The Girl Without Hands
: The Folk-tales Of The MagyarsThere was once, I don't know where, a king whose only son was an
exceedingly handsome and brave fellow, who went far into the
neighbouring country to fight. The old king used to send letters to his
son into the camp, through an old faithful servant. Once it happened
that the letter-carrying old servant took a night's lodging in a lonely
house, which was inhabited by a middle-aged woman and her daughter, who
was very pr
messenger, and during the meal the woman questioned him whether he
thought her or her daughter to be the prettier, but the messenger did
not like to state the exact truth, as he did not wish to appear
ungrateful for their hospitality, and only said, "Well, we can't deny
but must confess it that we old people cannot be so handsome as the
young ones." The woman made no reply; but as soon as the messenger had
left she gave her servant orders to take her daughter into the wood and
kill her, and to bring her liver, lungs, and two hands back with him.
The manservant took the pretty girl with him, and, having gone a good
distance, he stopped, and told the girl of her mother's commands.
"But," continued he, "I haven't got the heart to kill you, as you have
always been very kind to me; there is a small dog which has followed us,
and I will take his liver and lungs back to your mother, but I shall be
compelled to cut off your hands, as I can't go back without them." The
servant did as he proposed; he took out the small dog's lungs and liver,
and cut off the girl's hands, much as it was against his wish. He
carefully covered the stumps of her arms with a cloth, and sent the girl
away and went back to his mistress. The woman took the lungs and liver,
put them into her mouth, and said, "You have come out of me, you must
return into me," and swallowed them. The two hands she threw up into the
loft. The servant left the woman's house in a great hurry at the
earliest opportunity, and never returned again. In the meantime the girl
without hands wandered about in unknown places. Fearing that she would
be discovered in the daytime, she hid herself in the wood, and only left
her hiding place at night to find food, and if she chanced to get into
an orchard she ate the fruit she could reach with her mouth.
At last she came to the town where the king lived: the prince had by
this time returned from the war. One morning, the king was looking out
of his window, and to his great annoyance discovered that, again, there
were less pears on a favourite tree in the orchard than he had counted
the previous day. In a great rage he sent for the gardener, whose
special business it was to take care of the orchard; but he excused
himself on the ground that while he was watching the orchard at night an
irresistible desire to sleep came over him, the like of which he had
never experienced before, and which he was quite unable to shake off.
The king, therefore, ordered another man to keep watch under the tree
the next night, but he fared in the same way as the first; the king was
still more angry. On the third night, the prince himself volunteered to
keep watch, and promised to guard the fruit of the favourite tree; he
laid down on the lawn under the tree, and did not shut his eyes. About
midnight, the girl without hands came forth from a thicket in the
garden, and, seeing the prince, said to him, "One of your eyes is
asleep, the other one must go to sleep too, at once." No sooner had she
uttered these words than the prince fell fast asleep, and the girl
without hands walked under the tree, and picked the fruit with her
mouth. But as there were only a few more pears left on the boughs which
she could get at, she was obliged, in order to satisfy her hunger, to
step on a little mound, and stand on tiptoe that she might reach the
fruit; whilst standing in this position she slipped, and, having no
hands to hold on with, she fell on the sleeping prince.
The shock awoke the prince at once, and, grasping the girl firmly with
his arms, he kept her fast. Next morning the king looking out of his
window discovered to his astonishment that no pears were missing, and
therefore sent a messenger into the garden to his son to inquire what
had happened? As soon as dawn began to break, the prince saw the girl's
beautiful face; the king's messenger had by this time reached the
prince, who in reply to his query, said: "Tell my father that I have
caught the thief, and I will take care not to let her escape. If my
father, the king, will not give me permission to marry her, I will never
enter his house again; tell him also, that the girl has no hands." The
king did not oppose his son's desire, and the girl without hands became
the prince's wife, and they lived happily together for a time. It
happened, however, that war broke out again with the sovereign of the
neighbouring country, and the prince was once more obliged to go with
his army. While he was away the princess was confined, and bore two
children with golden hair. The old king was highly delighted, and at
once wrote to his son informing him of the happy event. The letter was
again entrusted to the same man, who took the messages during the first
war: he on his way remembered the house where he was so well received on
a previous occasion, and arranged that he should spend the night there.
