Myths and Legends of All Nations - Famous Stories from the Greek, German, English, Spanish, - Scandinavian, Danish, French, Russian, Bohemian, Italian - and other sources

Various, Logan [Editor] Marshall, Logan [Translator] Marshall

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• Publié par: oddu
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 41
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Myths and Legends of All Nations, by Various This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: Myths and Legends of All Nations Famous Stories from the Greek, German, English, Spanish, Scandinavian, Danish, French, Russian, Bohemian, Italian and other sources Author: Various Editor: Logan Marshall Translator: Logan Marshall Release Date: March 4, 2007 [EBook #20740] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ALL NATIONS *** Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Sam W. and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net ELSA ON HER KNEES BEFORE LOHENGRIN MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ALL NATIONS FAMOUS STORIES FROM THE GREEK, GERMAN, ENGLISH, SPANISH SCANDINAVIAN, DANISH, FRENCH RUSSIAN, BOHEMIAN, ITALIAN AND OTHER SOURCES TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY LOGAN MARSHALL ILLUSTRATED WITH ORIGINAL COLORED PLATES THE JOHN C. WINSTON COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA Copyright, 1914, by L. T. MYERS PRINTED IN U. S. A. THEN ARTHUR DREW OUT THE SWORD AND WAS PROCLAIMED KING PREFACE The myths and legends here gathered together have appealed and will continue to appeal to every age. Nowhere in the realm of fiction are there stories to compare with those which took form centuries ago when the race was in its childhood—stories so intimately connected with the life and history and religion of the great peoples of antiquity that they have become an integral part of our own civilization, a heritage of wealth to every child that is born into the world. The historic basis of the tales is slight; yet who can think of the Greeks without remembering the story of Troy, or of Rome without a backward glance at Æneas, fabled founder of the race and hero of Virgil's world- [Pg i] famous Latin epic? Any understanding of German civilization would be incomplete without knowledge of the mythical prince Siegfried, hero of the earliest literature of the Teutonic people, finally immortalized in the nineteenth century through the musical dramas of Wagner. Any understanding of English civilization would be similarly incomplete without the semi-historic figure of King Arthur, glorified through the accumulated legends of the Middle Ages and made to live again in the melodic idylls of the great Victorian laureate. And so one might go on. In many ways the mythology and folklore of a country are a truer index to the life of its people than any of the pages of actual history; for through these channels the imagination and the heart speak. All the chronicles of rulers and governing bodies are as dust in comparison. The imagination of the ancients had few if any bounds, and even Athens in the height of her intellectual glory [Pg ii] accepted the fabulous tales of gods and half-gods. Today we read and wonder. But the child, who in his brief lifetime must live over in part at least the history of the whole race, delights in the myths and legends which made his ancestors admire or tremble. They are naturally not so real to him as they were to his forefathers; yet they open up a rich and gorgeous wonderland, without excursions into which every child must grow up the poorer in mind and spirit. To the children of America, wherever they may be, this book is dedicated. It is sure to bring enjoyment, because its stories have stood the test of time. CONTENTS P AGE [Pg iii] PROMETHEUS THE FRIEND OF MAN THE LABORS OF HERCULES 7 11 29 33 37 From the German of Gustav Schwab. DEUCALION AND PYRRHA From the German of Gustav Schwab. THESEUS AND THE CENTAUR From the German of Gustav Schwab. NIOBE From the German of Gustav Schwab. THE GORGON'S HEAD 41 67 106 116 118 131 153 164 [Pg iv] From Hawthorne's "Wonder Book." THE GOLDEN FLEECE From Hawthorne's "Tanglewood Tales." THE CYCLOPS From Church's "Stories from Homer." Œ DIPUS AND THE SPHINX Adapted from Church's "Stories from Greek Tragedians." ANTIGONE, A FAITHFUL DAUGHTER AND SISTER Adapted from Church's "Stories from Greek Tragedians." THE STORY OF IPHIGENIA From Church's "Stories from Greek Tragedians." THE SACK OF TROY From Church's "Stories from Virgil." BEOWULF AND GRENDEL From Joyce Pollard's "Stories from Old English Romance." THE GOOD KING ARTHUR THE GREAT KNIGHT SIEGFRIED LOHENGRIN AND ELSA THE BEAUTIFUL 179 214 221 226 231 237 243 245 248 From the German of Robert Hertwig. FRITHIOF THE BOLD From the German of Robert Hertwig. WAYLAND THE SMITH From the German of Robert Hertwig. TWARDOWSKI, THE POLISH FAUST ILIA MUROMEC OF RUSSIA KRALEWITZ MARKO OF SERVIA THE DECISION OF LIBUSCHA COUNT ROLAND OF FRANCE 250 From Church's "Stories of Charlemagne and the Peers of France." THE CID 267 ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR Lohengrin and Elsa the Beautiful. Elsa on Her Knees Before Lohengrin [Pg v] Cover The Good King Arthur. Then Arthur Drew Out the Sword and was Proclaimed King Frontispiece P AGE Prometheus, the Friend of Man. Prometheus Punished for His Gift to Man 9 19 The Labors of Hercules. The Hero Approached the Dreadful Monster Deucalion and Pyrrha. Deucalion and Pyrrha Casting the Bones of Their Mother Behind Them 31 35 40 60 Theseus and the Centaur. The Centaur Fell Backward Niobe. Niobe Weeping for Her Children The Gorgon's Head. Perseus Slaying the Medusa The Golden Fleece. The Dragon Fell at Full Length Upon the Ground 104 108 116 The Cyclops. The One-eyed Polyphemus Œdipus and the Sphinx. Œdipus Stood Before the Sphinx Antigone, the Faithful Daughter and Sister. The Blind Œdipus, Led by His Daughter Antigone 118 140 153 [Pg vi] The Story of Iphigenia. Iphigenia About to be Sacrificed The Sack of Troy. The Trojan Horse Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf Face to Face With the Fire-breathing Dragon 170 214 230 The Great Knight Siegfried. Siegfried Came Off Victor in Every Encounter Frithiof the Bold. Frithiof and Ingeborg in the Temple of Balder Wayland the Smith. Wayland the Smith, Wearing the Wings He had Fashioned 234 242 Twardowski, the Polish Faust. Twardowski in the Arms of the Evil One Ilia Muromec of Russia. Zidovin Threw the Iron Club High Into the Air and Caught It with One Hand 244 Kralewitz Marko of Servia. They Gagged Marko and Bound Him to His Horse 246 The Decision of Libuscha. The Decision of Libuscha. Libuscha Insulted by Chrudis 248 265 Count Roland of France. Roland's Own Death Was Very Near The Cid. The Youthful Cid Avenging the Death of His Father 267 PROMETHEUS, THE FRIEND OF MAN Many, many centuries ago there lived two brothers, Prometheus or Forethought, and Epimetheus or Afterthought. They were the sons of those Titans who had fought against Jupiter and been sent in chains to the great prison-house of the lower world, but for some reason had escaped punishment. Prometheus, however, did not care for idle life among the gods on Mount Olympus. Instead he preferred to spend his time on the earth, helping men to find easier and better ways of living. For the children of earth were not happy as they had been in the golden days when Saturn ruled. Indeed, they were very poor and wretched and