Chapter I: Front Matter

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Second Edition.

BASQUE LEGENDS:
Collected, Chiefly in the Labourd,

By
Rev. WENTWORTH WEBSTER, M.A., Oxon.

With an Essay
On
The Basque Language,

By
M. Julien Vinson,
Of the Revue de Linguistique, Paris.

Together with
Appendix: Basque Poetry.

London:

Griffith and Farran,
Successors to Newbery and Harris,
Corner of St. Paul's Churchyard;
And
Walbrook & Co., 52, Fleet Street, E. C.

1879.

All Rights Reserved.

Printed by
W. O. Walbrook,
at the
Fleet Street Printing Works,
52, Fleet Street, London.

To
M. Antoine D'Abbadie,
of Abbadia,
Member of the Institute of France,
this
Translation of Legends,
originally told in the language of his ancestors,
in grateful acknowledgment
of
kindly courtesy and of ever-ready assistance,
is
dedicated
by his obliged and obedient servant,

Wentworth Webster.

CONTENTS.

Page

Introduction vii

I.--Legends of the Tartaro 1
The Tartaro 4
M. d'Abbadie's Version 4
Variations of above 5
Errua, the Madman 6
Variations of above 10
The Three Brothers, the Cruel Master, and the Tartaro 11
The Tartaro and Petit Perroquet 16

II.--The Heren-Suge.--The Seven-Headed Serpent 20
The Grateful Tartaro and the Heren-Suge 22
Variation of above 32
The Seven-Headed Serpent 33
The Serpent in the Wood 38

III.--Animal Tales 42
Acheria, the Fox 43
The Ass and the Wolf 45

IV.--Basa-Jaun, Basa-Andre, and Lamiñak 47
Basa-Jauna 49
The Servant at the Fairy's 53
The Fairy in the House 55
The Pretty but Idle Girl 56
The Devil's Age 58
The Fairy-Queen Godmother 59

V.--Witchcraft and Sorcery 64
The Witches at the Sabbat 66
The Witches and the Idiots 67
The Witch and the New-Born Infant 69
The Changeling 73

VI.--Contes des Fées 76

(A) Tales like the Keltic 77
Malbrouk 77
The Fisherman and his Sons 87
Tabakiera, the Snuff-Box 94
Mahistruba, the Master Mariner 100
Dragon 106
Ezkabi-Fidel 111
Variation of above 120
The Lady-Pigeon and her Comb 120
Suggested Explanation of above 130
Laur-Cantons 132
The Young School-Boy 136
The Son who Heard Voices 137
The Mother and her Idiot Son; or, the Clever Thief 140
Juan Dekos, the Blockhead (Tontua) 146
Variation of the above--Juan de Kalais 151
The Duped Priest 154

(B) Contes des Fées, derived directly from the
French 158
Ass'-Skin 158
Variations of above 165
The Step-Mother and Step-Daughter 166
Beauty and the Beast 167
Variation of above 172
The Cobbler and his Three Daughters (Blue-Beard) 173
Variations of above 175
The Singing Tree, the Bird which tells the Truth,
and the Water which makes Young 176
Variation of above 181
The White Blackbird 182
The Sister and her Seven Brothers 187
Variations, etc. 191

List of Publication of Foreign Legends in France 192

VII.--Religious Tales 194
Fourteen 195
Variation of above--Jesus Christ and the Old Soldier 199
The Poor Soldier and the Rich Man 200
The Widow and her Son 202
The Story of the Hair-Cloth Shirt (La Cilice) 206
The Saintly Orphan Girl 209
The Slandered and Despised Girl 211

An Essay on the Basque Language 219

Appendix--Basque Poetry 235