CHRISTMAS TALES OF FLANDERS - 23 Illustrated Children's Christmas Stories

By Andre de Ridder

Christmas Tales of Flanders is a profusely illustrated volume containing 23 illustrated Fables and legends from Flanders and Brabant. Even today these tales are still loved by children of all ages throughout Belgium.

Many of the tales are found in different guises in the folklore of many nations, but here they are presented with a Flemish twist, taking the place of the more commonly told nursery stories familiar in the UK and in other Western nations.

The first relates the tale of a rich woman who turns a beggar away from her door at Christmas, who is then welcomed by her poor neighbour, who provides food and shelter freely given. She is of course rewarded for her actions, whilst the rich neighbour pays a price for her meanness of spirit, a tale retold with variations in most cultures.

Then the tale of Seppy presents a man who complains that he works hard in the fields while his wife idles her time away at home, so they decide to swap jobs for a day. After his catastrophic day looking after the house and the ensuing chaos, Seppy learns not to complain about others and realises he is not the only one who works hard.

There are tales to make you take care for what you wish for (Tintelentyn and The Wonderful Fish) and others showing how bad acts can rebound and repay with interest. All the tales use humour to demonstrate life's lessons to the young, and young at heart.
The tales themselves are delightfully enhanced by the illustrations by Jean de Bosschere, a Belgian artist and writer (1878-1953) associated with the Golden Age of Illustration. This volume contains 12 lovely colour illustrations and more than 120 monotone and two colour images (ranging in size from full-page to vignettes).

De Bosschere’s work is considered to be in same league as Harry Clarke or Willy Pogany. Whomever his work is compared to, the work of Jean de Bosschere - like that of other great illustrators - is unique, so much so that many of his illustrated books were published as limited editions.

10% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to charity.
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KEYWORDS/TAGS: Christmas Tales of Flanders, 23, illustrated, color, black and white, Rich Woman, Poor Woman, children’s Story, Seppy, Enchanted Apple-Tree, Convent, Free, Care, Witches’ Cellar, Boy, Always Said The Wrong Thing, Hop-O-My-Thumb, Hop O My Thumb, Emperor, Parrot, Little Blacksmith Verholen, Balten, Wolf, Mermaid, Little Half-Cock, Dwarf, Percy The Wizard, Nickname, Snail, Simple John, Two Chickens, Two Ears, Wonderful Fish, Frying-Pan, Farmer Broom, Farmer Leaves, Farmer Iron, Little Lodewyk, Annie The Witch, Giant Of The Causeway, Key-Flower, Ogre, Sea-Monsters, Fisherman, Farms, Christmas Eve, Enchanted Apple-tree, Robbers, beaten Devil, Thrice, Procession, Mermaid, Mother, Daughter, Dwarf’s Feast, Simple John, Horse, Cow, Pig, Three Farmers, Houses, Giant, Daughter, Knight, St. Peter, two Women, Beggar, God-speed, Neighbours, disgusted, Scissors, Seppy, Fields, Priest, Glass, slipped, Edge, sloping Roof, drawn up, chimney, Death, Misery, Old Man, Tree, Village Urchins, steal apples, Half a Loaf, Two Monks, Convent, Cows’ Tails, Depth of the Sea, John Twist, Witches, Rubbing, Face and Hands, Drew, Peak, Cap, Eyes, Mill, Tony, Church, Wrong Thing, Captain, Peasant, Parrot, Emperor, Knocking, Tower, Glimpse of Heaven, Milk-and-Honey, Balten, Ladder, broken Paw, empty Barrel, Half-Cock, Two Foxes, Two Robbers, enchantment, Lodgers, fine Material, Wizard, Turkey, Countess, Hotchpotch, Geese, Turkey, Brussels Market, Liver, Kidneys, Sausages, Fisherman, Fish, Sea-King, Susie Grill, Lovely House, Lofty Towers, Bathing-machine, Cobbler, Frying-pan, Dancing Farmers, Lodewyk, Cards, Annie the Witch, Giant, Five Highwaymen, terrible Storm, Tower, Bunch of Keys, Ripe Nuts, Chimney,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abela Publishing
• Release date: Dec 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9791220243322

