Rumanian Bird And Beast Stories Rendered Into English - free ebook by Moses Gaster

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Rumanian Bird And Beast Stories Rendered Into English

Moses Gaster

151 chapters

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151 chapters

PREFACE.

PREFACE.

“Neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of the heavens and the beast are fled, they are gone.” The forests are silent, over hill and dale hangs a black pall; beast and bird are in hiding; the voices are hushed. But before they have disappeared, following in the track of others, I have endeavoured to catch the hum of the bee, the twitter of the bird, the chirp of the cricket, the song of the dying swan, and all the tales which beasts and birds and little beetles tell their yo

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INTRODUCTION.

INTRODUCTION.

In the beginning only water and God and the devil existed. These two were all the time moving about upon the surface of the waters. After some time God, feeling rather tired of this flitting about without rest or peace, said to the devil, “Go down to the bottom of the sea and bring up in my name a handful of the seed of the earth.” The devil did as he was told, but whilst he was plunging in the depths he said to himself, “Why shall I bring up the seed in his name? I will take it in my own.” And

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BIRD AND BEAST STORIES I. WHY IS THE BEE BLACK, AND WHY IS IT MAKING HONEY? HOW DID THE BEE OUTWIT THE DEVIL?

BIRD AND BEAST STORIES I. WHY IS THE BEE BLACK, AND WHY IS IT MAKING HONEY? HOW DID THE BEE OUTWIT THE DEVIL?

“Well, you see, God has sent me to ask what he was to do with this huge earth.” But the devil grumpily and sneeringly replied, “If he is God he ought to know better than to ask a poor devil for advice. I am not going to tell him. Let him find it out for himself.” The bee, who was a clever little thing—it was not for nothing that God’s choice had fallen upon her—pretended to fly away. But she soon crept back quite stealthily and settled noiselessly on the upper beam of the door. She knew that the

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I. B. HOW DID THE BEE OUTWIT THE MOLE?

I. B. HOW DID THE BEE OUTWIT THE MOLE?

So in sooth it happened. The bee overheard him chuckling and laughing and saying to himself: “Oh what a clever fellow I am! if I had to do it, I would take the earth in my arms and squeeze it tightly, and then mountains would be pressed out and valleys would be sunk, and then the earth would get small enough to fit under the heavens.” No sooner had the bee heard what the mole had said, than she started flying away. The mole, who heard her buzzing, ran after her and said: “O sister, is that the w

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II. WHY IS THE BEE BUSY AND THE SPIDER SULLEN?

II. WHY IS THE BEE BUSY AND THE SPIDER SULLEN?

When she heard what her son had said, and why he had not come, she cursed him and said: “As thou hast said so shall it go with thee. Day and night shalt thou be weaving incessantly and never see the joy of it: what thou doest, others shall destroy. In a corner shalt thou sit, far away from everybody, and hated by everybody.” And with these words she died, and her blessing and curse both came true. The girl was changed into the busy active bee, whose honey sweetens everything, and of whose wax ca

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III. WHY IS THE BEE BLACK, AND WHY HAS IT A NARROW WAIST?

III. WHY IS THE BEE BLACK, AND WHY HAS IT A NARROW WAIST?

The Lord blessed her and said, “The lower part shall be thy best and the upper part may remain as it is;” and he joined the two parts together. God thereupon stopped the wedding, and the sun has remained an unmarried maiden to this very day, whilst the bee is making honey even now. The story of the marriage of the sun does not concern us here. In a different form it occurs in Rumanian Fairy Tales , where we are told that sun and moon were a brother and sister. They wished to woo one another, but

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IV. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

IV. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

The Story of the Devil hurled down from Heaven. Another legend about the origin of the glow-worm is of a similar character. I will discuss later the possible origin, which will lead us to the same remarkable results. The time of separation between the good and the evil angels had come. The good ones gathered to the right, and the evil ones, under the leadership of the devil, gathered to the left. You can imagine what a confusion and uproar there was, for they could not easily disentangle themsel

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V. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

V. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

The Story of St. Peter and the Cuckoo. The tale of the glow-worm tells us that in olden times the people were better and the earth cleaner than to-day. It was on this account that God’s saints used to walk about upon the earth. The saints and the apostles had also their establishments just as we have them now, house, table, cattle, children and everything that appertains to the house of man. The most important of the saints was St. Peter. He used to walk about with God more than any of the other

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VI. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

VI. WHY DOES THE LITTLE WORM GLOW?

The Story of God, St. Peter and the Devil. Once upon a time God was walking with St. Peter. On the way they met a dog who came close to them and frolicked round them, and God stroked the animal. St. Peter looked at God questioningly, and God said, “I know what is in thy mind, but since thou art he who keeps the key of heaven it is meet that thou shouldst know everything, and I will therefore tell thee the story of the dog and the wolf, for thou must know whom to let into heaven and whom to shut

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VII. WHY IS THE WOLF FEROCIOUS?

VII. WHY IS THE WOLF FEROCIOUS?

The devil had made many things aforetime, but could not give them life or movement, and it was always God who helped and completed the work. Thus the devil made a car, but built it inside the house, and did not know how to take it out and use it until God widened the door and took it out, and as the devil was pulling away at it he broke the hind wheels, so God took the first part of the car and put it in the heavens, and it forms the constellation known as the Great Bear (in Rumanian, the Great

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VIII. WHY DO THE EYES OF THE WOLF GLOW AND HIS HAIR BRISTLE?

VIII. WHY DO THE EYES OF THE WOLF GLOW AND HIS HAIR BRISTLE?

Polish, Lettish and other Slavonic variations of the legend concerning the creation of the wolf by the devil are given by Dähnhardt ( l.c. pp. 147 ff.), yet none so full as the Rumanian version. According to one, the devil had made the wolf so as to have a creature of his own. But he endeavoured in vain to call his creature to life, for he would persistently say to it, “Arise, for I have made thee.” Only, however, when he whispered into his ear, “Arise, God has made thee,” did the wolf spring to

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IX. WHY DOES THE WOLF RUN AFTER THE DEVIL?

IX. WHY DOES THE WOLF RUN AFTER THE DEVIL?

The Story of God, the Fire and the Devil. In the beginning the goats had wings, and used to fly about eating up the tops of the trees. They did it so thoroughly that they left no leaf or bud, and never allowed a tree to grow up. When God saw what mischief they were doing, and how they were destroying all the trees, he cursed them, and, taking away their wings, he said that henceforth they should only be able to climb up crooked trees. And so they do. When they came down upon earth, finding thems

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X. WHY THE GOAT’S KNEES ARE BARE.

X. WHY THE GOAT’S KNEES ARE BARE.

In a Polish version (Dähnhardt, i. 162), the goat is made by the devil almost in the same manner as he made the wolf in the tales Nos. 8, 9. And the goat comes to life only when, after saying “get up,” he whispers, “by the power of God.” When the goat rises, the devil in his fury gets hold of its tail and pulls it off; and ever since the goats have had no tails. In the South-Slavonic tale, curiously enough, the sheep take the place of the goat and are made by the devil, which, in the light of th

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XI. WHY DID NOAH GET DRUNK?

XI. WHY DID NOAH GET DRUNK?

Thus far the Rumanian story, which, however, requires completion. As far as it goes it agrees almost verbatim with a story found in a very ancient Hebrew collection of legends ( Midrash Abkhir ); the sequel there is as follows: When Noah started planting the vine, the devil came and asked to be allowed to take a part in it. Noah willingly agreed. After killing the goat, the devil brought a lion, whose blood was also used to water the roots of the vine, and finally brought a swine, and his blood

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XII. GOD AND THE LAMB.

XII. GOD AND THE LAMB.

Under the yellow plane tree. A summer breeze is blowing, Shaking the leaves, And scattering them over the plain. The sheep grew excited, And they made a great noise. They bleated, and the bleating reached the heaven and the earth. The Holy God heard them, And he came down to them, And thus he spake with his mouth: “Halloo, brave Nica, whose are these sheep, Which bleat so beautifully, So beautifully and devoutly?” Nica the brave replied: “O dear merciful God, As thou hast come and askest me, I w

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XIII. THE HART AND THE MAKING OF THE WORLD.

XIII. THE HART AND THE MAKING OF THE WORLD.

Among the fir trees, A three-year-old stag Is swimming. The stag swims, And lifts up its horns. On the top of his horns A cradle is hanging and swinging, A green cradle made of silk, Woven in six strands. But who sits in the cradle? The maiden, the young girl, With her tresses hanging down the back, Shining Like the holy sun. She sits and sews, And embroiders A collar for her father, A kerchief for her brother. But she stops and does not sew, Nor does her mouth keep quiet, For she is singing: “S

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XIV. WHY IS THE FLY CALLED THE DEVIL’S HORSE?

XIV. WHY IS THE FLY CALLED THE DEVIL’S HORSE?

A Christmas Carol. In the glory of the heavens, On the outskirts of Paradise, Close to the throne of God— The throne of Judgment— Where the whole world gathers, Tables are decked, And the saints sit round the table. John St. John, Ilie St. Ilie, Peter St. Peter, With all the other saints, Are feasting joyously. The Lord came then to the table, Sat down at the table, Blessed the bread, And began To eat. They were eating, Or not eating, For on a sudden They lifted their eyes, And whom should they

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XV. THE DEVIL STEALING THE SUN.

XV. THE DEVIL STEALING THE SUN.

With all the other saints, Are feasting joyously. The Lord came then to the table, Sat down at the table, Blessed the bread, And began To eat. They were eating, Or not eating, For on a sudden They lifted their eyes, And whom should they see from afar? The archangel Gabriel And the angel Michael, Who were coming, always coming, Drawing nearer and nearer, and then they reached the table. They bent their knees before the Lord, Bent their knees and prayed. And said the following: “Dost thou know, O

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XVI. WHY IS IT CALLED THE BULL-FLY?

XVI. WHY IS IT CALLED THE BULL-FLY?

The Story of Ileana, Voinic and the Archangel Gabriel. The following legend is told of this little beetle. I do not know how long ago it was that Ileana Cosinziana (Ileana the fay) walked about with her young, beautiful, and brave hero (Voinic inflorit), and, singing with a loud voice, they filled mountain and valleys with their music. It must have been long ago, for at that time the archangel Gabriel also walked the earth in the form of a very old man, leaning on iron crutches. He went about wa

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XVII. WHY IS THE SAW-FLY RED?

