Croatian Tales Of Long Ago - free ebook by Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic

Read as playlist

Croatian Tales Of Long Ago

Ivana Brlic-Mazuranic

41 chapters

4 hour read

Read as playlist

Selected Chapters

41 chapters

I

I

ONCE upon a time very long ago there lived an old man in a glade in the midst of an ancient forest. His name was Witting, and he lived there with his three grandsons. Now this old man was all alone in the world save for these three grandsons, and he had been father and mother to them from the time when they were quite little. But now they were full-grown lads, so tall that they came up to their grandfather’s shoulder, and even taller. Their names were Bluster, Careful and Quest. One spring morni

7 minute read

Read Chapter

II

II

Now the goblin whom Quest had kicked first scooted away under the stone, and then wriggled into the grass, and hopped off through the grass into the woods, and through the woods into the osier clump. He went up to Rampogusto all shaking with fright and said: “Rampogusto, dread sovereign, I wasn’t able to jump on that youth whom you gave into my care.” Then Rampogusto fell into a frightful rage, because he knew those three brothers well, and most of all he feared Quest, lest he should remember th

5 minute read

Read Chapter

III

III

So Quest and the goblin lived together on that lone ledge between the cliffs, and each day was like the first. The goblin worried Quest so that he couldn’t get on with his thinking. On a clear morning Quest would rise from sleep and feel happy. “How still it is, how lovely! Surely to-day I shall remember the truth!” And lo, from the branch overhead a handful of crabs would come tumbling about his ears, so that his head buzzed and his thoughts all got mixed. And there was the little monster mocki

5 minute read

Read Chapter

IV

IV

Now all this time the grandfather went on living with Careful and Bluster in the glade—only life had taken a very sad turn for the old man. His grandsons ceased to trouble about him, nor would they stay near him. They bade him neither “Good-morning” nor “Good-night,” and only went about their own affairs and listened to the goblins they harboured, the one in his pouch and the other in his bosom. Every day Careful brought more bees from the forest, felled timber, shaped rafters, and gradually bui

4 minute read

Read Chapter

V

V

Quest worried terribly that night, and when morning broke he went to the spring to cool his burning face. The sun was just up in the sky when Quest reached the spring, and when he came there he saw a light shining in the water. It shone, it rose, and lo! beside the spring and before Quest stood a lovely youth in golden raiment. It was All-Rosy. Quest started with joy, and said: “My little lord All-Rosy bright, how I have longed for you! Do tell me what you told me then that I must do? Here I hav

1 minute read

Read Chapter

VI

VI

THE hobgoblin jumped up from among the stones, leaped to the edge of the spring, and looked down to see with his own eyes whether it was really true. Yes, Quest was really truly drowned. There he lay at the bottom of the water, white as wax. “Yoho, yoho, yo hey!” yelled the goblin, who was only a poor silly. “Yoho, yoho, yo hey! my friend, we’re off to-day!” The imp yelled so that all the rocks round the ledge rang with the noise. Then he heaved up the stone that lay by the edge of the spring, a

9 minute read

Read Chapter

VII

VII

Thus it was and thus it befell. Careful and Bluster went on living in the glade. They lived long as valiant men and true, and brought up goodly families, sons and grandsons. All good parts went down from father to son, and, of course, also the sacred fire, which was fed with a fresh log every day so that it might never go out. So, you see, Rampogusto was right in being afraid of Quest, because if Quest had not died in his search for truth those goblins would never have left Careful and Bluster,

1 minute read

Read Chapter

I

I

FISHERMAN PLUNK was sick and tired of his miserable life. He lived alone by the desolate sea-shore, and every day he caught fish with a bone hook, because they didn’t know about nets in those parts at that time. And how much fish can you catch with a hook, anyhow? “What a dog’s life it is, to be sure!” cried Plunk to himself. “What I catch in the morning I eat up at night, and there’s no joy for me in this world at all, at all.” And then Plunk heard that there were also rich sheriffs in the land

