Gaster, a Romanian-born scholar, gathered and translated tales told by Romanian peasants about animals, birds and insects. Many explain how creatures came to be as they are: why the bee is busy and the spider sullen, why the glow-worm glows, how the swallow got its forked tail, often weaving in biblical and saintly legend.
A delightful book of origin stories, with Gaster’s notes on their wider roots. Download the free EPUB.