XVII. WHY IS THE SAW-FLY RED?

“Well, be it so, but woe betide thee if I win the wager.” “So it shall be.” And wishing one another good-bye, each went his own way, bent on winning the wager. “Who was that daring old man?” asked the Ileana; “it seems to me that he is not so old as his grey hair betokens. He is a valiant man. God knows who he may be, but one thing is certain, he is not an old man.” “How did you know it?” “Well, when he put out his hand, he gripped mine with so much strength that he very nigh burnt my soul out o

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XVIII. WHY DOES THE SAW-FLY LIVE IN STABLES?

XVIII. WHY DOES THE SAW-FLY LIVE IN STABLES?

The Story of the Wicked Maiden and the Archangel Michael. In olden times, when the men were not yet so wicked and bad, there was no hell, for the good God saw that it would remain empty, as there would be no one to go there. The people were happy and grateful, and satisfied with whatever God gave them. It did not enter their minds to complain of God’s wisdom and love. After a time the people multiplied so much that they could no longer have enough of anything. So they began to quarrel with one a

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XIX. WHY IS THE LADY-BIRD DAINTY?

XIX. WHY IS THE LADY-BIRD DAINTY?

“Well, let thy will be done.” And with these words they separated, God going to mend the hinges of the world, and the archangel to teach and to enlighten the mortals. So, going through many countries, walking on foot or riding in a car, when a year had past he came at last again to the house of the beautiful maiden. There was a vast multitude assembled before her house. He pushed his way among the people to see at what they were looking. The beautiful maiden was enticing the people to follow onl

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XX. WHY DOES THE GAD-FLY STING THE CATTLE?

XX. WHY DOES THE GAD-FLY STING THE CATTLE?

“From this day onward, the flock of this shepherd, who has given us good advice, so courteously, shall no longer suffer from the gad-fly (and the running madness), and they shall only run at times of rain and wind. They will henceforth feed quietly, and the shepherd also will be able to sit down and play his pipe.” And from that day on the sheep feed quietly, and the shepherd can tend them in peace and comfort, for the sheep do not suffer from the gad-fly ( Hypoderma bovis ), whilst the cowherds

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XXI. WHY DOES THE FLY OF KOLUMBATSH POISON THE CATTLE?

XXI. WHY DOES THE FLY OF KOLUMBATSH POISON THE CATTLE?

The elder sister, Dressed sweetly, Fair like a pink flower, Surpassing a fairy, When you espy her breast, White like a lily. The younger sister, Darling Maria, Full of pride In her eyebrows, In her eyes and lashes, And when you look into her eyes, You are like one smitten by the evil eye. The youngest sister, Like unto a dove, Ana Ghirosana, Like the fairy Sanziana, Surpassed them all. She is like the evening star, And the star of morn, The flower of flowers. They played and frolicked, And gathe

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XXII. WHY IS THERE A WORM IN THE APPLE?

XXII. WHY IS THERE A WORM IN THE APPLE?

Whoever throws any of these worms into the fire throws into it the devil’s servant. If we should call the “clever” men by the name of “Perfecti,” of which the former is an excellent translation, we might find in this legend a slightly changed report of an act of accusation raised by the Inquisition against the Albigenses and Cathars whose teachers went by the name of “Perfecti.” These men were accused of being the servants and tools of the devil, and of possessing the power of changing themselve

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XXIII. WHY ARE THE LOCUSTS VORACIOUS?

XXIII. WHY ARE THE LOCUSTS VORACIOUS?

“Nothing can be done without the mercy and grace of God. And this has been my punishment.” These were the locusts ( Pachytylus migratorius ) which God sends upon men when they forget the true God. The rôle assigned here to the official priests, the “popa” of the orthodox religion, is in perfect harmony with that sectarian teaching which could not find words strong and opprobrious enough against the “official” Church and its ministers. The belief is still alive in Rumania that to meet a “popa,” a

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XXIV. WHY DOES THE GRASSHOPPER RUN TO AND FRO?

XXIV. WHY DOES THE GRASSHOPPER RUN TO AND FRO?

St. Mary and the Wicked Innkeeper. There is another legend of the origin of the grasshopper. When Christ was born in the stable, the animals which were there were starved to death by the owner. There was no one who would as much as put a handful of hay into the manger. The Holy Mother, full of pity for the poor animals, asked the master of the house to give them at least a forkful of hay. The master, however, shrugging his shoulders said that all that he had, was gone and he could not give her e

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XXV. ANOTHER STORY OF THE GRASSHOPPER.

XXV. ANOTHER STORY OF THE GRASSHOPPER.

The Story of St. Peter and the Girl Messenger. In the time of the Holy Apostles, there was great trouble among the heathen giants, as they did not know whom to elect as ruler. The heathen then came in large numbers to the Christians, asking for their vote, and came even to St. Peter, who was then the headman of the Apostles. St. Peter, realising the importance of this election, took counsel with his brothers the Apostles. They decided to call together all the Christians in an Assembly to decide

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XXVI. WHY DOES THE NUN BEETLE COVER ITS FACE?

XXVI. WHY DOES THE NUN BEETLE COVER ITS FACE?

This legend has been turned into a charm against a bad wife. Put the nun under her head at night, and say three nights consecutively the following charm: “Faithless Nun, St. Peter had taught thee; St. Peter has sent thee to do good to the Christians, to give them good teaching; to the ignorant thou hast given instruction. But thy conduct was bad, For thou hast spoken to the enemies, And hast shown thy uncovered face; And God has punished thee. I now have also a wife, like unto a spark, with bad

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XXVII. WHY IS THE BEETLE CALLED THE NUN?

XXVII. WHY IS THE BEETLE CALLED THE NUN?

The Story of the Wasp, the Gipsies and the Rumanians. In the beginning the wasp belonged to the Rumanians, and the bee to the Gipsies. When the former saw how useless, nay, dangerous, the wasps were, and how useful the bees, they cheated the Gipsies into changing with them. Those of aforetime tell us that when God made the living creatures which move with the sun, he made the bee first. The Gipsy, impudent and greedy, as he has remained to this very day, stole the bee from the hand of God saying

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XXVIII. WHY IS THE WASP THE GIPSIES’ BEE?

XXVIII. WHY IS THE WASP THE GIPSIES’ BEE?

“Here, you Gipsy, are my bees in this hollow tree. It is full of honey enough to satisfy your whole nation of Gipsies and some to remain over.” “Thank you. May God bless you,” replied the Gipsy. The Rumanian went home to look after the bees. The Gipsy gathered his whole nation together. They brought copper pans and pots and ladders, and came to the tree to eat of the honey to their fill. Arrived there, they leaned the ladder just against the hole by which the wasps went out and came in. Full of

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XXVIII. A. ANOTHER VERSION OF THE WASP LEGEND.

XXVIII. A. ANOTHER VERSION OF THE WASP LEGEND.

The Story of God and the Odd Present. When God had finished making the trees and grass, the sun and moon, and all that lives and moves, he sat down on his seat and ordered all the creatures to come to him that he might bless them. Every one came and brought a gift according to its best, and God blessed each one according to its nature. The sheep brought wool and milk, and the Lord blessed it, and bade it clothe the house of the Rumanians with its wool and feed the babies with its milk. The bee b

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XXIX. WHY DOES THE HORNET LIVE IN SMOKY PLACES?

XXIX. WHY DOES THE HORNET LIVE IN SMOKY PLACES?

The Story of the Children of Cain. It is told that one of the descendants of Cain had many children, one worse than the other. When sent on an errand to bring one thing, out of spite they would bring another; they were of no good to anyone. Their mother, who was a wicked and stingy bird (eagle), did nothing else from morning to evening but curse and shout and peck at them. The youngest, who was the worst, finding his mother in a violent temper, started quarrelling with her so loudly that the noi

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XXX. WHY IS THE HORNET SO SPITEFUL?

XXX. WHY IS THE HORNET SO SPITEFUL?

The hornet is used for the following charm: If people wish a dog to become savage, they take some hornets, and mixing them with the food, give it to the puppies to eat, and say the following words: “Just as the hornet is burning and unbearable, so shalt thou become hot and savage and intolerable, and thou shalt not tolerate any one else besides me and those of this household....” The hornet’s nest in the stubble indicates the strength of the winter and the depth of the snow, according as it is b

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XXX. A. HORNET CHARM.

XXX. A. HORNET CHARM.

The Story of God and the Inquisitive Woman. Know that the woodpecker was originally not a bird but an old woman with a very long nose, which she put into everybody’s pots and pans, sniffing about, eavesdropping, inquisitive and curious about everything whether it belonged to her or not, adding a little in her tale-bearing and taking off a bit from another tale, and so making mischief among her neighbours. When God saw her doings, he took a huge sack and filled it with midges, beetles, ants, and

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XXXI. WHY HAS THE WOODPECKER SUCH A LONG BEAK AND WHY DOES IT PECK AT THE TREES?

XXXI. WHY HAS THE WOODPECKER SUCH A LONG BEAK AND WHY DOES IT PECK AT THE TREES?

The Story of God and the Disobedient Man. The story of the woodpecker finds its closest parallel in the story of the pelican. It is difficult to say which of the two is the original, and which has been borrowed from the other. Certain legends have been adapted to more than one subject, in the same manner as ballads and tales and legends are often transferred from one hero or another. It is that elasticity of adaptation, which to a certain extent gives them the popularity which they enjoy. It is

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XXXII. WHY HAS THE PELICAN A BIG POUCH UNDER ITS BEAK?

XXXII. WHY HAS THE PELICAN A BIG POUCH UNDER ITS BEAK?

“I will pay thee well,” said God, “if you will take this sack and take it to the sea and empty it into it. But mind, you must not open it before you reach the shore; there, turning the sack upside down, loosen it gently and let everything fall straight into the water. Be careful and carry out my orders exactly, otherwise instead of obtaining a reward you will get yourself into serious trouble.” “For sure,” replied the man, “I know how to carry out orders, you may rely on me, I will do exactly as

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XXXIII. WHY DOES THE TITMOUSE GET INTO THE PUMPKIN?

XXXIII. WHY DOES THE TITMOUSE GET INTO THE PUMPKIN?

When God created the world he made all the living creatures of one colour, or rather with none, for no one had any colouring on its wings, feathers, or skin. So, one day, God called all his creatures to paint them with different colours as he chose. All the birds and beasts and creeping things came, and God gave every one a different coat to wear. Only the nightingale did not come, as she had not heard of God’s command. At last some birds, seeing her, told her what had happened. So she hastened

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XXXIV. WHY HAS THE NIGHTINGALE A DRAB COLOUR?

