper, "we shall have a story from
White Wolf of his home in the frozen North, and also one from She...
|
The Story Of Sa'-zada Zoo Keeper
It was the twelfth night of the Sa'-zada stories. For eleven evenings
Tiger, and Leopard, and the others had told of their manner of...
|
Olelbis
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the beast, bird, or thing into which
the personage was changed subsequently. Names on...
|
Olelbis And Mem Loimis
One character in this myth is of great importance in actual Indian
belief, the Hlahi or doctor, the sorcerer. The position and power...
|
Norwan
This myth, which recalls the Helen of Troy tale, is extremely
interesting both as regards personages and structure. At present I
sh...
|
Tulchuherris
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Hawt=, l...
|
Sedit And The Two Brothers Hus
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the beast, bird, or thing into which
the personage was changed subsequently.
=Doko...
|
Hawt
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the beast, bird, or thing into which
the personage was changed subsequently.
=ChÃ...
|
Norwanchakus And Keriha
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing unto which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Eltuluma...
|
Kele And Sedit
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Hinwu=, ...
|
Kol Tibichi
Kol Tibichi was born at Norpat Kodiheril on Wini Mem, just before
daylight. When a small boy, he used to go out by himself. If he we...
|
The Winning Of Halai Auna At The House Of Tuina
This myth and all that follow it belong to the Yanas, a nation of
Indians described in the notes. The nine preceding myths are of th...
|
The Hakas And The Tennas
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Darà Jo...
|
Ilhataina
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Ahalamil...
|
Hitchinna
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Hitchinn...
|
Tirukala
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=ChÃchep...
|
Sukonia's Wives And The Ichpul Sisters
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Chikpitp...
|
The Finding Of Fire
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Ahalamil...
|
Haka Kaina
PERSONAGES
After their transformation the personages in "=Haka Kaina=" were
mainly birds. I have not been able to identify the ma...
|
Titindi Maupa And Paiowa The Youngest Daughter Of Wakara
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Hemauna ...
|
The Two Sisters Haka Lasi And Tsore Jowa
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Chuhna=,...
|
The Dream Of Juiwaiyu And His Journey To Damhauja's Country
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Damhauja...
|
The Flight Of Tsanunewa And Defeat Of Hehku
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Ahalamil...
|
The First Battle In The World And The Making Of The Yana
PERSONAGES
After each name is given that of the creature or thing into which the
personage was changed subsequently.
=Ahalamil...
|
Behind The Myths
The following notes are put in as condensed a form as possible. They
are confined to explanations of the actors or characters in the...
|
The Three Wayfarers
There dwelt in the diocese of Leon, in ancient times, two young
noblemen, rich and comely as heart could desire. Their names were
T...
|
The Legend Of Saint Galonnek
Saint Galonnek was a native of Ireland, as, indeed, were almost all
the teachers in Brittany of those days, and called himself Galon...
|
The Korils Of Plauden
There dwelt formerly in the land of White-Wheat, as well as in
Cornouaille, a race of dwarfs, or Korigans, who, being divided into
...
|
The Blessed Mao
Those Christians who stand in need of heavenly aid cannot do better
than apply themselves to our Lady of All-Help near Faou. In that...
|
Keris
In the olden times a king named Grallon reigned over the land of
Cornouaille. He was as good a man as any son of Adam, and gave a
c...
|
The Stones Of Plouhinec
Plouhinec is a poor little market-town beyond Hennebon, towards the
sea. Bare commons or little fir-woods stretch all round it, and ...
|
Teuz-a-pouliet Or The Dwarf
The vale of Pinard is a pleasant slope which lies behind the city of
Morlaix. There are plenty of gardens, houses, shops, and bakers...
|
The Spectre Laundresses
The Bretons are born in sin, even as other men, but never have they
been wanting in care for the souls of their faithful departed. T...
|
Robin Redbreast
Long, long ago, ere the acorns were sown which have since furnished
timber for the oldest vessels of the port of Brest, there lived ...
|
Comorre
In the old times, it is said that the city of Vannes was far larger
and finer than it is in our days, and that instead of a prefect,...
|
The Groac'h Of The Isle Of Lok
Every one who knows the land of the Church (Lanillis), knows also that
it is one of the loveliest parishes in the diocese of Leon. T...
|
The Four Gifts
If I had an income of three hundred crowns, I would go and dwell
at Quimper; the finest church in Cornouaille is to be found there,
...
|
The Palace Of The Proud King
The children slumber sweetly in their curtained beds; the brown dog
snores upon the broad hearth-stone; the cows chew the cud behind...
|
The Piper
The sea-breeze blew from the shore of the Black Water, and the stars
were rising. The young maidens had gone homewards to the little...
|
The White Inn
Once upon a time there was an inn at Ponthou, known, from its
appearance, as the White Inn. The people who kept it were both good an...
|
Peronnik The Idiot
You cannot surely have failed, some time or other, to meet by chance
some of those poor idiots, or innocents, whose utmost wisdom sc...
|
Prince Csihan Nettles
There was once--I don't know where, at the other side of seven times
seven countries, or even beyond them, on the tumble-down side o...
|
Stephen The Murderer
There was once, I don't know where, over seven times seven countries, or
even beyond that, a very, very rich farmer, and opposite to...
|
The Lamb With The Golden Fleece
There was once a poor man who had a son, and as the son grew up his
father sent him out to look for work. The son travelled about lo...
|
Fisher Joe
There was once a poor man, who had nothing in the world but his wife and
an unhappy son Joe. His continual and his only care was how...
|
Luck And Bliss
Luck and Bliss went out one day, and came to a town where they found a
poor man selling brooms, but nobody seemed to buy anything fr...
|
The Lazy Cat
A lad married a lazy rich girl, and he made a vow that he would never
beat her. The missis never did any work but went about from ho...
|
Handsome Paul
There was once, over seven times seven countries, a poor woman who had a
son, and he decided to go into service. So he said to his m...
|
The Travels Of Truth And Falsehood
A long time ago--I don't exactly remember the day--Truth started, with
her bag well filled, on a journey to see the world. On she we...
|
The Hunting Princes
Once there was a king whose only thought and only pleasure was hunting;
he brought up his sons to the same ideas, and so they were c...
|
The Lazy Spinning-girl Who Became A Queen
A common woman had a daughter who was a very good worker, but she did
not like spinning; for this her mother very often scolded her,...
|
The Envious Sisters
A king had three daughters whose names were Pride, Gentleness, and
Kindness. The king was very fond of them all, but he loved the yo...
|
Knight Rose
A king had three sons. When the enemy broke into the land and occupied
it, the king himself fell in the war. The young princes were ...
|
Prince Mirko
There was once, I don't know where, a king who had three sons. This king
had great delight in his three sons, and decided to give th...
|
The Student Who Was Forcibly Made King
A student started on a journey, and as he went over a field he found
some peas which were cracked. He thought that they might be of ...
|
The Children Of Two Rich Men
There lived, at the two corners of a country, far away from each other,
two rich men; one of them had a son, the other a daughter; t...
|
The Hussar And The Servant Girl
The wife of a priest in olden times, it may have been in the
antediluvian world, put all the plates, dishes, and milk-jugs into a
b...
|
My Father's Wedding
Once I discovered all of a sudden, it was before I was born, that my
father was going to get married, and take my mother unto him. M...
|
The Baa-lambs
There was once, somewhere or in some other place, I don't know where,
over seven times seven countries, or even beyond them, a poor ...
|
Fairy Elizabeth
There was once somewhere, I don't know where, beyond seven times seven
countries, and even beyond them, a poor man who had a wife an...
|
The Three Princes
There was once, I don't know where, beyond seven times seven countries,
and at a cock's crow even beyond them--an immense, tall, qui...
|
The Three Dreams
There was once, I don't know where, even beyond the Operenczias Sea, a
poor man, who had three sons. Having got up one morning, the ...
|
Csabor Ur
There was once a young prince who was, perhaps, not quite twenty-five
years old, tall, and his slim figure was like a pine tree; his...
|
The Devil And The Three Slovak Lads
There was once, I don't know where, in Slavonia, a man who had three
sons. "Well, my sons," said he one day to them, "go to see the ...
|
The Count's Daughter
There was once, I don't know where, an old tumble-down oven, there was
nothing left of its sides; there was also once a town in whic...
|
The Speaking Grapes The Smiling Apple And The Tinkling Apricot
There was once, I don't know where, beyond seven times seven countries,
a king who had three daughters. One day the king was going t...
|
The Three Oranges
There was once, I don't know where, a king, who had three sons. They had
reached a marriageable age, but could not find any one who ...
|
The Youngest Prince And The Youngest Princess
There was once, I don't know where, an old petticoat a hundred years
old, and in this petticoat a tuck, in which I found the followi...
