Traditional Slovak Folktales (Folklores and Folk Cultures of Eastern Europe)

This delightful collection makes the rich but little-known Slovak 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 carefully preserved. The general reader will enjoy these tales immensely, and students will find an insightful introduction to the genres of the folktale and the specifics of Slovak tales. For expert readers, all of the tales have been classified according to the Aarne-Thompson index, and many include short commentaries that draw on the work of Viera Gasparikova. 1. The Enchanted Forest -- 2. Two Rascals -- 3. The Wizard -- 4. Stovey The Fool -- 5. The Spinner Of Gold -- 6. The Gypsy Duped The Devil -- 7. Radúz And L'udmíla -- 8. The Golden Horseshoe, The Golden Feather, And The Golden Hair -- 9. Brother Birdie -- 10. Lomidrevo Or Valibuk -- 11. The Bear And The Mosquito -- 12. The Little Deer -- 13. Kubo's Adventures -- 14. Mataj -- 15. Dalajláma -- 16. We Three Brothers -- 17. Lady Kitty -- 18. Bladder-blatherskite And His Friends -- 19. Vintalko -- 20. Sitno -- 21. The People-eaters -- 22. The Sorceress Queen -- 23. Heavenly Glory -- 24. Old Bodrík And The Wolf -- 25. A Pair Of Equal Beauty -- 26. Klinko And Kompit King -- 27. Kinglet, Cooklet, And Ashlet -- 28. The Old Maid And The Devil -- 29. The Tale Of The Foolish Woman -- 30. Johnny Pea -- 31. The Man Who Never Sinned -- 32. Beautiful Ibronka -- 33. The Shorn Nanny Goat And The Hedgehog -- 34. The Old Man And The Twelve Sheep -- 35. The Twelve Months -- 36. The Wooden Cow -- 37. A Woman's Wit -- 38. The Toad's Godmother -- 39. The Kids -- 40. Salt Over Gold -- 41. The Tinkers And The Evil One -- 42. The Honest Valach -- 43. Auntie Death -- 44. Petor And The Heavenly Father In The Wide Vale -- 45. The King Of Time -- 46. The Bača And The Dragon -- 47. The Golden-horned Stag -- 48. Right -- 49. The Dead Suitor -- 50. Collected By Pavol Dobšinský ; Edited And Translated By David L. Cooper. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 296-297). Popolvar may not be as well known as Rumpelstiltskin, or Brother Birdie as well loved as the Ugly Duckling, but the folktales that feature these characters are as rich in charm and piquancy as any in the world.This volume makes the Slovak folk tradition available to English -language readers with fifty tales culled from the collections of master folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky.For the reader's delight, the translations preserve the poetic qualities of the original tales: Slovak rhymes have been replaced by English ones, puns have been repunned, proverbs have been rendered with proverbial concision, and the flexible Slovak folk idiom has been captured in colloquial English.All of which is to say, the reader will enjoy these tales immensely. And for those who wish to know more about Slovak folktales, the volume includes commentaries, tale classifications, an introduction to the Slovak tale tradition, and a concluding essay on tale collection. A selection of 50 Slovak folk tales assembled from the collections of folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky. The translator seeks to preserve the poetic qualities of the originals, and the book includes an introduction to the genres of the folktale and the specifics of Slovak tales.