XXXIV. WHY HAS THE NIGHTINGALE A DRAB COLOUR?

Once upon a time the nightingale met the turtle-dove. After greeting one another, the nightingale said, “Sister, let us keep awake during the night and learn some tunes to sing.” “Quite agreeable,” said the turtle-dove, “and in the morning we shall see what each one of us has learned.” In the following night the nightingale kept awake and listened attentively to all the sounds that could be heard. She heard the shepherd playing on his pipe, and the wind whistling, and the dogs barking, and lambs

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XXXV. WHY HAS THE NIGHTINGALE TWELVE TUNES AND WHY DOES THE TURTLE-DOVE COO?

XXXV. WHY HAS THE NIGHTINGALE TWELVE TUNES AND WHY DOES THE TURTLE-DOVE COO?

The Story of the Nightingale, the Blackbird and the Thrush. The king of the birds, feeling one day in a good humour, wanted to find out which of his subjects could sing best. So he sent an order to his birds to select from amongst themselves those whom they thought to be the best singers. All the birds came together, and, after having heard many of the birds who said they could sing, they selected three from amongst them and sent up, as the best singers for the king to choose from, the yellow th

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XXXVI. WHY IS THE NIGHTINGALE THE SONGSTER OF THE KING?

XXXVI. WHY IS THE NIGHTINGALE THE SONGSTER OF THE KING?

The Story of the Boastful Thrush and St. Peter. It was in the month of March, when Christ was walking on the earth with St. Peter. Going through a forest they saw a thrush strutting about on the top of a tree. “Good morning, Mr. Thrush,” said St. Peter. “I have no time for you,” replied the thrush. “And why not, prithee?” “Oh, you see, I am just now making summer, and I am busy. To-day I am going to be married, and to-morrow a brother of mine has a wedding,” he said, turning his back upon them p

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XXXVII. WHY DOES THE THRUSH HIDE IN THE TREE?

XXXVII. WHY DOES THE THRUSH HIDE IN THE TREE?

“But what are you doing now? Why are you sitting so huddled up?” “To-day I am dying, and to-morrow a brother of mine is dying,” he answered, letting his beak down and ruffling his feathers to protect himself a little more against the frost which had struck him to the heart. From that time on the thrush does not boast any more that he is making summer, and that he is going to marry; but he cries anxiously: “Socks and sandals, for to-morrow it snows, good socks of cloth and sandals of leaves to go

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XXXVIII. WHY HAS THE PARTRIDGE A MOTTLED COLOUR?

XXXVIII. WHY HAS THE PARTRIDGE A MOTTLED COLOUR?

When God created the world, he made all the creatures to be of one colour, or rather none of them of any colour at all. You see, God was too busy to bother about these little things. When he had finished making everything that he intended to make, he called all the birds together and said, “Now, I am going to paint you with nice colours.” When the birds heard that message, they came all overjoyed to God, who took his brush and dipped in various pots filled with paint and painted them one by one.

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XXXIX. WHY HAS THE THISTLE-FINCH RUFFLED FEATHERS?

XXXIX. WHY HAS THE THISTLE-FINCH RUFFLED FEATHERS?

The Story of the Brutish Innkeeper. There lived in a town a brutish man, a grocer, who had only one care, and that was how to cheat and rob in the quickest fashion the people who came to deal with him. But this was not all, for, bad as it is, one might let it pass, as there are so many others who do likewise, cheating their customers right and left. But this man was also a usurious moneylender, and he managed it so well that, instead of helping people, he took the last shirt off their backs and

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XL. WHY HAS THE BULLFINCH A RED BREAST AND A BIG MOUTH?

XL. WHY HAS THE BULLFINCH A RED BREAST AND A BIG MOUTH?

The Story of the Hoopoe and its Greed. When God had created all the creatures, he gave everyone the food which he thought best for them. When the turn of the hoopoe came, God said to her, “Thy food shall be millet seed.” The hoopoe was not satisfied. She did not think it was good enough for her. So God in his goodness gave her barley grains for food, but the hoopoe cannot easily be satisfied. So she went on asking for better food. And God said, “Let wheat be thy food.” And still the hoopoe was n

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XLI. WHY DOES THE HOOPOE FEED ON DROPPINGS?

XLI. WHY DOES THE HOOPOE FEED ON DROPPINGS?

When God had made the world and all the creatures and man, he gave to each one the food from which they should eat and be satisfied. All the creatures thanked God, and whenever they eat their food they are satisfied, except only the wagtail and the Gipsy who are never satisfied. When God saw the greed of these two, he grew very angry and said to the wagtail, “You shall not be allowed to go near any village unless the Gipsies, after having eaten, say with their full heart that they are quite sati

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XLII. WHY IS THE WAGTAIL CALLED THE GIPSIES’ BIRD?

XLII. WHY IS THE WAGTAIL CALLED THE GIPSIES’ BIRD?

The Story of the Hoopoe, the Cuckoo and God. There are a good many stories told about the hoopoe, some of them in connection with the cuckoo. These two birds seem to be found very often together, and the people believe them to be a pair, the cuckoo being the male and the hoopoe the female bird. The following story is told of them: The cuckoo had married the hoopoe, and they lived happily together for a time. But after a time the hoopoe grew ambitious, and told the cuckoo that if he wanted to hav

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XLIII. WHY IS THE HOOPOE SUCH A DIRTY BIRD?

XLIII. WHY IS THE HOOPOE SUCH A DIRTY BIRD?

The Story of the Cuckoo and the Wonderful Bush. Many a tale is told about the origin of the cuckoo. Curiously enough, they generally agree in seeing in the cuckoo a man punished for his wickedness and cruelty, or for his faithlessness against his companion or brother whom he is now seeking in vain. There are, however, also other tales and legends in which the cuckoo is the victim of the cruelty of others; one is the preceding one, and others now follow: in the first place, one which tells also o

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XLIV. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO LEAD A RESTLESS LIFE?

XLIV. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO LEAD A RESTLESS LIFE?

The evil days came back, and he was looking about for a crust of bread, but could not find any for himself and his family. He bethought himself again of the bush, and, taking his axe upon his shoulder, he went away to find it. The bush said to him: “Don’t touch me; much good will I do you, still more than I have done hitherto. You go to such and such a kingdom, and there they will appoint you to be their emperor.” He did as he was bid, and as he came near the town, all the people came out to mee

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XLV. WHY IS THE CUCKOO SILENT IN THE WINTER?

XLV. WHY IS THE CUCKOO SILENT IN THE WINTER?

When autumn drew near he suddenly recollected that the goldfinch expected him to build him a palace out of the bast of the tree, for the goldfinch wanted to live in a shining palace. And that was just what the cuckoo never intended to do. Fearing the wrath of the king, he stopped singing and hid himself in the thickest part of the forest. The goldfinch waited month after month to see the palace, and seeing the cuckoo flitting from tree to tree and hearing him singing, thought he was busily at wo

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XLVI. THE STORY OF THE CROW AND ITS UGLY FLEDGLINGS.

XLVI. THE STORY OF THE CROW AND ITS UGLY FLEDGLINGS.

The Rumanians tell another tale about the ugliness of young crows. It is the story of the crow and the hawk. The crow was in very great distress, for however she tried and whatever she did, she could not rear a family. No sooner were the young hatched, than the hawk would come and pick them up. In vain did she try to hide her nest in the hollows of a tree or in the thickets of a bush, as sure as death would the hawk find them and eat them. Not knowing what to do, she bethought herself and said,

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XLVII. WHY IS THERE ENMITY BETWEEN THE CROW AND THE HAWK?

XLVII. WHY IS THERE ENMITY BETWEEN THE CROW AND THE HAWK?

“O,” replied the crow, “mine are the most beautiful creatures in the world, they are more lovely than any other bird can boast of.” “Very well, rest assured. Go in peace.” And they parted. The crow, being quite satisfied with the hawk’s promise, began flying about the next day trying to find something with which to feed her children. The hawk the next morning went about her own business and tried to find some nice little young ones to eat. Flying about, she saw the young ones of the thrush, the

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XLVII. A. CROW CHARMS.

XLVII. A. CROW CHARMS.

The Story of the Heron and the digging of Wells. When God had created the world, there were no springs or wells. The only water from which to satisfy the thirst of all the creatures was rain-water. After a time the rain was not enough to satisfy them all; the grass and trees were fading and withering, burnt up by the fiery heat of the sun, and the animals were perishing from thirst. So God called all the birds together, and told them that they should dig holes in the earth with their claws and b

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XLVIII. WHY DOES THE HERON DRINK ONLY RAIN-WATER?

XLVIII. WHY DOES THE HERON DRINK ONLY RAIN-WATER?

The Story of the Kite and the making of Rivers. The same story is told of the kite in the following version: When God made the world, he called all the birds together to help him to dig wells for the water and beds for the rivers. All the birds came except the kite, which, looking at its claws, said, “See how beautiful and dainty they are! I am not going to soil them with the mud of the rivers and wells.” Then all the other birds cursed her, that she might never be able to drink water out of wel

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XLIX. WHY DOES THE KITE CRY IN DRY WEATHER?

XLIX. WHY DOES THE KITE CRY IN DRY WEATHER?

The Story of the Mole and the making of Roads. When the world was made, there were no roads and no pathways. It was very difficult to get about from one place to another. Seeing this, God ordered all the animals to come and work together and straighten out paths and make roads. All the animals came and worked as they were commanded. Only the mole stayed away, so God asked him why he had not come, when all the others had? “I do not want any roads and ways, for they are of no use to me,” he replie

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L. WHY CAN THE MOLE NOT COME OUT ON THE HIGH ROAD?

L. WHY CAN THE MOLE NOT COME OUT ON THE HIGH ROAD?

The Story of the Tortoise, St. Peter and God. When God and St. Peter were walking on the earth, one day they made a very long journey, and grew very hungry. Coming to a little hut, they found the woman in, and they asked her for something to eat. “Well,” she said, “I have very little flour in the house, but I am going to bake two loaves, and when you come back in half an hour they will be ready and you will be welcome to one.” Taking the flour, she kneaded it in the trough and made two loaves, o

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LI. WHY HAS THE TORTOISE A ROUND BACK?

