Parsons. Folklore from the Cape Verde Islands

Today's free book is Folklore from the Cape Verde Islands by Elsie Clews Parsons. Part 1 contains the English translations. As the author explains: "These tales and riddles were collected during the summers of 1917 and 1917 from Portuguese Negro immigrants from the Cape Verde Islands." You can find out more about the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of African in this Wikipedia article.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The book is available at Internet Archive and Hathi Trust.


1. The Seven Robbers
2. Mock Crowing: Mock Sunrise: The Unyielding Trees
3. Picking Teeth: The Password: The Give-Away (In the Ashes)
4. Picking Teeth: The Password: God makes a Drum
5. To Heaven by Ladder: God Makes a Drum: The Password: The Give-Away (In the Ashes)
6. In the Cow's Belly
7. Picking Teeth: Too Swollen to Escape
8. The Lady Visitor
9. The Three Kids
10. The Three Kids: The Lady Visitor: The Give-Away (In the Ashes)
11. Detecting by Thirst: The Three Kids: The Lady Visitor: The Give-Away (In the Ashes): The Give-Away (The Shelter Shakes): Fatal Imitation
12. Donkey-Son
13. Pov' Minin'
14. Little Bald-Headed
15. Kidnap
16. Kidnap: Riding Wolf: Cutting the Rope
17. The Woman and the Friar
18. Big-John and Little-John
19. The Interrupted Dinner: Under the Hat
20. The Tables turned
21. Holding up the Cave: Fatal Imitation: Picking Teeth: The Password: Take My Place
32. The Biggest Liar: Calf and Bull: The Man in the Sack
23. Eggs or Beans
24. Wolf's Nephew makes Wolf his Horse: The Give-Away (The Shelter Shakes): Mock Blood and Brains: Tell-Tale Grease
25. Wolf's Nephew makes Wolf His Horse: "Wolf's a Good Swimmer"
26. Frigajonsi'
27. The Tug-of-War
28. The Master Thief
29. The Master Thief: The King's Treasury
30. The Master Thief: Tar Man: The King's Treasure
31. The Master Thief: The King's Treasury: Tar Man: The Riddle Test
32. The Riddle Test
33. Tar Baby
34. The Three Rogues
35. Dish, Donkey, and Whip
36. The Scornful Princess
37. The Chosen Suitor: The Skillful Companions
38. Bartering Mothers: Buried Tail
39. The Rival Brothers: Who gets Angry First: Buried Tail
40. Who gets Angry First: The Brave Boy
41. The Brave Boy
42. The Man who Understood Animals
43. Who Eats Most: Escape up the Tree
44. Escape up the Tree: The Singing Gourd
45. Escape up the Tree
46. Escape up the Tree: Without Fear
47. Without Fear
48. The Fig-Tree
49. The Escape
50. Always No
51. Fish-Lover
52. White-Flower
53. Bluff
54. The Girl who Did Not Like Men
55. The Youth and his Horse
56. Good Maria and Bad Maria
57. The Jealous Husband: The Boy and his Dog
58. The Girl without Hands, Breasts, or Eyes
59. Compadre Death
60. Are Monkeys People?
61. The Worn-Out Animals
6a. The False Diviner
63. Uncle Caramba
64. The Doctor and the Devil
65. Mr. May
66. The Changed Note
67. The Two Rats
68. His Best Friend
69. The Case the Sparrow Won
70. Sir John Big-Rat
71. The House the Old Man was to Build
72. The Three Brothers-in-Law: His Life in an Egg
73. The Two Friends: His Life in an Egg
74. The Division: His Life in an Egg
75. The Faithful Friend
76. The Hair Ladder: The Faithful Friend
77. The Poor Friend and the Rich
78. Brother and Sister
79. The Usurper
80. Horns from Figs
81. As Broad as He was Long
82. The Wonderful Travellers
83. The Sack of Lies
84. The Princess who Asks Riddles: The Sack of Lies
85. The Princess who Asks Riddles
86. The Stolen Ring
87. Seven Tongue-Tips
88. The Two Brothers
89. Dutiful and Undutiful
90. The Princess who Groans
91. Dutiful and Undutiful: The Princess who Groans
92. The Princess who Groans: Man or Woman?
93. Half-Wit
94. Carl', Leit', Liamor
95. The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces
96. Dividing the Heirlooms: The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces
97. The Envious Sisters
98. The Three Questions
99. The Boy who Cannot Stay Awake
100. The Race
101. The Birds Take Back their Feathers: The Threat Midway: Playing Dead
102. The Birds Take Back their Feathers: The Threat Midway: Playing Dead: The Plug
103. Wolf's Share: The Threat Midway: Playing Dead
104. The Stupid Brother: Incriminating the Other Fellow: The Threat Midway
105. The Boy who Gave Life
106. The Evil Eye
107. The Biggest Liar: Foiled: Stealing the Road: The Evil Eye
108. Pedr' transforms: Playing Dead
109. A Storm Coming
110. How to Eat Monkey
111. The Things that Talked
112. Seven Suits of Clothes
113. The Girl who would Dance
114. The Battle of the Enchanters
115. The Test
116. The Test: The Sleeper King
117. The Grateful Spirit
118. Dividing the Child
119. The Lost Ring
120. Dividing the Cheese
121. The Three Cedrats
122. The Magic Sword
123. The Singing Infant
124. Playing Godfather
125. The Unfilial Son
126. The Magic Ship: The Three Temptresses
127. Erladin
128. The Dog Captain
129. The Sea-Captain's Wife
130. Buried in the Cornfield
131. Confidential
132. The Parrot in Trouble
133. Goose and Cat Entertain: Fish Medicine