Herein you will find 20 tales, from the Emerald Isle. There are seven bardic romances like, The Children of Lir, The Secret Of Labra, The Vengeance Of Mesgedra and five more besides. Also contained herein are thirteen legends, each a tale in itself, tracing the life of Finn mac Cumhal from boyhood through adulthood including the The Birth Of Oisín and his Visit To The Land Of Youth only to return to find that his father, Finn, had fallen at the battle of Brea three hundred years before. Lastly, The History Of King Cormac is recounted from the time of his birth, his judgement, marriage, disappearance and his death. The 16 Georgian style, color plates by Stephen Reid (1873 – 1948) portray scenes from these tales and are exquisite and sumptuous in their color and detail. The two most conspicuous figures in ancient Irish legend are Cuchulain, who lived in the reign of Conor mac Nessa immediately before the Christian era, and Finn son of Cumhal, who appears in literature as the captain of a military order devoted to the service of the High King of Ireland during the 3rd century. As such, this volume is mainly concerned with the exploits of Fin mac Cumhal and the Fianna of Erinn. The romantic tales retold here belong neither to the category of folk-lore nor of myth, although most contain elements of both. They belong to the bardic literature of ancient Ireland, a literature written with an artistic purpose by men who possessed in the highest degree the native culture of their land and time. Once again, you’re invited to curl up with a unique piece of ancient Irish folklore and let the Gift of the Irish enchant and captivate you. This volume has not been seen in print for over one hundred years—don’t miss this golden opportunity.

Long ago there dwelt in Ireland the race called by the name of De Danaan, or People of the Goddess Dana. They were a folk who delighted in beauty and gaiety, and in fighting and feasting, and loved to go gloriously apparelled, and to have their weapons and household vessels adorned with jewels and gold. They were also skilled in magic arts, and their harpers could make music so enchanting that a man who heard it would fight, or love, or sleep, or forget all earthly things, as they who touched the strings might will him to do. In later times the Danaans had to dispute the sovranty of Ireland with another race, the Children of Miled, whom men call the Milesians, and after much fighting they were vanquished. Then, by their sorceries and enchantments, when they could not prevail against the invaders, they made themselves invisible, and they have dwelt ever since in the Fairy Mounds and raths of Ireland, where their shining palaces are hidden from mortal eyes. They are now called the Shee, or Fairy Folk of Erinn, and the faint strains of unearthly music that may be heard at times by those who wander at night near to their haunts come from the harpers and pipers who play for the People of Dana at their revels in the bright world underground. At the time when the tale begins, the People of Dana were still the lords of Ireland, for the Milesians had not yet come. They were divided it is said, into many families and clans; and it seemed good to them that their chiefs should assemble together, and choose one to be king and ruler over the whole people. So they met in a great assembly for this purpose, and found that five of the greatest lords all desired the sovranty of Erin. These five were B—v the Red, and Ilbrech of Assaroe, and Lir from the Hill of the White Field, which is on Slieve Fuad in Armagh; and Midir the Proud, who dwelt at Slieve Callary in Longford; and Angus of Brugh na Boyna, which is now Newgrange on the river Boyne, where his mighty mound is still to be seen. All the Danaan lords saving these five went into council together, and their decision was to give the sovranty to B—v the Red, partly because he was the eldest, partly because his father was the Dagda, mightiest of the Danaans, and partly because he was himself the most deserving of the five. All were content with this, save only Lir, who thought himself the fittest for royal rule; so he went away from the assembly in anger, taking leave of no one. When this became known, the Danaan lords would have pursued Lir, to burn his palace and inflict punishment and wounding on himself for refusing obedience and fealty to him whom the assembly had chosen to reign over them. But B—v the Red forbade them, for he would not have war among the Danaans; and he said, "I am none the less King of the People of Dana because this man will not do homage to me." Thus it went on for a long time. But at last a great misfortune befell Lir, for his wife fell ill, and after three nights she died. Sorely did Lir grieve for this, and he fell into a great dejection of spirit, for his wife was very dear to him and was much thought of by all folk, so that her death was counted one of the great events of that time.

T. W. Rolleston's 'The High Deeds of Finn and other Bardic Romances of Ancient Ireland' is a captivating collection of Irish myths and legends that showcases the heroic deeds of Finn MacCool and his band of warriors. Rolleston's literary style is characterized by his poetic language and attention to detail, immersing readers in the rich tapestry of ancient Irish folklore. The book provides a valuable insight into the literary context of Irish bardic traditions, highlighting the importance of oral storytelling in preserving cultural heritage. Rolleston's meticulous research and vivid storytelling make this book a must-read for anyone interested in Irish mythology and literature.