LI. WHY HAS THE TORTOISE A ROUND BACK?

When God had made all the creatures, he gave every one the power of walking and saving themselves from danger. Among others, came the fish, and God asked him what he would like, and the fish replied: “If I am to have my choice I would ask you to give me seven wings; I should fly much quicker than any other animal, and no one would be able to catch me: but should I be caught I am willing to die alive on the grill with my eyes open.” And God shook his head at the foolish request, for he knew that

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LII. WHY HAVE THE FISH NO FEET?

LII. WHY HAVE THE FISH NO FEET?

The Story of the Plover and Lady Mary. In the beginning the plover used to fly in large coveys. But one day, when Our Lady was riding on a horse, they ran across the road and frightened the horse so much that it threw the rider. Angry at the mishap, St. Mary cursed the plover that they should no longer gather in coveys but should go singly. And so it has remained to this very day. The plover nest quite alone and never join others in their flight....

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LIII. WHY DO THE PLOVER FLY SINGLY?

LIII. WHY DO THE PLOVER FLY SINGLY?

The Story of the Spider and Lady Mary. One day a spider, meeting the Holy Mother, challenged her as to which of the two could spin the finer thread. The Holy Mother accepted the challenge, and started to spin a very fine thread indeed. But, however fine her thread was, the yarn spun by the spider was much finer, and then, to add to the discomfiture of the Holy Mother, the spider let himself down on one of its threads and remained dangling, and, turning to the Holy Mother, he said to her: “Can yo

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LIV. WHY DOES THE SPIDER HANG ON A THREAD?

LIV. WHY DOES THE SPIDER HANG ON A THREAD?

But the Holy Mother knew what they were plotting, and when she came back, she said: “Thou ugly and spiteful spider, worms shall settle on thee, and by thy own rope shalt thou hang. All the days of thy life an unclean animal shalt thou be. And thou, O mouse, who hast plotted against me, thy habitation shall be henceforth in the pits and hollows of the earth, and thou shalt be an unclean beast. Whatever thou touchest shall be defiled, and whoever kills thee or the spider shall be forgiven three si

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LIV. A. WHY ARE THE SPIDER AND THE MOUSE ACCURSED?

LIV. A. WHY ARE THE SPIDER AND THE MOUSE ACCURSED?

The Story of Lady Mary and the Wicked Stepmother. In Oriental folk-lore the swallow seems to be considered everywhere as a sacred bird, of which many legends are related. We hear, that when the Temple was burning in Jerusalem the swallows were the birds which brought water in their beaks with which to quench the flame, whilst the spider brought fiery coal to fan the flame. Hence he who kills a swallow commits seven sins, whilst he who kills a spider is forgiven seven sins. In the Appendix, No. I

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LV. WHY HAS THE SWALLOW A FORKED TAIL AND A RED SPOT ON ITS BREAST?

LV. WHY HAS THE SWALLOW A FORKED TAIL AND A RED SPOT ON ITS BREAST?

The Story of the Frog and Lady Mary. When Christ was being crucified, his mother went in search of him; she did not know whither he had betaken himself. On her way she met a band of carpenters. Weeping, she asked them, “Have you seen my son?” “We have seen him,” they said. “Nay, we have made the cross, and instead of light timber, we have taken heavy timber.” “So,” she said, “you shall henceforth work from morning till night and never get any richer.” Then she met a band of Gipsies, and she aske

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LVI. WHY DOES THE FROG SHRIVEL UP AT DEATH?

LVI. WHY DOES THE FROG SHRIVEL UP AT DEATH?

The Story of the Tortoise and Lady Mary. The blessed Mary, great and glorious as she is—she must not take it amiss—was one day too lazy to go out on behalf of her son to distribute his gifts among the children of the village. So when she left the house with the loaves of bread, some cake, and other gifts which she was to distribute, under her arm, she met the tortoise. “Good morning,” said the one. “Welcome, daughter,” said the other. St. Mary said, “Prithee, auntie, just give this bread as alms

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LVII. WHY DOES THE SILKWORM SPIN A THIN THREAD?

LVII. WHY DOES THE SILKWORM SPIN A THIN THREAD?

Her beautiful face grew sad, and in order that her laughter should not bewitch the little tortoise—as if struck by the evil eye for being praised as beautiful—she spat out upon the ground, and out of the spittle there grew the silkworm. St. Mary blessed it and said, “Thou shalt live upon green leaves, and thou shalt draw out fine silk threads” (like the thread of the spittle). It is therefore forbidden to say anything evil of the silkworm, or to touch it whilst it is spinning the cocoon, for no

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LVIII. WHY IS IT RIGHT TO KILL A SPARROW?

LVIII. WHY IS IT RIGHT TO KILL A SPARROW?

The Story of the Sparrow and the Oak Tree. The people regard the sparrow as one of the greatest pests, for he eats up the seeds and the crops. The people believe that the sparrows reach an age of over nine hundred years, and they tell the following tale about it: In a clearing of a huge oak forest, there grew up a tiny little tree. All the other trees looked upon it with pleasure, it was so green and so tender. Suddenly a sparrow flying over the trees came down and settled on that little sapling

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LIX. WHY SHOULD THE OAK TREE NOT BOAST?

LIX. WHY SHOULD THE OAK TREE NOT BOAST?

On the first day of Lent the man must collect all the crumbs and bones from his table after he has finished his meal, and, taking them out in the table-cover, he must strew them upon the field, and say, “O ye birds of heaven, here I have brought you of the food from my table, eat this, and do not touch the food from off the field.” Or, taking a handful of corn and standing with one foot on his field and with the other on the roadside, he must throw the corn on the road outside the field and to s

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LX. WHY DOES THE MOSQUITO LIVE IN THE WELL?

LX. WHY DOES THE MOSQUITO LIVE IN THE WELL?

The Story of God and the Food of the Mosquito. After God had made all the creatures, he called them together, to tell them what they would have to do so that they might live. They all came, and God gave every one its gift and the manner of its food. All had come and gone, but the mosquito did not come until very late. When asked why he had done so, he started telling tales, until God got angry and, turning to him, said: “I have no time to waste with thee, hurry up and tell me quickly, what kind

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LXI. WHY DOES THE MOSQUITO FEED ON BLOOD?

LXI. WHY DOES THE MOSQUITO FEED ON BLOOD?

When he saw her he asked her, “What has brought you to me?” “The miserable food which my husband has got is killing us. We cannot live by it. We are getting shrivelled up.” “If so,” said God, “I will give you the right to suck also blood from man and beast, but as soon as you cannot get blood you must die. Your husband, however, he may live on the blood and juice of plants alike.” And so it has remained, the female dies when she cannot find blood to suck. According to some local tradition, the m

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LXII. WHY DOES THE FLY EAT THE CHERRY?

LXII. WHY DOES THE FLY EAT THE CHERRY?

The Story of St. Anne and the Magician. Once upon a time the rumour spread through Palestine that there was a man who could perform greater miracles than God. St. Anne, hearing of it, determined to go and see him, and so she did. When she approached the house where he lived, she washed her feet, as it is customary in those parts of the world, and with meekness and devotion she went in and asked the man to change a withered trunk into a green tree. The man got very angry, and said he did not perf

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LXIII. WHY HAS THE BUTTERFLY RINGS ON ITS WINGS?

LXIII. WHY HAS THE BUTTERFLY RINGS ON ITS WINGS?

The Story of Lady Mary and the Yellow Bird. It is said that at the time of the birth of Christ, there was a beautiful little bird with feathers, yellow as gold and with a beak shining like silver, and a thin, fine little body. Just as the bird was beautiful, so she was insolent and disobedient. She was a friend of St. Mary, who liked her singing. When she was sad, the bird would come and comfort her with her sweet songs. And the Holy Mother also helped the little bird when she was in trouble, an

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LXIV. WHY DOES THE CRICKET CHIRP?

LXIV. WHY DOES THE CRICKET CHIRP?

The Story of Alexander and the Knight. There is another legend of the origin of the cricket which leads us to the cycle of the Alexander legends. It is told that in the time of Alexander there lived a young man who, when he was sixteen years old, was more beautiful than any one had been before him, or after him. The princesses were fighting for him, calling one another as many names as the moon and stars, and each one vowing that hers only he was to be, none other was worthy of him. Still more b

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LXV. WHY DO THE ANTS FEED THE CRICKET?

LXV. WHY DO THE ANTS FEED THE CRICKET?

The Story of the Dog, the Cat and the Mouse. In the beginning there was no enmity between the cat and dog, and they lived on friendly terms together and served their master (Adam) faithfully, each one doing its own work. But as you know, it is very much better to have a written agreement at the beginning than to have a row afterwards, so they decided to draw up an agreement defining the work which each had to do, and decided that the dog was to do the work outside the house, and the cat the work

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LXVI. WHY DO CATS AND DOGS FIGHT?

LXVI. WHY DO CATS AND DOGS FIGHT?

The Rumanian version approximates much more closely to the Oriental, and seems to have preserved much more faithfully the ancient form. The oldest which can thus far be traced is that in the “Alphabet of Pseudo Sirach,” printed here in the Appendix (No. III.). The Story of Adam and Eve and the Devil. When Adam and Eve had lived for some time together, Adam suddenly noticed a change in his wife’s demeanour. Watching her narrowly, he found that she had fallen in love with the devil. She had introd

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LXVII. WHY DO CATS EAT MICE?

LXVII. WHY DO CATS EAT MICE?

The fur glove changed into a cat which, seizing the mouse, killed it and ate it up. And thus the cat got the devil into it. And that is why the cat’s hair bristles and makes sparks, and the eyes of the cat glisten in the dark. These are sparks of the devil in the cat. The Story of the Devil, Noah and the Ark. There is another version of this tale which transfers the origin of the mouse to the ark of Noah. Noah would not allow the devil to get into the ark which he had built. In order, therefore,

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LXVII. A. ANOTHER VERSION.

LXVII. A. ANOTHER VERSION.

The Story of the Cat, the Mouse and Noah. When Noah had built the ark, he kept the door wide open for the animals to enter. After they had all gone in, his own family came, and last of all his wife. Noah said to her “Come in.” She obstinately said “No.” Noah again said “Come in.” She again said “No.” Noah, getting angry, said “Oh, you devil, come in.” That was just what the devil was waiting for. He knew that Noah would not allow him to come in otherwise, and so he waited for an invitation, of w

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LXVIII. WHY DOES A CAT SIT ON THE DOORSTEP IN THE SUN?

