The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-07
The Folklore of Rumania.

Christian Science Monitor: The tales
and legends of Rumania are the simple
wild flowers Of peasant life, gathered
from village to village. Like ancestors
of these humble folk are the wondrous
characters in them, and you wonder
nightly that such simple people as the
Rumanian peasants should be consort-
ing, in their fireside hours, with men
and women so far exalted above them
selves. Amid the legendary galaxy
move, it is true, the poor and the out
cast, but they always have their good
geniuses who. as the reward Of good
deeds, raise them to undreamed-of emf.
nence but most of the stories tell Of
handsome and gallant princes and chief
tains, fondly called "Voivodes," and OF
beautiful princesses. Then there are
the love songs, or "doine," and the he.
roic ballads, or "hora," which might
have been collected by that Homeric
type Of singer, the Bard of Dimbovitza,
in whose themes the proud graceful,
and statuesque Rumanian peasant
stands out against the golden sky of
his native land, a lover Of imaginative
creations, Of symbols, sun and song.
Step into the thatched. wooden cot
tage Of the peasants The women are
round the old Dutch stove holding a
spinning wheel party and telling the
tales Of ancient Rumania; or an old
familiar song is being sung, and each
person is contributing her verse; or
satirical folktale, pointed at Jew, gypsy,
or parish priest is going the round.
Perhaps there sits by the Threshold a
wandering minstrel improvising to the
guitar some plaintiye song with
touch of charm and beauty; or he tells
Of the heroic deeds Of Baba Noyak, the
legends of the Monastery of Argesh, or
sings the ballad Of Torgovan But it
is IN the fairy tale or the animal legend
Of the AesOpian order in which the i'm
agination Of the people has had most
play The mere names of the people in
this mythical land are often beautiful.
There are Costara and Aurora, Flora
and Petra, Ilcane and Mogarzia, Lapit.
"a and Stana. The stories are sure to
have curious beginning, something
like this once upon a time something
happened. If it had not happened it
would not have been told Then the
delighted hearers are certain that all
is quite true and listen breathleSsly to
the adventures Of the beautiful lleane.
for, YOU must know, she was one of
the three lovely daughters OF the EN-
peror of no one knows where, which
really doesn't concern anyone, but she
was 50 fair that even the sun stopped
to gaze at her Or it may be the story
Of the fisherman who married a prn-
cess. and was so handsome that his
future royal bride used to buy his fish
at ten times the price which ordinary
folk paid. or it may be the tale Of the
old man and woman who had a hen and
rooster between them, but in which the
selfish old lady would not share the
eggs. But the wonderful folk of this
ideal world to which the PEASANTS i'm.
agination is able to lift him above the
sordidness of his material surround
ings are invariably generous, brave,
and fair whether they be kings, popu-
lar heroes, or brigands, while the
creatures whose duty it is to bring woe
anu Hll llf AWAY Ntii Il ltpuE lldlt
aspect. The animals, too, are only dis
suised human beings.
Captivating is the story of the young
Noivode and the garden where whose.
eyer entered looked fair. But you enter
the real Rumanian fairyland when you
take up Youth Without Age The
hero, astride his flying and talking
horse flies to the palace of the two
beautiful maidens in the heart of an
impenetrable forest. The princesses are
quite get.at.abe folk and talk just as
nicely and humanity as did ever Alice in
Wonderland The prince marries one
Of them, and of course there is unal-
loyed happiness and, alas, the usual
proviso. The hero must never, never
20 into the Valley of Lamentation,
whatever he does, for then something
dreadful would happen. And, of course
he does go, and something does happen.
The prince returns to the world of or
dinary folk, and finds that he has lived
for hundreds Of years in a world where
time is unknown.
But there the stories are, just as
fresh as in Virglian days, that he who
runs may read