Two Short Mexican Folktales

Here are a couple of short folktales from Max Leopold Wagner’s 1927 paper “Algunas Apuntaciones Sobre el Folklore Mexicano.” As usual, I’ve posted my translations to Ephemera. The Innocent Little Old Lady (La viejecita inocente): Shades of Jack and the Giant Beanstalk! A little old lady climbs a cabbage stalk all the way to heaven, where she meets St. Peter. He gives her a little gift. But her greedy neighbor wants it for himself. The Devil You Know: A little old lady prays every day for the preservation of the king’s life. She’s not quite as sweet as you might think. I’ll return to my Stuart Palmer project after this, but I thought these two stories were cute, and worth translating. I hope you enjoy them! Reference Wagner, Max L. “Algunas Apuntaciones Sobre el Folklore Mexicano,” Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 40 no. 156 (April-June 1927), pp 105-143.