Part I: Turkish Folk-Tales

Preface

These stories were collected from the mouths of the Turkish peasantry by the Hungarian savant Dr. Ignatius Kunos, during his travels through Anatolia,1 and published for the first time in 1889 by the ...

The Stag-Prince

Once upon a time, when the servants of Allah were many, there lived a Padishah1 who had one son and one daughter. The Padishah grew old, his time came, and he died; his son ruled in his stead, and he ...

The Stag-Prince. Continued

The damsel fancied she really was blind, and called to her from the tree. Nay but, my dear elder sister! thou hast placed the kettle on the tripod upside down, and art pouring all the water on the gr...

The Three Orange-Peris

In the olden times, when there were sieves in straws and lies in everything, in the olden times when there was abundance, and men ate and drank the whole day and yet lay down hungry, in those olden, o...

The Three Orange-Peris. Part 2

Nonsense! cried the Mother of Devils. What, I should like to know, have the sons of men to do here? It seems to me you had better all clean your teeth. So she gave the forty sons forty wooden stak...

The Three Orange-Peris. Part 3

The King's son went on, and on, and on. He went a long way, and he went a short way, he went across mountains and through valleys. At last he came to a sandy desert, and there he bethought him of the ...

The Rose-Beauty

Once upon a time in the old old days when straws were sieves, and the camel a chapman, and the mouse a barber, and the cuckoo a tailor, and the donkey ran errands, and the tortoise baked bread, and I ...

The Rose-Beauty. Continued

The old dame took the two eyes, pitched the sightless damsel into the big basket, and left her all alone on the top of a mountain. But the beautiful bridal robe she put upon her own daughter, brought ...

Mad Mehmed

Once upon a time in the old old days when the camel was only a spy, when toads rose in the air on wings, and I myself rode in the air while I walked on the ground, and went up hill and down dale at th...

Mad Mehmed. Continued

In order to make short work of the fat little man the fool began by at once chasing all the hens and sheep off his master's premises. Art angry, master? he then inquired of his lord. His master was ...

The Golden-Haired Children

Once upon a time, in days long gone by, when my father was my father, and I was my father's son, when my father was my son, and I was my father's mother, once upon a time, I say, at the uttermost ends...

The Golden-Haired Children. Part 2

But time comes and goes. The two wondrous children grew up and scampered up hill and down dale, and the dark woods were bright with the radiance of their golden hair. They hunted the wild beasts, tend...

The Golden-Haired Children. Part 3

Next day, when the red dawn was in the sky, the youth went forth on his quest, caught the five to ten birds in the forest, got hold of the key, opened therewith the door of the cavern, and - oh, Allah...

The Golden-Haired Children. Part 4

Next day the youth set out on his journey. He prayed by the wayside well, opened all the gates he came to, and, looking neither to the right hand nor to the left, went on straight before him through t...

The Horse-Devil And The Witch

There was once upon a time a Padishah who had three daughters. One day the old father made him ready for a journey, and calling to him his three daughters straightly charged them to feed and water his...

The Horse-Devil And The Witch. Continued

The girl did as she was told, and when the hag came home in the evening she asked the girl whether she had accomplished her task. Yes, little mother, replied the bride, I have swept and I have not ...

The Cinder-Youth

Once upon a time that was no time, in the days when the servants of Allah were many and the misery of man was great, there lived a poor woman who had three sons and one daughter. The youngest son was ...

The Cinder-Youth. Continued

He went on and on and on till he also came to the oven and the cauldron. The men who guarded the oven and the cauldron stopped him and asked him his business, and on finding out that he was going to k...

The Piece Of Liver

Once upon a time there was an old woman who felt she would very much like to have a piece of liver, so she gave a girl two or three pence, and bade her buy the liver in the market-place, wash it clean...

The Magic Turban, The Magic Whip, And The Magic Carpet

Once upon a time that was no time there were two brothers. Their father and mother had died and divided all their property between them. The elder brother opened a shop, but the younger brother, who w...

The Magic Turban, The Magic Whip, And The Magic Carpet. Continued

Then they went on still further, till they came to another garden, where every tree was sparkling with gold and precious stones. Here too the youth broke off a twig and shoved it into his pocket, and ...

The Wind-Demon

There was once upon a time an old Padishah who had three sons and three daughters. One day the old man fell ill, and though they called all the leeches together to help him, his disease would not take...

The Wind-Demon. Part 2

On the third day a bird alighted in the palace, and said that he must have the youngest of the Sultan's daughters. The Padishah and the second brother were again unwilling to agree to it, but the youn...

The Wind-Demon. Part 3

I know but the rumour of him, said the lion; but take my word for it, thou hadst better have nothing to do with him, for there is none that can cope with the Wind-Demon. But the King's son would n...

The Wind-Demon. Part 4

Meanwhile the good steed galloped away with the youth's bones till he stopped at the door of the palace of the youngest sister, and then he neighed and neighed till the damsel heard him. She rushed ou...

The Crow-Peri

Once upon a time that was no time there was a man who had one son. This man used to go out into the forest all day, and catch birds for sale to the first comer. At last, however, the father died and t...

