Tale
Τὰ Κυπριακά
Not translated into English
Athanasios Sakellarios · 1868
Synopsis
The third volume of the Κυπριακά, devoted to the language of the island, brings together what the author had collected from the mouths of Cypriots: folk songs, among them a song of Digenis and his combats with the lance, given with their variants; tales, such as that of the old woodcutter and his three daughters; riddles about the millstone, the lamp or the sun; proverbs. Two lexicons explain the Cypriot words, ancient and modern, that these texts use.
Context
The first volume, on the geography and resources of Cyprus, had appeared in Athens in 1855; the second did not appear, and this third, in 1868, deals with the language. The author later reworked all his material, published or unpublished, in two large volumes, in 1890 and 1891. He is regarded as the founder of Cypriot folklore studies: his records preserve songs and tales from the end of Ottoman rule.
Who it is for
A scholarly collection in Greek, with popular texts in the Cypriot dialect and lexicons, for those interested in Cypriot oral tradition.
Prizes and reception
Eight tales from the 1868 volume were translated into German; the author is regarded as the founder of Cypriot folklore.