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The Invisible Shepherd Lad
There was once, I don't know where, a poor man who had a very good son
who was a shepherd. One day he was tending his sheep in a roc...
|
The Three Princesses
There was once, I shan't tell you where, it is enough if I tell you that
there was somewhere a tumble-down oven, which was in first-...
|
Cinder Jack
A peasant had three sons. One morning he sent out the eldest to guard
the vineyard. The lad went, and was cheerfully eating a cake h...
|
The Three Brothers
There was once a poor man who had three sons. "My sons," said he to them
one day, "you have not seen anything yet, and you have no e...
|
The Three Valuable Things
There were once two kings who lived in great friendship; one had three
sons, the other a daughter. The two fathers made an agreement...
|
The Little Magic Pony
Once a poor man had twelve sons, and, not having sufficient means to
keep them at home, he sent them into the great world to earn th...
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The Beggar's Presents
There was once a very poor man, who went into the wood to fell trees for
his own use. The sweat ran down his cheeks, from his hard w...
|
The World's Beautiful Woman
In the most beautiful land of Asia, where Adam and Eve may have lived,
where all animals, including cows, live wild, where the corn ...
|
The Girl Without Hands
There was once, I don't know where, a king whose only son was an
exceedingly handsome and brave fellow, who went far into the
neigh...
|
The King And The Devil
In the country where lions and bearded wolves live there was a king
whose favourite sport was hunting and shooting; he had some hund...
|
The Three Princes The Three Dragons And The Old Woman With The Iron Nose
On the shores of the Blue Sea there was a land in which dragons grew.
This land had a king whose court was draped in black, and whos...
|
The Widower And His Daughter
I don't know in what country, in which county, in which district, in
which village, in which street, in which corner, there lived a ...
|
The Wishes
There were 10,000 wagons rolling along the turnpike road, in each wagon
there were 10,000 casks, in each cask 10,000 bags, in each b...
|
The Two Orphans
There was once, I know not where, even beyond the Operencian Land, a
village, and at the end of the village a little hovel. Within t...
|
The Wonderful Frog
There was once, I don't know where, a man who had three daughters. One
day the father thus spoke to the eldest girl: "Go, my daughte...
|
The Devil And The Red Cap
There was once, I know not where, a soldier who was flogged many times,
and who one night had to stand on sentry. As he paced up and...
|
Jack Dreadnought
A poor widow had a son who was so courageous that not even the devil's
mother would have frightened him, and therefore he was named ...
|
The Secret-keeping Little Boy And His Little Sword
There was once, I don't know where, beyond the seas, a little village,
and in the village a widow. The widow had a pretty little son...
|
Shepherd Paul
There was once, I don't know where, a shepherd, who one day found a
little boy in a meadow; the boy was not more than two days old, ...
|
The Pelican
There was once, I don't know where, there was in the world an old king;
one of whose eyes always wept, and the other always smiled. ...
|
The Girl With The Golden Hair
There was once, I do not know where, in the world an old man who had
twelve sons; the eldest of whom served the king for twenty-four...
|
The Lover's Ghost
Somewhere, I don't know where, even beyond the Operencian Seas, there
was once a maid. She had lost her father and mother, but she l...
|
Snake Skin
Far, very far, there was once, I do not know where, even beyond the
frozen Operencian Sea, a poplar-tree, on the top of which there ...
|
The Fairies' Well
Tale, tale, mate; a black little bird flew on the tree; it broke one of
its legs; a new cloak, a shabby old cloak; it put it on.
...
|
The Crow's Nest
There was once in the world a poor man who had a wife and two children,
the elder a girl, the younger a boy. The poor man went out o...
|
Woman's Curiosity
A shepherd saved the life of the daughter of the king of snakes, the
princess narrowly escaping being burnt to death. To show him he...
|
Welsh Folk Lore
|
Origin Of The Fairies
The Fairy tales that abound in the Principality have much in common with
like legends in other countries. This points to a common ori...
|
Names Given To The Fairies
The Fairies have, in Wales, at least three common and distinctive names,
as well as others that are not nowadays used.
The first an...
|
Annwn_ Or Annwfn
is defined in Canon Silvan Evans's Dictionary as an
abyss, Hades, etc. Plant Annwn, therefore, means children of the lower
regions....
|
Gwyll
According to Richards, and Dr. Owen Pughe, is a Fairy, a goblin,
etc. The plural of Gwyll would be Gwylliaid, or Gwyllion, but this
...
|
Coblynau Or Knockers
have been described as a species of Fairies,
whose abode was within the rocks, and whose province it was to indicate
to the miners by...
|
Fairy Ladies Marrying Mortals
In the mythology of the Greeks, and other nations, gods and goddesses are
spoken of as falling in love with human beings, and many a...
|
The Pentrevoelas Legend
I am indebted to the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of Pentrevoelas, a mountain
parish in West Denbighshire, for the following tale, which w...
|
The Ystrad Legend
In a meadow belonging to Ystrad, bounded by the river which falls from
Cwellyn Lake, they say the Fairies used to assemble, and danc...
|
The Llanfrothen Legend
I am indebted to the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of Llanycil, Bala, for the
following legend. I may state that Mr. Jones is a native of L...
|
The Myddvai Legend
A widow, who had an only son, was obliged, in consequence of the large
flocks she possessed, to send, under the care of her son, a p...
|
The Cambro-briton Version Of The Myddvai Legend
A man, who lived in the farm-house called Esgair-llaethdy, in the parish
of Myddvai, in Carmarthenshire, having bought some lambs in...
|
Men Captured By Fairies
In the preceding legends, we have accounts of men capturing female
Fairies, and marrying them. It would be strange if the kidnappin...
|
Elidorus And The Fairies
A short time before our days, a circumstance worthy of note occurred in
these parts, which Elidorus, a priest, most strenuously affi...
|
A Bryneglwys Man Inveigled By The Fairies
Two waggoners were sent from Bryneglwys for coals to the works over the
hill beyond Minera. On their way they came upon a company o...
|
Story Of A Man Who Spent Twelve Months In Fairyland
In Mathavarn, in the parish of Llanwrin, and the Cantrev of Cyveilioc,
there is a wood which is called Ffridd yr Ywen (the Forest of...
|
A Man Who Spent Twelve Months And A Day With The Fairies
A young man, a farm labourer, and his sweetheart were sauntering along
one evening in an unfrequented part of the mountain, when the...
|
The Son Of Llech Y Derwydd And The Fairies
The son of Llech y Derwydd was the only son of his parents and heir to
the farm. He was very dear to his father and mother, yea, he...
|
A Young Man Marries A Fairy Lady In Fairy Land And Brings Her To Live With Him Among His Own People
Once on a time a shepherd boy had gone up the mountain. That day, like
many a day before and after, was exceedingly misty. Now, th...
|
A Boy Taken To Fairy Land
Mrs. Morris, of Cwm Vicarage, near Rhyl, told the writer the following
story. She stated that she had heard it related in her famil...
|
Fairy Changelings
It was firmly believed, at one time, in Wales, that the Fairies exchanged
their own weakly or deformed offspring for the strong chil...
|
The Egg Shell Pottage
In the parish of Treveglwys, near Llanidloes, in the county of
Montgomery, there is a little shepherd's cot, that is commonly called...
|
Corwrion Changeling Legend
Once on a time, in the fourteenth century, the wife of a man at Corwrion
had twins, and she complained one day to the witch who live...
|
Llanfwrog Changeling Legend
A mother took her child to the gleaning field, and left it sleeping under
the sheaves of wheat whilst she was busily engaged gleanin...
|
The Gore Goch Changeling Legend
The tale rendered into English is as follows:--There was once a happy
family living in a place called Gors Goch. One night, as usua...
|
Another Version Of The Gors Goch Legend
When the people of the Gors Goch one evening had gone to bed, lo! they
heard a great row and disturbance around the house. One coul...
|
Garth Uchaf Llanuwchllyn Changeling Legend
Yr oedd gwraig Garth Uchaf, yn Llanuwchllyn, un tro wedi myned allan i
gweirio gwair, a gadael ei baban yn y cryd; ond fel bu'r anff...
|
Fairy Mothers And Human Midwives
Fairies are represented in Wales as possessing all the passions,
appetites, and wants of human beings. There are many tales current...
|
Denbighshire Version Of A Fairy Mother And Human Midwife
The following story I received from the lips of David Roberts, whom I
have previously mentioned, a native of Denbighshire, and he re...
|
Merionethshire Version Of The Fairy Mother And Human Midwife
A more complete version of this legend is given in the Gordofigion, pp.