The Forty Princes And The Seven-Headed Dragon

Theee was once upon a time a Padishah, and this Padishah had forty sons. All day long they disported themselves in the forest, snaring birds and hunting beasts, but when the youngest of them was fourt...

The Forty Princes And The Seven-Headed Dragon. Continued

The youngest brother saw that his brethren were more dead than alive from fear, so he gave them the keys of the two wells, in one of which was the vast heap of treasure, and in the other the forty dam...

The World's Most Beauteous Damsel

There was once upon a time a Padishah, who had an only son. His father guarded him as the apple of his eye, and there was not a desire of his heart that was not instantly gratified. One night a dervi...

The World's Most Beauteous Damsel. Continued

Suddenly the door of the palace was opened, and the garden was so flooded with light that the eyes of the youth were dazzled even to blindness. It was the World's most beauteous Damsel who had appeare...

The Padishah Of The Forty Peris

In the old, old time, in the age of fairy tales, there was once the daughter of a Padishah who was as fair as the full moon, as slim as a cypress-tree, with eyes like coals, and hair like the night, a...

The Padishah Of The Forty Peris. Continued

It was as much as the bald-pate could do to await the dawn of the day. But then the beautiful youth arose, shivered, and flew away as a white dove. Bald-pate too came out of his hiding-place, went dow...

The Serpent-Peri And The Magic Mirror

There was once upon a time a poor wood-cutter who had an only son. One day this poor man fell sick and said to his son: If I should die follow thou my handicraft, and go every day into the wood. Thou...

The Serpent-Peri And The Magic Mirror. Continued

Now the fishermen were just then on the shore, and saw the huge casket floating in the sea. They drew it ashore with ropes and hooks, and when they opened it an old woman crept out of it. They asked h...

Stone-Patience And Knife-Patience

There waa once a poor woman who had one daughter, and this poor woman used to go out and wash linen, while her daughter remained at home at her working-table. One day she was sitting by the window as ...

The Ghost Of The Spring And The Shrew

Once upon a time which was no time if it was a time, in the days when my mother was my mother and I was my mother's daughter, when my mother was my daughter and I was my mother's mother, in those days...

The Ghost Of The Spring And The Shrew. Continued

With that the wood-cutter took the three tablets, put them in his pocket, and the ghost went to the right and he went to the left, and neither of them thought any more of the old woman in the well. Bu...

Part II: Roumanian Folk-Tales

Roumanian Fairy Tales. The Story Of The Half-Man-Riding-On-The- Worse- Half-Of-A-Lame-Horse

Once upon a time, long long ago, in the days when poplars bore pears and rushes violets, when bears could switch themselves with their tails like cows, and wolves and lambs kissed and cuddled each oth...

The Story Of The Half-Man-Riding-On-The- Worse- Half-Of-A-Lame-Horse. Continued

Aleodor listened, for his heart was as kind as his hand was cunning; and he bound up the crow's wing. When he made ready to go on again, the crow said to him: Take this feather, thou gallant youth! a...

The Enchanted Hog

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, when fleas were shod with ninety and nine pieces of iron, and flew up into the blue sky to fetch us down fairytales, there lived an Emperor who had three daught...

The Enchanted Hog. Part 2

But it was not very long before the Emperor observed that, little by little, his youngest daughter was growing sadder and thinner. What if she has broken my commands? thought he, and as it were a re...

The Enchanted Hog. Part 3

When the old hag had departed, the daughter of the Emperor took care to carefully conceal the piece of rope, but in the middle of the night she softly arose so that he shouldn't hear her, and holding ...

The Enchanted Hog. Part 4

So the daughter of the Emperor pitched away the second pair of iron sandals that she had worn out, tied up the bones, took her child on her arm and a third staff in her hand, and went after the Wind. ...

Boy-Beautiful, The Golden Apples, And The Were-Wolf

Once upon a time, a long while ago, when the very flies wrote upon the walls more beautifully than the mind can picture, there lived an Emperor and an Empress who had three sons, and a very beautiful ...

Boy-Beautiful, The Golden Apples, And The Were-Wolf. Part 2

The wolf seeing this, cried: Stay thy hand, Boy-Beautiful, and slay me not, and it will be well for thee one day! Boy-Beautiful listened to him, and let his bow fall, and the wolf drawing nigh, aske...

Boy-Beautiful, The Golden Apples, And The Were-Wolf. Part 3

Rely upon me, for I see I must finish this business for thee. So they all three went on together to seek the divine Craiessa. When they drew nigh to the land of the divine Craiessa they halted in t...

Youth Without Age, And Life Without Death

Once upon a time there was a great Emperor and an Empress; both were young and beautiful, and as they would fain have been blessed with offspring they went to all the wise men and all the wise women a...

Youth Without Age, And Life Without Death. Part 2

But when he had searched a wilderness on the confines of his father's realm, Boy Beautiful took leave of the warriors, and sent them back to his father, taking of the provisions only so much as his go...

Youth Without Age, And Life Without Death. Part 3

Boy Beautiful arose and did as his steed told him, and the next moment they were close up to the forest. Now is the time, my master, cried the good steed. The wild monsters are now being fed, and...