LXVIII. WHY DOES A CAT SIT ON THE DOORSTEP IN THE SUN?

The Story of God and the Giants of the Flood. In olden times, huge giants existed in this world. They were so big that they could put one leg on the top of one mountain and the other on the next one. They reached as high as the heavens, and getting hold of the handles of the great gate would shake it as a man shakes a kettle. They even rebelled against God, for they knew no fear. At last, God, realising their nature, decided to destroy them, and he sent a flood which covered the highest mountain

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LXIX. WHY DOES THE FLY SETTLE ON THE DEAD?

LXIX. WHY DOES THE FLY SETTLE ON THE DEAD?

The Pact between God and the Devil. When God created the world, I do not know how it came about and why it was done, enough that it was done, God made a pact with the devil which they signed and sealed, and God kept the document in which it was stated that they had divided the world between them. It was settled that all the dead should go to the devil and all that was living should belong to God. After a while, the devil repented himself of this arrangement and tried to get hold of the contract.

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LXX. WHY IS THE FOOT OF MAN ARCHED?

LXX. WHY IS THE FOOT OF MAN ARCHED?

The Story of the Devil in Noah’s Ark. When God had brought the Flood, and Noah’s ark was floating on the face of the waters, the wretched good-for-nothing devil wanted to destroy Noah with all those who were with him in the ark. So he fell a-thinking for a while, and invented an iron tool called now gimlet, with which he could bore holes in the wall of the ark. The murderous devil started on his work, and poor Noah and those with him were in great danger of being drowned. They all worked hard to

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LXXI. WHY HAS A SNAKE NO TAIL? AND WHY DO FLEAS SUCK HUMAN BLOOD?

LXXI. WHY HAS A SNAKE NO TAIL? AND WHY DO FLEAS SUCK HUMAN BLOOD?

The flea is also called the devil’s horse, for Satan rode upon a flea when he started on his rebellious fight with God. In the first quarter of the moon she who wishes to make the charm must be told by a neighbour that the moon has just risen. She then takes a glazed dish or bowl, which she has bought at the fair of the Mummers (Moşii) at the Eastertide, or one that has been given to her at that time. She fills it with “living” water taken from three wells in three new jugs brought by three virg

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LXXII. CHARMS AGAINST FLEAS AND OTHER HOUSE VERMIN.

LXXII. CHARMS AGAINST FLEAS AND OTHER HOUSE VERMIN.

Curiously enough, there do not seem to be any special legends about the origin of the bugs, but there are a good many charms which are used for getting rid of these troublesome vermin. The charms are of a symbolical nature. A suggestive action is performed which the conjurer believes will be followed by the conjured bugs. Thus: A woman in a complete state of nudity takes a mealie cake into one hand, or a crust of bread, or some other flour, and a brush used for whitewashing in the other. She nib

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LXXIII. CHARMS AGAINST BUGS.

LXXIII. CHARMS AGAINST BUGS.

The Story of the Little Boy and the Wicked Step-mother. Once upon a time there was a poor man, who had a wife and two children, a boy and a girl. He was so poor that he possessed nothing in the world but the ashes on his hearth. His wife died, and after a time he married another woman, who was cantankerous and bad-natured, and from morning till evening, as long as the day lasted, she gave the poor man no peace, but snarled and shouted at him. The woman said to him, “Do away with these children.

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LXXIV. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO CALL “CUCKOO”?

LXXIV. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO CALL “CUCKOO”?

The Story of the Cuckoo and the Wagtail. The wagtail did not have the tail from the beginning. This tail originally belonged to the wren, but it happened in this manner. The wagtail was one day invited to the wedding of the lark, and as she felt ashamed to go there without any tail, as she had none, she went to the wren and asked the wren to lend her her tail for a few days. The wren, which had as now a small body but in addition a long tail, did not wish to be churlish, and lent her the tail. W

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LXXV. WHY DOES A WAGTAIL WAG ITS TAIL?

LXXV. WHY DOES A WAGTAIL WAG ITS TAIL?

The Story of the Hoopoe and the Cuckoo. The tuft of the hoopoe’s head has given rise to a tale, similar to some extent to the story of the tail of the wagtail, and yet not quite identical. Like the wagtail, which originally had no tail, the hoopoe had originally no tuft on its head. But when the lark had her wedding, she invited all the birds. Among them also the hoopoe. She did not want to come with her simple feathers, but went to the cuckoo and borrowed them from him, for he had the tuft, pro

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LXXVI. WHY HAS THE HOOPOE A TUFT?

LXXVI. WHY HAS THE HOOPOE A TUFT?

The Story of the Bewitched Brothers. Let us pass to the story of the eagle. It is the largest bird of prey known in Rumania, and lives on young animals, lambs, goats, and so on. The story runs as follows. Once upon a time there was such a famine in the land that the people lived on grass and even on sawdust, and were dying of hunger in untold numbers. At that time there lived a widow who had managed to husband a little flour. When she found that nothing else was left to her she took that flour a

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LXXVII. WHY DOES THE EAGLE LIVE ON RAW MEAT?

LXXVII. WHY DOES THE EAGLE LIVE ON RAW MEAT?

On the second day they noticed that once again some of their food had been eaten again, and so on the third day, when more of it had been eaten. So they started hunting through the house to find out who was hidden there, for surely some one must have come to eat the food. After a long search they found the girl huddled up in a small room. As soon as they saw her they recognised her as their sister, and taking her into the large hall they asked her what had happened and what had brought her to th

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LXXVIII. WHY HAS THE LARK A TUFT?

LXXVIII. WHY HAS THE LARK A TUFT?

The Story of the Helpful Lark. Another story of the lark tells of one who went in search of his sister, who had been stolen away from her home by Sila Samodiva. 1 He was directed by a curious dream, in which he saw an old man with a long white beard, who told him to go in search of her, for he was sure to find her. On his way he came to a very old man, who turned out to be the king of all the birds. In the evening all the birds came to him to be fed, but one bird was missing. It came in rather l

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LXXIX. WHY IS THE TUFT OF THE LARK DISHEVELLED?

LXXIX. WHY IS THE TUFT OF THE LARK DISHEVELLED?

1 Sila Samodiva, one of the fairies of the Rumanian popular tales. The Story of the Princess and her Love for the Sun. A very long time ago, so long indeed that no one can remember when it happened, there lived a king and queen. They had everything which their heart desired, except that they had no children. They were good and charitable people, and distributed alms and prayed, but all in vain. At last, when they had given up every hope, they were suddenly blessed with a child. It was a little g

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LXXX. WHY DO LARKS FLY TOWARDS THE SUN?

LXXX. WHY DO LARKS FLY TOWARDS THE SUN?

Another Version. A variant of this story tells us that after the girl had left the king’s palace and had gone on seeking for the sun, she came to a river, and did not know how to cross it. Whilst she was sitting there at the bank of the river, not knowing what to do, there came out of the river a girl dressed in white, who told her that she would reach the palace and yet not reach it; and as she spoke these words, there came a bridge and spanned the river. The girl went across the bridge, and go

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LXXX. A. THE STORY OF THE LARK.

LXXX. A. THE STORY OF THE LARK.

A Christmas Carol. White flowers, O Ler, 1 What cloud appears on the horizon? It is not a cloud, a black cloud, But a young man On a yellow charger. The saddle glitters like gold; The stirrups shine like silver; The whip with a beautiful handle; And bells tinkling on his reins. He is gone to hunt— To hunt, to woo. He met a beautiful maid, The like of whom there is not in the world. It was the queen of the fairies— Iana, the sister of the Sun. He met her, He took hold of her, And in his cellar he

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LXXXI. THE WOOING OF THE SISTER OF THE SUN.

LXXXI. THE WOOING OF THE SISTER OF THE SUN.

To hunt, to woo. He met a beautiful maid, The like of whom there is not in the world. It was the queen of the fairies— Iana, the sister of the Sun. He met her, He took hold of her, And in his cellar he hid her— In the cellar of the peacocks. The Sun, as soon as he got wind of it, Sent immediately after her The morning dawn to search, The twilight stars to seek. But the young man, What did he say? “For what are you searching, Dawn of the morning? And what are you seeking, Stars of the evening? Go

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LXXXII. THE WOOING OF A FAIRY.

LXXXII. THE WOOING OF A FAIRY.

But the fruit Could not be plucked, Through the threat of the Black Sea, For the Sea was boasting, And with its mouth saying: “Who is here in the world Who would dare to shoot at my apples?” No one was found; No one dares. But when he heard the boast of the Sea, Went home quickly to his house, Went up the stairs, Took the bow from the nail— The bow with the arrows— Placed them in his bosom, And riding on his black charger, He came to the Sea. Arrived at the Sea, He put his hand into his bosom, D

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LXXXIII. WHERE DID THE SWAN COME FROM?

LXXXIII. WHERE DID THE SWAN COME FROM?

It so happened that the king had to go on a long journey, leaving the wife and child in the care of the Gipsy. One day the Gipsy came to the queen, and said to her, “Why do you always sit in the palace? come, let us walk a little in the garden, to hear the birds singing, and to see the beautiful flowers.” The queen, who had no suspicion, took the advice of the Gipsy, and went with her for a walk into the garden. In the middle of the garden there was a deep well, and the Gipsy said artfully to th

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LXXXIV. THE SWAN MAIDEN, THE BIRD OF HEAVEN AND THE CROWN OF PARADISE.

LXXXIV. THE SWAN MAIDEN, THE BIRD OF HEAVEN AND THE CROWN OF PARADISE.

And fell near the brave, For he is to wed The little white swan. The king’s son, as soon as he saw her, Was wounded at his heart, And spake as follows: “O thou white fairy, O thou beautiful swan, I will bathe thee in a bath of white milk, So that thou shouldst not be able to depart.” The swan replied, and said: “Young son of kings, I will not be bathed, For I am not a white swan, But the fairy from heaven, From the gate of Paradise.” The prince, when he heard her, His love burned in him fiercely

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LXXXV. WHY DOES THE DUCK FEED ON REFUSE?

LXXXV. WHY DOES THE DUCK FEED ON REFUSE?

The Story of the Water of Life and Death. This tale, though part of a longer fairy tale, is still complete in itself. The hero of the tale, Floria, having shown some kindness to a stork, who afterwards turns out to be the king of the storks, receives from him a feather, which when taken up at any time of danger would bring the stork to him and help him. And thus it came to pass that the hero, finding himself at one time in danger, remembered the gift of the stork. He took out the feather from th

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LXXXVI. WHY HAS THE STORK NO TAIL?