97, 98. The writer says:--
Yr oedd bydwraig yn Llanuwchl...
|
The Corwrion Version
One of the Fairies came to a midwife who lived at Corwrion and asked her
to come with him and attend on his wife. Off she went with...
|
The Nanhwynan Version
Once on a time, when a midwife from Nanhwynan had newly got to the
Hafodydd Brithion to pursue her calling, a gentleman came to the do...
|
Fairy Visits To Human Abodes
Old people often told their children and servant girls, that one
condition of the Fairy visits to their houses was cleanliness. The...
|
A Fairy Borrowing A Gridiron
The following Fairy legend was told to Mr. W. W. Cobb, of Hilton House,
Atherstone, by Mrs. Williams, wife of Thomas Williams, pilot...
|
Fairy Riches And Gifts
The riches of the Fairies are often mentioned by the old people, and the
source of their wealth is variously given. An old man, who...
|
The Fairies Placing Money On The Ground For A Poor Man
The following tale was told me by Thomas Jones, a small mountain farmer,
who occupies land near Pont Petrual, a place between Ruthin...
|
The Fairies And Their Chest Of Gold
The following tale I obtained from the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of
Pentrevoelas. The scene lies amongst the wildest mountains of
Mer...
|
The Fairy Shilling
The Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, whom I have already mentioned as
having supplied me with the Folk-lore of his parish, kindly gave...
|
The Hidden Golden Chair
It is a good many years since Mrs. Mary Jones, Corlanau, Llandinorwig,
Carnarvonshire, told me the following tale. The scene of the...
|
Fairy Treasures Seen By A Man Near Ogwen Lake
Another tale, similar to the preceding one, is told by my friend, Mr.
Hugh Derfel Hughes, in his Hynafiaethau Llandegai a Llanllechi...
|
The Fairies Giving Money To A Man For Joining Them In Their Dance
The following story came to me through the Rev. Owen Jones, Vicar of
Pentrevoelas. The occurrence is said to have taken place near
...
|
The Fairies Rewarding A Woman For Taking Care Of Their Dog
Mention has already been made of Fairy Dogs. It would appear that now
and again these dogs, just like any other dogs, strayed from ...
|
Fairy Money Turned To Dross
Fairies' treasure was of uncertain value, and depended for its very
existence on Fairy intentions. Often and again, when they had l...
|
A Cruel Man And A Fairy Dog
The person from whom the following tale was derived was David Roberts,
Tycerrig, Clocaenog, near Ruthin.
A Fairy dog lost its mas...
|
Dick The Fiddler And The Fairy Crown-piece
For the following story I am indebted to my friend, Mr Hamer, who records
it in his Parochial account of Llanidloes, published in th...
|
Fairies Working For Men
It was once thought that kind Fairies took compassion on good folk, who
were unable to accomplish in due time their undertakings, an...
|
Fairy Dances
The one occupation of the Fairy folk celebrated in song and prose was
dancing. Their green rings, circular or ovoidal in form, abou...
|
A Man Who Found Himself On A Heap Of Ferns After Joining In A Fairy Dance
A man who went to witness a Fairy dance was invited to join them. He did
so, and all night long he greatly enjoyed himself. At the...
|
The Fairies Threw Dust Into A Man's Eyes Who Saw Them Dance
This tale is taken from Cymru Fu, p. 176, and is from the pen of
Glasynys. I give it in English.
William Ellis, of Cilwern, was ...
|
A Man Dancing With The Fairies For Three Days
Y mae chwedl go debyg am le o'r enw Llyn-y-Ffynonau. Yr oedd yno rasio
a dawnsio, a thelynio a ffidlo enbydus, a gwas o Gelli Ffryd...
|
A Harper And The Fairies
There once lived in a remote part of Denbighshire, called Hafod Elwy, an
old harper, named Shon Robert, who used to be invited to pa...
|
A Three Hours Fairy Dance Seeming As A Few Minutes
The Rev. R. Jones's mother, when a young unmarried woman, started one
evening from a house called Tyddyn Heilyn, Penrhyndeudraeth, t...
|
The Elf Dancers Of Cae Caled
Dr. Edward Williams, under the year 1757, writes as follows:--
I am now going to relate a circumstance in this young period of my ...
|
Fairy Tricks With Mortals
It was formerly believed in Wales that the Fairies, for a little fun,
sportively carried men in mid air from place to place, and, ha...
|
A Man Carried Through The Air By The Fairies
One Edward Jones, or 'Ned the Jockey,' as he was familiarly called,
resided, within the memory of the writer, in one of the roadside c...
|
Fairy Illusions
Ryw dro yr oedd brodor o Nefyn yn dyfod adref o ffair Pwllheli, ac wrth
yr Efail Newydd gwelai Inn fawreddog, a chan ei fod yn gwybo...
|
Fairy Men Captured
There are many tales current of wee Fairy men having been captured.
These tales are, however, evidently variants of the same story. ...
|
Gwyddelwern Version
The following tale was told by Mr. Evan Roberts, Ffridd Agored, a farmer
in the parish of Llanfwrog. Roberts heard the story when h...
|
The Llandrillo Version
I am indebted for the following tale to Mr. E. S. Roberts, schoolmaster,
Llantysilio, near Llangollen:--
Two men whilst otter-hun...
|
The Snowdon Version
The following tale is taken from Y Gordofigion, p. 98:--
Aeth trigolion ardaloedd cylchynol y Wyddfa un tro i hela pryf llwyd.
Me...
|
The Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd Version
Mr. Evan Davies, carpenter, Bryn Llan, Efenechtyd, told the writer that
Robert Jones, innkeeper, in the same parish, told him the fo...
|
Fairies In Markets And Fairs
It was once firmly believed by the Welsh that the Fairy Tribe visited
markets and fairs, and that their presence made business brisk...
|
Names Of Things Attributed To The Fairies
Many small stone utensils found in the ground, the use, or the origin, of
which was unknown to the finders, were formerly attributed...
|
Fairy Pipes
Cetyn y Tylwyth Teg, or Fairy Pipes, are small clay pipes, with bowls
that will barely admit the tip of the little finger. They are...
|
Fairy Whetstone
The small spindle whorls which belong to the stone age, and which have
been discovered in the circular huts, called Cyttiau'r Gwydde...
|
Fairy Hammer And Fairy Or Elf Stones
Stone hammers of small size have been ascribed to the Fairies, and an
intelligent Welsh miner once told the writer that he had himse...
|
Ymenyn Y Tylwyth Teg Or Fairy Butter
I cannot do better than quote Pennant on this matter. His words are:--
Petroleum, rock oil, or what the Welsh call it, Ymenin...
|
Bwyd Ellyllon Or Goblins' Food
This was a kind of fungus or mushroom. The word is given in Dr. Owen
Pughe's dictionary under the head Ellyll.
...
|
Menyg Y Tylwyth Teg Or Fairy Gloves
The Fox Glove is so called, but in Dr. Owen Pughe's dictionary, under the
head Ellyll, the Fox Glove is called Menyg Ellyllon.
...
|
Yr Ellyll Dan Or Goblin Fire
The Rev. T. H. Evans, in his History of the Parish of Llanwddyn, states
that in that parish Will of the Wisp is called Yr Ellyll Dan...
|
Rhaffau'r Tylwyth Teg Or The Ropes Of The Fairies
Professor Rhys, in his Welsh Fairy Tales--Y Cymmrodor vol. v., p.
75--says, that gossamer, which is generally called in North Wales
...
|
Fairy Knockers Or Coblynau
The Coblynau or Knockers were supposed to be a species of Fairies who
had their abode in the rocks, and whose province it was to ind...
|
The Pwka Or Pwca
Another imaginary being, closely allied to the Fairy family, was the
Pwka. He seems to have possessed many of the mischievous quali...
|
Fairy Or Mythic Animals
From the Myddvai Legend it would appear that the Fairies possessed sheep,
cattle, goats, and horses, and from other tales we see tha...
|
Cwn Annwn Or Dogs Of The Abyss
The words Cwn Annwn are variously translated as Dogs of Hell, Dogs of
Elfinland. In some parts of Wales they are called Cwn Wybir, ...
|
The Fairy Cow
There are many traditions afloat about a wonderful cow, that supplied
whole neighbourhoods with milk, which ceased when wantonly was...
|
Y Fuwch Frech The Freckled Cow
In ages long gone by, my informant knew not how long ago, a wonderful cow
had her pasture land on the hill close to the farm, called...
|
The Legend Of Llyn Y Ddau Ychain
The speckled cow had two calves, which, when they grew up, became strong
oxen. In those days there was a wicked spirit that trouble...
|
Y Fuwch Gyfeiliorn The Stray Cow
The history of the Fairy Stray Cow appears in Y Brython, vol. iii., pp.
