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    Balkan Folktales: Balkan Folktales, #3
    Balkan Folktales: Balkan Folktales, #3
    Balkan Folktales: Balkan Folktales, #3
    Ebook131 pages2 hours

    Balkan Folktales: Balkan Folktales, #3

    By Tatjana Nikolovska

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    About this ebook

    In this literary work, the author also imbues every passage with benevolent humor, which finds its way to all readers. Tales also explore the social relations and injustice - tales are always on the side of the poor, the deprived, the subjugated, tales criticizes the corrupt priests, officials and judges expose human stupidity, vanity, greed, and stinginess, exalts the moral values of honesty, chastity, faithfulness, and quite calmly expounds the fatality of human destiny, in which righteousness always prevails.

    Perhaps most importantly, even amidst all the hardship and suffering of his people and of his own, the author firmly believed in ultimate justice. As the people in this region saying goes - 'Justice and truth may thin themselves out, but they are never torn'.

    In this sense may this edition of only a small section of Balkan's stories, but we are certain that the author's humanism will conquer the hearts of his English readers.

    This edition, the third volume in the series "Balkan Folktales" includes 26 amazing Macedonian and Bulgarian folktales.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTatjana Nikolovska
    Release dateSep 10, 2019
    ISBN9781393453352
    Balkan Folktales: Balkan Folktales, #3

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      Book preview

      Balkan Folktales - Tatjana Nikolovska

      © 2019 by Tatjana Nikolovska

      1st edition

      EDITED BY GEORGE NIKOLOV

      Cover and book design by goNik design team

      Published by

      Draft2Digital

      9400 N. Broadway, Ste. 410

      Oklahoma City, OK 73114

      United States

      Printed in the US

      ISBN  978-1-365-85062-2

      Contents

      Foreword

      Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of European Folk Literature

      The King Who Was Born With a Big Horn

      What is Written Must be Fulfilled

      Don’t Lend a Hand to a Evil Man

      The Laborer Who Wanted to live like a King

      The Filthy Loaf of Bread

      The Lord and the Twelve Apostles

      The Man and the Archangel Gabriel

      St. Peter and the Poor Man

      The Ordinary Man and St. Nikola

      The Holy Hermit and the Widow

      The Devil and the Old Grandmother

      The Devil and Spase the Shepherd

      The Devil Who Transformed Himself into the Archbishop's Mule

      The Devil Who Arranged to Get Married

      The Aga and His Day Laborer with the Cow

      The King Who Wanted to Introduce Prohibition

      The King Who Wanted to become Immortal

      The Old People Were Carried to the Mountain to Die

      Tsar Samuel and the Three Crooks with the Chest

      The Tsar and the Old Man Who Was Plowing a Field

      The Priest Who Kept his Wife Locked in the House

      The Drunken Priest

      About a Simple Preacher

      The Stepdaughter Who Became Queen

      The Man Who Came from Hell and Widow

      The Man Who Had Permission from the Tsar’s to Kill

      Foreword

      This edition, the first volume in the series Balkan Folktales includes 26 amazing Macedonian and Bulgarian folktales.

      In this short passage lies an important clue to authors approach to this material. All the artistic wealth that had survived in the collective memory of the Balkan people has a legitimacy of truth because it has been told, and in some parts of this region, even today, the spoken word, the direct contact has crucial importance. The forefathers are given all the deserved respect - and nowhere does the line in the beginning was the Word resound more strongly than in Balkan. The passage also foreshadows what would be called in Latin America literature - magical realism.

      Reality and fantasy are intertwined in the tale, yet anything imagined becomes real when it is being told, i.e. because it has been told.

      In this literary work, the author also imbues every passage with benevolent humor, which finds its way to all readers. Tales also explore the social relations and injustice - tales are always on the side of the poor, the deprived, the subjugated, tales criticizes the corrupt priests, officials and judges expose human stupidity, vanity, greed, and stinginess, exalts the moral values of honesty, chastity, faithfulness, and quite calmly expounds the fatality of human destiny, in which righteousness always prevails.

      Perhaps most importantly, even amidst all the hardship and suffering of his people and of his own, the author firmly believed in ultimate justice. As the people in this region saying goes - ‘Justice and truth may thin themselves out, but they are never torn’.

      In this sense may this edition of only a small section of Balkan’s stories, but we are certain that the author’s humanism will conquer the hearts of his English readers.