This time he found the old woman only. He got into conversation with
her, and she asked him where he was going, and what news he had from the
royal town: the messenger told her how the prince had found a beautiful
girl without hands, whom he had married, and who had had two beautiful
children. The woman at once guessed that it was her own daughter, and
that she had been deceived by her servant; she gave her guest plenty to
eat and drink, till he was quite drunk and went to sleep. Whereupon the
woman searched the messenger's bag, found the king's letter, opened it
and read it. The gist of the letter was this, "My dear son, you have
brought to my house a dear and beautiful wife, who has borne you a
beautiful golden-haired child."
The woman instantly wrote another letter, which ran thus: "You have
brought to my house a prostitute, who has brought shame upon you, for
she has been confined of two puppies." She folded the letter, sealed it
as the first had been, and put it into the messenger's bag. Next morning
the messenger left, having first been invited to spend the night at her
house on his return, as the wicked mother was anxious to know what the
prince's answer would be to the forged letter. The messenger reached the
prince, handed him the letter, which gave him inexpressible grief; but
as he was very fond of his wife he only replied, that, whatever the
state of affairs might be, no harm was to happen to his wife until his
return. The messenger took the letter back and again called upon the old
woman, who was not chary to make him drunk again and to read the reply
clandestinely. She was angry at the prince's answer, and wrote another
letter in his name, in which she said, that if matters were as they had
been represented to him in the letter, his wife must get out of the
house without delay, so that he might not see her upon his return.
The messenger, not suspecting anything, handed the letter to the king,
who was very much upset, and read it to his daughter-in-law. The old
king pitied his pretty and good natured daughter deeply, but what could
he do? They saddled a quiet horse, put the two golden-haired princes in
a basket and tied it in front of the princess; and thus the poor woman
was sent away amidst great lamentations.
She had been travelling without ceasing for three days, till on the
third day she came into a country where she found a lake full of magic
water, which had the power of reviving and making good the maimed limbs
of any crippled man or beast who bathed in it. So the woman without
hands took a bath in the lake, and both her hands were restored. She
washed her children's clothes in the same lake, and again continued her
journey. Not long after this the war with the neighbouring king was
over, and the prince returned home. On hearing what had happened to his
wife he fell into a state of deep grief, and became so ill that his
death was expected daily. After a long illness, however, his health
began to improve, but only very slowly, and years elapsed before his
illness and his great grief had so far been conquered that he had
strength or inclination to go out. At last he tried hunting, and spent
whole days in the forest. One day as he was thus engaged he followed a
stag, and got deeper and deeper into the thick part of the wood; in the
meantime the sun had set and darkness set in. The prince, having gone
too far, could not find his way back. But as good luck would have it he
saw a small cottage, and started in its direction to find a night's
lodging. He entered, and found a woman with two children--his wife and
two sons. The woman at once recognised the prince, who, however, did not
even suspect her to be his wife, because her hands were grown again:
but, at the same time, the great likeness struck him very much, and at
first sight he felt a great liking for the woman. On the next day he
again went out hunting with his only faithful servant, and purposely
allowed darkness to set in so that he might sleep at the cottage. The
prince felt very tired and laid down to sleep, while his wife sat at the
table sewing, and the two little children played by her side.
It happened that in his sleep the prince dropped his arm out of bed; one
of the children noticing this called his mother's attention to it,
whereupon the woman said to her son, "Place it back, my son, place it
back, it's the hand of your royal father." The child approached the
sleeping prince and gently lifted his arm back again. After a short time
the prince dropped his leg from the bed while asleep; the child again
told his mother of it, and she said, "Place it back, my son, put it
back, it's your father's leg." The boy did as he was told, but the
prince knew nothing of it. It happened, however, that the prince's
faithful servant was awake and heard every word the woman said to the
child, and told the story to his master the next day. The prince was
astonished, and no longer doubted that the woman was his wife, no matter
how she had recovered her hands. So the next day he again went out
hunting, and, according to arrangement, stayed late in the wood and had
to return to the cottage again. The prince, having gone to bed, feigned
sleep, and dropped his arm over the bed; his wife, seeing this, again
said, "Put it back, my son, put it back, it's your royal father's arm."
Afterwards he dropped his other arm, and then his two legs purposely;
and the woman in each case bade her son put them back, in the same
words. At last he let his head hang over the bedside, and his wife said
to her son, "Lift it back, my son, lift it back; it's your royal
father's head." But the little fellow, getting tired of all this,
replied, "I shan't do it; you better do it yourself this time, mother."
