Traditional Slovak Folktales

by Cooper; Terry L

• ISBN13: 9780765607188
• ISBN10: 0765607182
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-05-31
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The folktale characters of Popolvar and Johnny Pea may not be as well known as Rumpelstiltskin, nor Brother Birdie as beloved as the Ugly Duckling, but their Slovak heritage is as rich in charm and piquancy as any in the world. This volume makes that folk culture available for English-language readers.

Most of the fifty tales assembled here from the collections of folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky are translated into English for the first time. The poetic qualities of the originals have been preserved for the reader's delight, and the book includes an insightful introduction to the genres of the folktale and the specifics of Slovak tales.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Pronunciation Guide	xiii
Glossary	xv
Introduction	xix
The Enchanted Forest	3	(8)
Two Rascals	11	(5)
The Wizard	16	(3)
Stovey the Fool	19	(2)
The Spinner of Gold	21	(5)
The Gypsy Duped the Devil	26	(2)
Raduz and L'udmila	28	(8)
The Golden Horseshoe, the Golden Feather, and the Golden Hair	36	(11)
Brother Birdie	47	(3)
Lomidrevo or Valibuk	50	(17)
The Bear and the Mosquito	67	(2)
The Little Deer	69	(6)
Kubo's Adventures	75	(4)
Mataj	79	(9)
Dalajlama	88	(7)
We Three Brothers	95	(3)
Lady Kitty	98	(5)
Bladder-Blatherskite and His Friends	103	(2)
Vintalko	105	(8)
Sitno	113	(2)
The People-Eaters	115	(7)
The Sorceress Queen	122	(7)
Heavenly Glory	129	(4)
Old Bodrik and the Wolf	133	(2)
A Pair of Equal Beauty	135	(5)
Klinko and Kompit King	140	(6)
Kinglet, Cooklet, and Ashlet	146	(8)
The Old Maid and the Devil	154	(3)
The Tale of the Foolish Woman	157	(3)
Johnny Pea	160	(11)
The Man Who Never Sinned	171	(2)
Beautiful Ibronka	173	(5)
The Shorn Nanny Goat and the Hedgehog	178	(4)
The Old Man and the Twelve Sheep	182	(4)
The Twelve Months	186	(6)
The Wooden Cow	192	(7)
A Woman's Wit	199	(5)
The Toad's Godmother	204	(2)
The Kids	206	(2)
Salt over Gold	208	(6)
The Tinkers and the Evil One	214	(3)
The Honest Valach	217	(5)
Auntie Death	222	(2)
Petor and the Heavenly Father in the Wide Vale	224	(5)
The King of Time	229	(6)
The Baca and the Dragon	235	(5)
The Golden-Horned Stag	240	(4)
Right	244	(9)
The Dead Suitor	253	(4)
Popolvar, the Greatest in the World	257	(14)
Classifications and Commentaries to the Tales	271	(8)
Appendix: Tale Collection in Nineteenth-Century Slovakia and the Origin of Traditional Slovak Folktales	279	(1)
Map: Slovak Countries in Nineteenth Century Austro-Hungary	280	(16)
Bibliography	296	(2)
About the Author	298