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Zusatztext “A cornucopia of magic and myth . . . Beware! for the pages of this volume—filled with tricksters! witches! and ghosts—are enchanted!” —Ilan Stavans “Delightful . . . A rich and magical history of Hispanic and Indian traditions in the Americas. There is enough magic in this book to please everyone.” —The Virginian-Pilot “Beware. This book has the ability to cast spells. After about a dozen pages! the reader slips from the present and into a magical time and place. Bierhorst has written many books based on Latin American lore! and [this] may well be his best. He approaches his subject matter with respect and humor! [and] the result is a panoramic anthology retaining the magic and allure that are the hallmarks of oral storytelling.” —Arizona Daily Star “Bierhorst is a prolific folklorist who specializes in making oral traditions from a variety of cultures accessible to the general reading public. Each reader is certain to find favorites of his or her own.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch Informationen zum Autor JOHN BIERHORST is the author, editor, or translator of more than thirty books on Native American lore, including Latin American Folktales, The Mythology of South America, The Mythology of North America, and The Mythology of Mexico and Central America. Klappentext Now in paperback! more than one hundred folktales gathered from the Hispanic and Indian peoples of North! Central! and South America and the Caribbean. Brave princes and daring princesses in search of adventure and romance! henpecked husbands and evil stepmothers! brilliant magicians and mischievous tricksters! scheming witches and benevolent guardian angels! arrogant noblemen and downtrodden peasants: Latin American folktales are filled with both the drama and wonder of the fantastic and the ribald and earthy humor of everyday life. Influenced by the folkloric traditions of the European colonialists! the teachings of the Church! and Native American myths and legends! this completely original storytelling tradition has formed the basis of a vibrant literary heritage. See page 28 for a complete listing of the titles in the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library. Mistress Lucía Very well then. Here was a king who wished to marry the most beautiful woman in the world, and with that in mind he left his kingdom and took to the road. He looked everywhere and tried all the different countries. But although he was shown the prettiest young women, he was quick to see their faults and kept putting off a decision. At last, tired of the traveling and the disappointments, he decided to go home and forget the whole matter. After he had been back awhile, it happened that a peddler arrived in the kingdom selling picture postcards and all kinds of portraits. Down the street he came, wheeling his cart with the little portraits arranged under an open umbrella. And who but the king should be on hand to hear his cry: “Get your portraits! Portraits here! Pretty faces ready to go, some not so pretty, and some so-so. Portraits! Get your portraits!” The king called the man over, took a look at the portraits, and saw one that pleased him. The longer he looked at it, the more he liked it. Unable to take his eyes off it, he asked who the young woman was and where she lived. “Sacred and Royal Majesty,” said the peddler, “she whom you admire in the mistress Lucía, who lives in the town of La Cañada. I must tell you, she’s an orphan, whose brother Juan watches over her closely. In fact he lets her come out on her balcony only one day a year. I myself have never seen her, but those who have spend the entire year waiting for the day to come round again.” Hearing this, and already smitten by the portrait, the king suffered an attack of lovesickness and had to retire to his chambers, wh...
