Legends of Palestine, Vilnay, 1932

Continuing the series of contents from the various works of folklore about and from Palestine, here is the lengthy contents of Legends of Palestine, by geographer Zev Vilnay. His preoccupation with geography is, I think, obvious from his arrangement and selection of tales:

The Center of the World

  • The Stone of Foundation
  • The Stone of Paradise
  • The Stone of Drinking
  • The Stone and the Name
  • The Fragment of the Rock
  • The Stone of Eden
  • The Birds that Turned to Stone
  • Ha-Reubeni in the Mosque of Omar
  • The Miracle of the Candles.

On the Mountain of God

  • The Mountain of Moriah
  • The Dome of the Chain
  • The Throne of Solomon
  • The Holy Nettle Tree
  • The Well of the Leaf
  • The Bath of Healing
  • The Gate of Sin
  • The Gate of Mercy

Ancient and Modern Jerusalem

  • The Ancient Jerusalem
  • The Destruction of Jerusalem
  • The Mourning for Jerusalem
  • The Comforting of Jerusalem
  • The Eternal Jerusalem
  • The Keys of Jerusalem
  • The Synagogue of Elijah
  • The Synagogue of Johanan
  • The Synagogue of Bethel

The Wailing Wall of the Jews

  • The Everlasting Wall
  • How the Wall was Discovered
  • The Sultan and the Wall
  • The Wall and the Divine Presence
  • The Wall and the Poor
  • The Wall and the Dove
  • The Wall and the Nails
  • The Bent Stone
  • The Gate of Lions

Graves and Caves of Jerusalem

  • The Two Architects
  • The Tomb of David
  • The Sword and the Pasha
  • The Tombs of the Kings
  • The Cave of Kalba Sabbua’
  • The Tree of Isaiah
  • The Grave of Kalonymos
  • The Cave of Simeon the Just
  • The TOmb of Samuel
  • The Cave of Zedekiah
  • The Synagogue of ha-Ramban
  • The Cave of the Lion

About and Around Jerusalem

  • The Pillar of Absolom
  • The Monument of Zechariah
  • The Stone of Haninah
  • The Finger of Og, King of Bashan
  • The Fountain of Gihon
  • The Pool of Siloam
  • Who Discovered the Gihon?
  • How Ezra Found the Torah
  • The Well of Job
  • The Well of Nehemiah
  • The Fountain of Zedekiah

On the Mountains of Jerusalem

  • The Mount of Olives
  • The Two Bridges
  • The Mount of Anointment
  • The Valley of Hinnom
  • The Valley of Slaughter
  • The Destruction of Beth-ther
  • The Vision of Beth-el

Bethlehem and Its Surroundings

  • The Field of Habakkuk
  • The Tomb of Rachel
  • The Pools of Solomon

Hebron and Machpelah

  • The Praise of Hebron
  • The Cave of Machpelah
  • Esau in the Cave of Machpelah
  • Rabbi Banna’a in the Machpelah
  • The Voices of Machpelah
  • When the Jews Entered Machpelah
  • The Synagogue of Abraham
  • The Miracle at Hebron
  • Purim of Hebron
  • The Oak of Abraham
  • The Field of Adam

The Valley of Jericho

  • The Praise of Jericho
  • The Jordan of Jericho
  • The Spring of Elisha
  • The Bubbling Fount
  • The Haunted Fountain
  • The Ascent of Adummim
  • The Rock of the Backs

The Desert of Judah

  • The Cave of the Spider
  • The Cave of the Shepherd
  • The Cliff of the Desert
  • Sodom and Gomorrah
  • The Wife of Lot
  • The Pool of Abraham
  • The Mosque of Truth

Jaffa and Its Surroundings

  • How Jaffa was Captured
  • The Miracle at Jaffa
  • The Sea of Jaffa
  • The Rock of Andromeda
  • The Curse of the Governor
  • The Mount of Napoleon
  • The Village of Bene-Berak
  • The Village of Salamah
  • The Village of Zarnuka
  • The Village of Zerifin
  • The Overturned Cistern
  • The Martyrs of Ludd
  • The Cave of Ludd

