is “mwike tuusjke.” I am doubtful as to the translation which was given
by M’Ginty. In the story of the “Fate of the Children of Tuireann,” one
of the tasks imposed on the three brothers is to obtain the skin of a
pig having marvellous qualities, which has to be taken from the King of
Greece, whose name is Tuis. There appears to be some connection.
Page 211. “The Red Pony.” The word translated pony is, in this tale,
“klebisjtjïn”; in the preceding tale it is “plebisjtjïn.” Wonderful
“horse-beasts” thus occur four times in this volume. In two stories it
will be noted that they are merely human beings, enchanted; in the other
two this is apparently not the case. The word rendered “healing water”
is, in this, as in all the other stories in which it occurs, “ïqlæntj”
(Donegal pron.), which literally means, “cure-health.”
Page 219. “The Nine-legged Steed.” The opening resembles a story of
Curtin’s, in which, however, the stepmother acts from the motive of hate
instead of, as here, from affection. The words translated “transforming
caps” are “qahal” (cochal), which also means a cloak, and “qantræltje,”
the translation of which is a guess. It must be inferred that of the
three maidens, who came as swans, one was the nine-legged steed, another
the lady in the greenawn. The third is not accounted for. “Greenawn”
(grïănaan) means “sunny chamber.” In Irish tales the ladies are generally
described as occupying such apartments; a more general use of the word is
found on page 179.
THE END.
_Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, London._
_PREVIOUS VOLUMES OF THE CAMDEN LIBRARY_
UNIFORM WITH
_WEST IRISH FOLK TALES_.
I.
The Antiquities and Curiosities of the Exchequer,
BY HUBERT HALL, F.S.A., OF H.M.’S PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE.
With Illustrations by RALPH NEVILL, F.S.A., and an Introduction by SIR
JOHN LUBBOCK, Bart.
“This, the first volume of a valuable series, is perhaps one of the most
interesting works of this kind. The facts and anecdotes which are woven
into the pages are curious, and no doubt will be perfectly new to many
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“Will be immensely superior to the ordinary kind of serial hand-books,
if Mr. Hubert Hall’s scholarly and well-written book is a fair sample.…
His account of the origins of our national finance is full of valuable
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Gazette._
“A valuable addition to the Camden Library, and contains great wealth
of information, every item of which belongs to the category of ‘things
not generally known.’ It does great credit to the persevering industry,
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produced and indexed, and is readable throughout.”—_Daily Telegraph._
II.
Sculptured Signs of Old London,
With Numerous Illustrations by PHILIP NORMAN, F.S.A.
With an Introduction by HENRY B. WHEATLEY, F.S.A.
In this volume the author has endeavoured to preserve a record, before it
is too late, of relics hitherto little known, though in their way most
interesting—namely, the Sculptured House and Street Signs, put up as a
rule immediately after the great fire, and which, when once removed,
may soon and utterly be forgotten. The author deals with their meaning,
associations, and many quaint stories relating to them.
The following list of the chapters will show the character and scope of
this interesting volume:—
HUMAN SIGNS.—THREE KINGS.—ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS.—ANIMALS REAL AND
IMAGINARY.—BIRDS AND OTHER SCULPTURED SIGNS.—VARIOUS CRESTS AND COATS OF
ARMS.—MISCELLANEOUS SIGNS, DATES AND INSCRIPTIONS, ETC.—A FEW SUBURBAN
SPAS.—TWO OLD CITY MANSIONS.
The volume is incidentally full of pleasant chat concerning Old London,
its citizens and their life and surroundings in the old times. It is
fully illustrated by sketches and photographs taken on the spot by
the author himself, many of the sculptured signs particularly lending
themselves to picturesque treatment.
Mr. H. B. Wheatley, F.S.A., the well known authority on London, has
written an introduction to the volume, and a full index puts its stores
of information at the reader’s command.
ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C.
End of Project Gutenberg's West Irish Folk-Tales and Romances, by Various