COLLECTION NAME:
Rylands Collection
Record
Image Number:
JRL1310083
Reference Number:
R148858
Link to Catalogue:
Image Title:
Why has the ass such a big head and the horse a small one?
Parent Work Title:
Rumanian bird and beast stories: rendered into English
Creator:
Creangă, Ion
Creator Role:
Author
Creator:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939
Creator Role:
Translator
Date Created:
1915
Publication Details:
London: Published for the Folk-Lore Society by Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd
Page/Sheet:
Inserted before page 97
Image Sequence Number:
097
Description:
In 1915 Gaster published his work Romanian Bird and Beast Stories (381pp), consisting of a lengthy study in which he presents his views on folklore, followed by his translations of 119 numbered Romanian stories about animals, and three appendices (animal charms, stories from Ahikar, and animal stories from the Hebrew Alphabet of Ben Sira). Gaster found the stories in the published works of several Romanian folklorists, most notably (around two thirds of the stories) from two publications by Simion Florea Marian (1883 and 1903). R148858 is Gaster's own interleaved copy. It shows that he continued to gather and translate animal stories until shortly before his death. The volume contains handwritten notes (mostly references to what Gaster perceived as 'parallels' in various publications), a copy of a letter from Queen Elisabeth of Romania, news paper cuttings with reviews of the book, and inserted leaves with handwritten and typed stories. Below his translation of a story, Gaster usually mentions where he found it (not all references are correct) and when he translated it. The page was typed in blue ink and is inserted before page 97. The folk tale is by Moldavian-born Romanian writer Ion Creangă explaining that horses and asses actually have each others heads on. This is because when God and the Devil were working together to create animals the Devil shirked his job and mixed up the heads. God allowed the mistake. The page is creased across the top right corner. The tale is from 'Ion Creangă 1915 Page 69. 70'.
Language Code:
eng
Language:
English
Subject:
Folk-lore, Romanian
Category of Material:
Printed
Technique Used:
Typewriting
Medium:
Ink
Support:
Paper
Current Repository:
The University of Manchester Library, U.K.
Provenance:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939, former owner
Rights Holder - Image:
The University of Manchester Library
Rights holder - Work:
The University of Manchester Library
References:
Florea, V. Dr. M. Gaster: Reconstituiri biobibliografice: Omul şi Opera (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Fundatiei pentru Studii Europene, 2008), 12754. Haralambakis, M. 'A Survey of the Gaster Collection in the John Rylands Library', Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 89:2 (2013): 10730.
Date Captured (yyyy-mm-dd):
2013-02-13
Image Creation Technique:
Digital capture by Heritage Imaging, The University of Manchester Library
Date Image Added (yyyy-mm):
2013-05
Metadata Language:
eng-GB
Why has the ass such a big head and the horse a small one?