14 minute read

Read Chapter

II

II

Now all this time Plunk’s wife was at home, all alone and grieving. The first evening she made up the fire and kept the supper hot for Plunk; but when she gave up expecting Plunk, she let the fire go out, nor did she kindle it again. So the poor dumb soul sat on her threshold. She neither worked, nor tidied, nor wept, nor lamented, but just pined away with grief and sorrow. She could not take counsel with anyone, because she was dumb; nor could she cross the sea after Plunk, because she was all

9 minute read

Read Chapter

III

III

That very evening the little King bade Plunk knit him a nice set of silken reins. “First thing to-morrow morning I shall harness you to my little carriage, and you shall give me a ride on the golden sands.” Dearie me, considered poor Plunk, and where was he to hide from the Dawn-Maiden when she would go down into the sea in the morning and behold him thus to-morrow harnessed to a cart by his own son? All the Sea King’s court slept. The Sea King slept. The wilful little King slept—only Plunk was

6 minute read

Read Chapter

I

I

ONCE upon a beautiful summer night the men were watching their horses in the meadow. And as they watched, they fell asleep. And as they slept, the fairies flew out of the clouds to have some sport with the horses, as is the fairies’ way. Each fairy caught a horse, mounted it, and then whipped it with her golden hair, urging it round and round the dewy meadow. Among the fairies there was one quite young and tiny, called Curlylocks, who had come down to earth from the clouds for the first time tha

14 minute read

Read Chapter

II

II

And indeed they were under the forest, just underneath a wooded glen between the two villages and the two counties. No one ever came to this glen but the herd boys and girls from both villages and both counties. Now there was bitter strife between the two villages—strife over the threshing-floors, and the pastures, and the mills, and the timber-felling, and most of all over the staff of headmanship, which one of the villages had long claimed as belonging to it by rights, and the other would not

19 minute read

Read Chapter

Bridesman SunandBride Bridekins

Bridesman SunandBride Bridekins

ONCE upon a time there was a miller and his wife, and both were miserly and hard of heart. When the Emperor’s servants brought corn to be ground, the miller would grind the corn free of all charge and send the Emperor a gift into the bargain, only to gain favour with the mighty Emperor and his daughter, the proud princess. But when poor folk came to have their corn ground, the miller would take one measure in payment for every two that he ground, and without that he would not grind at all. One d

17 minute read

Read Chapter

I

I

ONE day a young man went into Stribor’s Forest and did not know that the Forest was enchanted and that all manner of magic abode there. Some of its magic was good and some was bad—to each one according to his deserts. Now this Forest was to remain enchanted until it should be entered by someone who preferred his sorrows to all the joys of this world. The young man set to and cut wood, and presently sat down on a stump to rest, for it was a fine winter’s day. And out of the stump slipped a snake,

5 minute read

Read Chapter

II

II

That evening the daughter-in-law said to the Mother: “We are going out to supper with godmother. Mind you have hot water for me when I come back.” The daughter-in-law was greedy and always on the look-out to get invited for a meal. So the others went out, and the old woman was left alone. She took out the kindling-wood which the poor girl had given her, lit the fire on the hearth, and went into the shed for wood. As she was in the shed fetching the wood, she suddenly heard something in the kitch

4 minute read

Read Chapter

III

III

The daughter-in-law bade the Mother take good care of the hen and to tell her at once whenever the chickens were hatched. Because the daughter-in-law intended to invite the whole village to come and see that she had chickens at Christmas, when nobody else had any. In due time the magpies were hatched. The Mother told her daughter-in-law that the chickens had come out, and the daughter-in-law invited the village. Gossips and neighbours came along, both great and small, and the old woman’s son was

7 minute read

Read Chapter

I

I

THE stronghold of a wise and noble princess was attacked by her enemies. The princess could not gather together her large and faithful army quickly enough to defend her castle, but had to fly by night with her little prince in her arms. So she fled all through the night, and at daybreak they reached the foot of grisly Mount Kitesh, which was on the border of the principality. At that time there were no more dragons anywhere in the world, nor fairies, nor witches, nor any monsters. The Holy Cross

