The Project Gutenberg EBook of Rumanian Bird and Beast Stories, by Anonymous This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license Title: Rumanian Bird and Beast Stories Rendered into English Author: Anonymous Translator: Moses Gaster Release Date: June 29, 2013 [EBook #43059] Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RUMANIAN BIRD AND BEAST STORIES *** Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) Newly Designed Front Cover. [Contents] Original Title Page of Series. The Folk-Lore Society FOR COLLECTING AND PRINTING RELICS OF POPULAR ANTIQUITIES, &c. ESTABLISHED IN THE YEAR MDCCCLXXVIII. PUBLICATIONS [Contents] OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY LXXV. [1915] Original Title Page. [Contents] RUMANIAN BIRD AND BEAST STORIES RENDERED INTO ENGLISH BY M. GASTER, Ph.D. VICE-PRESIDENT AND SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE FOLK-LORE SOCIETY VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY VICE-PRESIDENT AND SOMETIME PRESIDENT OF THE JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY ETC., ETC. “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.” Job xii. 7 . LONDON Published for the Folk-Lore Society by SIDGWICK & JACKSON, LTD., 3 ADAM ST., ADELPHI, W.C. 1915 The right of translation and reproduction is reserved to the author To Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth of Rumania “Carmen Sylva” To Whom the Soul of the Rumanian People is as an Open Book A Page of that Book Is By Gracious Permission Dedicated 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 young before they go to sleep ere the flash of the glow-worm flits across the darkness of the forest. I have followed up to their lairs the ferocious wolf, the cantankerous dog, the sly fox and the wise hedgehog, have listened to the lark and to the nightingale, and paid homage to little king wren. Who knows how much longer they will disport themselves in the fields and forests of Rumania, where the hoofs of the horses, the feet of the marching men, the shout of battle and the thunder of the guns have silenced—let us hope only for a while—the voice of the dumb creatures, who still speak so eloquently to him who knows their language and understands the cunning spell of their hidden wisdom. It is as if I had gathered flowers from the field of the Rumanian popular imagination. They are fresh from the field, and the dew still hangs upon them like so many diamonds, flashing in the light of popular poetry; nay, sometimes a few specks of the original soil are still clinging to the roots. I have not pressed them between the leaves of this book. I have handled them tenderly. It has been a work of love, the dreamy fancies of youth, the solace of maturer age. Peradventure one or the other may be taken out and planted anew in the nurseries of the West, where they may blossom and grow afresh. They might bring with them the breath of the open field, the perfume of the forest. They might conjure up the time when the nations were still young and lived in the great Nursery of Nature. If one could only bring to the nations of the West for awhile a glimpse of the time of their youth! In my wanderings through these enchanted fields I have tried to find whence the seeds have come, whose hands have sown them, and what spiritual wind and weather have fostered their growth, whether the rain of heaven or the fountains of the deep have watered the roots, what sun has shone upon them, what fiery blast has made these flowers wither and die. Such as they are, then, they are offered in love to the English people. I have to thank Mr. S. L. Bensusan, who in true friendship, with admirable skill and with untiring zeal has helped me to remove the boulders, to level the ground, to plan the beds and to trim the edges; Miss C. S. Burne, whose keen sympathy, unerring eye and deft hand have helped to weed the tares and group the flowers; my son Vivian, who with loving care and gentle touch has brushed away the dead leaves that had fallen on the green sward, and last, but not least, the Folk-Lore Society, which has granted me a niche in its great Pantheon. It is indeed no small honour to be in the company of the gods. M. G. [Contents] [v] [Contents] [vii] [Contents] [viii] In the month when “smale fowles maken melodie.” CONTENTS. Introduction I. Why is the Bee black, and why is it making Honey? How did the Bee outwit the Devil? I. B. How did the Bee outwit the Mole? II. Why is the Bee busy and the Spider sullen? III. Why is the Bee black, and why has it a Narrow Waist? IV. Why does the Little Worm glow? V. Why does the Little Worm glow? VI. Why does the Little Worm glow? VII. Why is the Wolf ferocious? VIII. Why do the Eyes of the Wolf glow and his Hair bristle? IX. Why does the Wolf run after the Devil? X. Why the Goat’s Knees are bare XI. [ix] [Contents] PAGE 1 61 67 69 71 73 75 76 79 82 84 [x] 86 Why did Noah get drunk? XII. God and the Lamb XIII. The Hart and the making of the World XIV. Why is the Fly called the Devil’s Horse? XV. The Devil stealing the Sun XVI. Why is it called the Bull-Fly? XVII. Why is the Saw-Fly red? XVIII. Why does the Saw-Fly live in Stables? XIX. Why is the Lady-Bird dainty? XX. Why does the Gad-Fly sting the Cattle? XXI. Why does the Fly of Kolumbatsh poison the Cattle? XXII. Why is there a Worm in the Apple? XXIII. Why are the Locusts voracious? XXIV. Why does the Grasshopper run to