183-4. The writer of the story states that he obtained his ...
|
Ceffyl Y Dwf The Water Horse
The superstition respecting the water-horse, in one form or other, is
common to the Celtic race. He was supposed to intimate by pre...
|
The Torrent Spectre
This spectre was supposed to be an old man, or malignant spirit, who
directed, and ruled over, the mountain torrents. He delighted ...
|
Gwrach Y Rhibyn Or Hag Of The Mist
Another supernatural being associated with water was the Gwrach y
Rhibyn. She was supposed to reside in the dripping fog, but was s...
|
Mermaids And Mermen
It is said that these fabulous beings frequented the sea-coasts of Wales
to the great danger of the inhabitants. The description of...
|
Stories Of Satan Ghosts Etc
Although Max Muller, in Chips from a German Workshop, vol. ii., p. 238,
states that The Aryan nations had no Devil, this certainly c...
|
Satan Playing Cards
A good many years ago I travelled from Pentrevoelas to Yspytty in company
with Mr. Lloyd, the then vicar of the latter parish, who, ...
|
Satan Playing Cards At A Merry Meeting
It was formerly a general custom in Wales for young lads and lasses to
meet and spend a pleasant evening together in various farmhou...
|
Satan Playing Cards On Rhyd-y-cae Bridge_ _pentrevoelas
Gwas yn y Gilar a phen campwr ei oes am chwareu cardiau oedd Robert
Llwyd Hari. Ond wrth fyn'd adre' o Rhydlydan, wedi bod yn chwar...
|
Satan Snatching A Man Up Into The Air
It would appear that poor Bob was doomed to a sad end. His last exploit
is thus given:--
Wrth fyned adre o chware cardia, ar Bon...
|
Satan Frightening A Man For Gathering Nuts On Sunday
The following tale was related to me by the Rev. W. E. Jones, rector of
Bylchau, near Denbigh:--
Richard Roberts, Coederaill, Byl...
|
Satan Taking Possession Of A Man Who Fished On Sunday
The following tale is in its main features still current in Cynwyd, a
village about two miles from Corwen. The first reference to t...
|
Satan Appearing In Many Forms To A Man Who Travelled On Sunday
I received the following tale from my deceased friend, the Rev. J. L.
Davies, late Rector of Llangynog, near Llanfyllin, Montgomerys...
|
The Evil Spirit Appearing To A Man Who Frequented Alehouses On Sunday
Jones writes as follows:--W. J. was once a Sabbath-breaker at Risca
village, where he frequently used to play and visit the alehouse...
|
Satan Outwitted
In the preceding tales the Evil One is depicted as an agent in the
destruction of his own kingdom. He thus shows his obtuseness, or...
|
Satan And Churches
The traditional stories that are still extant respecting the determined
opposition to the erection of certain churches in particular...
|
The Ejectment Of The Evil Spirit From Llanfor Church
Mr. Roberts states that his grandmother, born in 1744, had only
traditions of this spirit. He was said to have worn a three-cocked ...
|
An Evil Spirit In Llandysilio Church Montgomeryshire
The history of this Spirit's proceedings is given in Bye-Gones, Vol.
ii, p. 179, and the writer's fictitious name is Gypt.
This c...
|
A Spirit In Llangerniew Church_ _denbighshire
There was a tradition in this parish that on All-Hallows' Eve a Spirit
announced from the altar the names of those who were doomed t...
|
Satan And Bell Ringing
Durand, according to Bourne, in his Antiquities of the Common People,
ed. 1725, p. 17, was of opinion that Devils were much afraid o...
|
Mysterious Removal Of Churches
I. LLANLLECHID CHURCH.
There was a tradition extant in the parish of Llanllechid, near Bangor,
Carnarvonshire, that it was int...
|
Apparitions Of The Devil
To accomplish his nefarious designs the Evil Spirit assumed forms
calculated to attain his object. The following lines from Allan
...
|
The Devil Appearing To A Dissenting Minister At Denbigh
The Rev. Mr. Thomas Baddy, who lived in Denbigh Town, and was a
Dissenting Minister in that place, went into his study one night, an...
|
The Devil's Tree By Eglwys Rhos
At the corner of the first turning after passing the village of Llanrhos,
on the left hand side, is a withered oak tree, called by t...
|
Satan Appearing As A Lovely Maiden
The following story I received from the Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas.
As regards details it is a fragment.
A young man who was w...
|
A Man Carried Away By The Evil One
W. E., of Ll--- M---, was a very bad man; he was a brawler, a fighter, a
drunkard. He is said to have spat in the parson's face, an...
|
Satan Appearing To A Young Man
A young man, who had left Pentrevoelas to live in a farm house called
Hafod Elwy, had to go over the hills to Denbigh on business. ...
|
Satan Appearing To A Collier
John Roberts of Colliers' Row, Cyfartha, Merthyr, was once going to
Aberdare over the mountain. On the top of the hill he was met b...
|
Ghosts Or Spirits
Ghosts, or Spirits, were supposed to be the shades of departed human
beings who, for certain reasons, were permitted to visit either...
|
The Gloddaeth Ghost
The following tale was told the Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, by Thomas
Davies, Tycoch, Rhyl, the hero in the story.
I may say t...
|
Tymawr Ghost Bryneglwys
This Ghost plagued the servants, pinched and tormented them, and they
could not get rest day nor night; such was the character of th...
|
Ffrith Farm Ghost
I am indebted to Mr. Williams, schoolmaster, Bryneglwys, for the history
of this Ghost.
It was not known why Ffrith farm was trou...
|
Pont-y-glyn Ghost
There is a picturesque glen between Corwen and Cerrig-y-Drudion, down
which rushes a mountain stream, and over this stream is a brid...
|
Ysbryd Ystrad Fawr
Yr oedd Ysbryd yn Ystrad Fawr, ger Llangwm, yn arfer ymddangos ar
brydiau ar lun twrci, a'i gynffon o'i amgylch fel olwyn troell. B...
|
Ty Felin Ghost Llanynys
An exciseman, overtaken by night, went to a house called Ty Felin, in the
parish of Llanynys, and asked for lodgings. Unfortunately...
|
Llandegla Spirit
The tale of this Spirit was given me by Mr. Roberts, late Schoolmaster of
Llandegla. A small river runs close to the secluded villa...
|
Lady Jeffrey's Spirit
This lady could not rest in her grave because of her misdeeds, and she
troubled people dreadfully; at last she was persuaded or enti...
|
Pentrevoelas Squire Griffith's Ghost
A couple of workmen engaged at Foelas, the seat of the late Squire
Griffiths, thought they would steal a few apples from the orchard...
|
David Salisbury's Ghost
I will quote from Bye-Gones, vol. iii., p. 211, an account of this
Spirit.
There was an old Welsh tradition in vogue some fif...
|
A Ghost Appearing To Point Out Hidden Treasures
There is a farm house called Clwchdyrnog in the parish of Llanddeusant,
Anglesey, which was said to have been haunted by a Spirit. ...
|
The Powis Castle Ghost Revealing A Hidden Box To A Woman
The following is the narrative:--It had been for some time reported in
the neighbourhood that a poor unmarried woman, who was a memb...
|
The Spirit Of Llyn-nad-y-forwyn
It is said that a young man was about to marry a young girl, and on the
evening before the wedding they were rambling along the wate...
|
Spirit Laying
It must have been a consolation to those who believed in the power of
wicked Spirits to trouble people, that it was possible to lay ...
|
Cynon's Ghost
One of the wicked Spirits which plagued the secluded Valley of Llanwddyn
long before it was converted into a vast reservoir to suppl...
|
Caellwyngrydd Spirit
This was a dangerous Spirit. People passing along the road were stoned
by it; its work was always mischievous and hurtful. At last...
|
Ghost Raising
If the possibility of Ghost Laying was believed in, so also was the
possibility of raising Evil Spirits. This faith dates from olde...
|
Witches And Conjurors
From and before the days of King Saul, to the present moment, witches
have held dreaded sway over the affairs of man. Cruel laws ha...
|
Llanddona Witches
There is a tradition in the parish of Llanddona, Anglesey, that these
witches, with their husbands, had been expelled from their nativ...
|
Witches Transforming Themselves Into Cats
One of the forms that witches were supposed to change themselves into was
that of a cat. In this metamorphosed state they were the ...
|
The Witches' Revenge On Huw Llwyd
Several months after the occurrence recorded above of Huw Llwyd, when he
had just started from his home one Sunday morning to go to ...
