Medieval Europe remembered Virgil less as the poet of the Aeneid than as a magician, and Leland suspected the Italian countryside still kept such stories alive. He gathered about a hundred of them: Virgil’s miraculous birth, his dealings with an emperor over doves and truffles, enchanted rocks, outwitted rivals and bewitched lovers, each tale followed by Leland’s own commentary on its sources.
A rare record of living Italian folklore from the American folklorist who also wrote Aradia. Download the free EPUB.