Andrew Lang: 948 books

This panoramic 1887 study argues that a nation’s mythology evolves from more “primitive” forms—which is why certain aspects of mythology are irrational. This first volume explores definitions and systems of mythology, anthropology applied to mythology, totems, magic, metaphysics, nature myths, Indo-Aryan and Indian myths, Greek myths on the origin of the world, and “savage” myths.

Once upon a time there was a man and his wife who had seven boys. The children lived in the open air and grew big and strong, and the six eldest spent part of every day hunting wild beasts. The youngest did not care so much about sport, and he often stayed with his mother. One morning,...

There lived, once upon a time, a man who was as rich as he could be; but as no happiness in this world is ever quite complete, he had an only son who was such a simpleton that he could barely add two and two together. At last his father determined to put up with his stupidity no longer, and giving...

Once upon a time, there lived a woman who had a son and a daughter. One morning she said to them: 'I have heard of a town where there is no such thing as death: let us go and dwell there.' So she broke up her house, and went away with her son and daughter. When she reached the city,...

There was a sultan, who had three sons and a niece. The eldest of the Princes was called Houssain, the second Ali, the youngest Ahmed, and the Princess, his niece, Nouronnihar...

There was a miller who left no more estate to the three sons he had than his mill, his ass, and his cat. The partition was soon made... 

There was once a king who had three daughters. The two eldest were very proud and quarrelsome, but the youngest was as good as they were bad. Well, three princes came to court them, and two of them were exactly like the eldest ladies, and one was just as lovable as the youngest. One day...

There were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had no children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all the waters in the world; vows, pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and all to no purpose...The Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening; and the Princess had for her god- mothers all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom...

There once lived a queen who ruled over the Flowery Isles, whose husband, to her extreme grief, died a few years after their marriage. On being left a widow she devoted herself almost entirely to the education of the two charming princesses, her only children. The elder of them was so...

Once upon a time there lived a man whose right eye always smiled, and whose left eye always cried; and this man had three sons, two of them very clever, and the third very stupid. Now these three sons were very curious about the peculiarity of their father's eyes, and as they could not...

There was once upon a time a man and his wife who had an old cat and an old dog. One day the man, whose name was Simon, said to his wife, whose name was Susan, 'Why should we keep our old cat any longer? She never catches any mice now-a-days, and is so useless that I have made up my mind to drown her.'..

Once upon a time there was a man who had a lazy son. When the father was dying, he sent for his son and told him that he would soon be left alone in the world, with no possessions but the small cottage and pear tree near it. But the lazy son after his father’s death didn’t seek any job. He ate...

*This Book is annotated (it contains a detailed biography of the author). *An active Table of Contents has been added by the publisher for a better customer experience. *This book has been checked and corrected for spelling errors. There is nothing in artistic poetry quite akin to “Aucassin and Nicolete.”

Once upon a time there lived two peasants who had three daughters, and, as generally happens, the youngest was the most beautiful and the best tempered, and when her sisters wanted to go out she was always ready to stay at home and do their work...