ANDREW LANG'S FAIRY BOOKS


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The Brown Fairy Book (1904)

Preface

Table of Contents

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Preface:

The stories in this Fairy Book come from all quarters of the world. For example, the adventures of 'Ball-Carrier and the Bad One' are told by Red Indian grandmothers to Red Indian children who never go to school, nor see pen and ink. 'The Bunyip' is known to even more uneducated little ones, running about with no clothes at all in the bush, in Australia. You may see photographs of these merry little black fellows before their troubles begin, in 'Northern Races of Central Australia,' by Messrs. Spencer and Gillen. They have no lessons except in tracking and catching birds, beasts, fishes, lizards, and snakes, all of which they eat. But when they grow up to be big boys and girls, they are cruelly cut about with stone knives and frightened with sham bogies all for their good' their parents say and I think they would rather go to school, if they had their choice, and take their chance of being birched and bullied. However, many boys might think it better fun to begin to learn hunting as soon as they can walk. Other stories, like 'The Sacred Milk of Koumongoe,' come from the Kaffirs in Africa, whose dear papas are not so poor as those in Australia, but have plenty of cattle and milk, and good mealies to eat, and live in houses like very big bee-hives, and wear clothes of a sort, though not very like our own. 'Pivi and Kabo' is a tale from the brown people in the island of New Caledonia, where a boy is never allowed to speak to or even look at his own sisters; nobody knows why, so curious are the manners of this remote island. The story shows the advantages of good manners and pleasant behaviour; and the natives do not now cook and eat each other, but live on fish, vegetables, pork, and chickens, and dwell in houses. 'What the Rose did to the Cypress,' is a story from Persia, where the people, of course, are civilised, and much like those of whom you read in 'The Arabian Nights.' Then there are tales like 'The Fox and the Lapp ' from the very north of Europe, where it is dark for half the year and day-light for the other half. The Lapps are a people not fond of soap and water, and very much given to art magic. Then there are tales from India, told to Major Campbell, who wrote them out, by Hindoos; these stories are 'Wali Dad the Simple-hearted,' and 'The King who would be Stronger than Fate,' but was not so clever as his daughter. From Brazil, in South America, comes 'The Tortoise and the Mischievous Monkey,' with the adventures of other animals. Other tales are told in various parts of Europe, and in many languages; but all people, black, white, brown, red, and yellow, are like each other when they tell stories; for these are meant for children, who like the same sort of thing, whether they go to school and wear clothes, or, on the other hand, wear skins of beasts, or even nothing at all, and live on grubs and lizards and hawks and crows and serpents, like the little Australian blacks.

The tale of 'What the Rose did to the Cypress,' is translated out of a Persian manuscript by Mrs. Beveridge. 'Pivi and Kabo' is translated by the Editor from a French version; 'Asmund and Signy' by Miss Blackley; the Indian stories by Major Campbell, and all the rest are told by Mrs. Lang, who does not give them exactly as they are told by all sorts of outlandish natives, but makes them up in the hope white people will like them, skipping the pieces which they will not like. That is how this Fairy Book was made up for your entertainment.

BROWN WHAT THE ROSE DID TO THE CYPRESS MidEast/Central Asian. Persian. Tr. Annette S. Beveridge. VIEW
BROWN BALL-CARRIER AND THE BAD ONE American. Native American. Bureau of Ethnology. U.S. VIEW
BROWN HOW BALL-CARRIER FINISHED HIS TASK American. Native American. Bureau of Ethnology. Indian Folklore. VIEW
BROWN BUNYIP Oceania. Australian? Journal of Anthropological-Institute. VIEW
BROWN FATHER GRUMBLER African? Contes Populaires. VIEW
BROWN STORY OF YARA American. Brazilian. Folklore Bresilien (adapted) VIEW
BROWN CUNNING HARE American. Native American. Indian Folk Tales. Bureau of Ethnology. VIEW
BROWN TURTLE AND HIS BRIDE American. Native American. Bureau of Ethnology. VIEW
BROWN HOW GEIRALD THE COWARD WAS PUNISHED European. Icelandic. Neuislandische Volksmärchen VIEW
BROWN HABOGI European. Icelandic. Neuislandische Volksmärchen VIEW
BROWN HOW THE LITTLE BROTHER SET FREE HIS BIG BROTHERS American. Native American. Bureau of Ethnology. U.S. VIEW
BROWN SACRED MILK OF KOUMONGOE African. Contes Populaires des Bassoutos. traduits par E. Jacottet VIEW
BROWN WICKED WOLVERINE American. Native American. Bureau of Ethnology (adapted) VIEW
BROWN HUSBAND OF RAT'S DAUGHTER African? Contes Populaires. VIEW
BROWN MERMAID AND BOY European. Lapp. Lapplandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN PIVI AND KABO Oceania. Bulletin de la Societe d'Anthropologie. Series iii. vol. ix. VIEW
BROWN ELF MAIDEN European. Lapp. Lapplandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN HOW SOME WILD ANIMALS BECAME TAME ONES European. Lapp. Lapplandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN FORTUNE AND THE WOOD-CUTTER MidEast/Central Asian. Traditions Populaires de l'Asie Mineure. VIEW
BROWN ENCHANTED HEAD MidEast/Central Asian. Traditions Populaires de l'Asie Mineure. VIEW
BROWN SISTER OF SUN European. Lapp. Lapplandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN PRINCE AND THREE FATES MidEast/Central Asian. Contes Populaires de l'Egypte Ancienne (adapted) VIEW
BROWN FOX AND LAPP European. Lapp. Lapplandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN KISA THE CAT European. Icelandic. Neuislandische Volksmärchen (adapted) VIEW
BROWN LION AND CAT American. Native American. North American Indian Legends (adapted) VIEW
BROWN WHICH WAS THE FOOLISHEST? European. Icelandic. Neuislandische Volksmärchen (adapted) VIEW
BROWN ASMUND AND SIGNY European. Icelandic. Islandische Märchen. VIEW
BROWN RUBEZAHL European. German. Volksmahrchen der Deutschen. VIEW
BROWN STORY OF THE KING WHO WOULD BE STRONGER THAN FATE Asian. Indian. Told the author by an Indian. VIEW
BROWN STORY OF WALI DAD THE SIMPLE-HEARTED Asian. Indian. Told the author by an Indian. VIEW
BROWN TALE OF A TORTOISE AND OF A MISCHIEVOUS MONKEY American. Brazilian. Folklore Bresilien (adapted) VIEW
BROWN KNIGHTS OF FISH European. Spanish. Cuentos. Oraciones y Adivinas. por Fernan Caballero. VIEW

Laura Gibbs (laura-gibbs@ou.edu). Date: July 12, 2003 6:45 PM