"Lift it back, my son," again said the mother, coaxingly; but the boy
would not obey, whereupon the woman herself went to the bed, in order to
lift the prince's head. But no sooner had she touched him than her
husband caught hold of her with both his hands, and embraced her. "Why
did you leave me?" said he, in a reproachful tone. "How could I help
leaving you," answered his wife, "when you ordered me out of your
house?" "I wrote in the letter," said the prince, "this and this;" and
told her what he had really written; and his wife explained to him what
had been read to her from the letter that had been changed. The fraud
was thus discovered, and the prince was glad beyond everything that he
had found his wife and her two beautiful children.
He at once had all three taken back to the palace, where a second
wedding was celebrated, and a great festival held. Guests were invited
from the 77th country, and came to the feast. Through the
letter-carrying messenger it became known that the cause of all the
mischief was no one else than the princess's envious mother. But the
prince forgave her all at the urgent request of his wife; and the young
couple lived for a great many years in matrimonial bliss, their family
increasing greatly. At the old king's death the whole realm fell to the
happy couple, who are still alive, if they have not died since.
More
-
The Fortunes Of Ai Powlo
Once upon a time a father and mother had a wicked son whose name was Ai Powlo. One day, while in the rice fields together, the father sent the son to his mother with a message. Instead, however, of delivering the message, Ai Powlo said his father ha... The Four Gifts
If I had an income of three hundred crowns, I would go and dwell at Quimper; the finest church in Cornouaille is to be found there, and all the houses have weather-vanes upon their roofs. If I had two hundred crowns a year, I would live at Carhaix... The Four Jogis
Once four Jogis were out on a begging expedition and came to a city were a Raja lived. As they went along they discussed how they should beg of the Raja; and while they were discussing the point, they saw a field rat and one of them exclaimed "I kno... The Four Winds
Once there were four great chiefs who lived in the four corners of the earth, and their names were North Wind, South Wind, East Wind, and West Wind. The other three all hated North Wind, for he was very rude and boisterous, and insisted upon blowing... The Fourth Labor
Then Hercules set out on his fourth undertaking. It consisted in bringing alive to Mycene a boar which, likewise sacred to Diana, was laying waste the country around the mountain of Erymanthus. On his wanderings in search of this adventure he came... The Fox And The Badger
There is a certain mountainous district in Shikoku in which a skillful hunter had trapped or shot so many foxes and badgers that only a few were left. These were an old grey badger and a female fox with one cub. Though hard pressed by hunger, neit... The Fox And The Cat
In a certain forest there once lived a fox, and near to the fox lived a man who had a cat that had been a good mouser in its youth, but was now old and half blind. The man didn't want puss any longer, but not liking to kill it, took it out into th... The Fox And The Tiger No I
Said the tiger to the fox: "Let us run a race from the top of the world to the bottom of the world, and he who wins it shall be lord of the world!" The fox agreed, and off the tiger bounded, but without noticing that the fox had caught hold of his t... The Fox And The Turkeys
Against a robber fox, a tree Some turkeys served as citadel. That villain, much provoked to see Each standing there as sentinel, Cried out, "Such witless birds At me stretch out their necks, ... The Fox The Flies And The Hedgehog
A fox, old, subtle, vigilant, and sly,-- By hunters wounded, fallen in the mud,-- Attracted by the traces of his blood, That buzzing parasite, the fly. He blamed the gods, and wonder'd why The Fates so... The Fox The Monkey And The Animals
Left kingless by the lion's death, The beasts once met, our story saith, Some fit successor to install. Forth from a dragon-guarded, moated place, The crown was brought, and, taken from its case, And being tri... The Fox The Otter And The Monkey
In very ancient days, at the beginning of the world, there were a fox, an otter, and a monkey, all three of whom lived on the most intimate terms of friendship. One day the fox spoke to the other two as follows: "What do you say to our going off ... The Fox The Wolf And The Horse
A fox, though young, by no means raw, Had seen a horse, the first he ever saw: "Ho! neighbour wolf," said he to one quite green, "A creature in our meadow I have seen,-- Sleek, grand! I seem to see him yet,-- ... The Foxes And The Sun
Yurok (near Klamath River, Cal.) Once upon a time, the Foxes were angry with Sun. They held a council about the matter. Then twelve Foxes were selected - twelve of the bravest to catch Sun and tie him down. They made ropes of sinew; then the twelve... The Frankish Migration Saga
We have already stated that the Frankish chronicles, unlike those of the other Teutonic tribes, wholly ignore the traditions of the Franks, and instead present the scholastic doctrine concerning the descent of the Franks from Troy and the Moeotian m... The Frog Princess - A Russian Story
