Tales of Giants from Brazil

by Elsie Spicer Eells

FOREWORD

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.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

1. [The Princess of the Springs]
2. [The Fountain of Giant Land]
3. [The Boy and the Violin]
4. [The Most Beautiful Princess]
5. [The Little Sister of the Giants]
6. [The Forest Lad and the Wicked Giant]
7. [How the Giantess Guimara Became Small]
8. [The Adventures of a Fisherman’s Son]
9. [The Beast Slayer]
10. [The Quest of Cleverness]
11. [The Giant’s Pupil]
12. [Domingo’s Cat]

ILLUSTRATIONS

• [“O Fishes of the river, have you seen my own dear mother?”]
• [The youngest prince watched the lemon tree carefully every day]
• [He saw standing before him the most beautiful maiden he had ever dreamed of]
• [There in the hall stood the most enormous giant she had ever seen]
• [The giant’s daughter, Guimara, was very much pleased with D. Joaõ]
• [Immediately a great flock of pigeons appeared]
• [With the lovely princess borne safely upon the butterfly’s wings, the prince swiftly escaped]
• [The next day the cat dug up pieces of gold and carried them to the king]

TALES OF GIANTS FROM BRAZIL