Tales of Giants from Brazil

E-text prepared by Barbara Tozier, Bill Tozier, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)
BY ELSIE SPICER EELLS Author of “Fairy Tales from Brazil”
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY HELEN M. BARTON
NEW YORK DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY 1918
Copyright, 1918 By DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, Inc.
VAIL-BALLOU COMPANY BINGHAMTON AND NEW YORK
Brazil is the land of the giant among all the rivers of the world. It is the land of giant fruits and giant flowers. Of course it is the land of giant stories too.
Years ago when the Portuguese settlers came to Brazil they brought with them the folk-tales of the old world. Just as European grass seed, when planted in our Brazilian gardens, soon sends forth such a rank, luxuriant growth that one hardly recognizes it as grass, so the old Portuguese tales, planted in Brazilian soil, have grown into new forms.
The author gratefully acknowledges her indebtedness to the Brazilian story tellers to whose tales she has listened, and to the collection of Dr. Sylvio Romero, “Contos Populares do Brazil,” from which some of the “giant tales” have been adapted.
CHAPTER
TALES OF GIANTS FROM BRAZIL
Once, long ago, the Moon Giant wooed the beautiful giantess who dwells in the Great River and won her love. He built for her a wonderful palace where the Great River runs into the sea. It was made of mother-of-pearl with rich carvings, and gold and silver and precious stones were used to adorn it. Never before in all the world had a giant or giantess possessed such a magnificent home.