There was once a Tsar who had three sons, and they were all dear to him, but the youngest, Ivan, was the dearest of them all. When the Princes grew to manhood the Tsar began to talk and talk to them about getting married, but it so happened not ... The Frolic Of The Flames
For many and many a moon the people of the village lived at the foot of the great fire-mountain. On summer evenings, the children watched the light, and when a child asked, "Father, what makes it?" the father said, "That is the home of the Great Spi... The Frost-king Or The Power Of Love
THREE little Fairies sat in the fields eating their breakfast; each among the leaves of her favorite flower, Daisy, Primrose, and Violet, were happy as Elves need be. The morning wind gently rocked them to and fro, and the sun shone warmly down... The Funeral Fire
For several nights after the interment of a Chippewa a fire is kept burning upon the grave. This fire is lit in the evening, and carefully supplied with small sticks of dry wood, to keep up a bright but small fire. It is kept burning for several h... The Galah And Oolah The Lizard
Oolah the lizard was tired of lying in the sun, doing nothing. So he said, "I will go and play." He took his boomerangs out, and began to practise throwing them. While he was doing so a Galah came up, and stood near, watching the boomerangs come f... The Galloping Hessian
In the flower-gemmed cemetery of Tarrytown, where gentle Irving sleeps, a Hessian soldier was interred after sustaining misfortune in the loss of his head in one of the Revolutionary battles. For a long time after he was buried it was the habit of t... The Geographical Position Of Ancient Teutondom The Stone Age Of Prehistoric Teutondom
The northern position of the ancient Teutons necessarily had the effect that they, better than all other Aryan people, preserved their original race-type, as they were less exposed to mixing with non-Aryan elements. In the south, west, and east, t... The Ghormuhas
Ghormuhas have heads like horses and bodies and arms like men and their legs are shaped like men's but they have only one leg each, and they eat human beings. One day a young man named Somai was hunting a deer and the deer ran away to the country... The Ghost Of San Geronimo
The castle of San Geronimo, San Juan de Porto Rico, was founded a century ago. It occupies a rocky point at the east end of San Juan Island, and year by year had been strengthened until, when the American ships appeared in the offing, it was thoug... The Ghosts Of Craig-aulnaic
Two celebrated ghosts existed, once on a time, in the wilds of Craig-Aulnaic, a romantic place in the district of Strathdown, Banffshire. The one was a male and the other a female. The male was called Fhuna Mhoir Ben Baynac, after one of the mou... The Giant Bear
In the far north there was a village where many warlike Indians lived. In one family there were ten brothers, all brave and fearless. In the spring of the year the youngest brother blackened his face and fasted for several days. Then he sent for h... The Giant Dog
There was once a man who had a giant dog. It could swim in the sea, and was so big that it could haul whale and narwhal to shore. The narwhal it would hook on to its side teeth, and swim with them hanging there. The man who owned it had cut hole... The Giant Gods
Gods and demi-gods as vast as their mountains are celebrated in the traditionary chants of the Hawaiians. While the largest island in the group seems to have been their favorite residence, it was the easiest thing imaginable to move, since they ha... The Giants' Mountain And The Temple
In the time long since gone by, when the world was young, the men of a large province desired to build a temple, a temple which might be seen by men from afar. Their ground, however, was low, and there was no lofty mountain on which they might rear ... The Girl Who Always Found Helpers
There were once upon a time, six brothers and a sister. The brothers were married. They were merchants, and their business often took them to a distance from home. On such occasions the wives were left alone with their sister-in-law. For some reas... The Girl Who Became A Bird
The father of Ran-che-wai-me, the flying pigeon of the Wisconsin, would not hear of her wedding Wai-o-naisa, the young chief who had long sought her in marriage. The maiden, however, true to her plighted faith, still continued to meet him every ev... The Girl Who Found Helpers
Once upon a time there were seven brothers, and they were all married, and they had one sister who was not married. The brothers went away to a far country for a whole year, leaving their wives at home. Now the wives hated their sister-in-law and di... The Girl Who Married The Fire Spirit
Many men wished to marry the chief's pretty daughter, but she laughed at them all. One day as she sat quite close to the fire, a spark snapped upon her dress and burned a tiny hole in it. She pointed at the fire and called it a bad name in her anger... The Girl Who Married The Pine-tree