|
A Witch Transformed Into A Hare Injured By One Whom She Tormented
An old woman, thought to be a witch, was said by a neighbour to be in
the habit of visiting her nightly in the shape of a hare, and ...
|
A Witch Shot When In The Form Of A Hare
The following tale was told me by the Rev. R. Jones, Rector of
Llanycil:--
An old woman was evicted from a small farm, which she ...
|
A Witch In The Form Of A Hare In A Churn
In the Spectator, No. 117, are these words:--
If the dairy-maid does not make her butter come so soon as she would
have i...
|
A Hare Crossing The Road
Mr. Jones said that when he was a lad, he and his mother went to Caerwys
fair from the Vale of Clwyd, intending to sell a cow at the...
|
A Witch In The Form Of A Hare Hunted By A Black Greyhound
The writer has heard variants of the following tale in several parts of
Wales:--
An old woman, credited to be a witch, lived on t...
|
Early Reference To Witches Turning Themselves Into Hares
The prevalence of the belief that witches could transform themselves into
hares is seen from a remark made by Giraldus Cambrensis in...
|
Ceridwen And Gwion_ (_gwiawn_) _bach's Transformation
But a striking instance of rapid transition from one form to another is
given in the Mabinogion. The fable of Ceridwen's cauldron i...
|
A Man Turned Into A Hare
One of the servant men at Dolfawr, some years before Mr. Williams lodged
there, laughed at Betty'r Bont's supposed power. However, ...
|
A Man Changed Into A Horse
Mr. Williams writes of the same servant man who figures in the preceding
tale:--However, after that, she (Betty'r Bont) turned him i...
|
A Witch Who Turned A Blue Dye Into A Red Dye
An old hag went to a small farmhouse in Clocaenog parish, and found the
farmer's wife occupied in dyeing wool blue. She begged for ...
|
A Pig Witched
A woman sold a pig at Beaumaris to a man called Dick y Green; she could
not that day sell any more, but the following market day she...
|
A Witch Who Was Refused A Goose And Her Revenge
A witch called at a farm when they were feathering geese for sale, and
she begged much for one. She was refused, but it would have ...
|
A Horse Witched
Pedws Ffoulk, a supposed witch, was going through a field where people
were employed at work, and just as she came opposite the hors...
|
Cows And Horses Witched
The writer was told the name of the farm where the following events were
said to have taken place, but he is not quite sure that his...
|
Witches Punished
A neighbour, who does not wish to have his name recorded, states that he
can vouch for the incidents in the following tale. A farme...
|
Conjurors
1. It was formerly believed that men could sell themselves to the devil,
and thus become the possessors of supernatural power. The...
|
Huw Llwyd And His Magical Books
The story, as it has reached our days, is as follows:--It is said that
Huw Llwyd had two daughters; one of an inquisitive turn of mi...
|
The Magician's Glass
This glass, into which a person looked when he wished to solve the
future, or to ascertain whom he or she was to marry, was used by ...
|
A Conjuror And Robbers
A conjuror, or Gwr Cyfarwydd, was travelling over the Denbighshire
hills to Carnarvonshire; being weary, he entered a house that he ...
|
The Conjuror And The Cattle
R. H., a farmer in Llansilin parish, who lost several head of cattle,
sent or went to Shon Gyfarwydd, who lived in Llanbrynmair, a w...
|
A Conjuror's Collusion Exposed
This man's house consisted of but few rooms. Between the kitchen and his
study, or consulting room, was a slight partition. He had a...
|
The Conjuror's Dress
Conjurors, when engaged in their uncanny work, usually wore a grotesque
dress and stood within a circle of protection. I find so gr...
|
Charms
The cure of diseases by charms is generally supposed to be a kind of
superstition antagonistic to common sense, and yet there are un...
|
Swyno'r 'ryri (charming The Shingles)
The shingles is a skin disease, which encircles the body like a girdle,
and the belief was that if it did so the patient died. Howe...
|
A Charm For The Shingles
This custom (charming for the shingles) was more prevalent in this
parish than in any other in Montgomeryshire. A certain amount of...
|
Toothache Charms
By repeating the following doggerel lines the worst case of toothache
could be cured--
Peter sat on a marble stone,
Jesu...
|
Rosemary Charm For Toothache
Llosg ei bren (Rhosmari) hyd oni bo yn lo du, ac yna dyro ef mewn cadach
lliain cry, ac ira dy ddanedd ag ef; ac fo ladd y pryfed, a...
|
Whooping Cough Charm
Children suffering from whooping cough were taken to a seventh son, or
lacking a seventh son of sons only, to a fifth son of sons on...
|
Charm For Fits
A ring made out of the offertory money was a cure for fits. About the
year 1882 the wife of a respectable farmer in the parish of E...
|
Charm For Cocks About To Fight
The charm consisted of a verse taken from the Bible, written on a slip of
paper, wrapped round the bird's leg, as the steel spurs we...
|
Charm For Asthma
Place the Bible for three successive nights under the bolster of the
sufferer, and it will cure him.
...
|
Charms For Warts
1. Drop a pin into a holy well and your warts will disappear, but should
anyone take the pin out of the well, the warts you have lo...
|
Charm For Removing A Stye From The Eye
Take an ordinary knitting needle, and pass it back and fore over the
stye, but without touching it, and at the same time counting it...
|
Charms For Quinsy
Apply to the throat hair cut at midnight from the black shoulder stripe
of the colt of an ass.
...
|
Charming The Wild Wart
Take a branch of elder tree, strip off the bark, split off a piece, hold
this skewer near the wart, and rub the wart three or nine t...
|
Charm For Rheumatism
Carry a potato in your pocket, and when one is finished, supply its place
with another.
...
|
Charm For Removing The Ringworm
1. Spit on the ground the first thing in the morning, mix the spittle
with the mould, and then anoint the ringworm with this mixtur...
|
Cattle Charms
Mr. Hamer in his Parochial Account of Llanidloes published in The
Montgomeryshire Collections, vol x., p. 249, states that he has in...
|
Charm Against Foot And Mouth Disease
The cattle on a certain farm in Llansilin parish suffered from the above
complaint, and old Mr. H--- consulted a conjuror, who gave ...
|
Another Cattle Charm Spell
Mr. Hughes, Plasnewydd, Llansilin, lost several head of cattle. He was
told to bleed one of the herd, boil the blood, and take it t...
|
A Charm For Stopping Bleeding
Mrs. Reynolds, whom I have already mentioned in connection with a charm
for toothache, gave me the following charm. It bears date A...
|
Charm To Make A Servant Reliable
Y neb a fyno gael ei weinidog yn gywir, doded beth o'r lludw hwn yn
nillad ei weinidog ac efe a fydd cywir tra parhao'r lludw.--Y Br...
|
Charms Performed With Snake's Skin
1. Burn the skin and preserve the ashes. A little salve made out of the
ashes will heal a wound.
2. A little of the ashes plac...
|
The Charms Performed With Rosemary
Rosemary dried in the sun and made into powder, tied in a cloth around
the right arm, will make the sick well.
The smoke of rosem...
|
Charm For Clefyd Y Galon_ _or Heart Disease
The Rev. J. Felix, vicar of Cilcen, near Mold, when a young man lodged in
Eglwysfach, near Glandovey. His landlady, noticing that h...
|
Clefyd Yr Ede Wlan Or Yarn Sickness
About twenty years ago, when the writer was curate of Llanwnog,
Montgomeryshire, a young Welsh married woman came to reside in the p...
|
Rhamanta Or Omen Seeking
Rhamanta was a kind of divination that could be resorted to without the
intervention of any outside party, by anyone wishful to ascert...
|
Coel Ede Wlan Or The Yarn Test
Two young women took a ball of yarn and doubled the threads, and then
tied tiny pieces of wood along these threads so as to form a m...
|
Divination With The Twca Or Knife
The proceeding was as follows:--The party who wished to know whom he, or
she, was to marry, went to the church secretly and walked a...
|
The Washing Test
Another well-known and often practised form of divination was for a young
woman to take an article to wash, such as a stocking, to t...
|
Troi Crysau Or Clothes Drying Test
Young maidens washed linen after the household had retired, and placed
the articles by the fire to dry, and then watched to see who ...
|
Hemp Seed Sowing
A young married woman, a native of Denbighshire, told me that if a young
woman sowed hemp seed, the figure of her lover would appear...
|
Pullet's Egg Divination
Mr. J. Roberts, Plas Einion, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, told me the
following:--When he was a young man, he, his sister, and the servan...
|
The Candle And Pin Divination
The process is as follows:--A couple of young women meet, and stick pins
in a candle, and if the divination acts properly the last p...
|
Water In Basin Divination
Should young persons wish to know whether their husbands were to be
bachelors, or their wives spinsters, the following test was to b...