The Mountains of Judea

  • The Ascent of Beth-Horon
  • The Village of Kebab
  • The Roofless Cave
  • The Oven of Mother Eve
  • The Rock of Destruction

The South of Judea

  • The Vineyard of Jabneh
  • The Pious Men of Ascalon
  • The Witches of Ascalon
  • The Treasures of Ascalon
  • The Valley of the Ants
  • The Wilderness of Gaza
  • The Man from the South
  • The Wisdom of the Negeb

The Plain of Sharon

  • The Forest of Sharon
  • The Prayer of Sharon
  • The Sycamore of Kefar Saba
  • The Meeting at Antipatris
  • Caesarea and its Martyrs
  • The Aqueduct of Caesarea
  • The River of the Crocodiles

The Mountains of Samaria

  • The Blessing of Samaria
  • The Mountain of the King
  • The Praise of Shechem
  • The Mountain Gerizim
  • The Tomb of Joseph
  • The Fountain of Soker
  • The Town of Samaria
  • The Place of the Fire

Haifa and Carmel

  • The Sea of Haifa
  • The Mollusc and the Purple
  • How Purple was Discovered
  • The Martyr of the War
  • The Children of Mount Carmel
  • The Melons that Turned to Stone
  • The Cave of Elijah

Acco and its Surroundings

  • The Praise of Acco
  • The Discovery of Glass
  • The Ladders of Tyre
  • The Cave of Sighs

The Plain of Jezreel

  • The Land of Issachar
  • The River Kishon
  • The River Ginnai
  • The Valley of Beth-Shean
  • The Fountain of Goliah
  • Gilboa–the Barren Mountain
  • Tabor and Carmel
  • The Cave of Melchizedek
  • The Hill of Shimron
  • Simonia and Tarbenet
  • The Mount of Cain
  • The Town of Sepphoris

Tiberias and Her Shrines

  • The Praise of Tiberias
  • How Tiberias was Cleaned
  • Twelve Months in Tiberias
  • The Miracle of Tiberias
  • Rabbi Meir Ba’al ha-Nes
  • The Miracle of the Pillars
  • The Grave of Jeremiah
  • The Cave of Rab Kahana
  • Rabbi Akiba and his Pupils
  • Rabbi Hiyya and Rab Huna
  • The Tomb of Maimonides

The Sea of Galilee

  • The Sea of Chinnereth
  • The Sea of Galilee
  • The Well of Miriam
  • The Rock of the Ants
  • The Valley of Gennesar
  • The Valley of Arbael
  • The River Jordan
  • The Cave of Panias
  • The Lake of Ram
  • The Hill of the Judge
  • The Bridge of the Daughters
  • The Bridge of Meetings

Safed and its Surroundings

  • The Praise of Safed
  • The Earthquake at Safed
  • The Synagogue of ha-Ari
  • The Synagogue of Aboab
  • The Synagogue of ha-Bannai
  • The Dome of Hosea, the Son of Beeri
  • The Grave of Rabbi Phinehas
  • On the Way to En Zetim
  • Rabbi Judah bar Il’ai
  • The Cockerel Saint

Meron and Peki’in

  • The Ravine of Meron
  • The Grave of Rabbi Simon
  • The Grave of Rabbi Eliezer
  • The Cave of Hillel the Elder
  • Rabbi Johanan ha-Sandlar
  • The Lintel and the Messiah
  • The Martyr of Peki’in
  • The Saint of the Mills
  • The Miller of Peki’in
  • The Cave of Simon bar Yohai

Galilee and her Towns

  • Galilee and its Inhabitants
  • Kabul and its Graves
  • The Two Villages
  • Honi the Circle-Maker
  • The City of Refuge
  • The Colony of Aijeleth ha-Shahar
  • The Snow-capped Hermon
  • The Place of the Promise

In Transjordania

  • The Village of the Prophet Job
  • Why it Was Called Mahanaim
  • In the Mountains of Gebal
  • The Spring of Zughar
  • Petra and its Inhabitants
  • The Palace of Pharaoh’s Daughter
  • The Cave of Rakim
  • The Wilderness of Shur


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