Herein you will find 5 books containing 84 old Eastern European folk and fairy tales, plus tales of dragons, both magnanimous and evil, tales of princes on their white chargers dashing in to rescue princesses in distress and tales of the little people - the fairy folk who stitch together each and every fairy tale. These books were bestsellers when they were first published, some over 120 years ago, at a time when people REALLY DID BELIEVE in fairies. These are tales from the forests and lane-side hedgerows as well as tales of fairy dances, which only ever occur at midnight under a full moon. And then there are tales of how lowly laborers applied their brains to a situation to win the hand of princesses and become kings of kingdoms. Plus there are other tales of how kings, forever protective of their precious princesses, set ever more difficult challenges to those wanting to win the hand of their daughters, who, of course, are the fairest and most beautiful in all the land! Ideal for parents, grandparents and lovers of fairy tales and of all things magic! In addition this is a unique collection for primary/elementary school libraries. TEACHERS read a page or two from each story at the end of the school day and have your students queuing up to hear the next part of the story day after day. Bibliographic Data ISBN, TITLE, # stories, #pages 978-1-909302-54-9 - Czechoslovak Fairy Tales 15 Stories, 236pg Illustrated. 978-1-909302-55-6 - Fairy Tales of the Slav Peasants and Herdsmen 20 Stories, 398pg Illustrated. 978-1-909302-23-5 - The Key of Gold - 23 Czech Folk Tales, 200pg Illustrated. 978-1-909302-44-0 - The Shoemaker's Apron - 20 Czechoslovak fairy tales, 270pg Illustrated. 978-1-909302-67-9 - Polish Fairy Tales 6 Stories, 192pg Illustrated. So, all-in-all, you will receive 84 stories and tales spread across 1,296 sumptuously illustrated pages. The 6th FREE ebook is Folklore, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends from Around the World which contains 15 complimentary folk and fairy tales from the Abela catalogue. Go, find a comfy chair, and sit back with a hot toddy, and enjoy a change of scenery and a change of pace and be whisked away to a land far, far away where only magical things happen.

THIS is a second volume of 15 Czech, Slovak and Moravian folk tales, fairy tales and childrens stories retold in English by Parker Fillmore, with excellent illustrations and decorations by Jan Matulka. Herein you will find stories like LONGSHANKS, GIRTH, AND KEEN, THE THREE GOLDEN HAIRS, THE FLAMING HORSE, THE THREE CITRONS and many others. These tales have been drawn from original Slavic sources, and were chosen for their variety of subject and range of interest. These are tales conceived with all the gorgeousness of the Slavic imagination; charming little nursery tales that might be told in nurseries the world over; folk tales illustrative of the wit of a canny people as surprising to the Anglo-Saxon imagination as they are entertaining. This rendering of some of the old Czechoslovak tales is not offered as a literal translation or a scholarly translation but have been retold in a way that the translator hoped would please children in the West. He has endeavoured to retain the flavor of the originals but has taken the liberty of a short cut here and an elaboration there wherever these have seemed to me to make the English version clearer and more interesting. 33% of the publishers net profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities.

A GREAT READ FOR KIDS! In this volume you will find 14 of the most popular Norse Myths and Tales rewritten especially for children. Tales and stories like Odin’s Reward, Tyr and the Wolf, Freyja’s Necklace, The Hammer of Thor, A Gift from Frigga, The Stealing of Iduna, Skadi, Ægir’s Feast and more. This little volume is the outcome of several years’ experience of the telling of the classic Norse myths to classes of children. There are graphic descriptions in the Norse tales of the hard struggle with rugged nature and the severe climate of the North. The tales and adventures of equally rugged men and women, of bravery and heroes in a time when heroes were needed and men were knighted for achieving great feats - and great hose feats were. Then, too, the moral tone of the Norse myths is higher, purer, and more steadfast than that of the Greek tales, and is more congenial to our Western point of view which has been influenced more by the Teuton than the Greek. But this is simply not a number of made up tales, many works were consulted in the preparation of this volume, and the compilers are especially indebted to the following: Thorpe’s translation of Sæmund’s “Edda”; “The Younger Edda,” in translations; Anderson’s “Norse Mythology”; Guerber’s “Myths of Northern Lands”; William and Mary Howitt’s “Literature and Romance of Northern Europe”; and Mallet’s “Northern Antiquities.”