|
Hairs Of A Lover Found Under A Holly Tree
This test is to be carried out on All Hallow Eve. The young person walks
backwards to a holly tree, takes a handful of grass from u...
|
The Bible And Key Divination
A key is taken, and placed on the 16th verse of the 1st chapter of
Ruth:--And Ruth said, intreat me not to leave thee, or to return ...
|
Testing A Lover's Love By Cracking Of Nuts
This divination is common to many countries, but the writer knows that it
is resorted to on All Hallows Eve in Denbighshire by young...
|
Gay Describes The Ceremony:--
Two hazel nuts I throw into the flame
And to each nut I give a sweetheart's name;
This with the loudest bounce me sore am...
|
The Apple Pip Trial Of Lovers
The fair lady takes as many pips as she has lovers, and these she places
on the point of a knife, which she inserts between the bars...
|
Spiritualism
The next subject I shall treat of is curious, and partakes of the nature
of spiritualism. I hardly know by what other word to descr...
|
A Spirit Leaving And Re-entering The Body
A man was in love with two young girls, and they were both in love with
him, and they knew that he flirted with them both. It is bu...
|
A Spiritualistic Story From Wales
In an article relating to spiritualism in the February number of the
Fortnightly Review, a story was told which is here shortened. ...
|
A Doctor Called From His Bed By A Voice
Mr. Hugh Lloyd, Llanfihangel-Glyn-Myfyr, who received the story from Dr.
Davies, the gentleman who figures in the tale, informed me ...
|
Another Tale Of A Doctor
I received the following tale from the Rev. Philip Edwards, formerly
curate at Selattyn, near Oswestry:--
There was, or perhaps i...
|
The Corpse Bird Or Deryn Corph
This was a bird that came flapping its wings against the window of the
room in which lay a sick person, and this visit was considere...
|
A Crowing Hen
This bird, too, is supposed to indicate the death of an inmate of the
house which is its home; or, if not the death, some sore disas...
|
A Cock Crowing In The Night
This, too, was thought to foretell a death, but whose death, depended on
the direction of the bird's head whilst crowing. As soon a...
|
The Corpse Candle--canwyll Corph
The corpse candle, or canwyll corph, was a light like that of a candle,
which was said to issue from the house where a death was abo...
|
Tale Of A Corpse Candle
My informant told me that one John Roberts, Felin-y-Wig, was in the habit
of sitting up a short time after his family had retired to...
|
Spectral Funerals Or Drychiolaeth
This was a kind of shadowy funeral which foretold the real one. In South
Wales it goes by the name toilu, toili, or y teulu (the fa...
|
Cyhyraeth Death Sound
This was thought to be a sound made by a crying spirit. It was
plaintive, yet loud and terrible. It made the hair stand on end and...
|
Lledrith Spectre Of A Person
This apparition of a friend has in the Scotch wraith, or Irish fetch its
counterpart. It has been said that people have seen friend...
|
Tolaethdeath Rapping Or Knocking
The death rappings are said to be heard in carpenters' workshops, and
that they resembled the noise made by a carpenter when engaged...
|
A Raven's Croaking
A raven croaking hoarsely as it flew through the air became the angel of
death to some person over whose house it flew. It was a bi...
|
The Owl
This bird's dismal and persistent screeching near an abode also foretold
the death of an inmate of that house.
...
|
A Solitary Crow
The cawing of a solitary crow on a tree near a house indicates a death in
that house.
...
|
The Dog's Howl
A dog howling on the doorsteps or at the entrance of a house also
foretold death. The noise was that peculiar howling noise which d...
|
Missing A Butt
Should a farmer in sowing wheat, or other kind of corn, or potatoes, or
turnips, miss a row or butt, it was a token of death.
...
|
Stopping Of A Clock
The unaccountable stopping of the kitchen clock generally created a
consternation in a family, for it was supposed to foretell the d...
|
_ Goose Flying Over A House
This unusual occurrence prognosticated a death in that house.
...
|
Goose Or Hen Laying A Small Egg
This event also was thought to be a very bad omen, if not a sign of
death.
...
|
Hen Laying Two Eggs In The Same Day
Should a hen lay two eggs in the same day, it was considered a sign of
death. I have been told that a hen belonging to a person who...
|
Thirteen At A Table
Should thirteen sit at a table it was believed that the first to leave
would be buried within the year.
...
|
Heather
Should any person bring heather into a house, he brought death to one or
other of the family by so doing.
...
|
Death Watch
This is a sound, like the ticking of a watch, made by a small insect. It
is considered a sign of death, and hence its name, Death W...
|
Music And Bird Singing Heard Before Death
The writer, both in Denbighshire and Carnarvonshire, was told that the
dying have stated that they heard sweet voices singing in the...
|
Birds And Beasts
Folk-lore respecting animals is common in Wales. It has been supposed
that mountainous countries are the cradles of superstitions. B...
|
Birds Singing Before February
Should the feathered songsters sing before February it is a sign of hard,
ungenial weather. This applies particularly to the blackb...
|
Birds Flocking In Early Autumn
When birds gather themselves together and form flocks in the early days
of autumn, it is thought to foretell an early and severe win...
|
Birds' Feathers
Feather beds should be made of domestic birds' feathers, such as geese,
ducks, and fowls. Wild fowl feathers should not be mixed wi...
|
The Cock
Caesar, Bk. v., c.12, tells us that the Celtic nation did not regard it
lawful to eat the cock.
It was thought that the devil ass...
|
Cock-fighting
Cock-fighting was once common in Wales, and it was said that the most
successful cock-fighters fought the bird that resembled the co...
|
The Goose
Should a goose lay a soft egg, a small egg, or two eggs in a day, it is a
sign of misfortune to the owner of that goose.
An old w...
|
The Crow
The crow figures much in Welsh folk-lore. In many ways he is made to
resemble the magpie; thus, when one crow or one magpie was see...
|
Crows' Feathers
In Montgomeryshire it was, at one time, supposed that if a person picked
up a crow's feather he was sure to meet a mad dog before th...
|
The Cuckoo Y Gog
The cuckoo is a sacred bird. It is safe from the gamekeeper's gun. Its
advent is welcomed with pleasure. Have you heard the cucko...
|
A White Cock
A white cock was looked upon as an unlucky bird, thus:--
Na chadw byth yn nghylch dy dy,
Na cheiliog gwyn, na chath ddu.
...
|
Crane
The crane is often mistaken for the heron. When the crane flies against
the stream, she asks for rain, when with the stream she ask...
|
Ducks
When ducks sportively chase each other through the water, and flap their
wings and dive about, in evident enjoyment of their pastime...
|
Eagle
Persons who had eaten eagle's flesh had power to cure erysipelas, and
this virtue was said by some to be transmitted to their descenda...
|
The Goat Sucker
A curious notion prevailed respecting this bird, arrived at, presumably,
in consequence of its peculiar name--the goat sucker--viz.,...
|
Putting Hens To Sit
Placing the eggs in the nest for hens, geese, and ducks to sit on was
considered an important undertaking. This was always done by ...
|
The Heron
The heron as it flies slowly towards the source of a river is said to be
going up the river to bring the water down, in other words,...
|
The Jackdaw
This bird is considered sacred, because it frequents church steeples and
builds its nest there, and it is said to be an innocent bir...
|
The Magpie
The magpie was considered a bird of ill-omen. No one liked to see a
magpie when starting on a journey, but in certain parts of
Montg...
|
The Owl
The hooting of an owl about a house was considered a sign of ill luck, if
not of death. This superstition has found a place in rhym...
|
Peacock
The peacock's shrill note is a sign of rain. Its call is supposed to
resemble the word gwlaw, the Welsh for rain.
...
|
Pigeon
If the sick asks for a pigeon pie, or the flesh of a pigeon, it is a sign
that his death is near.
If the feathers of a pigeon be ...
|
The Raven
The raven has ever enjoyed a notoriously bad name as a bird of ill-omen.
He was one of those birds which the Jews were to have in ...
|
Robin Redbreast
Ill luck is thought to follow the killer of dear Robin Redbreast, the
children's winter friend. No one ever shoots Robin, nor do ch...
|
The Sea Gull
It is believed that when sea gulls leave the sea for the mountains it is
a sign of stormy weather.
A few years ago I was walking ...
|
The Swallow
The joy with which the first swallow is welcomed is almost if not quite
equal to the welcome given to the cuckoo. One swallow does ...
|
The Swan
The eggs of the swan are hatched by thunder and lightning. This bird
sings its own death song.