1 minute read

Read Chapter

II

II

Many years passed, but the princess did not return to her lands nor to her castle. Her great army and her illustrious captains were so disloyal that they all immediately went over to her enemies. And so the enemy conquered the lands of the good and noble princess, and settled down in her castle. No one knew or could discover what had become of the princess and the little prince. Most probably her escape on that dark night had ended by her falling into the sea, or over a precipice, or perishing i

2 minute read

Read Chapter

III

III

But that was not the only thing that happened next day. For when the people came back from the funeral, they all went into the house to gossip, and only Lavender and Primrose remained outside, because they still fancied that their mother would yet somehow come back to them. Suddenly a huge Eagle pounced down upon them from the sky, knocked Lavender down, caught her by the Girdle with his talons, and carried her off into the clouds. The Eagle flew away with Lavender to his eyrie, high up on Mount

3 minute read

Read Chapter

IV

IV

Meantime the people who had buried Miloika noticed that the Eagle had carried off Lavender. At first they all burst out lamenting, but then one of them said: “Good people, it is really as well that the Eagle carried off Lavender. It would have been hard to find someone in the village who could take charge of the two children. But for Primrose alone we shall easily find someone who will look after him.” “Yes, yes,” the others all immediately agreed, “it is better so. We can easily look after Prim

1 minute read

Read Chapter

V

V

The sun was setting beyond Mount Kitesh, and so Primrose, always looking at the sun, presently came to Mount Kitesh, too. There was no one beside Primrose to say to him: “Don’t go up the Mountain, child! The Mountain is full of terrors.” And so he went on, poor, foolish baby, and began to climb up the Mountain. But Primrose did not know what fear was. His mother had kept him safe like a flower before the altar, so that no harm, not even the smallest, had ever befallen him; he had never been pric

3 minute read

Read Chapter

VI

VI

Little Lavender was sitting on the top of the Mountain on her island in the Holy Lake. Round her fluttered lovely butterflies, even settling on her shoulders; and the grey dove guided her young to her lap to let her feed them with seeds. A wild raspberry-cane bent over Lavender, and Lavender ate the crimson fruit, and wanted for nothing. But she was all alone, poor child! and sad at heart, because she believed she was parted for ever from Primrose, her only brother; and, moreover, she thought: “

3 minute read

Read Chapter

VII

VII

No sooner had the bell stopped ringing than the Votaresses recovered their strength. They took courage and crept out of their hidie-holes. When they got out, lo! the sun was shining on the Mountain, and there is nothing in the world the wicked Fairies fear more than the sunlight. And as they could not wrap the whole Mountain in mist all in a hurry, each one quickly rolled herself up in a bit of fog, and off they flew to the Pit to make sure that Primrose was drowned. But when they got there and

2 minute read

Read Chapter

VIII

VIII

Once more the Votaresses assembled on Share-spoil to discuss what was to be done about Primrose. They saw that they were weaker than he. Moreover, they were getting tired of flying to Share-spoil and back and conferring about Primrose, and so they were very angry. “Well, we will poison the child. Neither spells nor cunning shall help him now,” they resolved. And straightaway one of them took a wooden platter and hurried off to a certain meadow in the Mountain to gather poison berries. But Primro

2 minute read

Read Chapter

IX

IX

The Votaress would not believe her eyes; she stared after Primrose, and there was he toddling along and the dreadful poison doing him no harm! She looked and she looked—and then she shrieked with rage. She could not imagine by what miracle Primrose had escaped. All she could see was that the child would slip through her hands and reach the Lake, for he was getting near the top. The Votaress had no time to fly to Share-spoil and confer with her sisters. In time of real trouble people don’t hold c

