[East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] THE LASSIE AND HER GODMOTHER
THE LASSIE AND HER GODMOTHER Once on a time a poor couple lived far, far away in a great wood. The wife was brought to bed, and had a pretty girl, but they were so poor they did not know how to get the babe christened, for they had no money to pay the parson’s fees. So one day the father went out to see if … Continue reading [East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] THE LASSIE AND HER GODMOTHER
[East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] PRINCE LINDWORM
PRINCE LINDWORM Once upon a time, there was a fine young King who was married to the loveliest of Queens. They were exceedingly happy, all but for one thing—they had no children. And this often made them both sad, because the Queen wanted a dear little child to play with, and the King wanted an heir to the kingdom. One day the Queen went out for a walk by herself, and she met an … Continue reading [East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] PRINCE LINDWORM
[East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] THE BLUE BELT
THE BLUE BELT Once on a time there was an old beggar-woman, who had gone out to beg. She had a little lad with her, and when she had got her bag full she struck across the hills towards her own home. So when they had gone a bit up the hill-side, they came upon a little Blue Belt which lay where two paths met, and the lad … Continue reading [East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] THE BLUE BELT
[East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON
PREFACE A folk-tale, in its primitive plainness of word and entire absence of complexity in thought, is peculiarly sensitive and susceptible to the touch of stranger hands; and he who has been able to acquaint himself with the Norske Folkeeventyr of Asbjörnsen and Moe (from which these stories are selected), has an advantage over the reader of an English rendering. Of this advantage Mr. Kay Nielsen has … Continue reading [East of the Sun and West of the Moon, old tales from the North] EAST OF THE SUN AND WEST OF THE MOON
[Irish Fairy Tales] The Time for Naggeneen’s Plan
The Time for Naggeneen’s Plan Little happened that needs to be told in the next few months, either to the fairies or to the human people. John O’Brien and Peter Sullivan were not long in finding work to do, and they were paid for it, and the two families got on better than they had in Ireland. The O’Briens got on better than the Sullivans. … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] The Time for Naggeneen’s Plan
[Irish Fairy Tales] The Legend of Bottle Hill
The Legend of Bottle Hill It was in the good days, when the little people, most impudently called fairies, were more frequently seen than they are in these unbelieving times, that a farmer, named Mick Purcell, rented a few acres of barren ground in the neighbourhood of the once celebrated preceptory of Mourne, situated about three miles from Mallow, and thirteen from “the beautiful city … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] The Legend of Bottle Hill
[Irish Fairy Tales] The Thirteenth Son of the King of Erin
The Thirteenth Son of the King of Erin There was a king in Erin long ago who had thirteen sons, and as they grew up he taught them good learning and every exercise and art befitting their rank. One day the king went hunting, and saw a swan swimming in a lake with thirteen little ones. She kept driving away the thirteenth, and would not … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] The Thirteenth Son of the King of Erin
[Irish Fairy Tales] The Little White Cat
The Little White Cat Along, long time ago, in a valley far away, the giant Trencoss lived in a great castle, surrounded by trees that were always green. The castle had a hundred doors, and every door was guarded by a huge, shaggy hound, with tongue of fire and claws of iron, who tore to pieces anyone who went to the castle without the giant’s … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] The Little White Cat
[Irish Fairy Tales] Billy Duff and the Devil
Billy Duff and the Devil Billy Duffy was an Irishman, a blacksmith, and a drunkard. He had the Keltic aversion from steady work, and stuck to his forge only long enough to get money for drink; when that was spent, he returned to work. Billy was coming home one day after one of these drinking-bouts, soberer than usual, when he exclaimed to himself, for the … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] Billy Duff and the Devil
[Irish Fairy Tales] The House in the Lake
The House in the Lake Along, long time ago, there lived in a little hut, in the midst of one of the inland lakes of Erin, an old fisherman and his son. The hut was built on stakes driven into the bed of the lake, and was so high above the waters that even when they were stirred into waves by the wind coming down … Continue reading [Irish Fairy Tales] The House in the Lake
