“By means of those ethereal and heavenly waves of melody one sees enchanting mermaids who, after dancing on the banks of large and small lakes and poising themselves on the waters, allure towards themselves the pagan Armenians, offering love kisses to all minstrels.” In later years Armenian music and poetry were affected by European influence, but in her hymns and folksongs she has musical treasures that are all her own. Side by side with the written literature of this period, the unwritten literature continued to grow. The latter consists mainly of folktales, fables, and proverbs. It is easy to distinguish a Christian folktale from a pagan one by the different ideals embodied in it. Some of the folktales of this period have arisen out of historical events. In the folktales, it is the youngest child that is the hero or heroine. These stories express the people’s outlook on life and are the product of their experiences, which have been handed down from generation to generation. There is a great deal of folklore current in Armenia, some of which has been collected and published. Grigor Magistros says that, in his time, unwritten fables in rhyme were very popular. There are also many Armenian proverbs. It seems to have been a custom in ancient times—and the usage is still retained in some places—for a man to go and meet the girl he wishes to marry on the banks of a stream or in a forest and to ask her a riddle. If she gives the correct answer to the riddle, he marries her. Here are a few of the riddles used on these occasions:— “What paper is it that you cannot write on? and what sort of pen can write on this paper?” A maiden who desires to marry the man should answer:— “The heart is the paper on which no pen can write; language is the pen that writes on the heart.” “What rose is it that opens in the winter and in due time fades and is gone?” Answer: “Snow is the rose that opens in the winter; when summer comes, it fades and is gone.” “The brother chases the sister, the sister the brother, but neither can catch the other.” Answer: “The sun and the moon.” There is another usage, belonging especially to young girls, which has given rise to an extensive literature. This literature consists of charm-verses, which are used for fortune-telling. A selection of these is given on pages 67–68.