Second Edition.
BASQUE LEGENDS: Collected, Chiefly in the Labourd,
By Rev. WENTWORTH WEBSTER, M.A., Oxon.
With an Essay On The Basque Language,
By M. Julien Vinson, Of the Revue de Linguistique, Paris.
Together with Appendix: Basque Poetry.
London:
Griffith and Farran, Successors to Newbery and Harris, Corner of St. Paul's Churchyard; And Walbrook & Co., 52, Fleet Street, E. C.
1879.
All Rights Reserved.
Printed by W. O. Walbrook, at the Fleet Street Printing Works, 52, Fleet Street, London.
To M. Antoine D'Abbadie, of Abbadia, Member of the Institute of France, this Translation of Legends, originally told in the language of his ancestors, in grateful acknowledgment of kindly courtesy and of ever-ready assistance, is dedicated by his obliged and obedient servant,
Wentworth Webster.
CONTENTS.
Page
Introduction vii
I.--Legends of the Tartaro 1 The Tartaro 4 M. d'Abbadie's Version 4 Variations of above 5 Errua, the Madman 6 Variations of above 10 The Three Brothers, the Cruel Master, and the Tartaro 11 The Tartaro and Petit Perroquet 16
II.--The Heren-Suge.--The Seven-Headed Serpent 20 The Grateful Tartaro and the Heren-Suge 22 Variation of above 32 The Seven-Headed Serpent 33 The Serpent in the Wood 38
III.--Animal Tales 42 Acheria, the Fox 43 The Ass and the Wolf 45
IV.--Basa-Jaun, Basa-Andre, and Lamiñak 47 Basa-Jauna 49 The Servant at the Fairy's 53 The Fairy in the House 55 The Pretty but Idle Girl 56 The Devil's Age 58 The Fairy-Queen Godmother 59
V.--Witchcraft and Sorcery 64 The Witches at the Sabbat 66 The Witches and the Idiots 67 The Witch and the New-Born Infant 69 The Changeling 73
VI.--Contes des Fées 76
(A) Tales like the Keltic 77 Malbrouk 77 The Fisherman and his Sons 87 Tabakiera, the Snuff-Box 94 Mahistruba, the Master Mariner 100 Dragon 106 Ezkabi-Fidel 111 Variation of above 120 The Lady-Pigeon and her Comb 120 Suggested Explanation of above 130 Laur-Cantons 132 The Young School-Boy 136 The Son who Heard Voices 137 The Mother and her Idiot Son; or, the Clever Thief 140 Juan Dekos, the Blockhead (Tontua) 146 Variation of the above--Juan de Kalais 151 The Duped Priest 154
(B) Contes des Fées, derived directly from the French 158 Ass'-Skin 158 Variations of above 165 The Step-Mother and Step-Daughter 166 Beauty and the Beast 167 Variation of above 172 The Cobbler and his Three Daughters (Blue-Beard) 173 Variations of above 175 The Singing Tree, the Bird which tells the Truth, and the Water which makes Young 176 Variation of above 181 The White Blackbird 182 The Sister and her Seven Brothers 187 Variations, etc. 191
List of Publication of Foreign Legends in France 192
VII.--Religious Tales 194 Fourteen 195 Variation of above--Jesus Christ and the Old Soldier 199 The Poor Soldier and the Rich Man 200 The Widow and her Son 202 The Story of the Hair-Cloth Shirt (La Cilice) 206 The Saintly Orphan Girl 209 The Slandered and Despised Girl 211
An Essay on the Basque Language 219