Upon the side of a certain mountain grew some pines, under the shade of which the Puckwudjinies, or sprites, were accustomed to sport at times. Now it happened that in the neighbourhood of these trees was a lodge in which dwelt a beautiful girl an... The Girl Who Rejected Her Cousin
In the old days, a chief's daughter was expected to marry the son of her uncle, and so keep the chieftainship in the family. But there was once a proud princess who behaved very badly to her cousin when he came wooing, according to the custom. "I... The Girl With The Golden Hair
There was once, I do not know where, in the world an old man who had twelve sons; the eldest of whom served the king for twenty-four years. One day the old man took it into his head that all his sons should get married, and they all were willing t... The Girl Without Hands
There was once, I don't know where, a king whose only son was an exceedingly handsome and brave fellow, who went far into the neighbouring country to fight. The old king used to send letters to his son into the camp, through an old faithful servan... The Glass Hatchet
In a remote land there dwelt, in former days, a wealthy count. He and his consort most ardently wished for a child, to whom they might bequeath their riches; but a long time passed ere their wish was gratified. At length, after twelve weary ye... The Gloddaeth Ghost
The following tale was told the Rev. Owen Jones, Pentrevoelas, by Thomas Davies, Tycoch, Rhyl, the hero in the story. I may say that Gloddaeth Wood is a remnant of the primaeval forest that is mentioned by Sir John Wynn, in his History of the Gw... The Gloucester Leaguers
Strange things had been reported in Gloucester. On the eve of King Philip's War the march of men was heard in its streets and an Indian bow and scalp were seen on the face of the moon, while the boom of cannon and roll of drums were heard at Malden ... The Goala And The Cow
Once upon a time a young man of the Goala caste was going to his wedding; he was riding along in a palki, with all his friends, to the bride's house and as he was passing by a pool of water he heard a voice saying, "Stop you happy bridegroom; you ar... The Goala's Daughter
There was once a man of the Goala caste who had an only daughter and she grew up and was married, but had no child; and after twenty years of married life she gave up all hope of having any. This misfortune preyed on her mind and she fell into a mel... The Goat Sucker
A curious notion prevailed respecting this bird, arrived at, presumably, in consequence of its peculiar name--the goat sucker--viz., that it lives on the milk of the goat, which it obtains by sucking the teats of that animal. ... The Goblin Bird
Two brothers one day set out from their father's hut, to seek their fortune. The name of the elder one was Maszilo, the younger one was called Mazziloniane. After a few days' journeying they reached a plain, from which branched two roads; the on... The Goddess Who Came To Live With Mankind
(A LEGEND OF THE SHILLONG PEAK) Shillong Peak is the highest mountain in the Khasi Hills, and although it bears such a prosaic name in our days, the mountain was a place of renown in the days of the Ancient Khasis, full of romance and mystery, ... The Goddesses Ka Ngot And Ka Iam
(A LEGEND OF SHILLONG PEAK) Ka Iam and Ka Ngot, the twin daughters of the god of Shillong, were two very beautiful beings; they were lively and frolicsome, and were indulged and given much freedom by the family. Like all twins they were never h... The Gods And The Six Regions
In ancient times, Po-shai-an-ki-a, the father of the sacred bands, or tribes, lived with his followers in the City of Mists, the Middle Place, guarded by six warriors, the prey gods. Toward the North, he was guarded by Long Tail, the mountain lion; ... The Golden Apple-tree And The Nine Peahens
Once there was a king who had three sons. In the garden of the palace grew a golden apple-tree, which, in one and the same night would blossom and bear ripe fruit. But during the night a thief would come and pluck the golden apples, and none could d... The Golden Duck
Deep in the bosom of a wood once stood a little cottage, inhabited by a poor widow. Her name was Jutta, and she had formerly lived in easy circumstances, but through various misfortunes, without any fault of her own, she had fallen into poverty.... The Golden Fleece
When Jason, the son of the dethroned King of Iolchos, was a little boy, he was sent away from his parents and placed under the queerest schoolmaster that ever you heard of. This learned person was one of the people, or quadrupeds, called Centaurs.... The Golden Slipper
There was once upon a time an old man and an old woman, and the old man had a daughter, and the old woman had a daughter. And the old woman said to the old man, "Go and buy a heifer, that thy daughter may have something to look after!" So the old ... The Golden Spears
Once upon a time there lived in a little house under a hill a little old woman and her two children, whose names were Connla and Nora. Right in front of the door of the little house lay a pleasant meadow, and beyond the meadow rose up to the skies... The Golden-haired Twins