4 minute read

Read Chapter

X

X

On the island in the Lake, beside the little chapel, sat Lavender. It was evening, but Lavender could not go to sleep because of the hurly-burly in the Mountain. Lavender heard the Votaresses howling and shrieking and Bruineen growling. She heard the Dragon come snorting up from his lair, and saw him spout fire all over the Mountain. And now she saw the blazing flames shooting upwards to the skies. But then she heard something—good gracious! what was it she heard? A laugh, like a little silver b

1 minute read

Read Chapter

XI

XI

That was how they began to live day after day on the Holy Lake. Primrose was quite happy and desired nothing better. There was clear water in the Lake, and there were sweet raspberries. There were plenty of flowers and butterflies in the meadow, and fireflies and dew by night. Nightingales and doves nested in the trees. Every evening Lavender would make Primrose a bed of leaves, and in the morning she bathed him in the Lake and tied up his little shoes. And Primrose thought: “What do we want wit

2 minute read

Read Chapter

XII

XII

Meantime the good and noble princess was not dead, but had lived for many a year in a far country with her son, the prince. The princess never told anybody how high-born a lady she was, and her son was too young at the time of their flight for him to remember. And so in that country not a soul knew—not even the prince—that they came of royal blood. But how could anybody tell that she was a princess, when she had neither crown nor Golden Girdle? And though she was good, gentle, and noble, that di

3 minute read

Read Chapter

XIII

XIII

So Relya went on without stopping. He strode on by day, and by night he did not rest; both great and small got out of his way. It is far to Mount Kitesh, but Relya had no difficulty in finding out the way, because Mount Kitesh was known throughout seven kingdoms for its terrors. On St. John’s Day Relya bade farewell to his mother, and on St. Peter’s Day he reached the foot of the Mountain. When he reached the foot of the Mountain, he inquired after the willow cabin, the shepherdess Miloika, and

8 minute read

Read Chapter

XIV

XIV

The Prince peered cautiously from behind a tree, and the Fairy pointed out the children to him. Relya saw the little chapel on the island. Before the chapel sat a little girl, pale as a white rose. She neither sang nor crooned, but sat still with her hands clasped in her lap and her eyes raised to heaven. On the sand beside the chapel played a little boy, baby Primrose, and round his neck hung a little Gold Cross. He played on the sand, built castles and pulled them down again with his tiny hand

3 minute read

Read Chapter

XV

XV

A doughty hero was Relya, and he felt strange talking to children. But the children did not feel in the least strange talking to a hero, because they thought kindly of everybody, and there was no guile in their hearts. Primrose took hold of Relya’s hand and looked at his great sword. The sword was twice as big as Primrose! Primrose reached up with his little hand; he stood on tip-toe, and yet he could scarcely touch the hilt of it. Relya looked, and never had he seen such tiny hands beside his o

2 minute read

Read Chapter

XVI

XVI

A few moments later, and there was a wondrous marvel to be seen on Mount Kitesh. A wide path opened all the way down the Mountain, and on the path grew turf as soft as silk. On the right-hand side walked little Primrose, still in his little white shirt, and in his hand he held an ancient wax taper, burning serenely and crackling softly, as though it were talking with the sun. On the left walked Lavender, wearing the Golden Girdle and swinging a silver censer, from which rose a cloud of white smo

1 minute read

Read Chapter

XVII

XVII

They went into the cottage and rested a little. Lavender, who knew where was her mother’s modest store cupboard, brought out a little dry cheese, and they refreshed themselves. But now Relya was puzzled what to do about those two orphans. Ever since they had come down into the valley, Relya’s mind had begun to run once more upon the castle and upon his promise to his mother that he would bring her back the Cross and Girdle. Therefore Relya said to Lavender: “Listen to me, little girl: you will h

1 minute read

Read Chapter

XVIII

XVIII

It took Relya seven days to return to his mother. She was waiting for him by the window, and when she saw him coming, lo, there was Relya coming home without sword, Cross, or Girdle. Relya never gave her time to ask questions, but called to her in a gentle voice: “Make ready, mother, and come with me, that we may guard what is ours.” So they set out together. And on the way the Princess asked Relya whether he had found the Cross and the Girdle, whether he had raised an army and had reconquered t

