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Spring of Wonder: A Collection of Yemenite Folk Tales
ankind is divided by religions. But it is united by stories.
Just like the titular Spring of Wonder, Shalom Ashbel’s collection of folktales was kept hidden in the picturesque backdrop of his youth, surrounded by the oral storytellers and poets and of his home village in Yemen.
With drama and mystery, magic, miracles, and heroism, Ashbel faithfully recreates the stories that captured his imagination as a youth, with morals which transcend the boundaries of language, tradition, and religion. Stories where bravery and honesty defeat malice; Righteousness drives out greed; and honest faith is rewarded by good fortune. And at their base, kindhearted men and women face their adversities in the fantastical, strange, richly colored backdrop of middle eastern culture.
Just like the titular Spring of Wonder, Shalom Ashbel’s collection of folktales was kept hidden in the picturesque backdrop of his youth, surrounded by the oral storytellers and poets and of his home village in Yemen.
With drama and mystery, magic, miracles, and heroism, Ashbel faithfully recreates the stories that captured his imagination as a youth, with morals which transcend the boundaries of language, tradition, and religion. Stories where bravery and honesty defeat malice; Righteousness drives out greed; and honest faith is rewarded by good fortune. And at their base, kindhearted men and women face their adversities in the fantastical, strange, richly colored backdrop of middle eastern culture.
126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2015
24 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Shalom Ashbel
1 bookShalom Ashbel was born in Yemen in 1939 and immigrated to
Israel in 1949 with Operation Eagles’ Wings. He settled in Hadera
and pursued his education in the Holy Land, graduating from
Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in Bible and Hebrew
literature. He spent his career as an educator: teacher, principal and
director of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport
in Hadera until his retirement in 1998. He is married to Ora, father
of four and grandfather of eight.
Israel in 1949 with Operation Eagles’ Wings. He settled in Hadera
and pursued his education in the Holy Land, graduating from
Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in Bible and Hebrew
literature. He spent his career as an educator: teacher, principal and
director of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport
in Hadera until his retirement in 1998. He is married to Ora, father
of four and grandfather of eight.
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July 29, 2022
Magically rendered folktales with aromatic morals!
Israeli author Shalom Ashbel earned his degree in Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and served as both an educator and administrator. He now is retired, allowing him time to commit to writing his favored tales from Yemen, his country of origin. SPRING OF WONDER is his first publication.
The magic of these stories is well explained in the Introduction, referencing the titular story of this collection – ‘The fairytale “Spring of Wonder,” is one of the folk tales I had heard as a child in Yemen, stories rich with the vitality of the spoken word. Most of them I heard from my mother, others on special occasions, mostly on days of mourning. Not once have I heard the same story from different storytellers. Muslim and Jew alike, each of them kept the plot frame, but each left his or her imprint on the details…These stories, as I understand and know, express all of the artistic means and all of the rules and elements that the folk story entails.’
In ‘Spring of Wonder’ a wealthy man and his wife are barren, giving rise to hatred from the wife’s mother-in-law, and when at last the wife becomes pregnant, a terrifying act results in the newborn twins being separated from their mother, only to be raised by a kindly poor man who discovers them in a donkey’s carcass. This initiates a string of events, involving a wicked witch, a magical cave, a walking spring, the king’s rose, a magical songbird, and other bizarre and wondrous events that ultimately lead to contrition, redemption, acceptance and love.
The other three stories – Seven Calves and a Sister, Abu El-Kabash, and Abu Sayf – each relate how ‘bravery and honesty defeat malice, righteousness drives out greed, and honest faith is rewarded by good fortune.’ Lyrical and imbued with fine morals, these stories are a rich addition to the realm of folktales, fantasies that bear repeated reading and sharing with families and friends. Recommended.
Israeli author Shalom Ashbel earned his degree in Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem and served as both an educator and administrator. He now is retired, allowing him time to commit to writing his favored tales from Yemen, his country of origin. SPRING OF WONDER is his first publication.
The magic of these stories is well explained in the Introduction, referencing the titular story of this collection – ‘The fairytale “Spring of Wonder,” is one of the folk tales I had heard as a child in Yemen, stories rich with the vitality of the spoken word. Most of them I heard from my mother, others on special occasions, mostly on days of mourning. Not once have I heard the same story from different storytellers. Muslim and Jew alike, each of them kept the plot frame, but each left his or her imprint on the details…These stories, as I understand and know, express all of the artistic means and all of the rules and elements that the folk story entails.’
In ‘Spring of Wonder’ a wealthy man and his wife are barren, giving rise to hatred from the wife’s mother-in-law, and when at last the wife becomes pregnant, a terrifying act results in the newborn twins being separated from their mother, only to be raised by a kindly poor man who discovers them in a donkey’s carcass. This initiates a string of events, involving a wicked witch, a magical cave, a walking spring, the king’s rose, a magical songbird, and other bizarre and wondrous events that ultimately lead to contrition, redemption, acceptance and love.
The other three stories – Seven Calves and a Sister, Abu El-Kabash, and Abu Sayf – each relate how ‘bravery and honesty defeat malice, righteousness drives out greed, and honest faith is rewarded by good fortune.’ Lyrical and imbued with fine morals, these stories are a rich addition to the realm of folktales, fantasies that bear repeated reading and sharing with families and friends. Recommended.
Displaying 1 of 1 review