- Home
- ACADEMIC
- Asia Studies
- India, Pakistan and South Asia Studies
- Old Deccan Days or Hindoo Fairy Legends
You must sign in to add this item to your wishlist. Please sign in or create an account
Description
A long-lost collection of Indian fairy tales transcribed by the daughter of the British governor of Bombay.
In the cold months of 1865, young Mary Frere and her father, Bartle Frere, British governor of Bombay, set out in a caravan across the Deccan province of south central India. During their journey Mary transcribed 24 popular Hindu folktales told to her by her nursemaid. That collection of tales, which she published as Old Deccan Days, not only became the first Indian folklore collection in English, it established a new genre of writing about British India.
These marvelously imaginative tales from the Indian oral tradition are peopled with beautiful, smart, outspoken women; restless, adventuresome men; gods who take on human form; and animals who know the secrets of human destinies. Evil magicians cast spells on humans, changing them to plants, and demonic, ogre-like Rakshases savor human flesh.
Product details
Published | Dec 17 2002 |
---|---|
Format | Ebook (PDF) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 292 |
ISBN | 9781576076811 |
Imprint | ABC-CLIO |
Series | Classic Folk and Fairy Tales |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
-
Thanks to ABC-CLIO for bringing to us one of the gems from the golden age of folklore discovery. This, and the other half dozen volumes in this series, deserve a place in every story buff's library as a prime example of the best in traditional storytelling.
Territorial Tattler
-
The twenty-four tales themselves are eminently readable . . . constitute a very significant contribution to the history of folklorists. To the readership they offer enlightenment as well as entertainment.
Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies

ONLINE RESOURCES
Bloomsbury Collections
This book is available on Bloomsbury Collections where your library has access.