The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain
Cover of the first edition with Zemach artwork
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| Author | Lloyd Alexander |
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| Illustrator | Margot Zemach (first) |
| Cover artist | Sasha Meret (expanded) Zemach |
| Country | United States |
| Series | The Chronicles of Prydain |
| Genre | Children's fantasy collection |
| Publisher |
Henry Holt (expanded) Holt, Rinehart and Winston |
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Publication date
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1999 (expanded) 1973 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | xi+98 pp (expanded) vii+87 pp |
| ISBN | (expanded) |
| OCLC | 614293 |
| LC Class | PZ7.A3774 Fno 1999 PZ8.A37 Fo |
The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain is a collection of short high fantasy stories for children by Lloyd Alexander. The 1973 first edition includes six stories; the 1999 edition, eight. All are prequels to The Chronicles of Prydain, Alexander's award-winning series of five novels published 1964 to 1968.
Coll and His White Pig (1965) and The Truthful Harp (1967) were 32-page picture books illustrated by Evaline Ness. They feature as younger adults two of Taran's human companions in The Chronicles. Six new stories constituted the first Foundling collection, published in 1973 and dedicated to "Friends of Prydain, who promised to read more if I would write more". The author then cited "many readers of all ages" and explained that "popular demand makes a splendid pretext" for return to Prydain, but all the stories (six) explore prehistory, "before the birth of Taran Assistant Pig-Keeper". The expanded Foundling in 1999 collected all eight stories with an old map of Prydain by Ness and a new pronunciation guide.
The hags Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch find a baby boy in a basket by the marsh, name him Dallben, take him in, and raise him to youth as a willing helper without knowledge of the outside world. When a boiling potion splashes his fingers, he pops them into his mouth and gains "learning along with [the pain]". He knows too much and must leave, albeit with a choice of parting gifts. He declines a magic sword and magic harp that would make him the greatest warrior or greatest bard and takes the massive "Book of Three", which "holds everything that was ever known, is known, and will be known". Its reading brings him joy, tears, and hope, but ages him to grey infirmity.
The farmer Maibon meets Dallben on foot, and suddenly fears aging. Fortunately he saves Doli of the Fair Folk from a fallen tree and thus earns a favor. He demands a legendary stone that keeps its owner from aging, and insists despite warnings. His chickens' eggs do not hatch, his cow does not calve, his crops do not grow, and his baby does not teethe. He throws it away, but not far away, and it returns. He tries and fails to destroy it. He meets the dwarf again, and his anger reaps a short lecture, but he is permitted to return the stone.
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