LXXXVI. WHY HAS THE STORK NO TAIL?

“Wilt thou put me to shame?” the king again said. “I hope not; but thou must bind on my wings some meat for my food, and tie the two bottles for the water to my legs.” The other storks, on hearing his words, laughed at what they thought his conceit, but he took no notice of it. The king was very pleased, and did as the stork had asked. He tied on his wings a quantity of fresh meat, which would last him for his journey, and the two bottles were fastened to his legs. He said to him, “A pleasant jo

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LXXXVII. WHY HAS THE SWALLOW A FORKED TAIL AND A RED SPOT ON ITS BREAST?

LXXXVII. WHY HAS THE SWALLOW A FORKED TAIL AND A RED SPOT ON ITS BREAST?

The young woman, remembering her husband’s advice, took the first bite and put it under her tongue; then she sat down and made a hearty meal of the cock. When she had finished, the old woman said, “I do not have the sword or the threads; they are with my younger sister. She lives not very far from here; you just go to her.” Taking leave, she went a little way further, and she came to the second sister, who was worse than the other. She saluted her when she came in, and this sister also said: “Ho

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LXXXVIII. WHY DOES THE SWALLOW LIVE IN HOT PLACES?

LXXXVIII. WHY DOES THE SWALLOW LIVE IN HOT PLACES?

The Story of the Bewitched Calf and the Wicked Step-mother. It is very curious that, so far, very few tales and legends have been collected referring to the dove, a bird which plays so prominent a part in Ancient Greek and heathen worship. I have not been able hitherto to discover more than passing references to the dove in legendary tales, nor is there anything in Rumanian folk-lore that would explain the origin of the dove. There is only one legend, which is in a way a distinct variant of the

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LXXXIX. WHY IS THE DOVE A HOMING BIRD?

LXXXIX. WHY IS THE DOVE A HOMING BIRD?

Soon afterwards, the step-mother again put her to a trial. Going with her husband and her own daughter to church, she left her at home in her dirty clothes, and giving her a bag full of linseed and poppy-seed mixed, she told her that she must sweep the room, get the meal ready, wash the plates, clean the pots and separate the linseed from the poppy seed. Now the bones of the calf had turned into three white doves. These came to her and did all the work, and told her at the same time to go to the

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XC. WHY DOES THE RAVEN FEED ON CARRION?

XC. WHY DOES THE RAVEN FEED ON CARRION?

Moreover, the raven, when sent by Noah, saw only the peaks of the mountains, and those have remained to this very day the real haunt of the bird. They only nest in very high crags and peaks of mountains, and never in villages. Thus far the legend, which occurs in many variants. The raven, whose peculiar appearance is well known, has become the bird of oracle par excellence . There are a large number of treatises on the augury of the raven, notably in the Arabic literature, some of which are trac

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XCI. WHY IS THE ANT CUT IN THE MIDDLE?

XCI. WHY IS THE ANT CUT IN THE MIDDLE?

The first part of this story agrees in the main with the first part of the swallow story, No. 87. It is another example of the transfer of a story from one object to another, like the story of the woodpecker and the pelican. (Cf. also the slashing of the bee in the stories, No. 1 ff.) Popular belief is that the ant is the grandchild (niece nepoata) of God, and the handmaid of the Virgin, although I have not yet been able to find the legend upon which this belief rests. The ant must not be molest

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XCII. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO CALL “CUCKOO”?

XCII. WHY DOES THE CUCKOO CALL “CUCKOO”?

Among these there was one who was like the moon among the stars. Cuckoo fell in love with her, and they became inseparable. Cuckoo thought he could not live without her. Mugur, who was of a more retiring nature, restrained his love and kept aloof from the women. When the two weeks had elapsed which Alexander had appointed for him to stay there, he broke up his camp and journeyed onward until the army reached the gates of Paradise. These were guarded by angels with flaming swords, who would allow

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XCIII. WHY DOES THE ARMENIAN LOVE THE DIRTY HOOPOE?

XCIII. WHY DOES THE ARMENIAN LOVE THE DIRTY HOOPOE?

Once upon a time there was a partridge, and that partridge was sorely troubled, for no one in this world is safe from trouble and worry. Her trouble was that for some time back she was not able to rear her young, because of AUNTIE FOX, who made a royal feast of the young brood. No sooner did the fox find out that the partridge had hatched her young, than she tied some brambles to her tail, and, dragging it along the ground, pretended to plough the land, close to the place where the partridge had

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XCIV. THE STORY OF THE PARTRIDGE, THE FOX AND THE HOUND.

XCIV. THE STORY OF THE PARTRIDGE, THE FOX AND THE HOUND.

But the fox was not allowed to finish the sentence, for out of the bushes sprang the dog. The fox took to her legs, running as fast as they would carry her. Now, whether the hound ran or did not run I do not know, but I certainly can say that the fox ran for all she was worth and raised a cloud of dust behind her. And so she ran and ran until she reached her lair, and she buried herself deep in the ground, very thankful to have saved her skin from the jaws of death. The hound, wearied, tired, an

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XCV. THE STORY OF THE PARTRIDGE AND HER YOUNG.

XCV. THE STORY OF THE PARTRIDGE AND HER YOUNG.

A man was once ploughing his field. In the midst of it a lark had made her nest and was hatching her young. When the cock lark saw what the man was doing, and that he was coming nearer and nearer with the plough, he feared that the nest would be destroyed. So he turned to the man and said, “Prithee, spare my nest; go round it with your plough and do not touch it, for I might also do you some good.” The man, surprised at hearing the lark speak to him, said, “What good can you do to me?” “Oh,” rep

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XCVI. THE STORY OF THE LARK AND THE TAMING OF WOMEN.

XCVI. THE STORY OF THE LARK AND THE TAMING OF WOMEN.

Whilst they were thus speaking, the woman came out, with one jaw on earth and the other in heaven, spitting fire and fury; and when she saw that the man had left a part of the field not ploughed she started to go for him with her fists and to give him a good beating. But before she had time to get to him, remembering the advice which the lark had given him, he got hold of the stick, and there was a great change. The woman did not know what it was that happened to her; the blows fell upon her fas

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XCVII. THE STORY OF THE TURTLE DOVE AND ITS LOVE FOR ITS MATE.

XCVII. THE STORY OF THE TURTLE DOVE AND ITS LOVE FOR ITS MATE.

The Story of the Wren, the Eagle, and the Owl. The wren is called by the Rumanians the little king. The reason for it is that the birds once came together to elect a ruler. They were all there, big and small, and after much wrangling and discussion they agreed that he who flew highest of all should be king. It was the eagle who suggested it, for he knew that no bird could fly so high as he could, and he told them that the highest place they could reach would be the region of the wild winds. They

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XCVIII. WHY DOES THE WREN HIDE HIMSELF?

XCVIII. WHY DOES THE WREN HIDE HIMSELF?

The Story of the Hawk and the Election of the King. Once upon a time the birds came together to decide which was to rule over them all, and in what order authority should be distributed among them, who was to be the superior and who was to be inferior among them. After a long discussion it was agreed that the eagle should be the highest of all. The second in command should be the falcon, the third in command the black vulture, under him the white vulture, under him the vulture with the striped t

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XCIX. WHY IS THERE NO KING OVER THE BIRDS?

XCIX. WHY IS THERE NO KING OVER THE BIRDS?

The sparrow-hawk replied, “You must never gather together and fly in large numbers, for thus we are sure to fall a prey to them. Our only safety lies in our dispersion.” As soon as the birds heard that, they dispersed quickly, and since that time hawks are never found together in large numbers, except when they see carrion. In such wise did the little sparrow-hawk free himself from the domination of the other birds of his clan. The Story of the Frogs. This is the well-known story of King Log and

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C. THE STORY OF KING LOG AND KING STORK.

C. THE STORY OF KING LOG AND KING STORK.

Once upon a time there was a stork who could not rear any young. His wife’s eggs had become addled, or something else had happened to them, and the long and short of it was that there were no young birds. Very distressed, he was walking about in the forest when he noticed a little tomtit on the ground. Seeing he was so small, he thought it was a young bird, a chick that had fallen out from a stork’s nest somewhere. So he picked him up gently and carried him to his own nest, and there he kept him

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CI. THE STORY OF THE STORK AND LITTLE TOMTIT.

CI. THE STORY OF THE STORK AND LITTLE TOMTIT.

The flea once upon a time meeting a gnat, said to her: “I say, sister, why is your back so bent, and why is your head so low? What heavy care is worrying you?” “Oh, my sister,” replied the gnat, “it is the heavy work which I have to do that bends my back and pulls my head so low. I have to drive the oxen to the plough, and make them do their work. I must sit between the horns and prick them to urge them on. Their hide is so thick that I have to bend my body and put my head very low to drive the

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CII. THE STORY OF THE FLEA AND THE GNAT.

CII. THE STORY OF THE FLEA AND THE GNAT.

The fable of the gnat and the lion is told in order to explain the proverb, “The gnat, small as it is, proved stronger than the lion.” Once upon a time a lion sat himself down to rest under a tree. Suddenly a gnat appeared and settled upon his nose. The lion, feeling the tickle, struck out with his paw, but missed her. The gnat then settled in his ear, and again the lion tried to strike her, but failed. So he said to the gnat: “Who are you? and why do you come here and worry me? Who are you that

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CIII. THE STORY OF THE GNAT, THE LION, AND THE MAN.

CIII. THE STORY OF THE GNAT, THE LION, AND THE MAN.

Soon afterwards a very old man happened to pass. Again the lion, saying, “Now, a man is passing,” wanted to get hold of him. And again the gnat stopped him, saying, “This is no longer a man, he has been so some long time ago. It is a pity to break your teeth on him.” And the lion left him also alone. Now there came riding along a hussar. “This is a man,” said the gnat, “go for him and show your strength.” The lion went for him, but when the hussar saw him he drew his sword and smote him two or t

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CIV. THE STORY OF THE GNAT AND THE BUFFALO.

CIV. THE STORY OF THE GNAT AND THE BUFFALO.

A mouse living in the town one day met a mouse which lived in the field. “Whence do you come?” asked the latter when she saw the town-mouse. “I come from yonder town,” replied the first mouse. “How is life going there with you?” “Very well, indeed. I am living in the lap of luxury. Whatever I want of sweets or any other good things is to be found in abundance in my master’s house. But how are you living?” “I have nothing to complain of. You just come and see my stores. I have grain and nuts, and

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CV. THE STORY OF THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE FIELD MOUSE.