and fro? XXV. Another Story of the Grasshopper XXVI. 90 94 95 97 99 102 104 108 110 114 117 122 124 127 [xi] 129 Why does the Nun Beetle cover its Face? XXVII. Why is the Beetle called the Nun? XXVIII. Why is the Wasp the Gipsies’ Bee? XXVIII. A. Another Version of the Wasp Legend XXIX. Why does the Hornet live in Smoky Places? XXX. Why is the Hornet so spiteful? XXX. A. Hornet Charm XXXI. Why has the Woodpecker such a Long Beak and why does it peck at the Trees? XXXII. Why has the Pelican a Big Pouch under its Beak? XXXIII. Why does the Titmouse get into the Pumpkin? XXXIV. Why has the Nightingale a Drab Colour? XXXV. Why has the Nightingale Twelve Tunes and why does the Turtle-Dove coo? XXXVI. Why is the Nightingale the Songster of the King? XXXVII. Why does the Thrush hide in the Tree? XXXVIII. Why has the Partridge a Mottled Colour? XXIX. 130 134 135 137 138 139 140 141 143 146 148 149 151 [xii] 153 155 Why has the Thistle-Finch Ruffled Feathers? XL. Why has the Bullfinch a Red Breast and a Big Mouth? XLI. Why does the Hoopoe feed on Droppings? XLII. Why is the Wagtail called the Gipsies’ Bird? XLIII. Why is the Hoopoe such a Dirty Bird? XLIV. Why does the Cuckoo lead a Restless Life? XLV. Why is the Cuckoo silent in the Winter? XLVI. The Story of the Crow and its Ugly Fledglings XLVII. Why is there enmity between the Crow and the Hawk? XLVII. A. Crow Charms XLVIII. Why does the Heron drink only Rain-Water? XLIX. Why does the Kite cry in Dry Weather? L. Why can the Mole not come out on the High Road? LI. Why has the Tortoise a Round Back? LII. Why have the Fish no Feet? LIII. 156 158 160 161 162 164 168 170 172 175 176 178 [xiii] 179 180 182 Why do the Plover fly singly? LIV. Why does the Spider hang on a Thread? LIV. A. Why are the Spider and the Mouse accursed? LV. Why has the Swallow a Forked Tail and a Red Spot on its Breast? LVI. Why does the Frog shrivel up at Death? LVII. Why does the Silkworm spin a Thin Thread? LVIII. Why is it right to kill a Sparrow? LIX. Why should the Oak Tree not boast? LX. Why does the Mosquito live in the Well? LXI. Why does the Mosquito feed on Blood? LXII. Why does the Fly eat the Cherry? LXIII. Why has the Butterfly Rings on its Wings? LXIV. Why does the Cricket chirp? LXV. Why do the Ants feed the Cricket? LXVI. Why do Cats and Dogs fight? LXVII. 183 184 186 188 190 192 195 196 199 200 202 [xiv] 203 205 206 208 Why do Cats eat Mice? LXVII. A. Another Version LXVIII. Why does a Cat sit on the Doorstep in the Sun? LXIX. Why does the Fly settle on the Dead? LXX. Why is the Foot of Man arched? LXXI. Why has a Snake no Tail? and why do Fleas suck Human Blood? LXXII. Charms against Fleas and other House Vermin LXXIII. Charms against Bugs LXXIV. Why does the Cuckoo call “Cuckoo”? LXXV. Why does a Wagtail wag its Tail? LXXVI. Why has the Hoopoe a Tuft? LXXVII. Why does the Eagle live on Raw Meat? LXXVIII. Why has the Lark a Tuft? LXXIX. Why is the Tuft of the Lark dishevelled? LXXX. Why do Larks fly towards the Sun? LXXX. A. 210 213 214 215 216 218 221 223 225 228 229 [xv] 231 236 238 240 The Story of the Lark LXXXI. The Wooing of the Sister of the Sun LXXXII. The Wooing of a Fairy LXXXIII. Where did the Swan come from? LXXXIV. The Swan Maiden, the Bird of Heaven and the Crown of Paradise LXXXV. Why does the Duck feed on Refuse? LXXXVI. Why has the Stork no Tail? LXXXVII. Why has the Swallow a Forked Tail and a Red Spot on its Breast? LXXXVIII. Why does the Swallow live in Hot Places? LXXXIX. Why is the Dove a Homing Bird? XC. Why does the Raven feed on Carcases? XCI. Why is the Ant cut in the Middle? XCII. Why does the Cuckoo call “Cuckoo”? XCIII. Why does the Armenian love the Dirty Hoopoe? XCIV. The Story of the Partridge, the Fox and the Hound XCV. 243 245 247 249 256 259 263 267 273 275 [xvi] 278 281 284 288 290 The Story of the Partridge and her Young XCVI. The Story of the Lark and the taming of Women XCVII. The Story of the Turtle Dove and its love for its Mate XCVIII. Why does the Wren hide himself? XCIX. Why is there no King over the Birds? C. The Story of King Log and King Stork CI. The Story of the Stork and Little Tomtit CII. The Story of the Flea and the Gnat CIII. The Story of the Gnat, the Lion, and the Man CIV. The Story of the Gnat and the Buffalo CV. The Story of the Town Mouse and the Field Mouse CVI. The Story of the Hare and the Frogs CVII. Why does the Buffalo walk slowly and tread gently? CVIII. The Story of the Pointer and the Setter CIX. The Story of the Rat and his Journey to God CX. 294 296 299 300 302 304 305 306 307 [xvii] 310 311 314 315 317 318 The Story of the Seven-Witted Fox and the One-Witted Owl CXI. The Story of the Fox and his Bagful of Wits and the One-Witted Hedgehog CXII. The Story of the Peasant, the Snake, and King Solomon CXIII. The Story of the Dog and the Snake and the cure of Headache CXIV. The Story of the Horse, the Lion, and the Wolf CXV. The Marriage of Tom and the Vixen CXVI. The Story of Man and his Years CXVII. The Judgment of the Soul of Man, accused and defended by Beast and Birds CXVIII. The Pilgrimage of the Soul after Death CXIX. The Reward of the Good Man APPENDIX I. RUMANIAN INCANTATIONS AGAINST THE ILLNESSES OF ANIMALS . I. Against the Illness of Poultry II. Charm for a Cow against the Evil Eye III. Charm for a Suckling Calf IV. Charm for a Cow against Snake-Bite V. 320 322 325 327 329 332 [xviii] 336 339 341 346 349 350 350 351