A. K. Seklemian brings to life the rich tapestry of Armenian folklore in "The Golden Maiden, and other folk tales and fairy stories told in Armenia." These tales, steeped in tradition and cultural significance, offer readers a glimpse into the heart of Armenian storytelling. From enchanting fairy tales to profound folk stories, this collection is a treasure trove of Armenian literary heritage.
Herein are 29 Armenian Fairy Tales and legends. Some of these stories may have a familiar ring and others will be entirely “new” to the reader despite them being millennia old. Here you will stories like: * The Golden Maiden * The Betrothed Of Destiny * The Fairy Nightingale * The Dreamer * The Bride Of The Fountain * Dyjhicon: The Coward-Hero * Zoolvisia * Dragon-Child And Sun-Child * The Magic Ring * Bedik And The Invulnerable Giant * The Maiden Of The Sea; and many, many more. A distinguished English student of folk-lore wrote: “Armenia offers a rich and hitherto almost untouched library of folklore.” Never before has such a true statement been made, for Armenia sits astride the main northern arm of the Silk Route – the one which runs north, from Persia and the ancient city of Persepolis through the valley of Ararat and the Caucasus corridor to the Black sea to the capitals of Northern Europe. It is along this axis that stories, goods and spices were traded. Initially this was an East – West trade, but as Europe grew and matured this became a two-way trade with European culture and customs travelling East and Eastern culture and customs travelling West, all through Armenia where a great deal of them were deposited and took root. So it is from this source that these tales have been drawn – and we’ve only just scratched the surface. 10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charities. ============= KEYWORDS/TAGS: Armenia, folklore, legends, myths, fairy tales, fables, childrens stories, bedtime stories, country legends, golden maiden, Betrothed Of Destiny, Youngest, Three, Fairy Nightingale, Dreamer, dreams, dreamtime, Bride, Fountain, Dyjhicon, Coward, Hero, Zoolvisia, Dragon-Child, Sun-Child, Mirza, Magic Ring, Twins, Idiot, Bedik, Invulnerable, Giant, Simon, Friend Of Snakes, Poor Widow, Son, Niggardly, Companion, Maiden, Sea, Golden-Headed Fish, Husband, Wife, Wicked Stepmother, Tricks, Woman, Wise Weaver, Mind, Luck, World, Beauty, Salman, Rostom, Sparrow, Two Children, Old Woman, Cat, Sia-Manto, Guje-Zare
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In her compendious study, [of the folktale of the runaway wife] Leavy argues that the contradictory claims of nature and culture are embodied in the legendary figure of the swan maiden, a woman torn between the human and bestial worlds. --The New York Times Book Review This is a study of the meaning of gender as framed by the swan maiden tale, a story found in the folklore of virtually every culture. The swan maiden is a supernatural woman forced to marry, keep house, and bear children for a mortal man who holds the key to her imprisonment. When she manages to regain this key, she escapes to the otherworld, never to return. These tales have most often been interpreted as depicting exogamous marriages, describing the girl from another tribe trapped in a world where she will always be the outsider. Barbara Fass Leavy believes that, in the societies in which the tale and its variants endured, woman was the other--the outsider trapped in a society that could never be her own. Leavy shows how the tale, though rarely explicitly recognized, is frequently replayed in modern literature. Beautifully written, this book reveals the myriad ways in which the folktales of a society reflect its cultural values, and particularly how folktales are allegories of gender relations. It will interest anyone involved in literary, gender, and cultural studies.
