Roumanian Fairy Tales & Legends is a collection of fifteen of Romania’s most fascinating tales, painstakingly researched and deftly translated by E.B. Mawer - and NO, we havent mis-spelt the title, for thats the way Romania was spelled in the late 1800's. Given Romania’s long and diverse cultural history, it is no surprise that the country has such a rich tapestry of folk tales, fairy tales, and legends. It is also fortunate that so many of these stories survived the country’s turbulent history and were passed down throughout the ages to countless Romanian children. In approximately 82 BC, the rule of the Dacian kings was replaced by the Romans, who were forced out by the Goths, who, in turn, were supplanted in the 4th century AD by the Huns. After this, a sequence of nomadic rulers, including the Gepids, the Avars, the Bulgars, the Pechenegs, and the Cumans, ruled the area. In the Middle Ages, Romanians lived in three distinct principalities: Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, which were later ruled by the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires. In 1859, Moldavia and Wallachia united under Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, but it was not until the end of WWI, in 1918, that Bessarabia, Bukovina and Transylvania proclaimed unions with the Kingdom of Romania and the modern state of Romania was born. YESTERDAY'S BOOKS FOR TODAY'S CHARITIES 10% of the publisher’s profits from the sale of this book will be donated to the Relief Fund for Romania.

Four spellbinding fairy tales from 19th century Romania, translated into English and adapted for a contemporary audience. A baby refuses to come into the world until he is promised youth everlasting. But as the boy grows older and his father cannot keep his promise, the young man sets off on the quest of a lifetime… Follow the quest for Youth Everlasting in this thought-provoking fairy tale from 19th century Romania. Three additional Romanian fairy tales introduce you to a whole range of magical characters and exhilarating adventures. Petre Ispirescu was born in 1830 in Bucharest and grew up around Romanian fairy tales. He trained at a publishing house and later used his position to publish several collections of fairy tales. A few of these tales are still part of the literature curriculum in Romania to this day, and they are slowly but surely making their way into the rest of the world.

Please note - these are not "politically correct" tales. . In the Queen of Fairies (in the original, The Fairy of Fairies) as also in The Enchanted Prince, the plain-spoken expression has in several places been somewhat toned down. In all these cases the translator has cravenly yielded to the fear of bruising the delicate susceptibilities of civilized folks, who, while not exactly more moral, are certainly more squeamish than the artless old-world peasant. The book contains 7 original Romanian tales, as published in 1870s by Petre Ispirescu, as well as their English translation.

A collection of fifteen stories written by some of Romania's best writers of the late 19th century, early 20th century period, translated by Lucy Byng, revised by Tiberian Press, illustrated by Francesca Ibba: The Fairy of the Lake(Mihail Sadoveanu) The Easter Torch(Ion Luca Caragiale) At Manjoala's Inn(Ion Luca Caragiale) Alexandru Lapushneanu, 1564-1569(Costache Negruzzi) Zidra(Marc Beza) Gardana(Marc Beza) The Dead Pool(Marc Beza) Old Nichifor, the Impostor(Ion Creanga) Cozma Racoare(Mihail Sadoveanu) The Wanderers(Mihail Sadoveanu) The Fledgeling(Ioan Alexandru Bratescu-Voinesti) Popa Tanda(Ioan Slavici) Out in the World(Ion Popovici-Banateanu) The Bird of Ill Omen(Ioan Alexandru Bratescu-Voinesti) Irinel(Barbu Stefanescu Delavrancea)

This volume explores a selection of significant and topical elements from the vast amount of Romanian folkloric and mythological material. It sheds light on the mythical-ritualistic aspects of three complex calendar holydays (specifically The Lads of Brașov, Călușarii, and Sânzienele), whose ritualistic sequences, laden with mythical-symbolical reminiscences, were lost during the Communist period and are known today thanks to their spectacular features. Such aspects include demonic mythical beings (such as Iele, Rusalii, Știma Apei, The Woodwoman, and Strigoi) that define the collective imaginary; significant myths that have found their artistic expression in fairytales and legends; and the role of women in traditional Romanian society.