Stephen Edoh, a Nobel Speaker, has selected these twenty tales with the specific hope that Portuguese oldest stories, as well as a few new ones, be perpetuated by future generations and be appreciated by children throughout the world. In these "beloved stories, morsels rich with the gritty essence of Portugal," we meet, among many others, José the Beast Slayer, The Master of Magic, we hear the voices of the Wolf Prince and learn lots from Portuguese tales .
Several creation myths tell us how the land, its animals, and its people all came into existence under a punishing sun or against the backdrop of a spectacularly beautiful mountain landscape.
Whether warning children about the dangers of disobedience or demonstrating that the underdog can-and often does-win, these stories, through their depiction of wise animals as well as evil monsters, are "universal in their portrayal of humanity, beasts, and the mystical."
What is particularly exciting about this book is that many of the stories, in their oral form, are almost as old as Portugal itself. Most of them were, in fact, first told in various, Portuguese tongues around evening fires in centuries past-tales from, for example, Why the Alvéloa Bird Received a Blessing, and also, The Princess Who Lost Her Rings.
Translated into FRENCH and other European and African languages chiefly in the nineteenth centuries and these folktales are a testament to the craft of storytelling and the power of myth that presents a fountain of precious knowledge that will be treasured by children, as well as adults, for years to come.
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