Chapter XVI: Part 16

The work of the collector is not only performed faithfully, but with such intelligence that the stories have a value in literature worthy of being added to the Norse sagas and other tales of wild adventure and myths.--_Boston Journal._

HERO-TALES OF IRELAND.

BY JEREMIAH CURTIN.

_Crown 8vo. Cloth, gilt top, $2.00._

The tales included in this volume, though told in modern speech, relate to heroes and adventures of an ancient time, and contain elements peculiar to early ages of story-telling. The chief actors in most of them are represented as men; but we may be quite sure that these men are substitutes for heroes who were not considered human when the stories were told to Keltic audiences originally.--_Introduction._

CONTENTS.

Elin Gow, the Swordsmith from Erin, and the Cow Glas Gainach.
Mor's Sons and the Herder from Under the Sea.
Saudan Og and the Daughter of the King of Spain; Young Conal
and the Yellow King's Daughter.
The Black Thief and King Conal's Three Horses.
The King's Son from Erin, the Sprisawn, and the Dark King.
The Amadan Mor and the Gruagach of the Castle of Gold.
The King's Son and the White-Bearded Scolog.
Dyeermud Ulta and the King in South Erin.
Cud, Cad, and Micad, Three Sons of the King of Urhu.
Cabal, Son of King Conor, in Erin, and Bloom of Youth, Daughter
of the King of Hathony.
Coldfeet and the Queen of Lonesome Island.
Lawn Dyarrig, Son of the King of Erin and the Knight of Terrible
Valley.
Balor on Tory Island.
Balor of the Evil Eye.
Art, the King's Son, and Balor Beimenach, Two Sons-in-law of King
Under the Wave.
Shawn MacBreogan and the King of the White Nation.
The Cotter's Son and the Half Slim Champion.
Blaiman, Son of Apple, in the Kingdom of the White Strand.
Fin MacCool and the Daughter of the King of the White Nation.
Fin MacCool, the Three Giants, and the Small Men.
Fin MacCool, Ceadach Og, and the Fish-Hag.
Fin MacCool, Faolan, and the Mountain of Happiness.
Fin MacCool, the Hard Gilla, and the High King.
The Battle of Ventry.

[Decoration]

OPINIONS.

These are thrilling hero-tales. No extract can do the stories justice. Any one taking up the volume will not be likely to lay it down without reading it.--_The Cincinnati Commercial Gazette._

Mr. Jeremiah Curtin, whose translation of the novels of the great Polish novelist, Sienkiewicz, introduced him to English readers, has shown equally admirable skill in rendering into English many ancient hero-tales of Ireland. The stories are marvels of exaggeration, and have a genuine Irish flavor. Champions, giants, fairies, and witches work their wonders and spells in a fascinating way.--_The Outlook._

The people of this country ought to be grateful to that accomplished American scholar, Jeremiah Curtin, for the translations from varied and quite dissimilar foreign languages which he has added to our literature. His version of the wonderful novels of Sienkiewicz opens up to us a most interesting department of history, of which English-speaking people have hitherto been profoundly ignorant; and his latest publication, "Hero-Tales of Ireland," is perhaps quite as valuable, with the added charm of a wild, delightful, primeval Celtic imagination.--_The New York Sun._

MYTHS AND FOLK-TALES OF THE RUSSIANS, WESTERN SLAVS, AND MAGYARS.

BY JEREMIAH CURTIN.

_Crown 8vo. Cloth, gilt top, $2.00._

CONTENTS.

RUSSIAN MYTHS AND FOLK-TALES.