Book preview

Christmas Tales

of

Flanders

By

Andre de Ridder

I L L U S T R A T E D   B Y

Jean De Bosschere

Originally Published By

Dodd, Mead & Company, New York

[MCMXVII]

Resurrected By

Abela Publishing, London

[MMXX]

Christmas Tales of Flanders

Typographical arrangement of this edition

© Abela Publishing

This book may not be reproduced in its current format in any manner in any media, or transmitted by any means whatsoever, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, or mechanical ( including photocopy, file or video recording, internet web sites, blogs, wikis, or any other information storage and retrieval system) except as permitted by law without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Abela Publishing,

London

United Kingdom

ISBN-: 979--X-XXXXXX-XX-X

email:

[e-mail]

Website:

http://bit.ly/HekGn

Introduction

HE CHRISTMAS TALES OF FLANDERS presented in this volume are popular fables and legends current in Flanders and Brabant, which have for centuries been told to children throughout Belgium. Their origin is doubtful, as all literature handed down by oral tradition must be. A good many of these stories are found in a different guise in the legends of other nations. Seppy is closely akin to the rhyme of The Old Man who lived in the Wood; and the prototypes of others will be readily recognized; but all of them have peculiar Flemish traits. They have the picturesqueness characteristic of the country which produced such a glorious school of painting, and the freshness of their presentation is a high tribute to the creative imagination of the Flanders folk. Sometimes they are primitive to a degree, and in such tales as Simple John and The Boy who always said the Wrong Thing, the storyteller attributes the most elementary and artless mentality to his heroes, so as to explain the extravagant adventures he relates. These tales occupy for the Flemish the place nursery rhymes take in England, and as the nursery rhymes have been collected in England at various times and in different forms and guises, so the Flemish folk-tales have also been collected in various ways and in various parts of Flanders. Messrs. Demont and Decock produced a book entitled Zoo Vertellen de Vlamingen, from which collection a good many of these stories are taken. Others came from the Brabantsch Segenboak, which J. Teiclinck wrote for the Flemish Academy. They were translated by M. C. O. Morris and are here published for the first time in English.

Contents

THE RICH WOMAN AND THE POOR WOMAN

THE STORY OF SEPPY

THE ENCHANTED APPLE-TREE

THE CONVENT FREE FROM CARE

THE WITCHES’ CELLAR

THE BOY WHO ALWAYS SAID THE WRONG THING

HOP-O-MY-THUMB

THE EMPERORS PARROT

THE LITTLE BLACKSMITH VERHOLEN

BALTEN AND THE WOLF

THE MERMAID

THE STORY OF THE LITTLE HALF-COCK

THE DWARF AND THE BLACKSMITH

PERCY THE WIZARD NICKNAMED SNAIL

SIMPLE JOHN

THE TWO CHICKENS OR THE TWO EARS

THE WONDERFUL FISH

THE FRYING-PAN

FARMER BROOM FARMER LEAVES AND FARMER IRON

LITTLE LODEWYK AND ANNIE THE WITCH

THE GIANT OF THE CAUSEWAY

THE KEY-FLOWER

THE OGRE

List of Illustrations

IN COLOUR

The Sea-Monsters and the Fisherman

The Rich Woman and the Poor Woman: The two Farms at Christmas Eve

The Enchanted Apple-tree

The Witches’ Cellar

Hop-o’-my-Thumb and the Robbers

The Devil beaten Three Times

The Procession

The Mermaid, the Mother, and her Daughter

The Dwarf’s Feast

Simple John, the Horse, the Cow, and the Pig

The Three Farmers and their Houses

The Giant, his Daughter, and the Knight

IN BLACK AND WHITE AND IN TWO COLOURS

St. Peter and the two Women

She sent the Beggar away, wishing him God-speed

The Neighbours came to say Good Day

She was disgusted with herself

Try as she would, she was obliged to go on cutting

The Rich Woman’s Scissors

Seppy working in the Fields

However, the Priest had a Glass

Seppy was very angry with the Pig

She Gradually slipped to the Edge of the sloping Roof

Seppy was drawn up the Chimney

The Death, Misery, the Old Man, and the Tree

The Village Urchins came and stole them off the Tree

Here is Half a Loaf, take it; it is all I have

The Death hanging in the Tree

Two Monks of the Convent

How many Cows’ Tails would it take...?