Once upon a time, a long, long while ago, there lived a young king who wished very much to marry, but could not decide where he had better look for a wife. One evening as he was walking disguised through the streets of his capital, as it was his ... The Good Daughter-in-law
There was once a very rich man who had seven sons and the sons were all married and lived with their father. The father was a miser: he lived in the poorest manner in spite of all his wealth and hoarded all his money. His eldest daughter-in-law mana... The Good King Arthur
Probably every one knows the story of the great King Arthur who, the legends say, ruled in Britain so many, many years ago and gathered about him in his famous Round Table, knights of splendid courage, tried and proven. So well loved was the story... The Good Little Spirit
Perhaps you have wondered why some men are wise and do good, while others in their ignorance do nothing but harm. If so, I will tell you a secret. In a cave not far from the homes of men there dwells a good little spirit. He is very old, his hair... The Good Old Times
In ancient days, rivers were very conveniently arranged. The water flowed down one bank, and up the other, so that you could go either way without the least trouble. Those were the days of magic. People were then able to fly six or seven miles, and ... The Goose
Should a goose lay a soft egg, a small egg, or two eggs in a day, it is a sign of misfortune to the owner of that goose. An old woman in Llandrinio parish, Montgomeryshire, who lived in a cottage by the side of the Severn, and who possessed a br... The Goose-girl
The king of a great land died, and left his queen to take care of their only child. This child was a daughter, who was very beautiful, and her mother loved her dearly and was very kind to her. When she grew up, she was betrothed to a prince who li... The Gore Goch Changeling Legend
The tale rendered into English is as follows:--There was once a happy family living in a place called Gors Goch. One night, as usual, they went to bed, but they could not sleep a single wink, because of the noise outside the house. At last the m... The Gorgon's Head
Perseus was the son of Danae, who was the daughter of a king. And when Perseus was a very little boy, some wicked people put his mother and himself into a chest and set them afloat upon the sea. The wind blew freshly and drove the chest away from ... The Governor's Right Eye
Old Governor Hermenegildo Salvatierra, of Presidio, California, sported only one eye--the left--because the other had been shot out by an Indian arrow. With his sound one he was gazing into the fire, on a windy afternoon in the rainy season, when a ... The Grasping Raja
There was once a Raja who was very rich. He was a stern man and overbearing and would brook no contradiction. Not one of his servants or his subjects dared to question his orders; if they did so they got nothing but abuse and blows. He was a graspin... The Grasshopper And The Ant
A grasshopper gay Sang the summer away, And found herself poor By the winter's first roar. Of meat or of bread, Not a morsel she had! So a-begging she went, To her neighbour the ant, For the loan of som... The Grateful Bandits
Monsieur de la Gironiere, a French planter and trader, who visited the Philippines a lifetime ago, or more, told stories of the islands and their people that are taken in these days with a lump of salt. Among these narrations is one pertaining to ... The Grave Of Pupehe
Just off the southwest shore of Lanai is a block of lava eighty or ninety feet high, vertical or overhanging on every side, absolutely without foothold. Yet at its top one may see from the neighboring shore a grave with a low wall built about it. ... The Gray Champion
It befell Sir Edmund Andros to make himself the most hated of the governors sent to represent the king in New England. A spirit of independence, born of a free soil, was already moving in the people's hearts, and the harsh edicts of this officer, as... The Gray Goose
Many years ago, when Wesakchak was the only man upon the earth, there was a being, the Evil Spirit, who did not love him. This spirit was very wicked, and when he saw how much the animals loved Wesakchak, he made up his mind to carry out a cunning ... The Great Bear
A woman ran away from her home because her child had died. On her way she came to a house. In the passage way there lay skins of bears. And she went in. And now it was revealed that the people who lived in there were bears in human form. Yet... The Great Boaster
There lived in the south a man who so continually boasted of his strength and endurance that all the people called him, "Kee-oo-yai"--the great boaster. Never entered into his ear a tale of danger, but his mouth opened to speak of a greater one whic... The Great Carbuncle
High on the eastern face of Mount Monroe shone the Great Carbuncle, its flash scintillating for miles by day, its dusky crimson glowing among the ledges at night. The red men said that it hung in the air, and that the soul of an Indian--killed, that... The Great Earthquake
After months of fighting, Li Ma Hong, the Chinese pirate, and his six thousand followers had been beaten out of Philippine waters. Manila was celebrating the victory on this last night of November, 1645. The church bells had been clanging and chim...