The Enchanted Princess. Page. (Part VIII. P. 138.)238
This tale contains a good deal of myth material. Specially interesting is the withering of the trees when the soldier is put to sleep, and their budding forth when South Wind brings him back.
Vassilissa the Cunning, and the Tsar of the Sea. Page 249. (Part vi. p. 218.)
Vassilissa is written Vasilisa in Russian. I have doubled the s to assist the reader, but regret now that I did not preserve the Russian orthography and call attention to the pronunciation.
Tsar Unchristened Forehead is in the original text, and Tsar of the Sea is given as a variant. I have taken the variant, which is undoubtedly earlier than the name in the text. The battle between beasts and birds in the beginning of the tale is very curious. In Indian mythology struggles between beasts and birds are common; not, however, beasts and birds of the present kind, but the beings who lived before men appeared, and who fell from their former high places, becoming such beasts and birds as those that we see now. The eagle in this story corresponds in character to the mythologic birds before their fall.
It is noteworthy that the struggles for superiority in Indian myths are not carried on through fighting (the usual method in Aryan myths), but through trials of skill, strength, dexterity,—through playing ball, dice, foot-races, wrestling, and shooting. The opponents always bet their heads, and the head of the losing party is cut off without delay.
The “Chekh Myths and Folk-Tales,” except “The Cuirassier and the Horned Princess,” are taken from a work in two parts called, “Folk-Tales,” by J. K. z. Radostova.10 Prague, 1872.
Boyislav, Youngest of Twelve. (Part ii. p. 241.)
The Table, the Pack, and the Bag. (Part i. p. 81.)
The King of the Toads. (Part i. p. 133.)
The Mouse-hole, and the Underground Kingdom. (In the original, “Mouse-Hole.” Part ii. p. 361.)
The Treacherous Brothers. (Part ii. p. 321.)
“The Cuirassier and the Horned Princess” (in the original, “Concerning a Cuirassier”) is taken from “Moravian Folk-Tales, Stories, Customs, and Beliefs,” collected and written down by Benesh Method Kulda.11 Prague, 1874. This work is in two parts.
The “Magyar Myths and Folk-Tales” are taken from the following sources,—
From “Original Folk-Tales of the Sayo Valley,” collected by László Merényi.12 (2 parts).
The Poor Man, and the King of the Crows. (Part ii. p. 113.)
Kiss Miklos, and the Green Daughter of the Green King. (In the original, “The Lead Friend.” Part i. p. 1.)
From “Original Folk-Tales,” collected by László Merényi.13 Pest, 1861. (2 parts).
The Reed Maiden. (Part ii. p. 35.)
From “Original Folk-Tales of the Danube Border,” collected by László Merényi.14 (2 parts).
The Useless Wagoner. (Part ii. p. 143.)
The Hedgehog, the Merchant, the King, and the Poor Man. (In the original, “The Hedgehog.” Part ii. p. 5.)
From “Wild Roses. A Collection of the Mental Creations of the Sekler People,” by Yanosh Kriza.15 Klausenburg, 1863. (Volume I., all, I believe, that was published, contains ballads songs, and tales.)
Mirko, the King’s Son. (Part i. p. 436.)
This beautiful tale was printed in the Keresturfiszek variety of Sekler Magyar, and has not been put into ordinary Magyar, so far as I know.
Ditto marks in the notes section at the end of the book have been replaced with the appropriate word(s) in each case.
Notes
10 Národní Pohádky, od J. K. z. Radostova. V. Praze, 1872.
11 Moravské Národní Pohádky, Pověstí, Obyčeje a Pověry sebral a napsal. Beneš Method Kulda. V. Praze, 1874.
12 Sajovölgyi Eredeti Népmesék Összegyüjtötte. Merényi László. Pest, 1862.
13 Eredeti Népmesék Összegyüjtötte. Merényi László. Pest, 1861.
14 Dunamelléki Eredeti Népmesék Összegyüjtötte. Merényi László. Pest, 1864.
15 Vadrószák, Székely Népköltési Gyüjtemény. Szerkeszti Kriza János. Kolozsvartt, 1863.
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