The fairy tales, legends, and songs you have read in this book have been recorded in August, September and October 2001. The collecting and publishing of folklore material is always a joint work of many people: some of them retell the stories, other record them, and a third group processes them. We offer you here the names of those who have retold or sung the stories, legends, and songs they remembered from their grandmothers and grandfathers. They all have been Roma belonging to different Romani groups living in Central Bulgaria. We offer you as well a short remark about the ethnic group of each informer. Additionally we provide some information about the place where the informer has been born and the place where he lives.
We have listed the names of all those people who recorded the oral treasure. All of them are young people, students or ex-students, most of them are Roma.
All the stories, legends, and songs have been processed by Deyan Kolev.
1. The Sick One Carries the Healthy One – Yordanka Varbanova Petrova, 66 years old, bakardji from the village of Kardam, Popovo region retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
2. The Wolf and the Little Bear-Cubs – Yusein Aliev Yasharov (Kircheto), 65 years old, preferred Turkish self-consciousness, Kardam village, Popovo region, retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
3. The wedding of the ninth brother – Ivan Angelov, 72, Horohane-Rom? from Vodoley village, Veliko Turnovo Region retold this tale to Sasho Angelov.
4. The Golden apple and the Magic Walnuts - Yusein Aliev Yasharov (Kircheto), 65 years old, preferred Turkish self-consciousness, Kardam village, Popovo region, retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
5. ‘A King and a Queen’ – Kanka Pamukova (Miryama), 78, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Lyudmila Zhivkova.
6. ‘A Story about the King-Warrior and the fisher Big Head’ – Zlatka Ognyanova, 73, Futadji, Zlataritza, retold this tale to Maia Stilianova
7. ‘The Big Head’ - Kanka Pamukova (Miryama), 78, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Lyudmila Zhivkova.
8. ‘The Dream of the Cruel King’ - Ivan Angelov, 72, Horohane-Rom? from Vodoley village, Veliko Turnovo Region retold this tale to Sasho Angelov.
9. ‘The Boy and the Giant Oh’ - Yusein Aliev Yasharov (Kircheto), 65 years old, preferred Turkish self-consciousness, Kardam village, Popovo region, retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
10. ‘The Horse with a Star on the Forehead’ – Penka Paskaleva, 58, Dassikane-Rom?, Dolna Mitropoliya, retold this tale to Ilian Patzev.
11. ‘The Horses Talk’ - Ivan Angelov, 72, Horohane-Rom? from Vodoley village, Veliko Turnovo Region retold this tale to Teodora Krumova
12. ‘A Girl of Gold and Silver’ - Yordanka Varbanova Petrova, 66 years old, bakardji from the village of Kardam, Popovo region retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
13. ‘A Story about the Golden Girl’ – Minka Ilieva, 58, Dassikane-Rom?, Bukovlak village, Pleven region, retold this tale to Plamen Asenov.
14. ‘The Stepdaughters’ - Yusein Aliev Yasharov (Kircheto), 65 years old, preferred Turkish self-consciousness, Kardam village, Popovo region, retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
15. ‘The Wealthy Man’s Son and the Poor Girl’ – Murat Sadakov Mehmedov (Bris Aleksandrov Marinov), 65, Horohane-Rom?, Vodoley village retold this tale to Teodora Krumova
16. ‘The Old Woman, the Old Man an the Many Children’ - Murat Sadakov Mehmedov (Bris Aleksandrov Marinov), 65, Horohane-Rom?, Vodoley village retold this tale to Teodora Krumova
17. ‘Children Born of Pumpkin’ – Nefizya Ibryamova, 78, Drandari from Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Ludmila Zhivkova.
18. ‘The Myth about Noah’ – Raziika Pamukova, 48, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Ludmila Zhivkova.
19. ‘A Tale about the Barrel’ – Gina Ilieva, 68, Dassikane-Rom?, Bukovlak village, retold this tale to Plamen Asenov
20. ‘Blood is Stronger Than Water’ – Asen Dimitrov Georgiev, 60, Dassikane-Rom? (Tuzhar), Pavlikeni, retold this tale to Andrej Iliev. Almost the same variant of the story was retold by Emil Yordanov, 33, Dassikane-Rom?, Dryanovo, to Emilia Borisova.
21. ‘A Kinsman of God’ – Branko Minhev Totev, 51, Horohane-Rom? with preferred Turkish self- consciousness.
22. ‘I Blocked My Luck Myself’ - Sabi Hristov Nikolov, 58, Dassikane-Rom?, Pleven retold this tale to Andrej Iliev.
23. ‘The Lazy Man ‘ – Iliya Angelov, 73, Dassikane-Rom?, Bukovlak village,retold this tale to Ilian Patzev.