...
|
The Swift
This bird's motions are looked upon as weather signs. Its feeding
regions are high up in the air when the weather is settled for fa...
|
Tit Major Or Sawyer
The Rev. E. V. Owen, Vicar of Llwydiarth, Montgomeryshire, told me that
the Tit's notes are a sign of rain, at least, that it is so ...
|
The Wren
The Wren's life is sacred, excepting at one time of the year, for should
anyone take this wee birdie's life away, upon him some mish...
|
The Wood Pigeon
The thrice repeated notes of five sounds, with an abrupt note at the end,
of which the cooing of the wood pigeon consists, have been...
|
The Magpie Teaching A Wood Pigeon How To Make A Nest
The wood pigeon makes an untidy nest, consisting of a few bits of twigs
placed one on the other without much care. There is a fable...
|
Woodpecker
The woodpecker's screech was a sign of rain. This bird is called by two
names in Welsh which imply that it foretold storms; as, Ysg...
|
Ass
The stripe over the shoulders of the ass is said to have been made by our
Lord when He rode into Jerusalem on an ass, and ever since...
|
The Bee
The little busy bee has been from times of old an object of admiration
and superstition. It is thought that they are sufficiently s...
|
Buying A Hive Of Bees
In the central parts of Denbighshire people suppose that a hive of bees,
if bought, will not thrive, but that a present of a hive le...
|
Time Of Bee Swarming
The month in which bees swarm is considered of the greatest importance,
and undoubtedly it is so, for the sooner they swarm, the lon...
|
The Day Of Swarming
Sunday is the favourite day for bee swarming. Country people say, when
looking at their bees clustering outside the hive, and dangl...
|
Luck Comes With A Strange Swarm
It is considered very lucky indeed to find that a strange swarm of bees
has arrived in the garden, or tree, belonging to a cottager....
|
It Is Considered Unlucky For Bees To Fly Away From Their Owner
As the coming of a strange swarm of bees is indicative of good luck to
the person to whom they come, so the decamping of a swarm sho...
|
Bees In A Roof
It was thought lucky when bees made their home in the roof, or indeed in
any part of a house, and this they could easily do when hou...
|
Informing Bees Of A Death In A Family
Formerly it was the custom to tell the bees of a death in the family.
The head of the house whispered the news to the bees in the hi...
|
Putting Bees In Mourning
This is done after a death in a family, and the bees are put into
mourning by tying a piece of black ribbon on a bit of wood, and in...
|
Stolen Bees
It was believed that stolen bees would not make honey, and that the hive
which had been stolen would die.
...
|
A Swarm Entering A House
Should a swarm enter a house, it was considered unlucky, and usually it
was a sign of death to someone living in that house.
The ...
|
Cat
The cat was thought to be a capital weather glass. If she stood or lay
with her face towards the fire, it was a sign of frost or sn...
|
Cows
Cows Kneeling on Christmas Morn.
In the upland parishes of Wales, particularly those in Montgomeryshire,
it was said, and that ...
|
Crickets
It is lucky to have crickets in a house, and to kill one is sure to bring
bad luck after it. If they are very numerous in a house, ...
|
Hare
Caesar, bk. v., ch. xii., states that the Celts do not regard it
lawful to eat the hare, the cock, and the goose; they, however, bre...
|
Haddock
The haddock has a dark spot on each side its gills, and superstition
ascribes these marks to the impression of S. Peter's thumb and ...
|
Hedgehog
It was believed that hedgehogs sucked cows, and so firmly were the people
convinced of this fact, that this useful little animal was...
|
Horse
A white horse figures in the superstition of school children. When the
writer was a lad in school at Llanidloes, it was believed th...
|
Lady-bird
This pretty spotted little beetle was used formerly in the neighbourhood
of Llanidloes as a prognosticator of the weather. First of...
|
Mice
A mouse nibbling clothes was a sign of disaster, if not death, to the
owner. It was thought that the evil one occasionally took the...
|
Moles
Moles are said to have no eyes. If mole hills move there will be a thaw.
By the moving of mole hills is meant bits of earth tumblin...
|
Pigs
Pigs used to be credited with the power of seeing the wind. Devils were
fond of assuming the form of, or entering into, pigs. Pigs...
|
The Snake Serpent
The snake was supposed to be able to understand what men said. A tale
was told me by an aged man at Penrhos, Montgomeryshire, of an...
|
Flying Serpents
The traditional origin of these imaginary creatures was that they were
snakes, which by having drunk the milk of a woman, and by hav...
|
Snake Rings Or Glain Nadroedd
Mention is made in Camden of snake rings. Omitting certain remarks not
connected with the matter directly, he writes:--In some part...
|
Sheep
It was thought that the devil could assume any animal's form excepting
that of the sheep. This saying, however, is somewhat differe...
|
Spider
The long-legged spider, or, as it is generally called in Wales, the
Tailor, is an object of cruel sport to children. They catch it,...
|
The Squirrel
Hunting this sprightly little animal became at Christmas the sport of our
rustic population. A number of lads gathered together, an...
|
The Blind Worm Or Slow Worm
This reptile is a snake, varying from twelve to eighteen inches long.
Its head is small, and its movements very rapid. At the sligh...
|
Mythical Creatures
|
Amazons
The race of Amazons or fighting women, is not yet extinct, as the
chronicles of every police court can tell, and as an organised bod...
|
Pygmies
The antitheses of men--Dwarfs, and Giants--must not be overlooked, as
they are abnormal, and yet have existed in all ages. Dwarfs ar...
|
Giants
This last sentence seems almost a compendium of The History of Tom
Thumb, for his wit enabled him to overcome the lubber-headed gian...
|
Early Men
On the antiquity of man it is impossible to speculate, because we have
no data to go upon. We know that his earliest existence, of w...
|
Wild Men
Sometimes a specimen of humanity has got astray in infancy, and has been
dragged up somehow in the woods, like Caspar Hauser, and Pe...
|
Hairy Men
If, as we may conjecture from the above, the ancient Briton was "a
rugged man, o'ergrown with hair," his full-dress toilette must ha...
|
The Ouran Outan
Transition from hirsute humanity to the apes, is easy, and natural--and
we need only deal with the Simiinae, which includes the Oran...
|
Satyrs
He also mentions and delineates a curious Ape which closely resembles
the classical Satyr: "Under the Equinoctiall, toward the East ...
|
The Sphynx
"The SPHYNGA or Sphinx, is of the kind of Apes, but his breast up
to his necke, pilde and smooth without hayre: the face is very rou...
|
Apes
Sluper, who could soar to the height of delineating a Cyclops, is equal
to the occasion when he has to deal with Apes, and here he g...
|
Animal Lore
We are indebted to Pliny for much strange animal lore--which, however,
will scarcely bear the fierce light of modern investigation. ...
|
The Manticora
Of curious animals, other than Apes, depicted as having some approach to
the human countenance, perhaps the most curious is the Mant...
|
The Lamia
The Lamiae are mythological--and were monsters of Africa, with the face
and breast of a woman, the rest of the body like that of a s...
|
The Centaur
This extraordinary combination of man and animal is very ancient--and
the first I can find is Assyrian. Mr. W. St. Chad Boscawen, in...
|
The Gorgon
In the title-page of one edition of "The Historie of Foure-footed
Beastes" (1607) Topsell gives this picture of the Gorgon; and he s...
|
The Unicorn
What a curious belief was that of the Unicorn! Yet what mythical animal
is more familiar to Englishmen? In its present form it was n...
|
The Rhinoceros
The true Unicorn is, of course, the Rhinoceros, and this picture of it
is as early an one as I can find, being taken from Aldrovandu...
|
The Gulo
Olaus Magnus thus describes the Gulo or Gulon:--"Amongst all creatures
that are thought to be insatiable in the Northern parts of...
|
The Bear
As Pliny not only uses all Aristotle's matter anent Bears, but puts it
in a consecutive, and more readable form, it is better to tra...
|
The Fox
By Englishmen, the Fox has been raised to the height of at least a
demigod--and his cult is a serious matter attended with great min...
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The Wolf
The Wolf, as a beast of prey, is invested with a terror peculiarly its
own; when solitary, it is not much dreaded by, and generally ...
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Were-wolves
But of all extraordinary stories connected with the Wolf, is the belief
which existed for many centuries, (and in some parts of Fran...
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The Antelope
When not taken from living specimens, or skins, the artists of old drew
somewhat upon their imaginations for their facts, as is t...
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The Horse
Aldrovandus gives us a curious specimen of a horse, which the artist has
drawn with the slashed trunk breeches of the time. He says ...
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The Mimick Dog
"The Mimicke or Getulian Dogge," is, I take it, meant for a poodle. It
was "apt to imitate al things it seeth, for which cause so...
