Folklore of the Santal Parganas, Vol. 1

This is an intriguing collection of folklore from the Santal Parganas, a district in India located about 150 miles from Calcutta. As its preface implies, this collection is intended to give an unadulterated view of a culture through its folklore. It contains a variety of stories about different aspects of life, including family and marriage, religion, and work. In this first volume, taken from Part I, each story is centered around a particular human character. These range from the charmingly clever (as the character, The Oilman, in the story, "The Oilman and His Sons"), to the tragically comical (as the character, Jhore, in the story "Bajun and Jhore"). In later parts, the stories will focus on other subjects, including spirits, animals, and legends from this culture.