Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/326

 314 Reviews.

how instrumental in bringing back the sun by conquering the forces of death and cold on the earth itself."

Curious diagrams and tables accompany this " explanation " of the eight tales. After the pubhcation of these select specimens the author seems to have bethought himself of translating the remaining ninety-two. There is not much love lost for the Slavs or for Austria in the Preface to vol, iii., which is no less marred by virulence of expression than are many remarks in the first volume. They do not, however, affect the tales, which ought to be read quite independently of these additions.

We deal with a different set of ideas in M. Brun's Intro- ductions to his translations of Rumanian fairy-tales. He belongs soul and body to the " solar theory," and has spent much inge- nuity in the Introduction to his first volume, published in 1894, which contained seven tales. The present volume contains an accu- rate translation of twelve new tales, selected from among the best Rumanian authors. In the Introduction by Miss Kitzo we meet the same spirit of vaingloriousness and wilful ignorance which is so characteristic of Rumanian Chauvinists. For them the Ru- manian tales are the tales " par excellence : " they represent the highest expression of poetic imagery, and retain " Roman " tradi- tions. Everything is pressed into the service of this infatuation of the Rumanians, who dream themselves to be the true and direct descendants of the Roman legionaries. A glance at the foregoing Slavonic Anthology would teach them better if they were open to such a lesson. Is it not significant in the highest degree that the Rumanian Academy, in offering a prize for the best study on Rumanian fairy tales, pointedly omitted the Slavo- nic tales from the range of comparison? Saineanu, who won the prize, did therefore compare the Rumanian tales with those of every other tongue and nation, only the Slavonic had to remain taboo.

M. G.

FoLK-LoRE Catalan. L^gendes du Roussillon. Par Horace Chauvet. Paris : J. Maisonneuve.

Roussillon is a small province at the foot of the Pyrenees, which did not finally become French until the treaty of 1659, and is now the department of Pyrenees Orientaux. It retains its