About This Book
This collection assembles epic poems, ballads, and folktales drawn from an oral national tradition, opening with historical and cultural background and chapters on beliefs and customs. It presents long heroic narratives about legendary princes and leaders, a set of popular ballads, and numerous shorter folk tales that feature supernatural beings, tests of virtue, marriage motifs, animal helpers, trickery, and moral lessons. The volume also offers explanatory notes, a glossary, anecdotes, and colored illustrations that accompany many selections, providing both storytelling variety and ethnographic context.