55 minute read

Read Chapter

XIX

XIX

And so they lived together in the valley, although the little cabin was rather too small for them. But Relya had strong hands, and he built them a little house of stone. Their lives were uneventful, but there was a blessing upon them. Primrose tended the ewes and lambs, Lavender looked after the house and garden, the princess span and sewed, and Relya worked in the fields. The people of the village got to know the wisdom of the princess and Relya’s strength. Presently they remarked how well the

3 minute read

Read Chapter

How Quest Sought the Truth.

How Quest Sought the Truth.

1. Bjesomar (Rampogusto). The name given by the old Slavs in some regions to the ruler of evil and malignant forces. Analysed, the name might be translated as Cherish-goblin, one who cares for hobgoblindom. 2. Svarožić (All-Rosy). The ancient Slavs pictured the sunshine in the form of a beautiful youth named Svarožić , All-rose. The names of the grandfather and his three grandsons—Witting, Bluster, Careful and Quest—are as near as possible equivalents of the original names Vjest , Ljutiša , Maru

27 minute read

Read Chapter

Fisherman Plunk and his Wife.

Fisherman Plunk and his Wife.

1. Zora-djevojka (the Dawn-Maiden). To this day many old folk-tales of the Slavs tell of the Dawn-Maiden who sails the sea in the early morning in her boat of gold with a silver paddle and dwells in the Island of Bujan . 2. The Sea King. Slovenes and Slovaks alike tell of a mighty and wealthy Sea King who reigns in the depths of the sea. 3. The Island of Bujan (the Isle Bountiful). This is a wonderful island, so named for its abundance and fruitfulness and luxuriant vegetation. It was the ancien

1 minute read

Read Chapter

Reygoch.

Reygoch.

1. Legen ( Ledjan ) (Frosten city). An ancient marvellous city which is mentioned in Croatian folk-songs and tradition. Leden means frozen , icy . 2. Regoč , Regoc (Reygoch). A huge simple giant of fairy kin. He is mentioned by the poet Gjorgjić , of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), in his Marunko . The name Kosjenka is derived from kose (hair), and indicates the little fairy’s flowing tresses. Apart from being a simple fairy-tale, this story contains an allegorical element. Reygoch , the benevolent, simple-

39 minute read

Read Chapter

Bridesman Sun and Bride Bridekins.

Bridesman Sun and Bride Bridekins.

1. Mokoš (Muggish). A mighty force which, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, ruled the earth, and especially in marshlands. She is mentioned in connection with the heavenly thunder god. Perun . 2. Kolede (translated by Yuletide ) A winter festival celebrated at the end of December in honour of the sun, whose power once more begins to increase in those days. 3. Krijes (translated by Beltane ). A festival in honour of the summer sun at the time of his greatest strength. 4. Omaja , omah

44 minute read

Read Chapter

Stribor’s Forest.

Stribor’s Forest.

1. Domaći (“home sprites,” from dom , house, home), Brownies. In all Slav nations this is the name given to the little domestic sprites which haunt the hearth. They are sometimes harmful and sometimes beneficent. 2. Malik Tintilinić (Wee Tintilinkie). Old popular name for one of the most lively of these domaći ....

17 minute read

Read Chapter

Little Brother Primrose and Sister Lavender.

Little Brother Primrose and Sister Lavender.

1. Kitež (Mount Kitesh). The Russian author Merežkovski mentions the mysterious Kitež region, an uninhabited forest, and the Lake Svetlojar (which latter name might very well be transliterated by the Holy Lake ), which used to be inhabited by all sorts of monsters. 2. Vile Zatočnice (Votaress Fairies). The term Votaress snakes ( zmije zatočnice ) is popularly applied to snakes which are supposed to have taken a vow in the autumn not to go to sleep for the winter without having killed somebody. 3

1 minute read

Read Chapter