What is the Depth of the Sea

John Twist and the Witches

Rubbing it on his Face and Hands

Drew the Peak of his Cap over his Eyes

The Pig travelled very quickly

The Mill, Tony, and his Mother’s House

I shall be in a bad Way

He then came to the Church

The Story of the Boy who always said the Wrong Thing

The Boy running away

Hop-o’-my-Thumb and a Duck

Looking up he espied a little Lady

Hop-o’-my-Thumb threw them some Crumbs

Poor Little Ant

The Story of Hop-o’-my-Thumb

The Captain, the Peasant, the Parrot, and the Emperor

He gave him back the Parrot as Gallantly as he could

He kicked and struggled violently

A Peasant was Fortunate enough to catch it

The Parrot

The Blacksmith Verholen and a Devil

A gentle Knocking at the Door

The Shoe was tried on

He wished

Open the Door, Smith

The little Blacksmith was seated on a low Stool

Rest a While in this Chair

Climbed up the Tree like a Cat

As much Coal as he could wish

Ordered them to burn the Devil’s Feet

I will make myself as tall as the Tower

It was not a Messenger from Hell

He was dressed in deep Black

Let that Good Fellow have a Glimpse of Heaven

Ooh! Boo! My poor Head!

Milk-and-Honey Avenue

Balten, the Barrel, and the Wolf

The Wolf stared at Jack

Balten, pour! Balten, pour!

The Ladder became yet Higher

One has a Paw broken

They put him into an empty Barrel

Balten and the Wolf

The Mermaid and the Child

She fell on her Knees

Every Morning the Mermaid looked in at the Window

A Number of little Girls and Boys

The Mermaid, the Mother, and her Daughter

The Half-Cock, the Two Foxes, and the Two Robbers

I will enchant him

They immediately mounted two Horses

The Half-Cock

The Water joined the other Lodgers

The Blacksmith, the Dwarf, and his Hat

This little Fellow cannot harm me

They wanted to find out how it was done

Another Set of very fine Material

The Dwarf disappeared

The Wizard, the Turkey, and the Countess

The necessary Ingredients for a nice Hotchpotch

If I could discover the Thief

One of them whispered to the Others

To offer him Part of their Savings

Threw it to some Geese and Turkeys

The Countess had two Dishes placed before him

The Snail

Simple John

The Brussels Market

Liver, Kidneys, Sausages

The Exchanges of Simple John

The two Chickens

The First Thing he did was to take up his Knife

The Cousin and the Knife

Bemoaning her Fate and reproaching the Almighty

The Fisherman, the Fish, the Sea-King, and Susie Grill

Stood up on its Tail

A Lovely House with Lofty Towers

She counted it without ceasing

I am not dissatisfied with what you have done

He soon caught the Fish

A mighty Sea-King

In front of the Bathing-machine

The Cobbler and his Wife

The Frying-pan

Neither of them wanted to return the Frying-pan

The Three Farmers

He burst it Open

The Wolf went in and sat down

Farmer Broom and Farmer Leaves came out alive

Dancing Farmers

Lodewyk and his Cards

Lodewyk

Annie the Witch always came to blow them down

The Giant and Five Highwaymen

He never left his Castle except to inflict Punishment

She ventured to take a little Walk

Took her Father’s Hand

He was no more than Three Feet high

Led by two Pages

About Midnight a terrible Storm arose

She ran up to the Tower

He let fall the Bunch of Keys

Ripe Nuts in their Cups

I filled my Pockets

I saw something White

Could I dare to knock?

Behind those two large Tubs

I smell human Flesh

I saw his Body

I was perched there on the Top of the Tree

I have just fallen down the Chimney

St. Peter and the Two Women

The Rich Woman and

the Poor Woman

N a cold winter night, thousands of years ago, St. Peter took one of his occasional walks on earth. Towards nightfall he knocked at a rich peasant’s door. The farmer’s wife was busy