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Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks By: William Elliot Griffis (1843-1928) |
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DUTCH FAIRY TALES FOR YOUNG FOLKS By WILLIAM ELLIOT GRIFFIS Author of "The Firefly's Lovers," "The Unmannerly Tiger," "Brave
Little Holland," "Bonnie Scotland," etc.
CONTENTS
THE ENTANGLED MERMAID THE BOY WHO WANTED MORE CHEESE THE PRINCESS WITH TWENTY PETTICOATS THE CAT AND THE CRADLE PRINCE SPIN HEAD AND MISS SNOW WHITE THE BOAR WITH THE GOLDEN BRISTLES THE ICE KING AND HIS WONDERFUL GRANDCHILD THE ELVES AND THEIR ANTICS THE KABOUTERS AND THE BELLS THE WOMAN WITH THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX CHILDREN THE ONI ON HIS TRAVELS THE LEGEND OF THE WOODEN SHOE THE CURLY TAILED LION BRABO AND THE GIANT THE FARM THAT RAN AWAY AND CAME BACK SANTA KLAAS AND BLACK PETE THE GOBLINS TURNED TO STONE THE MOULDY PENNY THE GOLDEN HELMET WHEN WHEAT WORKED WOE WHY THE STORK LOVES HOLLAND THE ENTANGLED MERMAID
Long ago, in Dutch Fairy Land, there lived a young mermaid who was very
proud of her good looks. She was one of a family of mere or lake folks
dwelling not far from the sea. Her home was a great pool of water that
was half salt and half fresh, for it lay around an island near the mouth
of a river. Part of the day, when the sea tides were out, she splashed
and played, dived and swam in the soft water of the inland current. When
the ocean heaved and the salt water rushed in, the mermaid floated and
frolicked and paddled to her heart's content. Her father was a
gray bearded merryman and very proud of his handsome daughter. He owned
an island near the river mouth, where the young mermaids held their
picnics and parties and received the visits of young merrymen. Her mother and two aunts were merwomen. All of these were sober folks
and attended to the business which occupies all well brought up mermaids
and merrymen. This was to keep their pool clean and nice. No frogs,
toads or eels were allowed near, but in the work of daily housecleaning,
the storks and the mermaids were great friends. All water creatures that were not thought to be polite and well behaved
were expected to keep away. Even some silly birds, such as loons and
plovers and all screaming and fighting creatures with wings, were warned
off the premises, because they were not wanted. This family of merry
folks liked to have a nice, quiet time by themselves, without any rude
folks on legs, or with wings or fins from the outside. Indeed they
wished to make their pool a model, for all respectable mermaids and
merrymen, for ten leagues around. It was very funny to see the old daddy
merman, with a switch made of reeds, shooing off the saucy birds, such
as the sandpipers and screeching gulls. For the bullfrogs, too big for
the storks to swallow, and for impudent fishes, he had a whip made of
seaweed. Of course, all the mermaids in good society were welcome, but young
mermen were allowed to call only once a month, during the week when the
moon was full. Then the evenings were usually clear, so that when the
party broke up, the mermen could see their way in the moonlight to swim
home safely with their mermaid friends. For, there were sea monsters
that loved to plague the merefolk, and even threatened to eat them up!
The mermaids, dear creatures, had to be escorted home, but they felt
safe, for their mermen brothers and daddies were so fierce that, except
sharks, even the larger fish, such as porpoises and dolphins were afraid
to come near them. One day daddy and the mother left to visit some relatives near the
island of Urk. They were to be gone several days. Meanwhile, their
daughter was to have a party, her aunts being the chaperones. The mermaids usually held their picnics on an island in the midst of the
pool. Here they would sit and sun themselves. They talked about the
fashions and the prettiest way to dress their hair. Each one had a
pocket mirror, but where they kept these, while swimming, no mortal ever
found out. They made wreaths of bright colored seaweed, orange and
black, blue, gray and red and wore them on their brows like coronets... Continue reading book >>
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Genres for this book |
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Fairy tales |
Fiction |
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Wikipedia – William Elliot Griffis |
Wikipedia – Dutch Fairy Tales for Young Folks |
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