So far as I know most of these stories are not familiar to English readers—certainly not in this form. Madame Mijatovich uses one of them in her Serbian Fairy Tales, but I make no apology for offering a sprightlier version. Nor do I apologize for presenting any stories that may have been included somewhere among the indifferent translations to which Andrew Lang lent his name.
I am of course deeply indebted to the various people who told me these stories in the first place and to many scholarly folklorists, Jugoslav, Czechoslovak, Bulgarian, German, and English whose books and reports I have studied.
Decoration Day, 1921. P. F.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| THE LAUGHING PRINCE: The Story of the Boy Who Could Talk Nonsense | [1] |
| BEAUTY AND THE HORNS: The Story of an Enchanted Maiden | [27] |
| THE PIGEON'S BRIDE: The Story of a Princess Who Kissed and Told | [51] |
| THE LITTLE LAME FOX: The Story of the Youngest Brother Who Found the Magic Grape-Vine and Married the Golden Maiden | [73] |
| THE ENCHANTED PEAFOWL: The Story of the Golden Apples, the Wicked Dragon, and the Magic Horse | [107] |
| THE DRAGON'S STRENGTH: The Story of the Youngest Prince Who Killed the Sparrow | [139] |
| THE LITTLE SINGING FROG: The Story of a Girl Whose Parents were Ashamed of Her | [161] |
| THE NIGHTINGALE IN THE MOSQUE: The Story of the Sultan's Youngest Son and the Princess Flower o' the World | [171] |
| THE GIRL IN THE CHEST: The Story of the Third Sister Who was Brave and Good | [201] |
| THE WONDERFUL HAIR: The Story of a Poor Man Who Dreamed of an Angel | [219] |
| THE BEST WISH: The Story of Three Brothers and an Angel | [229] |
| THE VILAS' SPRING: The Story of the Brother Who Knew that Good was Stronger than Evil | [241] |
| LORD AND MASTER: The Story of the Man Who Understood the Language of the Animals | [253] |
| THE SILVER TRACKS: The Story of the Poor Man Who Befriended a Beggar | [267] |