The Three Kingdoms,--the Copper, the Silver, and the Golden.
Ivan Tsarevich, the Fire Bird, and the Gray Wolf.
Ivan the Peasant's Son and the Little Man Himself One Finger
Tall, his Mustache Seven Versts in Length.
The Feather of Bright Finist the Falcon.
The Pig with Gold Bristles, the Deer with Golden Horns, and the
Golden-Maned Steed with Golden Tail.
Water of Youth, Water of Life, and Water of Death.
The Footless and Blind Champions.
The Three Kingdoms.
Koshchéi Without-Death.
Vassilissa Golden Tress, Bareheaded Beauty.
The Ring with Twelve Screws.
The Footless and the Blind.
Koshchéi Without-Death.
Go to the Verge of Destruction and bring back Shmat-Razum.
Marya Morevna.
Yelena the Wise.
The Seven Simeons, Full Brothers.
The Enchanted Princess.
Vassilissa the Cunning and the Tsar of the Sea.

CHEKH MYTHS AND FOLK-TALES.

Boyislav, Youngest of Twelve.
The Table, the Pack, and the Bag.
The King of the Toads.
The Mouse-Hole and the Underground Kingdom.
The Cuirassier and the Horned Princess.
The Treacherous Brethren.

MAGYAR MYTHS AND FOLK-TALES.

The Poor Man and the King of the Crows.
The Useless Wagoner.
Mirko the King's Son.
The Reed Maiden.
Kiss Miklos and the Green Daughter of the Green King.
The Hedgehog, the Merchant, the King, and the Poor Man.

[Decoration]

OPINIONS.

A volume as fascinating as any fairy book that was ever published; and simply for their wealth of imagination and rare simplicity of diction these stories will be widely read.... The volume, taken for all in all, is a distinct addition to literature, a priceless boon to scientific investigation, and a credit to American scholarship. The educated people of this country will do well to buy and read this truly remarkable book.--_The Beacon._

Will be welcome to many readers, not only to students, but to children, who find inexhaustible interest in just such folk-tales.--_Public Opinion._

At once thoroughly admirable and thoroughly delightful, ... there is a surprising freshness and individuality of flavor in them.--_Boston Courier._

Stories of unique character, full of grotesque and marvellous adventures, told with a beautiful simplicity of style which speaks well for the faithfulness of the translator's work.--_Milwaukee Sentinel._

Prof. Jeremiah Curtin gives us a large collection of these tales, many of which are very interesting, many beautiful, and all strikingly curious.--_Boston Advertiser._

Mr. Curtin spares no pains in his researches into the early literature of the chief primitive races of the earth. Less than a year has passed since the publication of his admirable work on "Irish Folk-Lore." The present volume adds his discoveries among three other important nations.--_The Dial._

Mythology has not yet come to a science. Its tales for the most part continue to be curious bits of literature merely, highly imaginative and entertaining, but only slightly, if at all, connected with truth and reason so far as we can discover. Still there comes to us out of the mythologic sky an occasional ray of meaning which seems to the hopeful a promise that the history of credibility and of fact shall ultimately be extended far backward, perhaps into the remotest ages of mankind, through illumination from this source. Mr. Jeremiah Curtin has written a most interesting essay bearing upon this idea in an introduction to his new volume, "Myths and Folk-Tales of the Russians, Western Slavs, and Magyars" (Boston: Little, Brown, & Co.). It is an essay notable for its evidence of scholarly insight and investigation, its curious and surprising information and suggestion, its perfect lucidity, and its rare literary charm.--_New York Sun._

No one else could have so delightfully rendered in English the "Myths and Folk-Tales of the Russians, Western Slavs, and Magyars." One of the brightest men in Boston--poet, novelist, critic, and wit all in one--told me that he had read this book through three times already, and he suspected that it was his doom to read it a good many times more. After all, is there anything quite so perennially fascinating as folk-lore, unless it be the old ballads which turn folk-lore into music?... Turn to the book itself and read about the "Fire Bird" and the "Gray Wolf," and "The Ring with Twelve Screws" and "The King of the Toads" and "The Reed Maiden," and you will forget as you read the slow procession of mortal years, and dream yourself into Elfin Land, where, I believe, they never grow old. And then if you want to come back into active human life again, read that vigorous and thrilling tale of love and war, "With Fire and Sword."--_Louise Chandler Moulton, in the Boston Herald._

