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The Book of Saints and Heroes

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The Book of Saints and Heroes Conditions and Terms of Use PREFACE Copyright © Heritage History 2009 Long, long ago, when the world was young and gay, Some rights reserved grown-up people must have been much more like children than they are at present. The grown-ups were quite as fond of fairy This text was produced and distributed by Heritage History, an organization tales as any child can be to-day; and they actually believed in dedicated to the preservation of classical juvenile history books, and to the fairies more than some wise and grave little boys and girls do at promotion of the works of traditional history authors. present. Why should they not believe in them, for they met them The books which Heritage History republishes are in the public domain and dancing in the open dells of the forests, and saw them, beautiful are no longer protected by the original copyright. They may therefore be reproduced girl fairies, wading and swimming in the river pools. These within the United States without paying a royalty to the author. fairies were as friendly as they were fair to see; and the fairy of the oak tree or the well would step out of it when a handsome The text and pictures used to produce this version of the work, however, are the property of Heritage History and are licensed to individual users with some shepherd or warrior passed; and the pair would fall in love with restrictions. These restrictions are imposed for the purpose of protecting the integrity each other, and sometimes marry. Homer, the oldest of Greek of the work itself, for preventing plagiarism, and for helping to assure that poets, tells us, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, compromised or incomplete versions of the work are not widely disseminated. about a man who married a fairy, and how, as they were kind, friendly people, they built their house near a road and In order to preserve information regarding the origin of this text, a copyright by the author, and a Heritage History distribution date are included at the foot of entertained all the passers-by. This sort of thing is still going on every page of text. We request all electronic and printed versions of this text include in the islands of the Pacific, or so the natives believe. A native of these markings and that users adhere to the following restrictions. New Caledonia, a young man, the friend of a cousin of mine named Jim, came to see him once, and stayed long, and seemed 1) This text may be reproduced for personal or educational purposes as long as nervous and cried when he was saying good-bye. the original copyright and Heritage History version number are faithfully reproduced. 'What is the matter, old man?' asked Jim. 'You seem to have something on your mind. Can I help you?' 2) You may not alter this text or try to pass off all or any part of it as your own work. 'In three days I shall be a dead man,' said the native. 3) You may not distribute copies of this text for commercial purposes unless 'What put that nonsense into your head?' you have the prior written consent of Heritage History. 'As I came here through the forest I met a fairy, who 4) This text is intended to be a faithful and complete copy of the original looked exactly like the girl I was to marry, and I kissed her.' document. However, typos, omissions, and other errors may have occurred 'And what for no?' asked Jim, who was a Scot by birth. during preparation, and Heritage History does not guarantee a perfectly reliable reproduction. 'Any fellow would have done it. Is it what you call tabou to kiss your young woman?' Permission to use Heritage History documents or images for commercial 'No,' said the poor fellow, 'it is not tabou. But she was purposes, or more information about our collection of traditional history resources can be obtained by contacting us at [email protected] not Maluka, who will never be my wife. She was a fairy. She Original Copyright 1912 by Mrs. Andrew Lang 2 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 faded away as I kissed her, as a light morning cloud fades on the the fruits and flowers of Paradise. These Saints were the best of hillside. She was a fairy.' men and women, but the pretty stories are, perhaps, rather 'Well, suppose she was, what then?' asked Jim. fanciful. Look at the wild fancies of the Irish in the stories of St. Brendan; and of St. Columba, who first brought Christianity 'I must die in three days; whoever kisses a fairy dies in from Ireland to the Highlands. I think St. Columba's story is the three days. So goodbye, we shall not meet again.' best of all; and it was written down in Latin by one of the people And they did not meet again. The lover died within the in his monastery not long after his death. Yet many of the three days. anecdotes are not religious, but are just such tales as the Highlanders where he lived still tell and believe. Some of them Thus there are fairies, you see, in the far-away isles, and are true, I daresay, and others, like the story of the magical stake Louis Stevenson heard of them often, and men see them, and fall given by the Saint to the poor man, are not very probable. The in love with them; so of course they believe in fairies, though tales of St. Cuthbert are much less wonderful, for he did not live they are grown up. Does not Mr. Lawson tell us in his book in the Highlands, but among people of English race on the about Greece that he saw a fairy? (he calls her a nymph or a Border, near the Tweed. The English have never taken quite so Nereid, for that is Greek for a fairy), and he is a learned man. I much pleasure in fairyland as other people, and the stories of St. wish I had his luck; but, as Joan of Arc said to her judges, 'I Cuthbert are far more homely than the wild adventures of Irish never saw a fairy, not that I knew to be a fairy.' No, not even in Saints like St. Brendan. The story which somehow came to be Kensington Gardens. Still, they are seen in the Highlands, even told about the patron Saint of England, St. George, is a mere now, and seeing is believing. romance of chivalry, and the part about the dragon was told in Thus, long ago, grown-ups believed in fairies, as we all the earliest age of Greece concerning Perseus and Hercules, would do if we saw them. Why, when a young Greek in Homer's Andromeda and Hesione. About that English Saint, Margaret, time met a pretty girl in the forest he always began by asking Queen of Scotland, there are no marvellous tales at all; but a 'Are you a fairy, or are you a goddess?' It was the regular thing volume would be needed for all the miracles wrought by the to do. Consequently, these pleasant people of long ago mixed up intercession of Thomas à Becket after his death. In his life, fairies with their religion. The stories about the Greek gods and however, he had nothing fairy-like. goddesses are merely fairy tales; some are pretty, and some are No Saint has more beautiful and innocent fairy-like tales not at all nice. told about him than St. Francis, the friend of the wolf, whom he Now when Christianity came first to be known to the converted, and the preacher to the birds; while St. Anthony of Greeks and Romans, and Germans and Highlanders, they, Padua was even more miraculous when he managed to make the believing in fairies and in all manner of birds and beasts that fishes of the sea attend to his sermon. Fishes, we believe, are could talk, and in everything wonderful, told about their deaf to the human voice; you may talk as much as you like when Christian teachers a number of fairy tales. This pleasing custom you are fishing, as long as the trout do not see you. It is not easy lasted very long. You see in this book what wonderful stories of to sympathise with the Saint who stood so long on the top of a beasts and birds who made friends with saints were told in Egypt pillar. Perhaps he thought that by this feat he would make people about St. Anthony, and St. Jerome with his amiable lion, and St. hear about him and come to hear his holy words, and, so far, he Dorothea, for it was an angel very like a fairy that brought to her seems to have succeeded. Perhaps St. Colette had a similar reason for shutting herself up in such an exclusive way for a Original Copyright 1912 by Mrs. Andrew Lang 3 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 while, after which she went out and did good in the world. Like many Saints she was said to float in the air occasionally; but not so often as St. Joseph of Cupertino, who, in the time of King TABLE OF CONTENTS Charles II, once flew a distance of eighty-seven yards, and was habitually on the wing. In other respects the life of this holy man THE FIRST OF THE HERMITS .................................................... 5 was not interesting or useful like the noble lives of Saint- THE ROSES FROM PARADISE ..................................................
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