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The Cat
Aldrovandus gives us a picture of a curly-legged Cat, but, beyond saying
that it was so afflicted (or ornamented) from its birth, he...
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The Lion
Of the great Cat, the Lion, the ancients give many wonderful stories,
some of them not altogether redounding to his character for br...
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The Leontophonus The Pegasus The Crocotta
The Lion has a dreadful enemy, according to Pliny, who says:--"We have
heard speak of a small animal to which the name of Leontophon...
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The Leucrocotta The Eale Cattle Feeding Backwards
"There are oxen, too, like that of India, some with one horn, and others
with three; the leucrocotta, a wild beast of extraordinary ...
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Animal Medicine
We have already seen some of the wonderfully curative properties of
animals--let us learn something of their own medical attainments...
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The Su
Topsell mentions a fearful beast called the Su. "There is a region in
the new-found world, called Gigantes, and the inhabitants ther...
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The Lamb-tree
As a change from this awful animal, let us examine the Planta Tartarica
Borometz--which was so graphically delineated by Joannes Zah...
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The Chimaera
Aldrovandus gives us the accompanying illustration of a Chimaera, a
fabulous Classical monster, said to possess three heads, thos...
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The Harpy And Siren
The conjunction of the human form with birds is very easy, wings being
fitted to it, as in the case of angels--and as applied to ...
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The Barnacle Goose
Of all extraordinary beliefs, that in the Barnacle Goose, which obtained
credence from the eleventh to the seventeenth centuries, is...
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Remarkable Egg
No wonder that a credulous age, which could see nothing extraordinary in
the Barnacle goose, could also, metaphorically, swallow ...
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Moon Woman
One would have imagined that this Egg would be sufficient to test the
credulity of most people, but Aldrovandus was equal to the ...
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The Griffin
There always has been a tradition of birds being existent, of far
greater size than those usually visible.
The Maoris aver that a...
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The Phoenix
Pliny says of the Phoenix:--"AEthiopia and India, more especially produce
birds of diversified plumage, and such as quite surpass al...
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The Swallow
"And is the swallow gone?
Who beheld it?
Which way sailed it?
Farewell bade it none?"
(W. Smith, Country ...
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The Martlet And Footless Birds
Of the Martin, or, as in Heraldry it is written, Martlet, Guillim thus
writes:--"The Martlet, or Martinet, saith Bekenhawh, hath Leg...
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Snow Birds
But we must leave warm climes, and birds of Paradise, and speak of
"Birds shut up under the Snow."
"There are in the Northern ...
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The Swan
The ancient fable so dear, even to modern poets, that Swans sing before
they die--was not altogether believed even in classical time...
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The Alle Alle
"There is also in this Lake (the White Lake) a kind of bird, very
frequent; and in other Coasts of the Bothnick and Swedish Sea, ...
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The Hoopoe And Lapwing
Whether the following bird is meant for the Hoopoe, or the Lapwing, I
know not. The Latin version has "De Upupis," which clearly mea...
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The Ostrich
Modern observation, and especially Ostrich farming, has thoroughly
exploded the old errors respecting this bird. We believe in it...
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The Halcyon
Of this bird, the Kingfisher, Aristotle thus discourses:--"The halcyon
is not much larger than a sparrow; its colour is blue and gre...
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The Pelican
The fable of the Pelican "in her piety, vulning herself," as it is
heraldically described--is so well known, as hardly to be wort...
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The Trochilus
This bird, as described by Aristotle, and others, is of a peculiar turn
of mind:--"When the Crocodile gapes, the trochilus flies int...
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Woolly Hens
Sir John Maundeville saw in "the kingdome named Mancy, which is the best
kingdome of the worlde--(Manzi, that part of China south of...
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Two-headed Wild Geese
Near the land of the Cynocephali or dog-headed men, there were many
islands, and, "Also in this yle, and in many yles thereabout are...
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Four-footed Duck
Gesner describes a four-footed duck, which he says is like the English
puffin, except in the number of its feet: but Aldrovandus ...
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Fish
Terrestrial and Aerial animals were far more familiar to the Ancients
than were the inhabitants of the vast Ocean, and not knowing m...
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The Sea-mouse
"The Sea-Mouse makes a hole in the Earth, and lays her Eggs there, and
then covers them with Earth: on the 30th day she digs it open...
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The Sea-hare
"The Sea-Hare is found to be of divers kinds in the Ocean, but so soon
as he is caught, onely because he is suspected to be Venemous...
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The Sea-pig
Again we are indebted to Gesner for the drawing of this Sea Monster.
Olaus Magnus, speaking of "The Monstrous Hog of the German...
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The Walrus
Of the Walrus, Rosmarus, or Morse, Gesner draws, and Olaus Magnus
writes, thus:--"The Norway Coast, toward the more Northern part...
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The Ziphius
This Voracious Animal, whose size may be imagined by comparison with the
Seal it is devouring, is thus described by Magnus:--"Becaus...
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The Saw Fish
"The Saw fish is also a beast of the Sea; the body is huge great, the
head hath a crest, and is hard and dented like to a Saw. It wi...
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The Orca
is probably the Thresher whale. Pliny thus describes it:--"The Balaena
(whale of some sort) penetrates to our seas even. It is said ...
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The Dolphin
Pliny says:--"The Dolphin is an animal not only friendly to man, but a
lover of music as well; he is charmed by melodious concerts, ...
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The Narwhal
generally called the Monoceros or Sea Unicorn, is thus shown in one
place, by Gesner; and, rough though it is, it is far more like t...
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The Swamfisck
The accompanying illustration, though heading the chapter in Olaus
Magnus regarding the Swamfisck and other fish, does not at all...
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The Sahab
"There is also another Sea-Monster, called Sahab, which hath small
feet in respect of its great body, but he hath one long one, whic...
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The Circhos
"There is also another Monster like to that, called Circhos, which
hath a crusty and soft Skin, partly black, partly red, and hath t...
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The Remora
Of this fish Pliny writes:--"There is a very small fish that is in the
habit of living among the rocks, and is known as the Echeneis...
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The Dog-fish And Ray
Olaus Magnus writes of "The cruelty of some Fish, and the kindness of
others. There is a fish of the kind of Sea-Dogfish, called ...
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The Sea Dragon
Of the Ray tribe of fishes, the Sea Dragon is the most
frightful-looking, but we know next to nothing about it. Pliny only
curso...
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The Sting Ray
Pliny mentions the Sting Ray, and ascribes to it marvellous powers,
which it does not possess:--"There is nothing more to be dreaded...
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Senses Of Fishes
He also tells us about the senses of fishes, and first of their
hearing:--"Among the marine animals, it is not probable that Oysters...
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Zoophytes
Writing on the lower phases of Marine Animal life, he says:--"Indeed,
for my own part, I am strongly of opinion that there is sense ...
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Sponges
"We find three kinds of sponges mentioned; the first are thick, very
hard, and rough, and are called tragi: the second are thick, an...
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The Kraken
This enormous monster, peculiar to the Northern Seas, is scarcely a
fable, because huge Calamaries are not infrequently seen. Poor
...
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Crayfish And Crabs
Pliny tells us that in the Indian Ocean are Crayfish four cubits in
length (six feet), and he claims for crabs a sovereign specific ...
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The Sea-serpent
Of the antiquity of the belief in the Sea-Serpent there can be no doubt,
for it is represented on the walls of the Assyrian palace a...
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Serpents
Of Serpents Topsell has written a "Historie," which, if not altogether
veracious, is very amusing; and I shall quote largely from it...
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The Crocodile
The largest of the Saurians which we have left us, is the Crocodile; and
it formerly had the character of being very deceitful, and,...
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The Basilisk And Cockatrice
Aldrovandus portrays the Basilisk with eight legs. Topsell says it is
the same as the Cockatrice, depicts it as a crowned serpent...
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The Salamander
Many writers have essayed this fabled creature, but almost all have
approached the subject with diffidence, as if not quite sure of ...
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The Toad
Toads were always considered venomous and spiteful, and they had but one
redeeming quality, which seems to be lost to its modern des...
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The Leech
The Leech has, from a very early age, been used as a means of letting
blood; but, among the old Romans, it had medicinal uses such a...
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The Scorpion
Of the Scorpion, Pliny says:--"This animal is a dangerous scourge, and
has a venom like that of the serpent; with the exception that...
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The Ant
No one would credit the industrious Ant, whose ways we are told to
consider, and gather wisdom therefrom, was avaricious and lustful...
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The Bee
The Busy Bee, too, according to Olaus Magnus, developed, in the regions
of the North, a peculiarity to which it seems a stranger wit...
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The Hornet
So also, up North, they seem to have had a special breed of Hornets,
which must have been ferocious indeed, sparing neither man n...
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