      Uncovering the Hidden Treasures of European Folk Literature

      Folktales have been an integral part of human life from the very beginning of civilization. The journey of the folktales is like that of flowing water body that trickles off its source and streams down being joined on its way by rivulets to become a river to join the sea. The story doesn’t end there. It again travels back riding the clouds and rains down over its origin or on some nearby hill. 

      These tales mirror the cultural and social conditions of the Balkan region. During the time, they keep adding new colors. Besides entertaining, these tales reflect the social history of civilization. There is a sweet mixture of sentiments, realities of everyday life, ideals and moral values. These folktales unveil the dreams and the fantasies of common rural peoples or a small town ordinary man in the simplest form. 

      Every society and every ethnical group in Balkan has a treasure of folk tales. Selecting stories from all parts of the Balkan Region was no easy task. Finally, were selected the tales that have the best ingredients of entertainment and educative values. We have attempted to keep the language and the narrative simple and easy to make this page enjoyable for every age group besides young readers.

      These tales and Folklore are the true mirrors of the Balkan civilizations, culture, customs, and traditions. And the beauty is that they teach very simple and basic universal values of moral character, love, truth, dutifulness, compassion and the brotherhood of all humans. The grassroots level texture of the stories is endearing. 

      In this collection, we attempted to compile only the best educative and moral folktales. They entertain, educate, and kindle into the children a new realization of the world they are part of. The folktales introduce children to the civilizations and the cultures of the Balkan countries and to the diversity of their own country to embellish their general knowledge. This is an additional step further towards making them the brilliant ones. Since there are stories from all corners of the Balkan Peninsula, we believe that these stories will find readers from all over the world. 

      We are convinced that this page will teach you and your child moral lessons and make him/her a better offspring to make you proud of. 

      We wish you a happy reading!

      The King Who Was Born With a Big Horn

      Acertain King was born with a great big horn growing out of his head. Nobody except his mother knew and for a long time, he remained in hiding so that no-one would find out his secret. However, the time eventually came when he had to see a barber for a haircut and shave. As is fitting for a King, the best barber in town was summoned to the palace.

      Listen here, Barber! thundered the King. I have put myself into your hands and you are the only other person who knows about my horn. I forbid you to speak of it to anyone. Be assured, if you as much as open your mouth about it, I will chop off your head! Do you understand?

      The barber bowed and swore solemnly that he would not utter a word to a single soul. That was all very well, but that barber was a talkative chap and he couldn’t bear not being able to tell anyone about that amazing horn. Time passed, and as the number of shaves, the barber gave to the King increased, so did his desire to tell someone about the horn. The barber grew twitchy and nervous. He lost his appetite and couldn’t sleep. Finally, he journeyed out to the countryside to relax. In his nervous state, he passed by a cave, so he went inside it and explore. There were no-one and nothing around for miles, so being certain that he was alone, the barber knelt down, put his mouth to the ground, and whispered to the earth that the King had a horn. He felt tremendous relief at having spoken the words, so he got into the habit of going to that cave after every visit to the King and telling the earth about the King’s horn. But you know the old saying, ‘the troth will be revealed’. And truly, the words that the barber whispered to the earth were revealed!

      This is how. In that cave, some miraculous reeds began to sprout. They grew tall and their stems thickened and hardened so that when some shepherd boys and other children stumbled on to them; they pulled a few downs and chop them into pieces to make flutes for themselves from the hollow reeds. Every time each child put one flute to his lips, the flute would sing the words, The King has a horn. It didn’t matter what tune or melody was being played - the flute always sang the same words, The King has a horn. The King has a horn.

      It astonished everyone that heard that the children should play such music. Many people scolded them, lest the King find out and punish them. But the children told them the truth-that the flutes themselves were singing the words.

      Days passed, and the word got round till it even reached the King’s ears. When he learned that even the children in the alleyways seemed to know about his horn and were singing about it, what’s more, he was mortified and concluded that the treacherous barber had blabbed! He immediately sent for the tattletale with every intention of punishing him mercilessly. You, Barber! How dare you! You have told the entire world that I have a horn. Let me remind you I told you I would chop off your head if you even as much as open your mouth. But you’ve gone so far as to even tell the children and now they’re singing in the streets that I have a horn. Your explanation had better be good, barber!

      When the innocent barber heard those angry words from the King, he became afraid for his life and replied, "Your royal majesty, please believe me. I’ll tell you the truth. Since I saw your horn and since you ordered me not to tell anyone, I couldn’t get the idea out of my mind, I like to

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