24. ‘The Girls Who Were Washing Wool’ - Yordanka Varbanova Petrova, 66 years old, bakardji from the village of Kardam, Popovo region retold this tale to Deyan Kolev.
25. ‘A Story about the Mad and the Smart Brother’ - Nefizya Ibryamova, 78, Drandari from Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Ludmila Zhivkova.
26. ‘The Ancient People, the Magic Powers and the Drought’ – Ivan Grigorov Atanasov, 67, Bakardji, kardam village, retold this legend to Deyan Kolev.
27. ‘The Moon’ – Raziika Pamukova, 48, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova.
28. ‘Saint Basil’s Day (Bango Vassili)’ – Zlatka Ognyanova, 73, Futadji, Zlataritza, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova.
29. ‘A Parable about Bango Vassili’ - Zlatka Ognyanova, 73, Futadji, Zlataritza, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova.
30. ‘A Parable about Ihtimya’ – Raziika Pamukova, 48, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova
31. ’ Bashnuv Day’ – Malina Antonova, 65, Lingori, Zlataritza, retold this legend to Ludmila Zhivkova.
32. ‘A Myth about People’ – Ivanka Paskaleva, 63, Dassikane-Rom?, Dolna Mitropolia retold this to Ilian Patzev.
33. ‘The Gypsies through the Red Sea’ – Asen Dimitrov Georgiev, 60, Dassikane-Rom? (Tuzhar), Pavlikeni, retold this legend to Andrej Iliev.
34. ‘Shibilis – the Romani King’ – Raziika Pamukova, 48, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova
35. ‘A Legend about Shibil’ - Kanka Pamukova (Miryama), 78, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this tale to Lyudmila Zhivkova.
36. ‘A Parable about the Lost Alphabet’ - Zlatka Ognyanova, 73, Futadji, Zlataritza, retold this legend to Maia Stilianova.
37. ‘Why Roma do not Have a Church’ – Kutina Syulejmanova, 71, Drandari, Lyaskovetz, retold this legend to Ludmila Zhivkova. A similar tale has been retold by Emil Yordanov, 33, Dassikane-Rom?, Dryanovo, to Emilia Borisova.
38. ‘The End of Romani State’ - Asen Dimitrov Georgiev, 60, Dassikane-Rom? (Tuzhar), Pavlikeni, retold this legend to Andrej Iliev.
39. ‘A Legend about Kotel’ – Mankula Hyuseinova, Drandari, Zlataritza retold this legend to Ludmila Zhivkova.
40. ‘Short Stories about the Kaldarashi, retold by Georgy Yakov’ – Georgy Yakov, 70, Kaldarash- vretenar, dryanovo, retold these stories to Emilia Borisova.
41. ‘Stories of the Bakardjii from the village of Kardam, Popovo.’ – Kosta Milanov Stoyanov, 73, Bakardji, Kardam village, retold these stories to Deyan Kolev.
42. ‘Danka tzutzumanka’ – Atanas Paskalev, 25, Burgudji, 25, Levski sang thi song to Yelia Erolova.
43. ‘Drunk’ - Atanas Paskalev, 25, Burgudji, 25, Levski sang this song to Yelia Erolova.
44. ‘I will Take a Beautiful Woman’ – Kolyo Genkov, 52, Dassikane-Rom?, Morava village, Svistov region has sang this song to Yelis Erolova.
45. ‘She got up early’ – Rajna Petrova, 64, Dasskane-Rom?, Karamanovo, Svistov region, has sung this song to Yelis Erolova.
46. ‘A Girl Comes from Below’ – Rajna Petrova, 64, Dasskane-Rom?, Karamanovo, Svistov region, has sung this song to Yelis Erolova.
47. ‘Come, Girl, with Me to the Market’ - Atanas Paskalev, 25, Burgudji, 25, Levski sang this song to Yelia Erolova.
48. ‘Beautiful Girl’ – Tinka Tzoneva, 46, Dassikane-Rom?, Morava village, Svistov, sang this song to Yelia Erolova.
49. ‘I’ve Got, Lord, One Mother’ – Stefka Georgieva, 35, Kaldarash-niamtsuria, Kamenetz village, Svistov, sang this song to Yelia Erolova.
50. ‘Three Bells Are Tolling’ - Stefka Georgieva, 35, Kaldarash-niamtsuria, Kamenetz village, Svistov, sang this song to Yelia Erolova.
We shouldn’t forget that there are real people with their own stories and fates behind these names. They shared their time with us to retell or record the things you have read and therefore contributed to the creation of this book.
We sincerely thank them!!!