The literary charm of the translation is high, and the tone struck in rendering the tales from the Slav and the Magyar languages is naïve without being silly, natural without being monotonous.... The collection opens with a varied miscellany of Russian stories about the metal and animal kingdoms; enchanted princesses; pigs with golden bristles; the waters of youth, life, and death; and the deathless youth. The marvellous imagination of the Russ peoples plays sportively through these creations, and exhibits wanton delight in hugeness, in physical strength and beauty, in comic situations of its mighty myth-tsars, and queer adventures for its king's sons and tsarins.... Grown-up children, as well as hunters after folk-lore and superstitions, will revel in these freaks of fact and fancy, which Mr. Curtin translates, and dedicates appropriately to Prof. F. J. Child.--_The Critic._

[Decoration]

TALES OF THE FAIRIES AND OF THE GHOST-WORLD.

Collected from Oral Tradition in Southwest Munster.

BY JEREMIAH CURTIN.

_12mo. Cloth, $1.25._

It will attract earnest attention from cultivated readers everywhere who delight in primitive romance expressed in the simple, unaffected language of the common people.--_Boston Beacon._

LITTLE, BROWN, & COMPANY, Publishers,
254 Washington Street, Boston, Mass.

Transcriber's Note

The name meaning 'black fox' is referred to in different stories as Yípokus and Yípokos, while a plant with red flowers is referred to as both yosoü and yósoü. These are preserved as printed, as they may indicate linguistic variations between story sources.

In the story 'Norwanchakus and Keriha', on page 212 Keriha mentions going beyond the sky in the southwest, then goes beyond the sky in the southeast. This inconsistency is preserved as printed.

In the story 'Olelbis', one character is named as both Tilichi and Tilitchi. Although there are more instances of Tilitchi, reference to a Wintu dictionary suggests that Tilichi is probably closer to the correct spelling. However, it is preserved as printed in each case.

There were some other inconsistencies in the spelling of proper nouns. For ease of searching, where there was a strong prevalence of one form over another the transcriber has made them consistent, as follows:

Page 234--Lasasswa amended to Lasaswa--"Old Lasaswa took one
end of his rope, ..."

Page 276--Tuletot amended to Tulitot--"While dancing, Tulitot
took a snake from his mouth, ..."

Page 285--Marima amended to Marimi--"... and you, my wife,
Ochul Marimi, make ready; ..."

Page 367--Marima amended to Marimi--"... Ahalamila, Metsi,
and old Shushu Marimi."

Page 377--Wipajusi amended to Hwipajusi--"... the youngest
daughter of Hwipajusi, ..."

Page 381--Wipajusi's amended to Hwipajusi's--"... and at dusk
these two boys went to Hwipajusi's ..."

Page 384--Wipajusi's amended to Hwipajusi's--"... the plunder
brought from Hwipajusi's village; ..." and "Hwipajusi's three
daughters were there, too, ..."

Page 408--Hitchina amended to Hitchinna--"Hitchinna was lying
in one corner ..."

Page 428--Juiwaiya amended to Juiwaiyu--""I will sing now,"
said Juiwaiyu, ..."

Page 503--Pokalia amended to Pokaila--"... (Pom, earth;
Pokaila, old woman) ..."

Minor punctuation errors have been repaired, and hyphenation has been made consistent.

The following typographic errors have been repaired:

Page vii--ix amended to xi--"Introduction xi"

Page viii--487 amended to 485--"Notes, and Names of
Places 485"

Page 111--went amended to want--"I want to send some one to
see how many people there are ..."

Page 343--wookpecker amended to woodpecker--"... and
otter-skins and red-headed woodpecker scalps, ..."

Page 523--HAIKA amended to HAKA--"HAKA KAINA"

Each story in the original book had a half-title page. The repeated titles have been deleted.