FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  
eculiarly interesting and original. I place it here, because we find three maidens busy spinning for a witch, as the Kalevide found them in the palace of Sarvik. [Footnote 119: These great public periodical feasts are Eastern rather than Western. Compare the story of Ali Shar and Zumurrud (_Thousand and One Nights_).] [Footnote 120: A similar feat is performed by Sarvik in the _Kalevipoeg_, Canto 17.] [Footnote 121: See page 13.] [Footnote 122: As in the _Kalevipoeg_, Canto 13; and the story of the Gold-Spinners, &c.] [Footnote 123: Compare p. 121 (antea). The bell is not mentioned elsewhere in this story.] [Footnote 124: A beer-barrel with a tap, for general use, often stands in the houses of the Esthonian peasantry.] [Footnote 125: "And as to the sword, if it be drawn against an army, and its bearer shake it, he will rout the army; and if he say to it at the time of his shaking it, 'Slay this army,' there will proceed from that sword a lightning which will slay the whole army."--_Story of Joodar_ (_Thousand and One Nights_).] [Footnote 126: Compare the scene between the Kalevide and Tuehi, in Canto 15 of the poem.] [Footnote 127: This old man may have been the consort of the Meadow-Queen. _Cf._ pp. 188, 259.] [Footnote 128: We shall find mussel-shells used as boats in other tales.] THE GOLD-SPINNERS. (KREUTZWALD.) I am going to tell you a beautiful story about what happened in the world in ancient days, when the meadows still resounded with the wise sayings of birds and beasts. Once upon a time a lame old woman lived in a thick forest with her three beautiful daughters in a cottage hidden among the bushes. The three daughters were like three fair flowers, especially the youngest, who was as fair and delicate as a bean-flower, while the mother was like a withered stem. But there was none to look upon them in their loneliness save the sun by day, and by night the moon and the starry eyes of heaven. Hot, like eyes of youthful lovers, Shone the sun upon their head-gear, Shining on their coloured ribands, Turning red their garment's edges. The old mother did not allow the girls to grow up in idleness, but kept them hard at work from morning to night spinning golden flax into thread. She gave the poor creatures no half-holidays on Thursdays or Saturdays, to provide themselves with anything they needed, and if they had not sometimes taken their needles in their
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132  
133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Footnote
 

Compare

 

Kalevipoeg

 

mother

 

daughters

 
beautiful
 
Nights
 

Sarvik

 
Kalevide
 

Thousand


spinning

 

needed

 
hidden
 

cottage

 
flowers
 

bushes

 
flower
 
provide
 

delicate

 

youngest


happened

 

ancient

 

needles

 

meadows

 

beasts

 

resounded

 

sayings

 

forest

 

garment

 

Turning


ribands

 
thread
 

coloured

 

idleness

 

morning

 
golden
 

Shining

 
holidays
 

Thursdays

 
loneliness

withered
 

lovers

 
youthful
 
starry
 

creatures

 

heaven

 
Saturdays
 

Spinners

 
similar
 

performed