Page:The New Monthly Magazine - Volume 095.djvu/277

 270 borrowed from nobody, either in his own language, or that of any other land.

Two translations of this talented work have appeared in English. The one, called "Jacob Bendizen," after its hero, in three volumes; the other, entitled "The Jew of Denmark," in one volume, which is the size of the original. Some readers have been disappointed with the conclusion of this tale; the non-conversion to Christianity of its Jewish hero. One clever critic has said, that there might have been "a gradual and almost unconscious conversion of the Jew—bit by bit of the ceremonial law being thrown aside, until he stood face to face with the naked spirituality of Judaism alone—an easy convert to Christianity by the imperceptible workings of his own mind. Love encouraging what reason had begun, and reason clinching the conclusions of love." Such, undoubtedly and naturally, would have been made the result had a Christian written the work; but it would have been unnatural and unworthy in a Jewish author to have made his hero (whom he did not wish to portray as a despicable character) become a renegade to the faith in which he himself believes. Goldschmidt's tale, "A Jew," was published under the assumed name of "Adolph Meyer." He is now bringing out a second edition of it, in Copenhagen, with some alterations.

J. M. Thiele, the compiler of "Transactions of the Scandinavian Literary Society," author of "Letters from England and Scotland," of a collection of "Danske Folkesagn," in two volumes,—viz., old traditions, ghost stories, fairy legends, superstitions, &c.,—is also the writer of a life of Thorwaldscn, which has been recently translated into German, and may, therefore, probably find its way to England, through the medium of a re-translation. Some of Thiele's popular traditions arc very curious and amusing, and in them can be traced the subjects, or, at least, groundwork, of many modern Danish poems. Odensee is one of the favourite scenes of several of these wild legends; and this may, perhaps, account for H. C. Audersen's fondness for these "Eventyr." No doubt such fancy-lore was as common in the cottage as in the rural dwellings of the rich, and he had, therefore, most likely heard from his infancy of wizards and Spaac-wives, spectres, mermaids, and the Elfin race, way-wolves, enchanted rocks, and all the wonders and mysteries connected with St. Canute's church at Odensee. Among the numerous old sayings and superstitious beliefs related in this work of Thiele, are to be found most of those prevalent in Scotland, as well as those common in different parts of England, and in Germany. The ceremonies to be performed on St. John's Eve, on Christmas Eve, New-Year's night, &c., resemble those so well descried by Walter Scott and Burns. There are some superstitions, however, different; for instance, "One must never weep over the dying, or, at least, let tears drop on them, for, then, they will not find rest in their graves,"—"One must cut one's nails on a Friday, that will bring good luck,"—"When a party are assembled at table on a Christmas evening, and one of them wishes to know if any among them will die before the following Christmas, he or she must silently leave the room, and, going outside, must peep through a pane of glass in the window. The individual who is then seen sitting at the table without a head, is to die before the expiration of the following year." In these volumes are