CV. THE STORY OF THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE FIELD MOUSE.

Whilst they were talking together, who should come in but the cat. As soon as the town-mouse saw the cat, she slipped quietly behind a box and hid herself. Her friend, who had never yet seen a cat, turned to her and asked her who that gentleman was who had come in so quietly? “Do you not know who he is? Why, he is our priest ( popa ), and he has come to see me. You must go and pay your respects to him and kiss his hand. See what a beautiful, glossy coat he has on, and how his eyes sparkle, and h

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CVI. THE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE FROGS.

CVI. THE STORY OF THE HARE AND THE FROGS.

The Race of the Buffalo and the Hare. In olden times, so we are told by those who know best, there was constant strife between the hares and the buffaloes. Each of them contended for the honour of being the most swift-footed. Both did run very fast and neither would give in to the other. So it went on year after year, and there seemed to be no end to the strife. Tired of this constant fight, one day the hare said to the buffalo, “Let us try a race together and settle this quarrel once for all.”

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CVII. WHY DOES THE BUFFALO WALK SLOWLY AND TREAD GENTLY?

CVII. WHY DOES THE BUFFALO WALK SLOWLY AND TREAD GENTLY?

It is told that the pointer and the setter kept a public-house together. All the animals would come and eat and drink and pay their account, except the wolf and the hare who would come and eat and drink very heavily, and regularly forget to pay. At last, the pointer and setter could stand it no longer, and they went and lodged their complaint before God. And God said, “As they have treated you so badly, you are free to go for them whenever you see them. You must try and catch them and make them

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CVIII. THE STORY OF THE POINTER AND THE SETTER.

CVIII. THE STORY OF THE POINTER AND THE SETTER.

In a mill a rat once lived and prospered. It took after the miller, and from day to day its paunch grew bigger. It became as round as cucumber and as fat as a candle. One day, looking at his round, sleek figure, the rat said to itself, “Behold I am so beautiful and strong. Why should I not go and pay a visit to God? He is sure to receive me.” No sooner said than done. Leaving the mill, he started on his journey to God. After travelling a few days and not coming nearer to God, he stopped and said

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CIX. THE STORY OF THE RAT AND HIS JOURNEY TO GOD.

CIX. THE STORY OF THE RAT AND HIS JOURNEY TO GOD.

One day the owl met a fox, and the latter bragged about his intelligence and cleverness, and said that he was very cunning and slim. The owl asked him, “Brother mine, how many minds (wits) have you?” “Seven,” he said, boastingly. “No wonder you are so clever, I have only one,” said the owl. A short time afterwards the owl again met the fox, but this time he was running for his life. The hunters were after him, and the hounds were trying to catch him. Running as fast as his legs could carry him,

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CX. THE STORY OF THE SEVEN-WITTED FOX AND THE ONE-WITTED OWL.

CX. THE STORY OF THE SEVEN-WITTED FOX AND THE ONE-WITTED OWL.

No sooner did the hunters come up and find the owl than they said, “What is this ugly bird doing here? and a dead owl to boot”; and whilst they were busy with the owl trying to get hold of it to throw it away, off went the fox through them and escaped. Soon afterwards the owl met him again and she said, “How have your seven minds (wits) helped you when in time of danger? It is like that with people who have too much, they often have nothing when they want it most, but you see I had only one mind

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CXI. THE STORY OF THE FOX AND HIS BAGFUL OF WITS AND THE ONE-WITTED HEDGEHOG.

CXI. THE STORY OF THE FOX AND HIS BAGFUL OF WITS AND THE ONE-WITTED HEDGEHOG.

“Never mind, you were always a wise one. Can you help me?” “No,” he said, “I cannot help you. This sudden fall has upset me, and I feel queer and sick.” “What,” cried the fox, “you are not going to be sick here; that is more than I can stand; out you go!” So he got hold of the hedgehog by the snout, and the hedgehog coiled himself up with his little paws into a little ball round the fox’s mouth, the fox lifted up his head with a jerk and threw the little fellow out of the pit. As soon as he saw

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CXII. THE STORY OF THE PEASANT, THE SNAKE, AND KING SOLOMON.

CXII. THE STORY OF THE PEASANT, THE SNAKE, AND KING SOLOMON.

Once upon a time, I do not know how it came about, the dog had a frightful headache, such a headache as he had never had before. It nearly drove him mad, and he ran furiously hither and thither, not knowing what to do to get rid of it. As he was running wildly over a field, he met a snake that was lying there coiled up in the sun. “What is the matter that you are running about like a madman, brother?” asked the snake. “Sister, I cannot stop to speak to you. I am clean mad with a splitting headac

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CXIII. THE STORY OF THE DOG AND THE SNAKE AND THE CURE OF HEADACHE.

CXIII. THE STORY OF THE DOG AND THE SNAKE AND THE CURE OF HEADACHE.

“It is quite simple. When you feel your head aching, go and stretch full length across the high-road and lie still for a while, and the pain is sure to leave you.” “Thank you,” said the simpleton of a snake, and she did as the dog had advised her. She stretched herself full length across the high-road and lay still, waiting for the headache to go. The snake had been lying there for some time, when it so happened that a man came along with a stout cudgel in his hands. To see the snake and to brui

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CXIV. THE STORY OF THE HORSE, THE LION, AND THE WOLF.

CXIV. THE STORY OF THE HORSE, THE LION, AND THE WOLF.

“How does it look?” “It is a huge beast with a head so big as I have never seen a head before, and a mouth so large that it could devour us in one bite. As to its skin, I have never yet seen any like it, all red with stripes and patches of every colour. It stands on huge feet, and whenever it walks it scatters fire right and left.” “That may all be as you describe it,” said the wolf, “but still it might also be otherwise. I should like to see it myself, and I might perhaps know what it is.” “Ver

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CXV. THE MARRIAGE OF TOM AND THE VIXEN.

CXV. THE MARRIAGE OF TOM AND THE VIXEN.

“I have and I have not. I am married now, and I have a soldier for a husband.” “I should like to see him,” said the wolf; “show him to me.” “Come, I will show him to you,” said the vixen, and going to her lair called Tom, who came out and met the wolf. Tom came out with his sword clanking behind him, and when he saw that huge beast with his huge head, his hair stood on end and he began to spit and to snarl for very fear. The wolf, thinking that Tom was getting angry and ready to draw his sword a

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CXVI. THE STORY OF MAN AND HIS YEARS.

CXVI. THE STORY OF MAN AND HIS YEARS.

And again, man, whose greed can never be satisfied, stepped forward and asked also for these thirty years which the monkey had rejected. And again God gave them to him. Then God dismissed all the animals and all his creatures, and each one went to his appointed station and to the life that has been granted to him. And as man has asked, so has it come to pass. Man lives as a king and ruler over all creatures for the thirty years which the Lord had given to him, in joy and in happiness, without ca

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CXVII. THE JUDGMENT OF THE SOUL OF MAN, ACCUSED AND DEFENDED BY BEAST AND BIRDS.

CXVII. THE JUDGMENT OF THE SOUL OF MAN, ACCUSED AND DEFENDED BY BEAST AND BIRDS.

O rosebush, O rosebush, Thou art evil tempered! Why hast thou tarried And not budded Since yester-morning Until this morning? It was bitter enough to watch, How they became separated, The soul from the body. Going away from the beautiful world, From the world with the sun shining, From the blowing wind, From the flowing waters. O rosebush, why hast thou hastened not to bud? I have budded quickly, For my time also has come, To go away like thee, To travel to the setting of the sun, Where the sun

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CXVIII. THE PILGRIMAGE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH.

CXVIII. THE PILGRIMAGE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH.

From the world with the sun shining, From the blowing wind, From the flowing waters. O rosebush, why hast thou hastened not to bud? I have budded quickly, For my time also has come, To go away like thee, To travel to the setting of the sun, Where the sun is hiding, Where the flowers dwell With all their sisters, And where the flower of the sun Sits at the gate of Paradise To judge the flowers, Where they have left their scent. In the evening the rain did fall. In the night the sky cleared up. In

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CXIX. THE REWARD OF THE GOOD MAN.

CXIX. THE REWARD OF THE GOOD MAN.

And from these two candles Three drops are falling, And from these three drops Three rivers have grown— One of wine, One of balsam, And one of pure water. Who bathes in the river of wine? God himself, the good God, Bathes himself, Washes, Cleanses himself in pure limpid water, Changes his clothes, And anoints himself with balsam. Further down the river John— St. John— And old Christmas 1 bathe and wash, And in limpid water cleanse themselves, Change their raiment, Anoint themselves with balsam.

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I. AGAINST THE ILLNESS OF POULTRY.

I. AGAINST THE ILLNESS OF POULTRY.

With my hand I will seize it, And beyond the Black Sea I will throw it, That it may perish, truly perish, there, As the foam of the sea, As the dew before the sun, And the birds of Mr. N. N. shall become pure, sweet, clean and shining, As made by God. This charm is said whilst stirring the “virgin water” with a broom. The Monday cow has gone on her way, on her pathway, On to untrodden grass, With the virtue ( Mana ) not taken away, And with the dew not yet shaken off, To the field with butter, T

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II. CHARM FOR A COW AGAINST THE EVIL EYE.

II. CHARM FOR A COW AGAINST THE EVIL EYE.

She turned back. The Holy Mother heard her. She came to her with dew under her feet and with “abundance” on her back. She took hold of her by the right horn, And led her to green reeds, And sprinkled her with (the branches) of the willow tree and basil. The cream thickened, The eyes sparkled, The hair became smooth, And the milk started running. It spurted like a vein, It issued forth like a well, and ran like a river. I rose up early in the morning. I took the sickle (scythe) In my hand. I went

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III. CHARM FOR A SUCKLING CALF.

III. CHARM FOR A SUCKLING CALF.

Rulers to their rule, Ministers to their ministration, Knights to their knighthood, And merchants to their business, So shall the “Thursday 1 one” Hasten to the calf, And the calf to her. As the tongue is fast in the mouth, So shall “Thursday one” stick to her calf, And the calf on to her. I burnt it (the spell) with fire, I singed it with the flame, I enveloped it with love, With affection I kindled it. As the honey is sweet, So shall the calf long for “Thursday one.” N. N. rose up, Got up very

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IV. CHARM FOR A COW AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.

