From the Publisher
Joanne Asala has edited and selected and rewritten over a dozen folktale related titles for Penfield Press in the 1990s. This is her latest, a compilation of the famous stories about people living along one of the most famous rivers in Germany and Europe. Eberhard Reichmann, Ph.D, of the Max Kade German-American Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, explains the charm of this book in the preface.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Preface:
In 1438, ecstatically praising the Rhine, the Italian traveler Enea Silvia Piccolomini noted, "...nowhere in Europe is a river so adorned with so many significant cities; although surpassed in length by many, none are surrounded by greater nobility and charm." This is but one of numerous tributes paid by visitors overwhelmed by the Rhine regions' natural and man-made beauty.
Originating in Switzerland, passing a stretch along the French border, and eventually leaving Germany for Holland and its destination in the North Sea, the Rhine is not only the most traveled international waterway, it is the river that runs right through the German soul. It has been celebrated in song and dance, in poetry and prose and art, ever since the days of Roman settlement on its banks and vicinity more than 2,000 years ago. Especially on the Middle Rhine, where it has carved its path through several mountain ranges, there are more romantic castles and castle ruins, often surrounded by steep vineyards, than anywhere in the world.
Local legends are populated with both noble and evil knights and princes, bishops and priests, rich and poor, giants and dwarfs, beautiful women and fairies. And, as in real life, goodness and wickedness alternate as these characters pass in review. The legends'short prose depicts strange and phantasmic events, often embracing the supranatural. But unlike the fairy tale, located in never-never land and "once upon" an indefinite time, legends are typically attached to specific places or regions and periods. As they were retold through the generations and as they spread beyond their places of origin they were modified and adapted to changing tastes. Not until the early nineteenth century did this rich oral legend tradition catch the attention of collectors and researchers. The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, famous for the fairy tales they passed on to posterity, were also the driving force for the preservation of the legends. Joanne Asala's present English-language edition of selected Rheinsagen opens a treasure chest of worthwhile reading for a new generation of readers.
