Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-06-26
Legends of the Basque
Lands.
A Peculiar People whose Origin
PUZZIeS lIle ElhMOIOsisIs.

One Of the most interesting fields
of modern research is what may
be termed the scieoce of compare
tive Folk Tales. Its increasing
interest and popularity are mani
tested by the growing number of
books and periodicals devoted to
this study. When the Grimms
laid the foundation of this science
by their collection of "kinderund
Hausmarchen," 1912 1914, they
also established a school by the
same name. They noticed that
these tales contained large num-
ber of traits which agree with those
of the Greek aud Northern my
thology. A further comparison of
the German tales with those of
other nations, revealed the fact
that the former had counterparts
among the latter. At this time the
wonderful results of the study of
Sauscrit We're still fresh in the
minds of European scholars, and
the impressive fact of the Aryan
unity suggested, of course, the
unity of the traditions of the Aryan
peoples. Meanwhile the interest
awakened in Oriental studies led
to more careful examination OF
the class of works intended for the
as we'll as the in
struction of the people, and it was
soon seen that they also contained
the same traits as the popular tales
of Europe. These works were not
known in Europe to any extent
until after the Tenth century, con-
sequently if these tales were bor-
rowed from them they could not
have been known until compare
lively late date. The most recent
attempt 10 solve the question of
their disputed nationality is in the
work "Ihe Basque Legends" which
were collected chiefly in the La
bourd by Rev. Wentworth Web
s:er, A. NJ. The Basqnes-a race
who inhabit both slopes of the
Pyrenees-have been for centuries
the puzzle of the philologist and
ethnologist, and the question of
their origin is as far from being
settled to-day as ever. The two
non Aryan peoples in Europe (be-
sides the Turks. are the Ugrians,
or Finno-Hungarians, and the
Basques. These peoples are both
surrounded by Aryan nations with
whom they are obliged to have
more or less intercourse, and, in
the lapse of time, they seem to
have lost all national peculiarities
except their language. 1t is to
these people that the author of the
Basque legends attributes chiefly
the introduction of folk tales into
Europe.
The author divides his book into
seven chapters. The chapter de
voted to "Tartaro" is a version OF
the classic tale of Polyphemus.
"Errua the MaGman," a wicked
son, Is sent away from home, and
finds situation with master who
makes bargain with him that the
one who first repents of the con-
tract shall have the skin stripped
from bis back. After performing
difficult tasks in way very differ.
ent from what his master had in.
tended, Errua is sent with herd
CT swine to the mountain where a
Taitaro lived who also kept swine
Errua and he made various wagers
as to their strength the Tan tarc
throws a stone long way into the
air, but Errua throws a bird that
never comes down, etc. The Tar
taro confesses himself vanouished
and tries to kill Errua that night
by dealing fearful blows on his bee
with heavy iron bar. Errua, O.
course, is upder the he'd, and in the
morning tells the giant he only fell
a few flea bites. He then cheats
the Tartaro out of his pigs, O
which he sells all but two, keeping
however, all the tails. When The
Tartaro pursues him he pretend,