Flemish Legends by Charles de Coster

"Flemish Legends" by Charles de Coster is a collection of folk tales written in the mid-19th century. The work captures the essence of Belgian folklore, delving into themes of love, courage, and the supernatural, woven together in a vibrant tapestry of both human and mythical characters. The opening stories introduce us to a range of figures, notably Pieter Gans, the jolly host who encounters a haunting voice in his garden, and Sir Halewyn, a malevolent character whose enchanting song lures maidens to their fate. At the start of "Flemish Legends," we are introduced to Pieter Gans, who is troubled by a sorrowful voice beckoning him from his garden at night. As he wrestles with fear and despair, he meets a fellow named Jan Blaeskaek, who offers him dubious counsel on how to appease the devilish entity haunting his home. Meanwhile, the narrative shifts to Sir Halewyn, whose enchanting song presents a dark allure to innocent maidens. Together, these tales unfold a landscape of whimsical yet sinister folklore, setting the stage for an exploration of human virtues and vices in a richly imagined Flanders. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Coster, Charles de, 1827-1879
Illustrator Delstanche, Albert, 1870-1941
Translator Taylor, Harold
LoC No. 20026992
Uniform Title Légendes flamandes. English
Title Flemish Legends
Contents The brotherhood of the cheerful countenance -- The three sisters -- Sir Halewyn -- Smetse Smee
Credits Produced by Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net/ for Project
Gutenberg (This file was produced from images generously
made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)
Reading Level Reading ease score: 84.7 (6th grade). Easy to read.
Language English
LoC Class GR: Geography, Anthropology, Recreation: Folklore
LoC Class PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subject Folklore -- Belgium
Subject Tales -- Flanders
Subject Flemings -- Folklore
Category Text
eBook-No. 37668
Release Date
Last Update Jan 8, 2021
Copyright Public domain in the USA.
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