IV. CHARM FOR A COW AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.

With three stalks of elder-tree, With twigs of hazelnut tree, With a knife that has been found and with silver coins. These charms were told in the year 1913 by a woman who was believed to be in her 109th year. Fly away, evil eye, from the White one. Do not wonder at her. Do not stare at her admiringly Of the milk that is milked, Of the calf that is sucking Her sweet body, That it is sweet to me as honey and yellow as wax; but wonder at, And stare admiringly At that green bush, That it is as gre

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V. CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.

V. CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.

And white as the lily. Fly away, yawn, Fly away, shout, Of the great evil eye. The mistress has gone on her way with Joyana (Thursday one) To feed her on the green field. Well she did feed her, Well did she satisfy her, Well did she slake her thirst. She turned her back. In the middle of the way She met an old woman Dressed in a shirt of nettles, With sandals of a black sow on her feet. She broke Joyana’s horns, Her eyes she caused to shed tears, Her hair she ruffled (bristled), The tail she cut

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VI. CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.

VI. CHARM AGAINST EVIL EYE.

She broke Joyana’s horns, Her eyes she caused to shed tears, Her hair she ruffled (bristled), The tail she cut off, The breasts she squeezed (flattened), The udders she emptied. The cow lowed and the cow moaned. No one saw her; No one heard her; But the Holy Mother saw her. Only she heard. She said to her: “Thursday one, do not low, do not moan.” “How am I not to low? How am I not to moan? As I went with my mistress to feed in pastures green, She fed me well. She slaked my thirst well. Back she

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VII. CHARM AGAINST WORMS IN BEASTS.

VII. CHARM AGAINST WORMS IN BEASTS.

On a day of Lent, before sunrise, take the beast, which has worms outside the village to a place where reeds are growing. Get nine bushes of reeds, each with three reeds (stalks) in one root. Stop still at each bush, cut the middle reed, shake it three times over the wound, and say: “Ye three reeds are three brothers, And ye all three are to join together, And drive away the worms from Joyana; For, if not, I come to-morrow at the same time, To cut you off from the root, To take away your peace,

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VIII. AGAINST WORMS.

VIII. AGAINST WORMS.

Then spit aside. Repeat this with each of the reed-bushes. At mid-day, when the sun stands in “the balance” (noontide), repeat the whole incantation, and yet a third time shortly before sunset. The cut reeds must be tied together by their roots, and you will see the worms dropping off when you finish the charm. This cure can also be effected when the beast is not present. In this case, go alone, and remember the animal whilst making the operation. It will be found quite effective. Above it is th

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IX. CHARM AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.

IX. CHARM AGAINST SNAKE-BITE.

This charm is made with “virgin water,” using a hazelnut twig, especially if a snake has been killed with it. The bite is washed with the water, and a mouthful is taken three times. Weasel, beautiful girl, There are nine boils. Nine boils have gone down; Eight boils have grown, Eight boils have gone down; Seven boils have grown, Seven boils have gone down; And so on until one boil has grown, And one has gone down. And the cow N. N. shall now remain clean and sweet (strong), as she was made by Go

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X. CHARM IF BITTEN BY A WEASEL.

X. CHARM IF BITTEN BY A WEASEL.

This charm is said three times over a pail with “virgin water”; a cross is made over with the skin of a weasel, or with the twig of hazel-nut, or with a found knife. The cow is washed with the water, and the rest is poured into running water. The charm must be repeated three times daily, and for three consecutive days, if the bite is a bad one and the swelling does not go down. 1 The cows are often called by the names of the days on which they were born. Of these Monday and Thursday seem to be t

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II.

II.

And he began again to beat him, but Anadan said: “Have pity on me, and I will groom thy horses.” But Arkirie said: “No, my son, thou hast acted towards me like a man who, leading an ass on the road, tied it with a loose rope. The ass broke the rope and ran away. On his way he met the wolf, and the wolf said unto him: ‘Happy journey unto thee, ass!’ And the ass replied: ‘Unhappy it will be, for the man tied me up with a rotten rope, so that I broke it and ran away, and he did not tie me with a go

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III.

III.

This seems to be the oldest collection of animal tales which agree most closely with some of the Rumanian. They are of a purely oriental origin, and are therefore invaluable in helping to determine that of the latter. They are taken from the Venice edition, 1544, reprinted page by page by Steinschneider, Berlin 1858 (f. 24a ff.). Q. Why were the flies created which live only one day? Reply. For the sake of the fly which in the future will torture Titus the wicked, and also for the sake of the fl

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II. WHY DID GOD CREATE WASPS AND SPIDERS WHICH ARE OF NO USE?

II. WHY DID GOD CREATE WASPS AND SPIDERS WHICH ARE OF NO USE?

Q. Why has the ox no hair on his nose? R. When the Israelites were going round Jericho with Joshua in order to destroy it, they brought him successively a horse, an ass, and a mule to ride upon, but they all died, for Joshua was a very heavy man. Then they brought an ox and he carried him on his back. When he saw this Joshua kissed the ox on his nose, and for this reason the ox has no hair on that spot (f. 25a)....

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III. WHY HAS THE OX NO HAIR ON HIS NOSE?

III. WHY HAS THE OX NO HAIR ON HIS NOSE?

Q. Why does the cat eat mice more than any other creeping thing? R. In the beginning the cat and the mouse were friends. At one time the mouse went and accused the cat falsely before God, and said, “Lord of the Universe, the cat and I are companions and we have now nothing to eat.” God replied, “Thou hast brought a false accusation against thy friend in order to be able to eat him. Now the reverse is to happen, the cat will eat thee and thou shalt serve her as food.” The mouse replied, “Lord of

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IV. WHY DOES THE CAT EAT MICE MORE THAN ANY OTHER CREEPING THING?

IV. WHY DOES THE CAT EAT MICE MORE THAN ANY OTHER CREEPING THING?

Q. Why does the ass mix his water with that of other asses and smell the dung? R. When God had created all the beings, the ass said to the horse and mule, “Every creature has some time of rest, but we are destined to work on continuously without any rest. Let us pray to God to give us also some time of respite, and if our prayer be not heard let us decide no longer to procreate so that we may die out.” So they prayed, but their prayer was not heard. But God said, “When your water becomes rivers

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V. WHY DOES THE ASS MIX HIS WATER WITH THAT OF OTHER ASSES, AND SMELL THE DUNG?

V. WHY DOES THE ASS MIX HIS WATER WITH THAT OF OTHER ASSES, AND SMELL THE DUNG?

Q. Why is there enmity between the cat and the dog? R. When the cat (weasel) was created it became the companion of the dog. Both hunted together and ate together of the prey. It so happened at one time that two or three days had passed and they had not got anything to eat. Then the dog said to the cat, “Why are we sitting here a hungered? Go to Adam and sit in his house and be fed there, and we will go after the creeping things and reptiles and will feed upon them, and we shall both be kept ali

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VI. WHY DOES THE DOG FIGHT THE CAT?

VI. WHY DOES THE DOG FIGHT THE CAT?

Q. Why is it that the dog recognises his master and the cat does not? R. Whoever eats of anything at which mice have nibbled forgets what he has been taught. It is only natural that he who eats the mouse itself should forget his master (f. 26b)....

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VII. WHY IS IT THAT THE DOG RECOGNISES HIS MASTER AND THE CAT DOES NOT?

VII. WHY IS IT THAT THE DOG RECOGNISES HIS MASTER AND THE CAT DOES NOT?

Q. Why is there a seam in the mouth of the mouse? R. At the time of the Flood, all kinds of creeping things and reptiles had come into the Ark, male and female. Once upon a time the mouse and its mate were sitting by the cat, when the cat suddenly said, “I remember that in former times my forefathers used to eat yours, and what they did then I might as well do now.” With these words the cat sprang at the mouse wishing to eat it. The mouse fled and sought for a hole to hide itself, but could not

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VIII. WHY IS THERE A SEAM IN THE MOUTH OF THE MOUSE?

VIII. WHY IS THERE A SEAM IN THE MOUTH OF THE MOUSE?

Q. Why does the raven hop in its walk? R. Once upon a time the raven saw how beautiful was the stepping (walk) of the dove, more beautiful than that of all the other birds. He liked the walk of the doves very much, and he said to himself, “I will also put my feet in the same step.” And he nearly broke his bones in the attempt to imitate the dove. The other birds laughed and mocked at him. The raven felt ashamed and he said, “Let me return to my former walk.” So he tried to walk as before, but he

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IX. WHY DOES THE RAVEN HOP IN ITS WALK?

IX. WHY DOES THE RAVEN HOP IN ITS WALK?

Q. Why does the raven mate differently from any other bird? R. There are various explanations. One is that he has been punished for his lewdness in the Ark, and for the same reason also the dog has been punished. Others say, because he is wicked, a thief, and froward. There is one answer which combines and explains it more satisfactorily. When Noah wanted to send the raven to see whether the waters were falling, the raven fled and hid himself under the eagle’s wing. Noah searched after him and f

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X. WHY DOES THE RAVEN MATE DIFFERENTLY FROM ANY OTHER BIRD?

X. WHY DOES THE RAVEN MATE DIFFERENTLY FROM ANY OTHER BIRD?

Q. Why are there no counterpart to the fox and weasel ( חולרה ) in the sea? The story of the fox’s heart and the fishes. R. Because they were cunning. When God had created the angel of death, he saw the creatures, and he said to God, “Lord of the Universe, grant me permission to kill them.” God replied, “Thou shalt have power over all the creatures of the earth except the descendants of the bird Milham, who are not to taste the taste of death.” He said, “O Lord, separate them from the rest if th

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XI. WHY ARE THERE NO COUNTERPART TO THE FOX AND THE WEASEL AMONG THE CREATURES OF THE SEA? AND THE STORY OF THE FOX’S HEART AND THE FISHES.

XI. WHY ARE THERE NO COUNTERPART TO THE FOX AND THE WEASEL AMONG THE CREATURES OF THE SEA? AND THE STORY OF THE FOX’S HEART AND THE FISHES.

The fox said to them, “Why did you not tell me the truth, for I would then have brought my heart with me. I would have given it to the king Leviathan and he would have shown me honour. You are now going to your own destruction.” They said to him, “Hast thou not thy heart with thee?” He replied, “No, for such is our habit that we leave our heart behind and we walk about without it; whenever we want it we fetch it, and if there is no necessity for it we leave it where it is.” So they said to him,

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Corrections

Corrections

The following corrections have been applied to the text:...

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