COLLECTION NAME:
Rylands Collection
Record
Image Number:
JRL1310086
Reference Number:
R148858
Link to Catalogue:
Image Title:
Story of the mole, sun and moon
Parent Work Title:
Rumanian bird and beast stories: rendered into English
Creator:
Otescu, Ion Nonna, 1888-1940
Creator Role:
Author
Creator:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939
Creator Role:
Translator
Date Created:
1931-07-05
Publication Details:
London: Published for the Folk-Lore Society by Sidgwick & Jackson, Ltd
Page/Sheet:
Inserted before page 147
Image Sequence Number:
147
Description:
In 1915 Gaster published his work Romanian Bird and Beast Stories (381pp), consisting of a lengthy study in which he presents his views on folklore, followed by his translations of 119 numbered Romanian stories about animals, and three appendices (animal charms, stories from Ahikar, and animal stories from the Hebrew Alphabet of Ben Sira). Gaster found the stories in the published works of several Romanian folklorists, most notably (around two thirds of the stories) from two publications by Simion Florea Marian (1883 and 1903). R148858 is Gaster's own interleaved copy. It shows that he continued to gather and translate animal stories until shortly before his death. The volume contains handwritten notes (mostly references to what Gaster perceived as 'parallels' in various publications), a copy of a letter from Queen Elisabeth of Romania, news paper cuttings with reviews of the book, and inserted leaves with handwritten and typed stories. Below his translation of a story, Gaster usually mentions where he found it (not all references are correct) and when he translated it. The page was typed in black ink and is loosely inserted before page 147. The story, by Romanian Ion Nonna Otescu is a folk tale explaining that the reason why the Sun and Moon never meet is because they are brother and sister and once they intended to marry. They were prevented by the mole who told them rain would never fall and grass would never grow if a brother married a sister. God separated them forever and forbade the killing of moles as a reward for its good deed. At the end is typed: 'I. Otescu, Credinţela ţăranului roman despre cerşi stele. Academia Romana Bucuresti, 1907, page 63'. The date of the translation is written at the bottom: '7-5-1931'.
Language Code:
eng
Language:
English
Subject:
Folk-lore, Romanian
Category of Material:
Printed
Technique Used:
Typewriting
Medium:
Ink
Support:
Paper
Current Repository:
The University of Manchester Library, U.K.
Provenance:
Gaster, Moses, 1856-1939, former owner
Rights Holder - Image:
The University of Manchester Library
Rights holder - Work:
The University of Manchester Library
References:
Haralambakis, M. 'A Survey of the Gaster Collection in the John Rylands Library', Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 89:2 (2013): 10730. Florea, V. Dr. M. Gaster: Reconstituiri biobibliografice: Omul şi Opera (Cluj-Napoca: Editura Fundatiei pentru Studii Europene, 2008), 12754.
Date Captured (yyyy-mm-dd):
2013-02-13
Image Creation Technique:
Digital capture by Heritage Imaging, The University of Manchester Library
Date Image Added (yyyy-mm):
2013-05
Metadata Language:
eng-GB
Story of the mole, sun and moon
