Legends of the Jews

Legends of the Jews is a seven-volume work by Lithuanian-born American Judaic scholar Louis Ginzberg. Published between 1909 and 1938, it compiles folklore from Jewish tradition related to Scripture and traces these legends to their origins. This collection is a significant contribution to the study of Jewish myth and legend, which spans 3,000 years of transmission in Hebrew and various vernacular dialects. These stories, while encompassing many folktale types, notably exclude pure fairy tales, as the Jewish imagination populates the otherworld with angels and demons subservient to God. The work is a testament to the rich narrative tradition within Judaism, often used for religious and moral instruction.12345